MIRFIELDTEAM PARISH st Mary's st John's st Paul's Serving the communities of Mirfield and Hopton ANNUAL REPORT 2023 Please note that questions for the Annual Parochlal Church Meeting IAPCM) to be held on Sunday 28 April 2024, at St Mary's, following the 9.30am Service, are to be submitted in writing prior to the Meeting. REVD HUGH BAKER Vlcar of Mlrfleld eain Parlsh Repo'rt'ror the ear'*O>3 2023 Baptisms Weddings Funerals Confi'rmation Average Sunday attendance St. Mar￿5 30 13 15 St. Paul's St. John's Crem TOTAL 32 14 37 15 27 79 52 VICAR'S REPORT Revd Hugh baker Mirfield Team Parish is a busy place to be as you will be very aware as you read the various reports that have been brought together for thi5 APCM. There are things that have been done by our individual churches, things by groups connected to the Parish and things that we as a church are involved with but which are connected more to the wider community around u5. 1 commend each one of the following reports to you and I hope you will take the time to read them and feel heartened that so much is being done with and through God's church in this place. l am of course deeply grateful for all that has been done and a gener21 thank you goes to everyone contributing to this report and mentioned in it. I would just like to mention a few in more detail.. We are well blessed with clergy here in our Parish and my thanks goes to our SSM Assistant Priest Helen Butler whose contribution to the life of the Parish cannot be overstated, her ministry with us brings a wealth of local knowledge and her warmth, empathy and humour bring so much to the work she does among us. Chris Shedd who is retired but has happily taken on a very useful Supportive role in the Parish has been busy covering some services on Sundays and midweek and has also taken a leading role with the book club and services like the Graveyard Service of remembrance at St. John's. We have been well served by our Curate Graeme Blackwell who joined us this year. It has been great to work alongside him as Deacon and we pray for him now as he moves towards his Priesting which should take place on 22nd June 2024. We also give thanks for the enthusiastic involvement in Parish life of his family.. wife Sally, children Barny and Willow and Sally's mum Val. It has additionally been good to benefit from the input from various Ordinands over the year as they complete their Parish Placement with us from Mirfield College. This is an extremely busy Parish and it is wonderful that we are 50 well supported by the clergy we have. A lot of pastoral work in the Parish 15 done by our 3 Lay Pastoral Ministers- Barry Hambling, Kath Crossley and Val Walker. They along, with the clergy and other member5 of the Pastoral Team have done much to make sure that contacts have been m3intained with some of our most vulnerable members. Under Pastoral work I would also like to draw attention to and Eive thanks for the work that has been going on to provide a warm space in our community centre at this time of high energy bills and lower income. This has proven itself to be a very valuable and valued part of God's work. It is a huge commitment by those who run it but it has managed to provide warmth, food and friendship to numbers consistently around 20 every Saturday morning winter and summer. l am also grateful to Chris Shedd and Graeme for responding to 2 call for help with Sunday worship at Royds Court, we now have a regular monthly presence there on Sunday afternoons. A very special word of thanks goes to our Church Wardens Tim Grace at St Paul's Chrls Barker at St, MarWs Anne Heeley and Stephen Butler at St. John's As you read the reports from each of the churches you will begin to appreciate just how important the role of Church Warden Is to the life and work of the Church and 5t has been good to see lust how well thls partlcular team of wardens have supported and encouraged one another In the tasks with each brlnging thelr own skllls and abllities to the beneflt of the whole team. They have also worked very well wlth the Buslness Groups to ensure that the PCC are active on a day-to-day basis at each of our churches. Of course, the Wardens are not alone In the work they are called to, they are supported fully by the clergy and surrounded by the PCC who agaln have brought many talents and ablllties to the work of the church. I am very grateful for all that they do especlally those who take on added responslbllltles wlthln the team: our Lay Chair Chris Breare, Involved In so much In the Parish and at St. John's. Davld Brooke who works so hard to keep our books In order and when you conslder that our turnover of money Is in exce55 of EIOO,000 a year thls Is no small tssk; Stayln8 wlth Ilnance my thanks goes to Peter Klng for hls continuln8 work as a trustee wlth the Vlcarfs Charlty and helplng greatly wlth the admlnlstratlon of It, Susan Smlth had to step back from the work of PCC Secretary and we thank her forthe many years of servlce that she so wllllngly provided there. However, thls has meant we have been without an official Secretary for most of the year. Thls has not been easy to manage, and It Is to be hoped that we appolnt someone to thSs work as 500n a5 posslble. In the meantlme, l am extremely grateful to Chrls Breare for stepping up and Sn effert dolng much ofthe work ofthe PCC Secretary alongslde her manyother rolls and duttes. Itls due to her hard work that the funcilons of the PCC have been enabled, Denlse Cooper had to step back from the posltlon of Safeguardln8 Officer due to111 health and our thanks 80 to her for the work that she dld In the pOsI￿on. l am very 8rateful to Ma88le Rlchardson for steppln8 qulckly Into the Role. Safe8uardln8 Is vltal In the Ilfe of the church as It Is In soclety generally and It has been good to know that Ma88le Is taking thls matter well In hand. In thls she Is ably asslsted by Kath Cros51ey who we are also much indebted to. OurAdmlnlstration5 Officer Lauren Mont8omery-Bell has Put in many hours over the year, we are lucky to have many weddlngs In the Parlsh and among other thlngs Laruen is the one who makes sure that all the le8al requlrements are belng met and arran8ements are In place for such Important days, Lauren also heads up the Community Centre management team. We are now beglnnlngto return to somethlng 1Ske the booklngs that we need to support the centre and to carry forward the malntenance and upgrade programmes that are bein8 planned. The chlldren's work In our Parlsh has been headed up by Kath Crossley worklng wlth the young church at St. Mary'5 and taklng the lead on Baptism bookin85 and contacts. In thls work she 15 Joined by Anne Heeley at St. Johns wlth the Sunday School team there. Our work wlth Crowlees School has conttnued to develop beneflttlng greatly from havin8 both Helen Butler as Chalr of Governors and Graeme Blackwell and myself as Governors. We have a church presence at thelr collecdve worship lassemblyl sesslons every Tuesday morning and work wlth them on a number of other thln8s such as the outside spaces, vlslts. and the popular enacted weddings and Bapttsms. We also have some visits over the year from Castle Hall School and an occaslonal Input Ichristmas and Easterl Into Assemblles at Crossley Flelds. Mltsic and choral work have always played an important part in the life of the church and we are very well led In this area by Scott Senogles our Organist and Choir Master. He has worked hard alongside the choir, and it is wonderful to see that steps are being tsken to build up the young slngers again. We have some lovely voices to listen to accompanled as always superbly by Scott. A huge thank you too for organising the Summer Organ recltals whlch seem to be golng from stren8th to strength. We are also In the fortunate position of bein8 able to call on a number of other very competent organlsts on those rare occasions that Scott is unable to be with us. Staylng in the area of worshlp It has been good to be able once agaln to use our teams of Servers and Assistants at St. Mary's and St. Johns. At St. Ma￿5 we are fortunate In havlng Chris 8arker who Is extremely organlsed and hard workin8 as Sacrlstan, making sure that everythlng we need for our worship Is bought In, clean and In the right place and at the right time lincludin8 the servers). In addltion, I would also Ilke to take thi5 OPPOrtunlty to thank Peter Gordzeljko for the work that he has done wlth the series of meditations that he has been runnlng. And, mentlon the prayer team that continue to provlde a place for Individual prayer In the slde chapel at St. Marfs durlng communion. Rachel Walker has continued to provide us wlth the rln8lngteams that we need at St, Mary's. She has now accepted the posltton of Tower Captain and has worked very hard to keep the group together and rin8lng for Sunday worshlp, Hl8h Days, holldays and weddln85 when able. The group Is conunulng to grow although tralnln8 Is being done at other towers as we have no resldent ringlng trainer, If you know of anyone please let us know. Communicatlon Is very important In any Parish and here we are fortunate to have skllls of Janlce Barker worklng for us. She gathers Informatton to put together and prlnt the newsletters every week and It15 Janlce who produces the excellent Parlsh Ma8azlne whlch often ellcits pralse for content and deslgn. It Is wonderful to have such a record of Parlsh Llfe whlch we can enjoy and share so readlly wlth those who vlslt us. The value of the magazlne goes far beyond any monetary conslderauons. Janlce Is a150 the person who makes sure that our weekly newsletter Is produced to such a high standard every week with the readlngs other servlce detalls and announcements that we need. Thls year we have also seen work beln8 done on the new Web Slte deslgn by InspiraUon Computers and In particular Allson Grant whoi you wlll remember, was wlth u5 Qn Placement. We have also had an upgrade to the Weekly Newsletter Emailin8 whSch Is now throu8h a server called Mail Chimp. On line we condnue to have a virtual presence on Facebook both as a Prlvate Group and an open Pa8e and oursunday mornlng servlces are still streamed to the world In thi5 way (technology wllllngl. Both St. Marvs and St. Johns are well served by thelr respective Frlends groups. At St. John's the money that is both raised and released from Investment means a huge amount In terms of day to day maintenance and upkeep of both church and 8rounds. The FrSends at St. John'5 have supported many projerts overthe year and will continue to do so, the most important issue at the moment is the Church Towef which wlthout some very expenslve works will almost undoubtably be8in to dlslntegrate In the not too distant future. At St, Marfs the Frlends have now flnally managed to get the wall alongslde the Castle Moat rebuilt. Thls work predated my arrival and l am very grateful to them for sortlng this out. l am also 8rateful thatthe Tablet of names of Benefactors is now in the church at St. Mary'5 and removed from the effects of weatherin8 that has been taking its toll for many years. Staying with buildings. St. Mary's continues to have vltal work done to the Tower and Roof to prevent deterSoration through water ingress. St. John's Is facSng the major problem of a Tower that Is in urgent need of repalr. Unless it is dealt with soon there is a danger that the outer stonework wlll collapse away leaving the inner core 5t511 standing but rendering the buildlng unusable. Work has already begun to ensure that this does not happen and the West stained-glass window has been removed and stored pending completion of the work. The area5 around our churches are well used by members of the public and they are well malntained. At St, John's thi51s