The Parish of: Easebourne, Lodsworth and Selham
West Sussex
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT
OF THE
PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL For the year ended 31 December 2025
Incumbent
Revd Canon Derek Welsman
Independent Examiner
Trevor James
Banks
Barclays Bank Plc, Chichester
Charity Registration No 1151500
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PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF
ST MARY, EASEBOURNE, ST PETER LODSWORTH AND ST JAMES SELHAM
REGISTERED CHARITY: 1151500
TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2025
Structure, governance and management
The parish is a charity registered with the Charity Commission under the name of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Easebourne, Lodsworth and Selham with the Registered Charity Number 1151500. During the year the following served as members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC):
Incumbent: The Revd Canon Derek Welsman Chairman Curate The Revd Liz Yonge Wardens: Mrs Alison Davis Mr Philip Stringer Mr Deryck Hamon Mrs Anne Sankey Mrs Janet Colman Secretary: Mrs Elizabeth Bounton Treasurer: Mr Tony Kelly Deanery Synod Reps: Mr Eric Bounton Mr Roger Bricknell Keving Edgley (co-opted to deanery synod 2025) Elected Members Mr David Pack Mr Bill Howkins Mrs Emma Glue (Safeguarding Officer) Mrs Penny Tree Mrs Lynne Todd Mrs Trish Slade Mrs Nicky Edgeley Mrs Rosie Drayson Mr Jeremy Adams (assistant treasurer Selham) Mr Andy Castledine (co-opted May 2023) Mrs Annabel Foster.
PCC: Membership of the PCC is determined under the Church Representation Rules and consists of certain ex-officio members (the incumbent/priest-in-charge, curate, lay readers licensed to officiate in the church), the churchwardens and members of the Deanery, Diocesan or General Synods and 12 members of the separate church communities (four from each church) who are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). Members are warmly encouraged to stand for election to the PCC and we try to ensure a balance of skills and experience where possible.
Standing Committee : Each church holds a standing committee to execute the day to day running of each church community and building. The Standing committee will include: Rector, Church Wardens, Treasurer, Secretary and all elected representatives for the said church community.
Aim and purposes
The primary objective of the PCC is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Revd Canon Derek Welsman, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
What we planned to do to achieve our charitable objectives.
When planning our activities for the year, our incumbent and the PCC have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on ‘charities for the advancement of religion’. The council has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, fully recognising its duty to have due regard to House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.
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Through its Mission Action Plan the Charity sets out the following objectives:
More Open: ‘A family of all ages, loving and serving, contributing and receiving, being transformed and growing together in ways that appropriately reflect the importance of each context and place.’ (Diocesan Strategy 2021).
More Converted : ‘A church which communicates the Gospel effectively, so women men and children come to a living, personal and transforming faith in Jesus Christ and join their local church family on a journey to Know, Love and Follow Jesus.’ (Diocesan Strategy 2021).
More Generous : ‘A church characterised by a radical generous response to the self-giving of Jesus Christ with his life…in this household of faith there are ‘no needy among them; wealthier parishes contribute joyfully to sustain ministry in deprived areas and economically deprived parishes don’t feel a liability to the rest.’ (Diocesan Strategy 2021).
More Engaged: ‘A church where people have a sense of vocation to love, expressing itself in service; and a church family that nurtures and encourages that vocation.’ (Diocesan Strategy 2021).
The Charity maintains an overview of worship throughout the year and works with the Rector to promote services that match the needs of our local community. The services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.
Achievement and performance
Church attendance
There are 191 parishioners on the churches electoral roll, 125 at St Mary’s, 33 at St Peter’s and 33 at St James’. The average weekly attendance counted during October was 80 St Mary’s, 20 St Peter’s and 15 St James’ - but this number increased at festivals.
Review of the year
The full PCC met 6 times during the year with an average level of attendance of 84%. Committees met between meetings and minutes of their deliberations were received by the full PCC and discussed where necessary.
Churches at the heart of community: Once again in 2025, the Priory Churches set themselves the challenge of being churches at the heart of village life and community. The three church families dedicate themselves to being: open, inclusive and accessible to all. The churches provide public worship, occasional offices (weddings baptisms and funerals) and silent space at the heart of village life. The communities work hard to maintain their ancient buildings as a community asset and tend the church yards and burial sites so that families can visit their loved ones buried there.