taken care of by the Council of Friends and Hopton in Bloom but at St. Marf5 the extensive work Is undertaken by a dedlcated group of volunteers under the careful mana8ement of Chris Barker. So many people comment on the well-kept nature of the Churchyards and the joy they get from visits to them. l am indebted to TIM Grace for all the work he has Put In at St. Paul's. Work has continued overthe yearto use St. Paul's as much as possible. He has managed to put together a serles of events there that have gone a long way to meet the Insurance and other costs of the bulldlng overthe year. As I wrlte we are movlngto a date for c105ure of St. Pauls In August 2024 with the hope that rt might 8et a new lease of Ilfe through charitable bi)dy that has successfully worked with other dosed thurches In the area. There have been a number of new initiatives overthe yearwhlch I would Ilke to mention. We now have band of Hand Bell rln8ers who meet re8ularly and have perfornied at our Chrlstmas Carol Services. l am Sure they will go from strength to strength and we can look forward to hearin8 more from them in the near future. Secondly, my thanks to Anne Heeley and Sally 81ackwell for startlng a Craft Group. Thls meets up at St. John's and Is a busy little group who enjoy meetlng and enga8in8 in many product?ve craft activitles. This l am sure doe5 them all a power of good and the work they produce is then sold for church funds, wln wln If ever there was one. Speakln8 of funds, a much-needed Fund Raislng group has now been convened and Is be8lnnln8 the task of upping the Fundralslng events and artivitles across the Parish. It has set itself a target of EIO,000 to ralse over 2024 and we wlsh It every success. This work Is of vltal importance especlally since the increase In the cost of livlng, especially energy, has been so severe. One calculation estimated that simply to stand still with the cost of heating our churches over the year would take an extra £5 per person per week. Thls would be a good way if anyone Is able to do It, alternatSvely, If everyone supports and adverdses the Fundraisin8 events thls wlll also help Immensely. Finally, over the year our PCC have been working closely with the PCC at Chrlst the Klng Battyeford. Thls ha5 Involved exchan8e vlslts to share best practice and encourage one another in the work that do. We are explorlng ways in which we can be of mutual benefit to each other by supporting the worship and soclal Ilfe of all our churches as part of the overall Ministry and Mission to Mlrfleld. We hope that thls collaboratlon will contlnue to 8row and develop to the benefit of all. The report to the APCM and thls short Introductlon Indlcates Just how many people are Involved in the day to day runnin8 of the church and it5 life. There are far more than I have man8ed to thank Individually and If I have not mentioned you by name my apologles, the contributions of all are of great value and very much appreciated. Wlth every blessing. Hugh. THE BUSINESS OFTHE FULL PCC Membership of the PCC The PCC consists of: Clergy Revd Hugh Crispin Baker Ivicar and Chairl Revd Helen Butler Revd Graeme Blackwell Revd Chris Shedd Ireh'red and stepplng In on a regular ba5isI Wardens From St Mary's Christopher Barker From St John's Anne Heeley Stephen Butler From St Paul's Tim Grace PCC Members From St Mary's Lauren Monlgomery.Bell Ruth Edwards Susan Smith untfl APCM Helen Walker Rachel Copley From St John's Chris Breare Susan Auckland Susan Young From St Paul's David Brooke Deanery Synod Reps From St Mary's Barry Hambling Ruth King Ex Officio Chlld Protection Officer Maggie Richardson co.opted Health & Safety Advlsor Stephen 8utler There were 6 PCC meetings and 6 Standing Committee Meetings held in 2023. The officers to the PCC were.. Lay Chair Secretary Treasurer Chris 8reare Susan Smith until May 2023 David Brooke ELECTORAL ROLL REPORT- Lauren Montgomery-Bell IElectoral Roll Officerl Every 6 years the old Electoral Roll is discarded in favour of a new one and a new Roll was created for 2019 to be effective at the Annual Meeting in 2019. At the 31st March 2019 the new Roll stands at 41 for St john's, 117 for St Mary's and 2 for St Paul's with a further S joint registrations, giving a total Roll of 165. These include 16 new enrolments for St Mary's and none for the other two churches. As of Aprll 2024. the Roll stand5 at 163 broken down as 45 forstjohn's, 111 for St Marf5, 2 for St Paul's wlth a further 5 joint registrations. There are 6 new enrolment5. The exlsting roll will need to be discarded next year (2025} in favour of a new roll. New forn15 will be avallable for you to take, at the back of churth from the AGM. Thank5 to Lauren Mont8omery-8ell IElectoral Roll Officerl FINANCIAL REPORT- David Brooke 2023 was a 'challenglng' year financially for the Parlsh. Income decreased by £10,000 on 2022- but expendlture decreased by only £5.LM)). There was an Increase In Income frorn planned glvln& gift ald, collertlons and donatlons, etc of lust over £1.200 and Income from fundralsln8 and fees also Increased by £2,4(M). The Parlsh Centre contrtbutlon to general funds was EIO,O(Ml- and Income recelved from lettlng of St Paul's Churth brought Into general funds nearly £5,IMI In the year. In expendlture- there wa5 an Increase In upkeep of servlces by £l.000, runnln8 costs18as. elertrl¢lty, water and Insurance) increased by over £6.0￿1 - fortunately malntenance {repalr51 costs charged to general fund5 decreased by £I0.OC￿. The par15h share wntrlbutlon was malntsined ar £64,2Tr) for the year and donadons of money collected for charltles was £444. All of thls resulted In a defl¢lt In 8eneral funds of £7.5k12022: £2.2kl Golng forw?rd- a fundraI￿n8 8roup has now been fomied and It Is hoped that thls wlll help generate about £io,wo of In¢ome to help offset the impact of the large Increase in 2024 of the costs of utiliues. Insurance, et¢. However, th15 lone wlll not cover the larye expendlturt to be incurred and a modest increase from gfvlng would help. A5 always, we are 8rnteful to all the people who 8lve re8ularly and 8enerousty to Mlrfield Team Parlsh so that the work of Mlrfleld Team Partsh can cont5nue and our Churches can be open for all to be ma¢Je welcomel CHURCH WARDEN'S REPORT- ST MARY'S CHVRCH- Chris Barker CSndy Sheard moved to pastures new at StJohn'5, Cleckheaton,. as well as her stlmulatlng arid thought-provoklng servlces, she Instlgated some new Inlttatlves including Messy Church and Stafjons of the Cross In the churchyards at Salnt Mary's and St John's. We had no Idea what was waltlng over the ￿￿10n1 And then It hlt us. the whlrlwlnd that was the Blackwells. Graeme. Sally. Barny and Wlllow and Val Jasper. who very qulckly settled Into all aspects of parlsh Ilfe, Immedlately ralsln8 the proflle of the team parlsh on sodal medla, Facebook, Mlrfteld Matters and the much-lmproved Church website as well as taklnB an active part in many initlattves, Includlng a Pancake party and Craft & Fellowshlp group. COVID seemed a long way away. but mary felt the aftereffects In lon8 lasting coughs and colds. Nevertheless, It was highly encoura8in8 to see the conttnulng rise in attendances and the number of events and actlvitbes encouraglng vlsitors Into our church. As always, we are Indebted to our dergy ft>r everything they do In all services, Bapdsms, marrlages. funerals. work In schoo15 and the countless hours dolng unllmlted tasks behind the scenes whlch we don hear about. Included In thls are our Lay Ministers and Pastoral Team who do so much valuable. often unseen work vlsitlng slck and housebound members. Church members contlnue to v15Ft lfytydale Hall for Curslllo weekends to strengthen thelr fabth and grow in prayer. actlon and study. The prayer chain provides prayerful support for those In need. A teamls always available to pray In the Side Chapel during the mornln8 servlce wlth anyone who needs thelr SUPPOrt. A prayer tree and prdyer board are also on hand. Chdstlngle, Lfve Nativity, Carol, Crib service and Mldnlght hm been well supported as have All age and Uniformed Organisations. Holy Week and Easter services have been well supported. they have been Inspirational. thought provoking and meanin8ful. Thank you to the clergy and to Scott for leadlng the beautifully execL¢ted music. We are lucky to have Scott (don't let on- but I thlnk he know511I who quite apart from the musi¢for hyrnns and anthems has hi5 work cut out wlth the cholr, the Junlor Singers, organi5in8 a programme of or8an recita15 and keeplng our or8an in tlp.top condition and protecting It from the elements. Not to mentlon Compline on 3 Wednesday night. At h PCC meetlng, the Rerfd Jude Smlth spoke to us about Oarnabas, a scheme whlch sets out steps to potentfjal funding and support to improve our church and Team Parish. Thls Includes steps in prayer and misslon, help wlth buildings, stewardshlpi help wlth governance and on-llne technology. We seemed io be ahead In most areas. We continue to hold meetlngs to look at ways In which we can become better at communlcating our falth, connectlng wlth our local communldes and havlng the confidence to talk, wltness and sUPPOrt In the community. Outreach is very Important at Salnt Mary's, we want visltors to see. Join us and dlscover what we do In our activlties, events and servlces. It is very encoura8lnB to note the Increasing numbers who have come through our doors for special servlces con¢erts, events. Open D3y* cholrs and bands. The Roberttown Pop Cholr 8ave three performances, The Honley Male Voice Choir, Black Dyke and Hamrnonds Brass 8ands have all given entertalnlng evenlngs, all of whlch have InSpI￿d other cholrs and bands to offer thelr Services for the comln8 year. The Freddle Mercury and Céllne Dlon trlbute evenln& along wlth others, are always well supported. A team15 already looklng at or8anislng events and actlvlttès to be spread throughout the year. A very successful Open Day was held at St Marfs in early July. For the second su¢¢esslve year the weather was a8alnst us prevendn8 most outdoor acdvifjes from takin8 place. When we were organlsln8 the Open Day, we Invlted Dewsbury Mlnster Rln8ers to rlng our lovely set of re- condlfjoned h3ndbÈlls donated by the late Margaret Rlchardson. Helen was qulck to slgn those Interested. More rlngers followed then thoroughly enjoyable practlces leadln8 to performances at the Chrlstmas Carol Servlces. Practfjces are progresslng well and more 'booklngs' are hoped for durlni the year. Ruth and Helen have worked hard wlth thelr team5 to keep the very successful Warm Space, now Frlendshlp Café 8oln& such a lovely atmosphere: all Imiolved can be proud of thelr efforts. Hu8è thanks must BO to everyone who helped on Chrlstmas Day to prèpare the meal for those who ml8ht otherwlse have been on thelr own. Sadly. the war In Ukralne15 St611 conlnulng, collecrlons of food and clothes or8anlsed by Ruth have been well supported and are desperately needed, Ruth Is sponsorlng a lorry to take donated supplles Out to Ukralne and she needs sponsors. Ilf we could take Ruth out the￿ everyone would be so organlsed there would be no energy left for fighdng and there would be no Iltter, lust BloomÈts In every townlll Ruth and her team also decorate the thur¢h for servlces. In Memory of, and weddlngs,. the porch alway$ looks stunnln8 as do the pedestals. The Parish Magatlne Is one of the ways we reach out and oursls widely read. A great many thanks must go to Janlce for complllng such a flrst-class pUblIca￿On each month. lanlce has been doin8 this for thlrty years l.e. 300 issues. Our present, professlonally prlnted publlcafjon goes a long way from the black and whlte 8anda prlnted sheets Collated and stapled by a small Broup of volunteers each month. Our magazlne Is much admlred, dlstrlbuted efficlently through the localltyi to shops, Ilbrarles, nurslng homes by a team of volunteers oryanlsed by Barry. Coples of the magazlne are 31so posted to readers in other part5 of the UK and Can also be read onllne as a PDF flle. It Is pleasing to see vlsiting Eroups of bellrlngers uslng our Tower. Thls year we have had Chapel Allerton, Bath Rlngers, also East meet5 West Rln8ers, that Included rlngers from York. Norwlch, St Paul's Cathedral and Derby Cathedral. who ran8 a peal lasting three and a half hours. Our own small group of bellrlngers ring for weddln85 and some regular services. Fraser Turner 1$ tryin8 hard to attract new members who want to learn how to rin8 andls desperately looking for an Instructor to teach them. A very dedicated band of chur¢h members attend monthly cleanlnB sessions after whlch energy reserves are replenlshed at a local hostelry afterwards. The Smell of newly pollshed wood and the gleam of brass Insp1￿ a warm feellng of Sa￿$faCtIon. We now have a Payaz ma¢hlne. a contactless form of paymenL to speed up donations and payment5 at sèrvices and especial￿ events. Team Parlsh lunches are very well attended and held regularly through the year; we must thank those who organlse these. Many thanks must also go to the many members of church who week in, week OUL keep our servi￿5 flowing- our welcomers, those who prepare and serve ￿freshmeftts, those who read lessons, lead intercesslons. the server5 at the altar, those who admlnlster the chalice, those who support people by prayer, We do really need people to volunteer to do these many tssks. °many hand5 make118ht work" . and spread the workload that often lands on the shoulders of the few. Every Sunday for two hours, a team of volunteers are found wtlcomlnB vlsltors to St Marfs, seNlng refreshments, talklng about our church, servlce5 and actlvltles. Visitors can spend time dlscoverSng our herltage. admlre our awesome bullding and archltecture or spend some tlme medltating in qulet thought or prayer. Thanks 80 to Margery uttley-Talbot for organlsin8 thls. It15 very noteworthy how many who work or attend our acttvlttes don't actually worshlp here but thoroughly enjoy what they do, taklng prlde In belng part of the herlta8e and churchyard of St Mary's. We are lucky to have churchyard 50 rlch In hlstory and wlldllfe, an area to 51t In, enjoy, medltate. walk through, wot* In a calm, qulet envlronment. The Graveyard Gang Is a small group who malntsln the nlne-acre slte, We are 5UPPOrted by Open Country, a group who work wlth those who have leamin8 difficultie5, and the Payback Team. WÈ are also well supported by Mltheld In Bloom who donate funds for machlnery, sklp5, equlpment, nodceboard5. blrd boxes. Ruth entered u5 In Mlrfleld In Bloom- Herlta8e Slte Competltlon,. we achleved "Outst?ndln¢, a notsble achlevement, Areas for development Included wlldflower planting and a wlldllfe trall wSth nodceboards. Also tacklln8 bracken on the motte. whlch we've already done. 8ernard Walker was appolnted as Conservatlon Offlcer. Two of our team vislted St Stephen'5 Church, 8owling, for 3 da*s course to look at aspects of churchyard care, use and maintenance. Repalr ond malntenance unfortunately occupy our thoughts, tbme and flnance a lot more than they should, The thought of flndlng funds for all the works and proSect$1s qulte mlnd-blowlno and a fundralslng team Is already formln8 a Ilst of events and acdvlttes Spread throughout the year. Prlorlty are45 for repalr and malntenan¢e Include repa5rln8 the vestry roof and leaks In other areas. eradlcatlon of dry rot; Improved Ilghtin& headng Improvement,. tollet area Improvement: the graveyard wlll need extendln8 over the next ten years. All th15 before many seemlngly less Important projects. Work on the vestry roof and treatment of dry rot In the same area should go ahead durlng the drler summer month5. Improved118htlni Is to be fdrrled out In two phases, the flrst beln8 to replace exlstlnq bulb5 wlth brighter ener8y efflclent one5. We have Invest5gated alternattve forms of eneryy, also makln8 the present boller more powerful and efficlent. Several of u5 went to Leeds Beckett Unlver51ty to look at fans that would prevent the warm air from eseapln8 Into the roof and clrculate It downwards. Funds wlll need to be ralsed and Brants found to fund these proleets. Our sound system has been completely up8raded wlth retuned frequencles, new antennae to ensure strong sl8nals, new medla system and the Inductlon loop has also been repalred. A block of stone from a wlndowlamb In the Old Tower has been refixed. The Dunbottle Lane wall ha5 been at long last repalred thanks to the Frlends of St Mar¢$,' the wall near the Stocks has been repalred after a pollce car crashed Into It whllst In pursult. fllmed on our CCTV. The cause of a pool of water on the North side of church threw up many theorle5- blocked dralnage channels, soak- aways, wells, sprlng. An excavation supeNlsed by our archltect and an archaeologist proved Inconcluslve. An exploratory Investlgation by the Water Board revealed a stopcocK which when turned off Caused the pond to disappear. Local houses were not affected. A defunct. above ground gas governor klosk need5 to be removed and changed for one below ground and slted In the paddock behlnd the church halls. Congratulattons to Hugh who was made an Honorary Canon of Wakefield Cathedral,. hls Instsllauon took place In October. The Coronation of Klng Charles111 wa5 ￿lebrated over a long weekend in early May. A vigil was held at St John's on the Friday evenlng, the service from Westminster Abbey was st￿aMed at St Paul'5 on the Saturdayi a celebration service and street party were held at St Marfs on the Sunday and a Volunteerlng Day for members of the communlty led to many dlfferent projects on the Mondav. It IS the tenth annlversary of the Mirfleld Team Parish Health Walks which take place on two Saturdays each month explorlng the local footpath network around St Paul's. St Marfs and St John's churches. Money for ref￿shMents after the walks totalled £1250, whlch goes into Team Parlsh funds. Peter Gordzlelko contlnued hls Stop the Month Medltstlon se55ions; these culmlnated In our vlsllna the Communltv of the Resurrection to loln wlth them in Evenln8 Prayer, Sadly, we have lot some stslwart members of our Congrega￿on- Graham Lammlngi Pat Marhsall. Yed, Pugh and more recentlyi Margaret pren￿Ce. They wlll be greatly mlssed. CHURCH WARDEN'S RÉPORT- ST JOHN'S CHURCH January to December 2023 From January 2023, untll May, Anne Healey and Llnda Hutchlnson were ourwardens. At the APCM, Llnda reured and Stephen 8utler was elected In her place. We are 8rateful to all the work Llnda carrled out In her term as warden. She now devotes her tfme as our Sacrlstan and compllin8 excellent qulz sheets for our Tower fund. The Buslness Team, conslstSng of Revd Hugh 8aker ICh?Irl, Rev Graeme Blackwell,, Anne Heeley, Stephen Butler. Sue Auckland, Chr1$ 8reare. Llnda Hutchlnson, John Sykes, and Sue Young met on slx occaslons In 2023, one meetfng by Zoom and then at St John's. OUTREACH INTOTHE COMMUNITY Pre-school stsff and some of the parents and Chlldren came to St John's church on In Monday 27th March at 9.30 when Hugh told them the Easter story, followed by an Easter e88 hunt In Church. Preschool also came to servl¢es of Harvest festlval and to celebrate the Chrlstmls story. CORONATION On Frlday May 5th VIBII SeThlce at was held at St John's St John's followed a Speclal Servlce on Sunday May 5th Garden Tra51 St John's was open for the Garden Trall and we organlsed a rota of helpers to steward the church July 1st 104 pm. On Good Frlday, vlsltors of all denomlnatlons partt¢lpated and much appre¢lated the outdoor readlngs for the Statlons of the Cross whlch were placed through the churchyard, culmSnatin8 at the Easter Garden. Prayer Ststlon In a Gazebo at thè Vllla8e Fete on july 29th was great $uctess and will be held agaln thls year. UHCA have donated £250 from money ralsed at the Fete Harvest Songs of Pralse. Harvest Son85 of Pralse and Harvest Hall was held In a packed room at the Club at 3pm and Scott accompanled the hymn 51ngln8 oh hls keyboard November 5th at 2.30pm Servl¢e to "Remember those we have Loved and Lost" was attended by over 40 people. Roses were Biven out the plate on the memorlals to loved ones. Posada In a new Inlttatlve on Advent Sunday, a Posada wlth 30 knltted sheep for the families to keep. was sent round the vlllage and then It was brought to the Crlb Servlce on Sunday December 24th at 6pm. After a slow start the￿ was waiilng Ilst for people wantlng to have the Posada as It 8ave a feeling of Joy and peace, so next year we plan to have two Posada5 wlth Anne and Sally maklng 60 sheep. Carol Servlce was held on Sunday December 10th at 3pm with members of the Communlty reading the lessons and the newly formed Handbell rlngers entertalnlnB us beautlfully In thelr first engagement io Carols Round the Tree Hugh led the carols round the tree. a joint event hosted by Upper Hopton Community A550ciation and StJohn5, on Saturday Oecember 16th 6 pm. Thanks to Richard Haigh who provided the Chrlstma5 Tree, Clifton and Llghtcliffe Band for leading the carols. members of both UHCA and Stjohn's who provided the mulled wine and mince pies and to Roger for setting it all up. On 19th December at 6pm Quiet Christhias fortTr￿se do not k>ok forward to Chrlstrna5 was not as successful as it dashed with several other events. An afternoon servlce be tried next year. The meetlng room at St John's with its independent heatlng rs an asset to l)oth the parlsh and the community. for group meeting5* namely the bi-monthty meeting5 Qf the Pastordl Team. Mln15try and Mission Team, the quarterly meeilngs ofthe Council of Friends and the Croft House Room5 Management Committee and the weekly coffee breaks of the Hopton In 81oom Team. It will be the venue for our newty fornied Crnft at)d Fellowship group. On occasion5. St John's is the venue for the Cutsillo Services on a S*urday. CONFIRMATION Four Ithree children and one adult) candidates were confirmation on at a wonderful interacttve servlce on Sunday January 29th at 3.30p.m by Bishop Tory at Wakefield Cathedral. DEDICATION FESTIVAL We celebrated our dedicatlon Festival in October and thanks to Guest preacher, Revd Drjanet Williams from SL Hlld's College for a wonderful thought-provoking sernion. and followin8 the 5eNice everyone enjoyed the buffet lunch In church. BOOK GROUP Chris Shedd hosted 2 Book DiscussÉon group5 at StJohn's for Lent Bool September on Monday afternoons 2pm for refreshment and 2.30-3.30 to share discussion. FOOD BANK ot 5tJohn's Is still 8olng and food donated to the Salvation Army aNI to Ukrnine.. OPEN CHURCH Each Wednesday 24 pm, the church is open for tea and cakes and we regularly have 14+ visitor5 TOWER RESTORATION PROJECT. The busine55 team held a meeting with our architect on Monday January 9th at 10.30a.m. The bul8in8 of the tower vrdlls have increased and the repair has become urgent and ha5 occupied a large amount of time at our business meeting this year. We fomied a Tower Projert Group Revd Hugh Baker. Revd Graemè Blackwell. Stephen Butler, Mlke Hewson. James Northing Stone Mason. of Monolith, Icontractorl, fm Grace and Chri5 Breare. Jame5 proposed to repair the Tower in a Design and Build Project in 2 stages Smmedi*e stabilisatEon of the lower part of the Tower by placing the strengthenin8 20mm bars on three sides of the tower. Restoration in Sections of the outer wall of the tower. removing the rubble Infill and replacing with a stable mortar. HEALTH AND SAFETY To monitor our energy consumptlon more effiuently* a smart meter for Electricitywa5 fitted. We already have one for the gas. The Annual Boiler Servlce was completed in March Headstone inspecknon was completed by John Sykes. Notices been attached to the unsafe headstone5. li The four heaters were serwced by Delsol on November 1st and a￿ stlll running okay. Fire extinguishers were serviced by Flamstop on Friday 15 December at 1.30p.m. Parking for those with a Disability. We are grateful to Eric Wainwright who liaised with Kirklees to install 2 disabled parking Spaces on Hopton Hall Lane. PROJECTS COMPLEfED Following the grantlng of an Interim Faculty the We5tWindow the stsined glass panets and polycarbonate protection of the West Window were rem¢)ved by Adam Gothear and stored in secure 5tordge in the meuanine at St John's at cost of £28s0.