The Priory churches are active in the school, nursing home and other important village establishments and events. There is a strong link with the Macmillan service in Midhurst and with other charities like Midhurst Foodbank and Family Support work. The three communities of faith also work tirelessly in supporting each other and those whom they live amongst – living out Jesus’ call to Love God and neighbour. This is the mark of our church families; dedicated to worship and prayer, whilst also living out their faith through works of charity and kindness. As a church, charity and worshipping community, the Priory churches have once again in 2025 demonstrated their commitment to meet their challenging objectives set out in their Mission Action Plan. The plan brings a strong focus to the charity and enables it to be focused and clear in what it stands for and sets out to achieve.
Schools : For the Priory Churches, the relationship with their village schools is an important one. With the Church of England Primary school, the work is supportive but also an active working relationship. There are now four governors on the school board from the church, each bringing valuable skills to help support teaching and learning in the classroom. Keving Edgley joined in 2025 to bring financial support to the school. Stepehen Sankey joined the board to bring strategic planning and future development. Phil Stringer has been a governor for some time and has great skills in holding the school to account on teaching and learning. The rector, Canon Derek Welsman leads on Safeguarding, RE and Collective Worship. Derek attends the school each week for collective worship as well as helping the delivery of RE in the classroom. This strong team from the church supports an effective board of governors.
In 2025 the school came to St Mary’s church five times for services: Easter, End of term, harvest, Remembrance and Christmas. These stand-alone services allow the children to encounter the church as part of their educational experience.
This working relationship with our schools demonstrates the importance of community life and the churches place within it. The Priory Churches and the schools benefit greatly from the mutual support that is offered and the strong relationships promotes the strong sense of community that lies at the heart of village life.
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Worship: Offering public worship that is accessible and open to all remains a key part of the Priory Churches life. Across the year and through the seasons of the church’s calendar good quality worship is essential for the community’s vibrant encounter with God. The strength of the three churches shared life is that across a month there is mixed and varied styles of worship. From Book of Common Prayer holy communion and evensong, through common worship Order One and Order Two holy communion, to family focused worship and the experimental Celtic evening prayer, the sheer diversity of styles affords accessibility across the traditions. Adding to this, the baptism, wedding and funeral ministry, the Priory churches place ‘being church for the wider community’ as a key part of their shared life in God and the richness and diversity of worship demonstrates the churches commitment to this.
Charity work: In 2025, the Priory Churches supported the following:
Stonepillow: The Priory churches make weekly collections of food and clothing for Stonepillow. The churches also send their Harvest collections of food to the Stonepillow hostel at Hunston. The three churches also donate their Harvest collections to Stonepillow totalling over £500. Finally, the collection from St Mary’s carol service was donated to provide Christmas dinner for the homeless in Chichester, Bognor and Littlehampton.
Macmillan: In 2024 the Priory churches once again hosted two key Macmillan events. In June St Mary’s was made available for the Macmillan service of remembrance, where families are invited to attend and remember loved ones who had been cared for under Macmillan. In December, St Mary’s hosted the annual Tree of Hope service where the wider community sponsor lights in memory of loved ones.
Royal British Legion: In November each year, the Priory churches place Remembrance Sunday as a key event in our village lives. This year on Remembrance Sunday St Peter’s, St Mary’s and St James’ gathered people from the villages to remember. The collections from the services were donated to the Royal British Legion totalling over £1500.
Christian Aid: In May 2025 the Priory churches supported Christian Aid week – this year’s collection totalled £380. Christian Aid do vital work around the world supporting farmers and local groups in places like Africa and South America. Christian Aid week affords the opportunity for our three church communities to engage in this vital charitable work.
FSW: Along with the other churches in our Deanery, the Priory churches is committed to supporting the work of the Family Support charity. This charity places a family support worker into the deanery, supporting some of our most vulnerable families. In 2025 the Priory churches once again committed £800 towards this work. There was also a concert in December which raised another £1,545. In December the carol service in St Peter’s and the Christingle in St Mary’s made collections for FSW - across the two events £750 was raised for the vital work of the Children’s and family support in our local area.
Midhurst Food Bank: St Mary’s host a Midhurst Foodbank collection basket.