￿.Th1S involce. togetherwith £950 for the arthitect fees for Prepari￿ the paper Work for the DAC, were pald by a former member of the Counal of Friends Adam also cleaned the mil￿nnIUm Window. Vlcarf5 Vestry window. the Spider window and the two porch wlndows on August 25th. We are agaln gratefrjl to the Frlend5 for paying this invoice of £691.50. V.A.T. Is not applicable. Churchyard We were grateful for a bequest of £10(￿ from the estate ofthe late Karin Brook and It was decided that this money shoLtld 80 toward5 the upkeep of the churdryard as Karin was a stlcklerfor k£eping the aw round her parent< grave Regular Gardening and Grass cutting. Lewi5 Wroe regularty cuts the grass and the Im￿[te$ paid bythe Friends. We are grateful to Paul Green and John Sykes who cut the hedge between the lower and upper churchyard so that it is now half the helght easyto maintenance. PROJECTS IN HAND. Adam Goodyear menttoned that the pointlng of the millennlum wlndow 15 Starting to fail and whilst the window Is secure and the Potycarbonate wlll keep the rain away it IS 50methlng that YOU should conslder replacing either in the autumn or spring as both frost and hot weather are detrimental to fresh lime mortar. Sloping slab in path In Churchyard. Hai£h's Tamac quoted for removing the concrete by breaking it up and replacing with concrete leaving a 4" gap for the adjacent poplartree to grow. Quote received £950 +. Stephen Craven has confirmed that this is a List A project and we an get on with it. We are ¥Ritln8 for dry weather. Trip hazard and disabled access to meeting room. A plan to reduce the front pew panel settion to alh)w wheelchair access pa# the column and stsininglpoltshlng and shorten the trip hazards and put a floor fixing on the ￿n￿de pew seat side, and to include stsining the effected trimmed areas Path to wcèrfs vestry is a health and safety hazard. We plan to dig it out to find the original stone pathway and to add more pebbles. The Upper Hopton Mothers Union Banner needs Some repalrwork to the gold thread and other ernbroidery. It Is proposed that we frame it and display it on the w311 in the north ai51e. Toy and resources cupboard Anne Heeley has raised £2063.CQ by knitting toys and wishes this to be placed In restrlcted fund in the Friends to pay for the cupboard. Cleaning the Paintings in the Sanctuary The humidity in the Sanctuary 15 bein8 monitored and recorded. Air grates mesh grids to be installed in the spring. Need to clear all the vegetstion growing round the church Iwilding. It has been suggested that we need a Post box at church. FUNDRAISING EVETrirs 12 A coffee mornlnE May 13th In St John's was a great su¢¢ess socially wlth lots of people saying how much they had enloyed it. We raised £557 for the Tower fund. UHCA have donated £250 for the Tower fund from money falsed at the Fete In July Linda's Yorkshire Day Quiz Sheets drawn on Au8USt 1st, wlth a Yorkshire themed hamper as the prlze, raised over £600. A Harvest flower Qulz ralsed £302 Linda's Flowers aulz and a Christmas Sweets Qu12 Organ recitsl. Owen organised the recltal wlth Gordon Stewart for September 16th 7.30pm and an entertaining evening was enjoyed by all. £897 was raised for the Tower fund New2You Gail, Sandra, Kath and Anlta from Hopton In Bloom ralsed £904 for the T¢)wer Fund by holdlng a New2You Sale In Croft House Qulz complled by James Taylor on October 13th was a great soclal evenlng and we are grateful to all who provlded the refreshments at no cost to us. £585 was r315ed for the tower fund Church Stall at UHCA Autumn Falr on October 21stwhen £500 was ralsed for the tower fund. A Fundralslng letter was clrculated to all houses In the vlllage and further afleld outllnlng our urgent problem wlth The Tower and dlrectly requesting dOna￿OnS. A Poster has been placed on the Herras fenclng dlsplayln8 the QR code and hoplnE for donatlons too. Sales of Helen's Jam and Honey have ralsed valuable funds for our Tower fund. ThANKS We are grateful to Rev'd Hu8h Baker, Rerfd Helen Butler. Rerfd Graeme Blackwell and ￿tIred priest Chrlstine Shedd for ministerin8 to us In Upper Hopton,. and to 5¢0tt and the cholr, our Sa¢rlstsn Llnda and all ass15tants, readers and sldes-people, who Contrlbute to our Sunday worshlp and to all who have supported us wlth regular glvlng. Chrls Breare. Secretary to St John's Buslness Team CHURCH WARDEN'S REPORT- ST PAUL'S CHURCH-TIM Grace The Dlocese are In the process of c1051ng St Paul's and we are awalttng conflrmatlon of the final date of closure from the Church Commlssloners. St Paul's Is now scheduled to hold Its final Church Servlce in Autumn 2024. During the year the Church has supported the Communlty by holding a number of events,. the Makers Markets were held throughout the year, and the pre-chrlstmas Markets belng a great success. Once agaln the Hammonds Band and the Bradford Youth Orchestra held thelr annual concert In October, they will mlss St Paul's, as other than Town Halls, there are very few venues that can accommodate 70 plece orchestra, We had a weddln8 receptton In June and ofcourse we had a lovelyday on Saturday 6th May celebradn8 the Coronatlon of King Charles at St Paul's wlth afternoon tea and a Ilve Steamln8 of the 8rand occaslon on a lar8e screen . The Beer fesifval was held In August and the walking group and old rockers group Con￿nUe to use the downstairs room on a weekly basls. l am pleased to confirm that the revenue from all these events met the requlred bud8et In 2023. tt Is a great sadne55 that we are no longer holding regular weekly services of worship at St Paul's, but once agaln we held an afternoon service on Good Frlday, to mark the 'Last Hour at the Cross,. It was a great delight to hold what may be the last Christmas Eve Christingle at St Paul's. As usual it was attended by more than 100 people, thanks go to Kath Crossley and Val Warner for maklng the Christingles. 13 I would Ilke to thank everybody for supporting the events at St Paul's during the last year. Tim Grace, Churchwarden, St Paufs Eastthorpe. FEGUARDING REPORT 2023 Maggie Richardson was appointed as Safeguarding Officer In September. K*h Crossley ￿ to work alongside her. Both meet ￿gUlarlY to di5CUSS the enormty of Safeguardlng documentstion that now exlsts. dlscuss next steps and urgent Issues. Both have completely updated their trdinin8: Baslc Awareness: Foundations; Safer Recruitment and People Management,. Raising Awareness of Domestic Abuse: Parish Safeguarding Officer Induction,. and Leadership 2. The Safeguarding Dashboard and Safeguardin8 Hub is a progrdmme that helps to infomi the Safeguarding Officers of actlons that need to be taken, especially those that are urgent. Safer recruitment is now included in the dashboard and this helps and informs of actions needed induding the Safer Recruitment of volunteers. and people management. Reports can be generated from the information on the dashboard. An example of the Act5on plan summary printed off in November 2023 indicated the following: that some Churchwarden5 and PCC officers urgently needed to complete Safegvardlng training,. a Safeguarding report needed to be made at the APCM; Churth athvittes listed on the dashboard needed to be confirmed and updated,. those actiwties listed should all be auth0ri5ed by the PCC, have adequate insurnnce. volunteers should be safely recruited and trained and Risk assessments Should be completed. AccuTrte role descriptions need to be wrltten to Infom) Safer Recruitment procedures. Links for the completion of Safeguarding trdinlng have been pr(wided. Group training is to be offered at a later date. Members ofthe PCC have now reviewed and approved the Safeguarding policy. Aclion Plan, Poliry Promotion and the Procedure for dealing with Safeguarding alleg*ions or concems. Safe storage of documents has been discussed and a Safe allocated at Stjohn's Is to be used Pure￿ for the Storage of Safeguarding documents. We Should like to express our thanks for the patience of all those who vrdlt for us to understand and tackle the complexity of all that needs to be sorted. Maggie Richardson. Safeguarding Offi￿r BUDGET AND STRATEGY GROUP REPORT_ Chris Breare THE BUDGET AND sfRATEGY REPORT APCM 2023 The Budget and Strategy Team consistin8 of Hugh. David. Chrts. Helen. Peter rim and Graeme, met by Zoom at monthly intervals except for May. August and September, to revlew the financk?I situation of the Parish at eath meeting. A Forecast Budget was compiled at the be8innlng of the yèar aiming to pay £ 64.200 t¢)￿ardS our Parlsh Share and actual budget revIev￿d at eath meetin& alon8 with the income and expenditure each month for each church. We have made re8ular monthly payments to the Diocese and we were pleased to have been able to achieve the £64.200 realistic contribution for 2023. However. we ended the year wlth a deficit the year of £7,533. To offset thi5 deficit a Fundraising Committee has been Bathered with a fijndraising target of £IOk per annum would be a good starting point for the commlttee. Thls shoubj be regularly revlewed and. if necessary. a stretch goal should be set If fundraising is going well. Event Idea5 Several new ideas for fundraisin8 eNtnts were discussed. alor6 wlth ex15tbng events: • 100 Club • Murder Mystery evening • Brass Band Programme • Tribute Concerts (Elvis, l)olly etLI 14 • Summeropen Day • Beer Festival (Planned for 28th.29th June 2024 at St.Paul's1 • Makers Markets (Planned for 913. 1314, 11/5, 816 and 13n at St.Pl St. Patricvs Day Event IPencllled in for w/¢ 313 at St.Pl Art Fes￿Val Football Events Burns Night Durlng the comln8 year there are more planned events and we hope that all our congregatlons wlll sUPPQrt them. In order to speed up electronlc donaticlns at Payaz machlne has been purchased and w35 In use at St Mary's In tlme for Chr15tmas and a QR Code Is dlsplayed alongslde it and wherever else we can dlsplay It. The energy bllls Increased 51gnlflcantly due to In(￿ased tartffs and Standlng charBes and every effort was made to reduce the numbers of hours the heatlng was on In our churches. The PCC15 grateful for the Contribu￿on of £10,000 from the Parlsh Centre; to tI￿se who glve regularly by Planned Glvln& standln8 orders and envelopes. There was a good profit for of £1,402 from our excellent Ma8azlne thls year and thanks are due to Janlce. We must thank Davld Brooke and Peter Kln8 for thelr excellent accounts and budgets and for keeplng us on track and hopefully a better year In 2024. MINISTRY TEAM REPORT- Kath Crossley. There are two Mlnlstry Teams whlch a551st In detemilnSng parlsh v151on and plannlng for the future as well as strlvln8 to provlde the best PQ551ble pastoral care. MlnSstry and Mlsslon Team. The team has met six time5. Thè team has dSscussed future planning and submlts a calendar of servlces and events, as well as any acttons needed, to the PCC for dlscusslon and approval. The team have d5scussed Acdon'23 and noted the Importance of sharlng thoughts and plans wlth members of the congregadon. Three groups: Communlcatlon, Connethon and Confidence have met from early In the year, The Communlcadon group Concentrated Inlfjally on settfng up a new webslte and Invesdgatln8 the use of soclal medla. The Confldence group declded thelr focus needed to be on the Chrlsdan falth: what It means; why It Is Important,. and how we can encourage ourselves and the wlder congregatlon to thlnk about sharlng our falth by maklng It vI51ble and accesslble to all. A lendlng Ilbrary has been establlshed at St Mary's containlng falth-based book5 and colourful leaflets are displayed coverlng informatfon about occasional office5 Such as baptlsm and marrlage; sacraments: medltation; prnyer and forgivene55. Slmllar changes have taken place at St John's. The Connethons group has Ilsted the many or8anisations and contacts that the Team Parlsh currently has Bood connecdons wlth. They a150 Identified actions that would help sUPPOrt the Team Parlsh's vlslons and prlorities: Frlendshlp Café; Tea and a Chat at St John's; Pet services for St John's and St Marfs,. and p05ada at St John's. As Covid re5triction5 were lessened. sharlng of the common cup wa5 Implemented, as soon and as saftly posslble. on Easter sunday. Inltlally a second chalice was 31s0 used forthose who w15hed thelr wafer to be Intin¢ted. The team has also supported the Introduthon of meditations. reflecUve 5ervlces and heallng prayer. House groups; No Enquirerf5 groups have been held. Conflmatton preparation meetings were held. Study groups.. Lent, Book and Bible study meet regularly at St John's and a Bible study group met as a House group from St Marfs. Communlty links and ways of strengthening links between 'fringe' and 'mainstream': 15 ChIld￿n.. Details are covered under the report of Our Work with Children. Baptisms: Thlrty one baptisms We￿ held in the Team Parish during 2023 vrith twenty nine of those being at St Marfs and two at St John's. There was also a blessin8 at St Marfs. cOnfirma￿On. Two candidates came forvRrd for Confirmation. They were confirmed on November 5th by Bishop Smithè. Healthy Walkets: Healthy Walks have continued successfully with walks startlng from each of the three churches. Each walk has some regulats including walk leaders and then a dlfferent group from those reglstered each time. Numbers taknng part vary. Men's Group: A small group have taken part in the quiz at the Old Colonial when they have been able. CAP (Christians against Poverty): There has not been a CAP course as there have been than8es to the course and this would have involved individuals rfrtraining. Social lunch These have been enjoyed at Dewsbury Distrttt Golf Club. Communlty groups.. Team members continue to report on other community groups, such as Mirheld In 81oom. so that the Team Parish can Infomi their members of services and events in the Team Parish. It has been hoped to hold a Volunteers, service in 2023 but this is now planned for 2024. PAsfoRAL TEAM. Kath Crosslev Members ofthe Pastoral Team have met six times. In the months when there has not been a rneetir￿ members have submitted interim reports for arculation to the team. With the lessenlng of restriction5 pastoral visiting and home communions recommenced. Members of the team wear name badges for identification and carry visiting cards so that detsils for the Team Parish are readily available. Support to members of our congregations has also continued via phone calls. Member5 ofthe congregation at St Marfs have continued to 8Ne food and monetary donations to the Welcome Centre, supporting those In need in the wider community. Harvest donations. have been taken to the warehouse in Huddersfield where all our contributions are most gratefully received. Goods have also been donated to be tsken to those in need in ukraine. Members ofthe congre8atlon at St John's continue to tske donations offood to the Safvation Amiy. OUR WORK WITH CHILDREN AND YOUTh CHILDREN'S CHURCH- Kath Crossley and SUNDAY SCHOOL-Anne Heeley 2023 has seen the continuation of Children's Churth at St Marfs and Sunday ScPhx)l at Stjohn's. Both of these take place durlng the Sunday moming servlce at the indivldual thurche5. 16 Themes are based on the lectionary supported by materials from the Roots serles as well as the Young Church Ma8 colouring pages and puzzle booklet. Our story and artivitie5 are based on the Gospel reading for that Sundav. We follow the main elements of the servke startln8 with a welcome. lighting candles and prayers. We say sorry for the thlngs we have done wrong and try to do this in the most inventive ways we can think of. Show and Tell is one of the highlights for the chlldren as they are able to share what they have been doing with thè rest of the congregation and are rewarded by loud applause. We round off the sesslon with prayers. The numbers at St John's Sunday Sthool flurtuate between O and slx with four more or less re8ular attendee5. Sadly. towards the end of2023 at St Marfs. numbers of attendees have dwlndled. COMMUNITY AND SCHOOL UNKS- Revd Helen Butler It has been a year of challenge for us- however. we have had Some slgnlflcant successes. Wh Lots of Chrlstmas attendance from famille5; Llve Nadvlty, Crlb setvlces & ChrlsUn8les Re-establlshin8 Mlrfleld Junlor Singers Connections wlth Crowlees School- Hugh & Graeme •re on the Govemlng Body and Helen Is Chalrof Govemors Weekly assemblles at Crowlees Crowlees school vlslts to church to 5UPPOrt ihelr currlculum ez EYFS RE currlculum 5UPPOrt by cler8y to Crowlees s¢hool- for example. leadln8 mock weddln8s. baptlsms, enathng the Chrlstmas story Conne¢dons wlth Church House and Croft House Play sthools Llnks to St Marf5 Pantomlme and Gang show Llnks to Unlformed organlsadons- Church parade at Motherln8 Sunday & HarvesL Helen's Lent tslk at 8rownles Regular Young Church provlslon at Si Marfs and St John's Open Day at St Marys attracted lots of famllles l young person conHmied Bapdsm numbers Stead* although now fewer than pre40￿d. 8ood preparatlon and pastoral care In both churches MFG. Castle Hall, Crowlees & Crossley Flelds all had Khool Chrfstmas concerts In church Dedlnln8 number of famllles attendln8 thurch regulariy Fewer and fewer leaders avallable to draw upon to plan, remilt and lead chlldren's athvltles No follow up actlvltles for baptlsm famllle5 Poten Grow a pool of chlldren and famllles leader5 (ensure safe8uardln8 protocols} Contlnue conslderatlon of 'Bubble church, la nallonal Inittatlve to attract famllies) wlth a vlew to starln8 In September 2024 Appoint a Inon-cler8yl Chlldren & Farnilies Coordinator for the parlsh Regular actlvity days and events planned 12 months ahead 8ettercommunication with poten￿al attendees- especlally digitally Produce and have readily mllable a regu￿rtY updated leaflet to 8Ne out to baptism families outllnln8 forthcomlng events & activities Plan famllles events at altemative times to Sunday worshlp Presence at Mirfield Show 17 Forest Church at Crowlees Share resources with CtK MTP CHOIR & JUNIOR SINGERS- Scott C Seno¥les Bmuslhonsl M.A [Dlrector of Musicl This Is my 19th report for the PCC and as I look back over those year5 it is interesting to see how much has changed in both national CofE worship and here, wlthin the Mlrfield Team Parlsh. The main topic of unNersal worry. nationally and locallyi must be that of dwlndllng congregations. resulting in far fewer people available from congregatlons to commlt to singingi voluntsrily, each week at both of our churches. That sald. the choir5 of St. Mary'5 and St. John's are still golng strong, even if smaller than I would like. Overall attendance by choir members is good but could be improved further. We have several chorlstsrs who robe on Sundays to slng* who unfortunately do not commlt to choir practices on a Wed eveningi which reduces the avallable options for repertolre and choral development at rehearsals. I'm very pleased that we finlsh m05t choir practices with that m05t ancient Ilturgy of sung Compline. The choir know this very well now. which 15 great to hèar. Many current choir members are now living with long term medical conditlons, whlch also means regular attendance has become increasingly difficult forthem, both for rehearsal and for worship. However, their contbnued presen￿. effort and support is highly valued. Some members of the choir have suggested comblnlng the midweek rehearsal wlth a sung EucharlsL as weekends can be an Incredibly busy ￿me foryoung families wlth conflictin8 priorities. This has been dlscussed100sely in the pasL and I believe it may be worth trlalllnB. This could be beneficial. not just for the splrltual enrlchment of these choir members. but may also provide an alternative, accessible worshlp time for other young families in the parlsh. The Mirlield Junlor Singers, choir is now much healthier in numbers, with 7- 10 members now regularly practicing on Wed evenings around the piano. They joyfully performed at the St. Marfs carol Servi￿ and more re¢ently had an Easter showcase; where chlldren perfornied solo's and sang a medley of recently reftned songs. One of the members, who receives a free plano lesson prlor to the choir. performed on the piano. We finished the sprlng tem) performance with a presentatlon of 'Real' Easter Eggs for the children, kindty 8lfted by the MTP Music Guild. It is such a privilege and loy to see children so at ease in church, enjoying Its wamith and expresslng themselves through musSc and fellowshlp. It Is hoped, wlth more focused plannin& to invite MJS to the sorts of servlces where uniformed Organisations and the church school would normally be 5nvlted. Planning and vi5i0n will be key if we are to make the most of the opportunity to grow our weekly congregation. when non-regular church attendees are present on these such occaslons. We are still in danBerous territory with the active dry rot in both the choir vestry roof and now the organ chamber wall. We cuffently have scaffoldln8 up but are still waitlng for the roof to be watertight. to allow the walls to dry out enough, to treat the dry rot. I pray we can overcome the many roof Issues quickly so that the dry rot can be removed before it gets any closer to devouring our m38nificent organ, The recital series contlnues to bring In strong numbers. with most recitals havlng an attendance of between 30 and 40 people. who come to for a cultured hour of professlonal music making, finished off with lashings of tea and cake. I'm very groteful to the recitalists who commlt to the annual series- and play with such talent and tinessel-and equally grateful to Bronwyn and Jenny. who kindly prepare and serve the much loved tea and cakel l am exceedlngly grateful to Chris Shedd for her tlreless ¢ommitment as MJS chaperone. Rev'd Shedd has been a great blesslng and asset to the whole team parlsh Sin￿ she became a regular communlcant at St. Johns. Flnally, thanks of course go to all choir members, who a551st In the making of muslc for dlvlne worship& across Mirfield Team Parlsh. Scott Senogles, BMuslHonsl, MA Director of Music. Mirfleld Team Parish DEANERY SYNOD REPORT FOR 2023- Barry Hambllng & Ruth King Ioeanery Synod Representatives) 18 The Synod has held three meetings in the past year and have been held in various churches In the Deanery. For those who are not aware, the Deanery Synod15 the third tier ol government In the churches system of government. It enables church members to discuss both local and other matters as they arlse. The fitst meetin8 of the year took plate at St Phlllps & St James church Scholes, Cleckheaton, on the 31 January 2023. The Rev Hugh Baker and the lay chair David Ashton opened the meeting after whlch prayer5 were conducted by the Rev Salty Wallace Jones. After prayers she gave a Short tslk about the Parish of St James of whlch she is Ificar and