Ride and Stride: Sadly in 2025 the Priory Churches could only muster a small team to take part in the annual Ride and Stride event. However, a sum of £405 was still paid over.
Children’s work:
Little Lambs is our term time mother and toddler groups which meets each Tuesday morning for songs, play and a cup of tea. The team that run Little Lambs is a dedicated group of volunteers that make drinks and chat with the mums and dads. Many of the mums and dads who attend Little Lambs enjoy the company of others and benefit from the shared experience of parenthood.
Messy Church has now been running for over 12 years and has supported many families during that time. The Messy team is drawn from across our three churches and supports Alison and Lynne in this important work of mission. Messy Church is run four times in the years, at Advent, Easter, Summer and Harvest. The team have been also developing a more informal Saturday drop in Messy to meet in the months between. Most Messy Churches attract between forty and sixty children and their parents. We provide, by our team, drinks on arrival and then a Messy tea to complete the session. Messy Church could not happen without the work of its volunteers, who give up their time so graciously. We thank them and Alison and Lynne for all their hard work.
Burial Grounds: Burial Grounds: The three PCC’s see the work of maintaining our church yards and burial grounds as essential to supporting our village life. The Parish Council’s continued to support the church with vital financial contributions to grass cutting. All five of our burial sites place a huge financial burden on the PCC’s with routine cutting of grass and essential repairs. During this year, care and maintenance of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) headstones for the 17 casualties buried in our churchyards from the First and Second World Wars, has been provided by Eyes On Hands On volunteers. This year 2 tours of the burial ground were completed at Glaziers Lane burial ground and St Peter’s as part of CWGC’S War Graves week linking with VE Day 80 commemorations and 17 local people attended.
Repairs to the church : The three church buildings of the parish are important places of public worship and venues for occasional offices. The PCC works hard each year to maintain the church buildings for the local community for public access and places of prayer and peace at the heart of village life.
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In 2025, we have responded to a number of the findings from the 2024 Quinquennial Inspection of St Mary’s and St Peter’s.
In 2025 the community at St Peter’s also undertook the work of stripping the pews of old and decaying varnish. This work has transformed the internal nave from a dark and dingy brown to a vibrant shade of honey. The church looks wonderful, with a fresh vibrancy.
H&S Report on 2025: The year (2025) has been without any problems at all three churches and their associated churchyards. There were two things of note one was a review of the Health and Safety Policy and bringing it up to date with legislation and church rules. The review has been completed and will be going to print and issued shortly. The second item is a deeper look in to how and who accesses the bell towers at both St Mary’s and St Peter’s. This review highlighted a few weaknesses in the control system that is presently in place for both churches. This has been addressed and will come into operation at the time the revised manual is issued shortly.
As far as Health and Safety is concerned at all three of the churches, it can be reported that it is in good order. However, all users of these sites must be aware that there are slip and trip hazards that arise from time to time, especially in wet weather. The major one of these, is wet and windy weather when slippery surfaces such as wet stone paths, stone steps and wet grass in the church grounds become a hazard. Eric Bounton
Safeguarding: Safeguarding awareness across our three churches continues to rise — and very much in a positive and encouraging way. It is heartening to see safeguarding becoming an embedded and natural part of our shared church life, rather than something discussed only when required.
Safeguarding is now a regular agenda item at PCC meetings, ensuring that it remains visible, accountable, and active. In addition, we hold two dedicated safeguarding meetings annually with representatives from all three churches. These gatherings allow us to review practice, share learning, and ensure consistency across our benefice. We now benefit from the diocesan Safeguarding Hub, which has significantly supported the administrative side of safeguarding. Alongside this, the safeguarding dashboard has proved invaluable in helping us remain up to date, compliant, and relevant. It provides clarity and reassurance that we are meeting our responsibilities well and responding promptly where needed.
The introduction of a safeguarding notice board in Easebourne has also been a positive development. It enables information to be located quickly and ensures that key contacts and guidance are visible and accessible to all. Training continues to be a priority. Opportunities have been offered not only to those in specific roles across the deanery, but also to congregation members who simply wish to deepen their understanding. This willingness to engage reflects a growing culture of openness and shared responsibility.