some detsils aboLrt herself including the time she spent as a minister in Norfolk. Our main speaker was the Archdeacon of Halifax the Venerable Bill Braviner who started his talk by saying he had been In post for nearly a year and the time had flown. this was mainw due to the area Bishop ljonathan Gibbsl leaving almost at the same time he had started, so a lot of hls tlme Is spent carrying out the Bishop's duties. He did announce that a new Bishop was In the process of beSng appointed. but no name could be given yet due to the process of the appointment. It Is to be hoped that June 22nd would see the appointment announced. Bill started by saylng how beautiful this part of the world is. he also said the culture of this area was great w6th the choirs and bands and other actlvities. He talked about how the dI0￿se was still workin8 Out the best way to operdte as it15 Still a younB dlocese. One of hi5 main aims Is to be a mlsslonaryl connector for people and churthes to resources and to take an overview of the Episcopal area. Bill said he wanted to encourage our churches to use the dioceses resourtes a lot more for mission. The diotese had a lot to offer along with the people who could help us use these resources, He talked about wantlng to get around and meet as many people a5 PO55ible, including church wardens and others as we were all in this drive for mlssion as God calls US to travel together for thè benefit of us all. The meeting finished at 9.10pm after d55CU55ing any other business and saying the Grace. Our second meeting of the year was held on the 8 June at St Saviours Church Batley. The Rev Canon Hugh Baker welcomed members to the meeting and introduced Mark Mattocks a licenced Lay Mlnlster who led prayers and gave Informatlon about the church and the activitie5 which took place there. The main speaker was Janet Edmund who Is the stewardshlp offlcer forthe dlocese, she spoke at length about the parish giving scheme and the advantages it can give to parishes. The main advantages being all the administration would be done by the diocese, this would Include collection of monles. arranglng dlrect debit5 amongst many otherthlngs. It would also encourage people to Increase glving e3ch year by the inflation rate. so income would rise for the church in line wlth the Inflation. Members asked a number of questions about the scheme which were answered to peoples satlsfaction. The good news is that MTP already use this System and it works well. Reports on the latest meetin8s of the General Synod and dlocesan Synods were presented and a member asked a questlon why the Llnda Box sltuation which Is stlll ongoing The meetlng finished at 9.¢Xlpm with prayers and the Grace The third meetlng of the year was held on the 10 October at Mirfleld Parlsh Church at 7.15pm and was well attended. The main items on the agenda were to elect people for the variou5 offlcer posts connerted with the synod, officers for both for the house of laity and the house for Clerw were required. The meeting split up so that the Laity could elert their officer5 and the Clergy could elect thelrs. Mr Davld Ashton wa5 re-elected to the post of lav ehairman for the house of lalty and Mr Richard Bland IBattyeford} and Janlce Dawson {C?rlinghowl were re*lected to the standing committee for the house of latty. In the house of Clergy, the Rev Canon Hugh Baker. who is the Area Dean. was eletted as the house of clergy chaimian. After the votlng both house5 came together to elect both a Deanery Secretary and a Deanery Treasurer. Both the existing p05t holders were re-elected, Mr John Ferret as 5ecretsry and Mr David Ashton as treasurer. Afterwards David said that due to the change of name of the Synod, he had had a problem wlth starting a new bank account, but this had now been resolved. The maln speaker was the new Bishop of Huddersfleld the Right Revd Smitha Prasadam, who made an Immediate good impresslon by saylng. with a laugh, she had been told to Speak for45 minutes which had no Chan￿ of doingl This was her first deanery rneetlng She had attended and it was good to be here. She went on to Speak about her background. She was born Into the church in southern Indla and had a Christian upbringinE. Bishop Smitha IPleasÉ call me Smithal went on to say that she had lived in many places in the UK but for the last five years had worked in Copenhagen worklng as the Chaplin of St Alban's In Copenhagen She had studied Literature and Llngulstics at the Collage of Rlpon and York St John (Leeds University). She went on to say we are all called to God'5 way and walk wlth Christ, we have to tell the truth about what we See around us and feel able to tell the truth. We need to have compassion for those around us for the needs of others. the message 15 Chrlst Is here. She than asked what thls deanery was dolng to brlng God's message to the peopleP Many examples of 19 the work thurches were dolng in the deanery were given. The area dean thanked the Bishop for comlng and for her talk and then spoke briefly about the closure of St Paul's church in Mlrfield. The meetlng concluded wlth prayers at 9.00pm. CHURCHES TOGETHER IN MIRFIELD MODERATOR'S REPORT Adrian Roberts. Pastor, Zion Baptlst Church Adrlan Roberts Said that one of the hlghlights of his first year as Moderator was the prayets that were held with Marc Voase at the be8lnnln8 of hls Dlscernment Process. He sald that Churches TOGEfHER was about comlng together and supportlng the body* and those praylng for Marc demonstrated that. He wlshed hlm well on hls journey to Ordlnatfon. The Walk of Wltness through the town on Good Frlday wlth dlstrlbutlon of Hot Cross Bun5 was well recelved. Thanks to Kenneth Evans & Mar¢ Voase for or8anisln8 It. Thls was followed by a short servlce at St Paul's. Chrlstmas Angels cont5nued Its prevlous success. Kenneth Evans sald that they had hoped to have a get- together In thè Resldents, Lounge but no-one was In there, so they were invited to meÈt the staff. The World Day of Prayer Preparation 202415 well under way. Thlsls an important date on the calendar. Church on the Green Is golng from strength to stren8th. The support for thls prolect Is appreclated. An alternatlve to Hallowe'en resulted in 60 plzzas and 60 toasdes belng distributed. Most came and took the food,. but stayed. They had a Chrlstmas Tree again; and varlous act1vi￿eS took place over Christmas. The Moderator requested prayers for the resldents of London Park Estate,. and parttcularly for the people Ilvlng in the Mews, a supported houslng complex whlch was In jeopardy because of KMVS closure pollcy. The Savlle Arms collected 27 bags of food and 8lfts, whlch were glven out Sn the nelghbourhood. It was prlvllege to pray wlth the customers, even though some were'over the elght,. MARAftANZANIAN LINK REPORT- No report. FRIENDS OF ST JOHN'S CHURCH 2023 Chrls 8reare The Coun¢ll of Frlend5 met on three occaslons In 2023, In January by Zoom and then In May at the Lawn and the AGM In Septèmbèr at St John's. The officers elected at the AGM In September were Pre51dent Vlce Presldent Chalrman Hon Secretary, Hon Treasurer Asslstant Secretary + Membershlp Sec Warden5 Warden5 Members of the Councll Sue Youn8 Rev Hugh Baker Mr John Mcmullan Chrls Breare. Anne Heeley Stephen Butler Owen Ryder Llnda Hutchlnson Julle Mcmvllan john Sykes TIM Grace Sue Auckland 20 Last year our Presldent. James. was very proactive in encourdging the busine55 team to look afresh at the many challenges we have In maintsinin8 the fabric of the church and churthyard. particularly the tower and the paths. In January. a new Kestrel 4(10 Super Economy Heater was fitted by Delsol to repla¢e the condemned heater near the lectern and the Involce for £3.108 and was paid by the Frien Churchyaid Lewls Wroe confjnues to maintain our Churchyard and worked hard wlth regular gardening and grass tting and has sent an Involce for the summer 2022 for £2810.￿ and this was pald by the Frlends. In May 2023 we paid £280.00 for cuttfjng the churchyard twice and for cuttlng the hed8e. Tower Restoratlon. The West Window was under stres5 and there were fears that It may collapse. Adam Goodyear. who Instslled the Millennium Window, was asked to quote for Its removal and stora8e. He quoted £2850.00 and the architert quoled £950 for preparlng the paper work for the OAC and move to obtaining an Interlm Faculty. The Council of Frlend5 agreed to pay for thls work. which went extremely sm¢Jothly and the wlndow Is awaiting restora￿0￿ when the tower Is restored. A former member of the Council very klndly pald £4,000 for this work to be done. chU￿h Sound Syrt¢m. We are gratefvl to one of the Coundl for provldlng and synchronlslng three new mlcrophones and transmitters. This has allowed speakers to be at various places at once rather havln8 to be at the lectem. Fundralslng. A Coffee Momlng was held In St John's thurch on May 13th was a 8reat Lwnmunlty event and enloyed by all who attended and ralsed the £557 for the tower fund. Unda complled a Yorkshlre Qu12 for Él per sheet and a Yorkshire themed hamper a5 prlze on Yorkshlre day• August I , and ralsed £600 for the Tower Fund. Thls was followed ￿ Harvest Flower QU￿ whlch was deemed rather dlfflcult and raised £302 The Organ Recltal on September 16th 7.30pm wlth Gordon Stewart was a wonderful evenln8 and ralsed £897 for the Tower Appeal. Four ladles from Hopton In Bl¢)om held a AlewToYou e¥enln8 In Cmft House on Frlday September 2*h 7 pm and raised £900 A Qulz wlth james on Frlday October 13th was a 8reat fun evenln8 and ralsed £585. Thanks and a couple of bottles of wlne have been sent to lame5. We h3d a church stall at UHCA Autumn Fair on October 21" and rnlsed £5(M), thank to Anne for organlslng and to everyone who donated to the stsll Thanks to Sandra who made Holty posles and ralsed £260. M•mb•rshlp. At present we have 57 actlve members of the FrSend5 Wlth several new members beln8 recrulted thls year. Future projects. The tower is a maSs￿e project for a small group to undertake 50 a commlttee from Frlends, and the buslness team was fomied to explore all posslbill￿es. Thls has proved to be successful and we are explorlng a more Cost effe¢dve solutton to the restoradon. The dangerous 51ab which Is on an Incllne due to pressure from the poplar t￿e$ Is to be replaced. Hal8h's Tarniae quoted for removlng the concrete by breakln8 It up and replacing With concrete leaving a gap for the poplar tree to grow. Quote recelved £950 + VAT The Fdends are extremely 8ratefvl to all the members who 5ubs¢ribe regularly and support our beautlful ¢hurch bulldlng. Chrls Breare Asslstant Secretsry. CROFf HOUSE R¢XIMS CHARITY- Roger Leedham January to December 2023 At the fomiatlon of the Team Parish in 2007 a document wa5 dTrwn up to ensure Croft House continues to be managed effecfvely and the new PCC proposed that the Managing Trustees of Croft House Rooms Charlty be the Croft House Rooms Management Committee. the eight members ofwhith are detemined a5 follows: 21 The two Wardens of St John's shall be members. Four UHCA members which Includes the Treasurer of the UHCA. Two UHCA members are elected on altemate years, and each serve for two years. The PCC of the Mirfleld Team Parlsh shall elect two representatlves, A quorum for any meeting shall comprSse two members repre5entin8 the LIHCA, tsvo rÈpresenttng the PCC and one other member. The Management Commlttee of Croft House Rooms Charity, the Managlng Trustees, Is responsible for lethng the Rooms and for the recurrent expendlture Involved In runnlng the Rooms. The UHCA have free tenure of the Rooms and are responslble for the malntenan¢e of the bulldlng and grounds and for capltal expenditure, The membershlp of the Management Commlttee of Cmft House Rooms Charlty Is as follows: Chrisdne 8reare- co-opted as Chalr (Trusteel Anne Heeley- elected Church Warden by PCC Stephen Butler- elected Church Warden by PCC Sue Young" elected by PCC. Sue Auckland- elected by PCC. Roger Leedham- Isecretaryl (Trusteel UHCA Kathryn Cockerlll- TreasU￿r of UHCA Gall Auty- (Trusteel elected by UHCA. Joan Hemmlngway- ITru5teel elected by UHCA. Andrea Leedham- co.opted as Booklng Secretary Peter Crane - C￿oPted a5 Treasurer. io. ii. The Impact of the energy costs has very slowly reduced In 2023 but sfjll at a hlgh level as we enter 2024, At the latter end of 2022 detalled Invesdgatlons Into our future ener8y Costs were undertaken and were revSewed at the CHRMC meetlng on the 10 January 2023. A dec151on was made to Increase all the charge rate5 for room hlre at Croft House. The accounts for the year I September 2022 to 31 Au8USt 2023. were approved at the committee meetlng In January 2024. These showed an Income of £15.220 a8alnst an expenditure of £13,900. Included In thls expendlture was a donadon of É5aOO to the UHCA to help wlth essendal malntenance, The net result of the declslon to Increase room hlre ratès was an Increase In the income for Croft House of approxlmatety 30%, whlch has matched the Increased costs. The openlng cash balance on the I September 2022 was £25,389 and the ¢loslng balance on 31 August 2023 was £26,722. Detalls of the accounts were submltted to the Charlty Commlsslon In December 2023. Durlng 2023 the followlng major Items of malntenance to Croft House were carrled out: Annual routlne safety checks: were Carrled out e.g. gas, PAT, flre equlpment June- The 5 yearty electrlcal hard wlre checks were carrled out for a cost of £594. As requested, the report followlng the check5 was sent to our Insurer. Au8ust-The kltchen was completely refurbished Including new windows and floorlng for a total Cost of £13,608. Au8USt- All Ilghttng was ¢onverted to LED type. FRIENDS OF ST MARY'S COMMUNITY HERtTAGE SITE- Helen Walker The ¢ommittee-'Steve Bell (Chairl, Helen Walker (Secretary), Lauren Montgomery-Bell (Treasurer). Ruth Edwards, m Grace and Dlana Brown, of FSMCHS met for the final time on 26 March 2024. The group was formed approx.12 years ago in response to the need to fundraise for the rebulld of the collapsed Dunbottle Lane wall boundary wall of St Marfs 8raveyard. A constltution was establlshed. In addltlon to the rebulld of the wall, the group supported work on the historic Castle Hall mound and within St Marfs graveyard. 22 The original Chair of the 8foup* John Daniels. passed away approx. two years ago, he was Instrumental to lead the group towards thelr goal. Members of the group supported fundralsln8 and along with the benefit of a flnanclal legacys enough money was ralsed to pay for the rebuild of the wall. The wall was rebullt In 2023 at a cost of £42,000. Having achieve(I the aim5 Qf the group, it was decided the group would cease In accordance wlth the constitution. Thank you to all the Friends and people who have supported the aims of the group over the last 12 years. ST MARVS COMMUN￿ CEl+lTRE- Lauren Montgomery-8ell St Marfs Communlty Centre continues to provide the church and the communlty with a comfortablè space for events and weekly cl?55es. We continue to be the home of: Pre school Two Pilates groups Yo8a Dog trdinlng classes Baby ma55age Brownies. Rainbows and Guldes Beavers, Cubs and Scout5 Painting classes Karate Danclrng schools Ballroom danclng classes Church Pantomime Mirfield in Boom Men's Probus Saturday Friendship group Hypnobirthing cla55es Electtons Church Fundraising/ Church meetlngs New Groups. Crochet group. Postnatal baby Yoga Prenatal baby yoBa Hand Bell rlnger5 Power hoop5 Lost Groups Llne Danclng Dlsco Flt Cir¢ult Tralnlng Improvements made thls year. New flooring in the meetfng room New floorlng In the kitchen The Car Park has been totally resurfaced and white Ilned. Small Hall has been redecorated and new blind5 added. New webslte up and running. Just recefved plannlng permission for renovation5 to the area between the halls. 23 Planned improvements. Have a lower service area created between the Main Hall and the catering kitchen, for serving hot and cold drinks. Pantomime Costume storage Area in the hall car park. New flooring to the Small hall. Regular maintenance.. Fire PTo¢edures/ and testing. Risk assessments. Maintenance of 5 starts rating in both kitchen areas. Going forward We need to continue updating the centre. so we can offer quality facilities to our ever-growing user groups. The Hall Management Team PANTOMIME COMMIThEE- Laura Brown Three Musketeers panto report 2023 Back in full swing after the Covid pandemic Yhe Three Mu5keteers" enjoyed 5 nearly sell-out performances with many familiar faces returning to 3 cast of 15 and 16 chorus member5. We were pleased that we were able to keep the French theme alive throughout the produciion in terms of the costumes, scenery and music choices. In fact, this was another year when we had a variety of musical genres with contemporary numbers and traditr.onal songsldances as well. After our successful closing night we were well on our way to preparing for our 75th year of Cinderella. UNIFORMED ORGANISATIONS 8TH MIRFIELO SCOUT GROUP- Chris Wilding Those who attended the recent gangshow and read the programme or listened to Hugh's words will know that 2024 sees 8" Mirlield celebrate our 50" anniversary. Though this report Is looking back on the past year, we are only here because of the efforts put into our group by many people over the last 50 years so it only seems right to say thank you to each and every person who has helped, lead. supported or attended 8, Mirfield- St Marfs over this period. The past 12 months have been busy for us down at 8" Mirfteld- St Marfs. One of the main changes is that we have added an Explorer section for those leaving Scouts Itypically-14/1 . It is already following in the footsteps of all our other sections in that it is now full of youngsters having fun, but means we now cater for ages 6-18 Across all 3 of our existrng sections and our new Explorers. normal scouting activities have continued to take place and those members that joined us as Beavers followKng our restart after Covid restricrions continue theirjourney through the Sections as some now approach Scoul age. All sections have taken part in camps, parades, community activities, badge work and as has already said, having fun. Most notably over recent months this culminated in our g3ngshow that we put on in March in the church hall. We all had a fabulous time practicing for it and performing it and it was wonderful to see so many people come to watch. Especially seeing some of the former leaders who came back to support us. In a little more detail our Cubs have taken part in district camps as well as our own summer camp which our Beavers joined them at to get a taste of what IS to come for them as they move on through the sections. Scouts have done summer camps, winter camps and expedition camps as the older members completed their expedition requirements for their Chief Scouts Gold Award. Many of our Beavers have completed their Chief ScoLtts Bronze and likewise in Cub5 we are proud to have a number who completed their Silver Award. In March we also had our first Cub complete 24 every slnBle Cub activlty badge available and we were delighted to welcome our County Commlssioner as he came along to present an award to Xander In reco8nlUon of thls achlevement. As prevlousty mentloned, we have tsken part in a number of parades and these Include the MlrfSeld Remembrance Parade as well a5 some of the St Marvs church parade5 and thou8h our Sangshow Interfered with some of the sprln8 Church parades, we attend where we can Last summer we had membets from all the secoons attend the Run for Jo event at Oakwell Hall, helplng run the event as well as taklng part In the run itself as a fundralser for both the Group a5 well as for Oalsy who was at the time. shortly heading off to Korea for the World Scout Jamboree and It wasn't lurt Dalsy that has been let-sethng though as Jack has lust returned from an Internotlonal scout5ng trlp to Canada after also dolng lots of fundr¥lsln8 for Last November we awarded our "Derek Hoyle" award for the second tlme to I member from each sectlon for outStandlng partlclpatlon, attltude, enthuslasm and ?11 round "5¢outlng Values". Well done to all our reclplents Thls brln8s MÈ onto my flnal comments- a51 mentloned last year land every other yearl. 8, Mlrfield contlnues to be a large group- certalnly one of the larBe5t In the dlstrlct and county. We rely on our leaders to be able to provlde these acdvltles and at the moment would really benef5t from a few extra palrs of hands. Since stsrUn8 In the 19705, 8th M1rf5eld has seen so many people pass through thelr doors and it would be 8reat to see some old lor youn81 faces Come back down and help contlnue the tradltlon, but even If you have never been Involved. don't let that put you off everyone Is welcome and we provlde everythln8 you need for the role- all we ask for Is a little tfme. If you thirbk you may fancy It or know someone who mlght then please pop down or 8rt In touch wlth us (all ¢ontart detalls are In the Church Magazlnel as we'd love to have you on board. 2ND & 14TH MIRFIELD 8ROWNIE5-Tra¢ey Rlley. We've had a fantastic year here at St Marfs Brownles and contlnue to grow wlth a thrlvlng unlt, we have fantastic team of leaders all 8lvln8 what they can to help provlde the 8lrls wlth a fun envlronment to make new frlend5, leam skills and most Importantly have fun. Like prevlous years, we wore up our unlform to school on Thinklng Day, to thlnk about the or8anlsatlon we belon8 and those all over the world. All the schools In Mlrfleld and around were so supportlve welcoming us In unlform and one school even dld a huge presentatlon. The glrls were so proud to wear the unlform and the onllne lolning went crazy wlth a mass of girls wanting to joln 8lrl8uldln8 which was fantastlc, We've travelled around the world tastin8 dlfferent food5 to tie in wlth Thinking day and learnlng fun facts and activitles from fellow countries We loved attendlng the pantomlme here at St Mary's, and love that we got to take over on the Friday nlght: It's SQ speclal to have all members of 8uidlng from ralnbows to 8uldes together to enjoy the pantomime. Our unlt here celebrated SO years, Christ the Klng brownles also celebrated 50 year5 and 1st Mlrfield a staggering 100 years. We held a very speclal blrthday party for all Mlrfield brownles in February wlth Brlcktopia, Louise's art. the clay people and minl profe550rs jolnSng us for a mammoth celebratlon. After Chrlstmas we held a glow In the dark night, it looked amazin8, wlth the dark nights we made fimo 81ow people. used 8low in the dark wasabi tape to make patterns, we also used Uvtorches to go in an outside treasure hunt, painted ourselves in UV Paint and made owl glow plrtures it was great fun 25 The autumn sees us focus In our only fundraiser of the year our craft fair. girls worked so hard making things and manning the stalls on the night, it was a very busy night but in just 45 minutes we made over £935 which was incredlble. We had a supertum outon a very wet Novembersunday forthe town's annual Remembrance parade. Despite the weather the 8irls were fantastic and did us proud. We attended the Division Event with over 200 other guiding members, the theme was from little acorns to glant oaks, it was so lovely with a range of nature crafts, activities and a super badge to 80 along. Tle dyln& scone maklng and the ice cream badge we're on the cards for a few weeks as we rotated round and trled our hands at them all. Vlsltors We've had some fantastic vlsltors In, from Andy Booth at Huddersfield Town Impressin8 us wlth hls career and Inspiring everyone glrls included to follow their dreams whatever they may be. We had a local petting farm vlsit one nlght for an Easter treats, with Gulnea plgs, rabbit galore and a duck as well, the girls loved handlin8 and cuddling them. Tom from the martlal arts method came in earfy in the yearto teach us all about martial arts, the glrls loved It and It was 5omethln8 a little different. On the lead up to Christma$ we Snvlted Alex alon8; Alex worked wlth us showln8 us how to make beautlful decoratlons from glass, these were taken to be fired in the klln before returnlng to hang In our trees for years to come. Jayny vislted to teach us some yoga at the start of the year, It was a very chllled nlght and good for our wellbeln8 and mental health. Badges We trled a new badge thls year by takln8 part In parllament week, the results of puttlng brownies in char8e were quite interestln8 and we learnt lots about votlng and different vlews. Sarah decided she fancied a badge with a difference so the Wallace and Grommet badge It was, tasking cheese, deslgnlng jumper keyrings, make catapults to flre peas were just a few challen8es we tackled. The glrls even came in their own odd trousers to 8et in the mood which looked fantastic. The archaeology badge was something a bit different we tackled, making tlme capsules, thinkin8 if things to put In , matching trea5ure5 Wlth thelr owners and exploring the local area were a few of the Items we completed. One of the vital skills we learnt was first aid, Virginia did a super first aid session, learning bags first aid, who to call. keeping safe, basic first aid skills as well as making thermometer biscuits and hear5 best cookies. We also had a visit from Sarah who has run fake wound sessions so there were a lot of gory looking wounds going home that night. It was team work as its best when we completed the task mistress badge. from stacklng dieerios to balance in spoons on our n05e; we cracked itl 26 Profe550r Emma vlslted to teach us physic5 a5 part of our I'm a physlclst badge, we made zip line5, experiments and elephants toothpaste which was a great fun and a lot of slime. Parties We invited nutty ness along for our Christmas party, games, dance moves, dlsco we dld it all and finished the year off with a ban8 We flnished the summerwlth an arty party,. Gio came and showed us all sorts of technlques, we decorated our own sunglasses, made kltes and fSnSshed off with a visit ice cream van. Th15 year we celebrated our 50th blrthday, along wlth goin8 to Skyfall for a party we also receSved a grant to enable us all to vlsit a forensic workshop, we donned whlte coats, took fln8erprlnts, foot castin8s, looked for clues and finally solved the crlme. We had a lovely vislt from Reverend Helen to celebrate the Klngs Coronatlon, wlth crown makln& traditional trlfle maklng competitions and game5. It was a lovely nlght. We 8Ot out and about on the canal boats as we vlslted on several weeks to ensure we could all get on the boats and enjoyed some beautlful evenln8s floatlng down the water We enjoyed a fantastlc Pack Holiday to Fan Wood wlth a Roald Dahl theme, from bakln8 to palntln8, sllme makln8 to face palntln81 grass sledgln& boulderlng and archeryi we dld It all, It was fantastlc. We've another pack hollday shortly and hoplng to squeeze a sleepover In too. We've had a fantastlc year, there's really not enough weeks to squeeze all we want to do in and the above Is only a snapshot; we've done so much more. We are so grateful to the fantastlc team we have and the amazlng girls we have. Want to Joln the funP h www. uidln .or Tracey 2ND & 3R0 MIRFIELD RAINBOWS-Wendy 8anks 2023 $8w our unlt 8row and a year full of fun and lau8hter as well as achlevlng lots of bad8es. In February we went with the rest of MlrflÈld Guldlng to the Mlrfleld Parlsh Pantomlme to see the Three Musketeers and we had a lovely nlght. In March we lolned In on an acdvlty wlth Mlrfleld Coop and had some of our Falr-Trade artwork dlsplayed In the store. We also created personal Mothels Day boxes full of all our glrls favourlts thlngs. Summer saw Us celebrating the Coronatlon with lots of different themed a￿VI￿e$ Includln8 puttlng up a display In the church hall of the mall parade. We Hnlshed before the summer holldays With an Ice cream themed ni8ht. September was the 25¢h annlversary of 3 Mirfield Ralnljows and we celebrated wlth a Silver themed party nl8ht and speclally commissioned badge. The ralnbows joined others from across the Divlslon to attend the Calder Divlslon event. enjoylng actIvI￿e5 and crdfts around the theme of acoms and trees. 27 November we were visited by Mlrfteld's foodbank and as well as leamln8 more about what they do in the communlty the 8ir15 donated lots of food to them. We finished the year with a dlsco and bounce party at Royds Mill in Lower Hopton, a night fvll of Chrlstmas fun. 2ND MIRFIELD GUIDES- Wendy Banks In 2023, we have cOn￿nUed followln8 the Guldes programme and ￿rIS have been working on thelr Take Athon. We went to St Marfs Parlsh Pantomime agaln to see The Three Musketeers with other 8uldln8 groups in Mirhèld, whith the girfs loved. At Easter we went roller bladlng with another of the gulde 8roups. We vlslted Bradley Woods for an evenln& where glrfs learnt to put up a tenl Jnd enjoyed a campflre supper. The 8uldes also enjoyed 8olng 8owlln8 wlth another of the 8uide unlts and dolng a treasure hunt around the Church grounds. In the summer. we ￿Ined the other Mlrfield 8ulde Br{￿P$ fora Dlstrlct campin8 trlp. The 8uldes vislted the Coal Mlnlng Museum for a day trlp and enloyed lots of outdoor a¢ifvlOes. The guldes lolned others from across the Ofvi￿on to attend the Calder Dlvlslon event, enJoyln8 4Cttvltles and crafts around the theme of acorns and trees. 28 THE PA HIAL MIRFIELD TEAM PARISH ILOF STATEMENT OF ES 1 ST DECEMBER 2023 Urweslricted Restrlcted Funds Total 202 Totsl Note OMING RESOURCE Voluntary Income AclNilbes for Generating FuThl8 Investment Income other Incoming Resource8 92,229 62.500 38,424 13,605 3,373 12,395 130.653 76,105 3,373 12.755 100.992 62.724 716 9,937 LIN MING RESOURCES 155,089 67,797 222.886 174.369 Fundralslng Costs Charitable AcllvMes Govemance Costs 8,655 86,235 199 8.655 193.391 72,733 107,156 72,534 103,810 73,341 TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 179,690 95,089 274.779 177,641 T INCOMING RESOURCES RET {24,6011 127.292) (51,893) 13.2721 Gross Transfers 8ets¥een Funds NET INCOMING RESOU RECOGNISED GAI 124.601) 127,292) (51,8931 13.2721 OTHER RECOGNISED GAINS LOSSES Gain(Loss} on Investment Assets 11 85 221 NE VEMENTS IN FUND 124.601) {27,207) {51.808) {3,4931 CONCIL F FUNDS Total Funds at 1st January 2023 80.073 446.432 526,505 529,998 Totsl Fund5 8t 31st Dgcem r 2023 55,472 419,225 474.697 S26,505 THE PAROCHIAL MIRFIELD HU ARI MBER2 Inv88tment8 12 1,530 1,412 Debtorn Cash al Bank and In Hand 13 14,317 462.850 478.967 12,701 517,9S3 630,654 CREDITORS: Amounts Falllng Duo Wthln One Year 3,800 473 167 525.093 474,697 526,505 CREDITORS; Amount8 Falllng Du After More Than One Year 4.697 6,505 16 419.225 448,432 Goneral Fund8 16 55,472 80.073 55,472 80,073 474,697 526,505 THEP MIRFIELD TEAM PARISH H COUNCIL OF IAL STATEM DED 31ST DECE OLU NCOME UnreslriGtsd Restricted Funds Fu Total 23 Total 202 Gifts, Donations and Legades Gift Ad and Planned Giving Income Tax Recoverable Collectlon8 Fees, etc 10,439 46,844 12,560 8,868 15.518 23.022 12.082 3.020 33,461 58,926 15.580 6,868 15,818 16,493 47,161 14,879 6.970 15.489 300 38,4 130,653 100,992 3.AC ENERATING FUNDS Unrestrf¢ted R•slrl¢tad Funds Funds Total T¢)tal 2022 Fundqalslng Sl Paul's Events Parish ¢entr8 and Room Hlre Flal Renl Panlomlme Parish C?ntre Donallons and Grants 4.423 4,928 43,834 6.800 225 2,347 10,826 43,301 6,250 4.928 43.884 13.380 13.380 2.515 2,515 ,500 05 76.105 Unr¢stricted R8thcted Funds unds Total Total Bank and Building Sodety Interest Dividends Recelved 3,340 33 3.340 678 40 73 3,373 5. OTHER IN RESOURCES MIN Unre$lrl¢t$d Restrtcted Funds Totsl 2023 Total 2022 Insuran¢e Clawns Eneryy Grant VAT Clalm 360 12,395 12.755 4.525 2,550 2,862 360 12. 12,755 E PAROCHIAL RCHC IRFIELD TEAM PARIS UNCIL OF NOTE THE FI ENDED 31 LAL ST CEMBE NTS 2023 FUNDPAISIN COSTS Unrestricted Restricted Funds Totsl 023 Total Sundry Events Pantomlme 490 8.655 8.655 8.655 490 7. CHARITABLE ACTIVITIE u￿StriCted Restrlcted Total Fun 2022 Upkeep of Servtces Church Runnlng Exp8ns6S Church Maintenan¢e Charities Parish Centre Expenses FLql Expons8s Repairn ISM} Org8n Repairs ISJI Organ Repairs ISM) Audio System {SM) Tauet Relocatbon ISM) Dunbottle Wall Repair8 Stocks Wall Repairs CCTV and Nest {SM} Car Park Re5urfadng 9,572 33.049 2.687 267 9,839 33.049 2,687 9.061 31,172 11.489 2.590 24.939 360 3.116 17.171 3.912 31.365 759 31.365 759 6.859 11,982 42,281 12.395 2.741 6.859 11.982 42,281 12,395 2,741 29,280 29.2 107.156 86,235 3.391 103,810 CE COSTS Unresthdgd Restricted Fund Funds Total 2023 Totsl Parish Share Clgrgy Costs Adminlstralon Costs 64.200 595 64,200 1.062 8,079 595 7.739 199 199 72,733 73.341 2022 Musical Dlrector OffKe 6,(KiO 2,834 6,000 2.574 8.834 8,574 No emptye recelved refflunernb￿ amcmjnting to more than £60.000 In ellher )*ar. The Musical Dlredw aThJ Office Staff aro engaged on a self4mpIo￿￿ bads. THE PAROCHIAL C NOTES TO THE INANCIAL STATEMENTS DECEMBER 2023 ETS FOR USE BY TH The PCC hold an ondofftènt propèty at Church Hou88, Church Lanè, Mlrtteld. It consists of a fir¥1 floor flat and a ground floor meeting rotsm, offlce and storage. There are also sm8118nd18rge halls. The propgrty ha¥ an insurance value of over £1.000,000. GAI INVESTMENT ASSETS Galn {Lossl on investments from: Change in Market Value Dlsposals Unrostricted Rastdcted Tot Fund Funds 2023 Totsl 85 85 {221) 85 12. INVESTMENTS All thfr inveslmonts are quoted Investments listed on a re¢ogni8ed stock exGhaTrJo. All the inveslmgnts are hgld prfmarily to provldo an Investment retum for the ¢harfty. 2023 Mathet Value at 1st January 2023 Addill¢ns at Cost Dl8posals Gain Ilossl on Investrnent Assgts 1.412 33 1.593 40 85 (221) e at 31st December 20 1.530 1,412 THEP MIRFIELD T AL CHURCH ou ILOF TO THE ENDED TEM DECEMBER 2 EBTO Income Tax Recoverable Prepayments 13.433 12,701 14.317 12,701 REDITORS 2022 Accruals ofKI Deferred 3.800 5,561 3.800 5.561 1S. ANALYSIS OF EEN FUNDS SETS Genwa RestrKted Total Fu Funds Investments Curr8nl Assets Current Llabllitses 1,530 59,272 417.695 476.967 (3.8￿> (3,800) Net Assets at 31st ber 2023 55.472 419.225 474,697 PAR HIAL CHURC MIRFIELD TEAM ARI TE TO THE FINANC STATEMENT YEAR ENDE T DECEMBER 202 16. MO NTINF At1sl Inc(xning Galns and At 318t •d Funds Choir Guild 5,113 Bdls 1,110 Charity 408 Panlomim• 8.738 Rlchardson Legacy 402,452 CCTV (St Ma￿s} 2.741 Sutdiffe LegaGy 20,OC(I Frags ISI Marfs) 5.870 st John's Tower Tablet at St DunlJottl8 Wall Stocks Wa 797 133 (466} 85 5,529 1,243 13.380 (8.655) 3.321 117.697) (2,741) (20.OCK)) 13,463 388,076 5.870 4.118 518 4.118 12.500 (11.982) 21,153 (21.153) 12,395 (12,395) 446.432 67,797 95,089 85 419,225 Unrestrlcted Funds Goneral Funds 80.073 155.089 (179.690) 55.472 80,073 155,089 179,690 55.472 526.505 222.886 274.779 85 474.697 Re Chow Guld Bells Chority Panlomlme Rlchardson LegaGy CCTV ISI ma￿S) Sutdiffe Legacy Flags (St ma￿$) St John's Tov•er Tablet at St Marfs Dunbotug Wall StoGk5 Wall Expendllwe on and Music Maintenance of St Marvs Bdls For Gifts to Charkties Pantomlme Costs Repair W￿k at st Marf8 Church For prov￿￿ of CCTV equipment for St Ma￿S Church Fw exp&)diture at St Mar￿S Church Fund for st(Aen flags at St Maws Churth Repa1￿ to th8 To4w at St John'$ Relocatk)n of Tablet to insbde of Church Repair of Wall in DUn￿ttLe Lan8 Repair ofwall nearSto(*s