I had the privilege of giving the Safeguarding Sunday talk at St Mary's Church, which was well received and sparked thoughtful conversation. Derek and I also attended the diocesan celebration of Safeguarding Sunday at Chichester Cathedral, where a celebratory evensong marked the occasion. It was very well attended and reflected how safeguarding is increasingly recognised and spoken about across the Diocese. Safeguarding truly feels “on the up,” becoming a more open and integrated aspect of church life.
We also attended our first Midhurst Deanery Safeguarding Officers’ meet-up in Fernhurst at the beginning of February. After a lovely, shared lunch, this was extremely well attended and proved to be a very positive and encouraging gathering. I was able to share examples of good practice from across the Priory Churches, which inspired several local Parish Safeguarding Officers to consider adopting some of our approaches within their own parishes. For those serving in rural deaneries, safeguarding can sometimes feel like a remote or solitary responsibility, so this opportunity to connect was invaluable these meetings will be held quarterly, and we have a WhatsApp group to share support in between.
Importantly, the meet-up also opened conversations around shared training needs. This will allow Kirstin from Midhurst Parish and me to collaborate in offering further training opportunities tailored to our deanery context. Overall, safeguarding within our churches and across the diocese is growing in strength, visibility, and confidence. There is a noticeable shift towards openness, shared ownership, and proactive engagement.
Safeguarding is like tending a garden. The foundations are strong, the structures are in place, and growth is clearly visible. While much is flourishing, there is always more to nurture and develop. With continued care and commitment, our safeguarding culture will keep growing in strength and vitality for everyone.
Net Zero Carbon: The Priory Churches continue with the ambitious plan to make our church buildings and communities more environmentally connected. As part of this, we plan to achieve the targets set out in the Church Of England’s Net Zero Carbon by 2030. In 2025, we commissioned an energy audit via the Diocese Net Zero Carbon office for St Mary’s and this year’s energy audit measures have been implemented. Most internal bulbs are now LED, sensors for lights have been added to George West vestry and toilet area and we have moved to an eco-friendly energy tariff for gas and electricity. As a result of these and other measures across the Priory Churches, our carbon footprint in the individual churches has fallen. At St Mary’s the energy footprint tool has measured the reduction as 2 tonnes of CO2, 2.5 tonnes of CO2 at St Peter’s Lodsworth and the level at Selham remains under .5 tonne of CO2. There are still some measures that could be taken to reduce levels a little further and this will be the focus for the coming year.
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Diocesan Strategy : In 2020 the Diocese launched its new strategy called ‘Vision For Growth’. This strategy calls the peoples of God in the Diocese of Chichester to a new agenda working together on mission, outreach and financial sustainability. The strategy sets at its heart a new model for moving forward: More Open, More Converted, More Generous and More Engaged. This strategy was used in creating the Mission Action Plan for the Priory Churches, which can be seen at the beginning of this document.
Financial Review: The Receipts and Payments Account on page 7 shows a combination of the results of the three churches at Easebourne, Selham and Lodsworth. A combined surplus for the year of £10,475 on unrestricted funds was recorded, comprising £8,719 from Easebourne, £9,201 from Selham and net expenditure from Lodsworth of £7,445, although Lodsworth would have recorded a surplus of £1,107 for the year without significant major project expenses.
Similarly, the Statement of Assets and Liabilities on page 8 combines the cash and investment assets of all three churches and shows overall net assets of £506,705 on the charity’s unrestricted funds, although this includes the sum of £150,495 which has been allocated by the Trustees to Designated Funds for longer term projects.
Reserves Policy
It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on the general unrestricted funds (excluding Property) which equates to approximately two months’ worth of unrestricted payments as contingency against unforeseen situations. Following advice from Chichester Diocese, the PCC has reviewed this policy and adjusted its position to keep £50,000 aside from unrestricted funds as an emergency building/safety fund, and at least six months of current expenditure on ready call for each individual church. The closing balance this year has more than achieved this. The designated fabric fund is retained towards the future cost of the upkeep of the church.
It is PCC policy to invest fund balances with the CBF Church of England deposit fund. A summary of these funds is attached to the financial statement.
This trustees’ annual report was approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf by the Revd Canon Derek Welsman, PCC Chairman:
Signed: REV CANON D WELSMAN
Date: 29 April 2026
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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE
ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY’S, EASEBOURNE
COMBINED RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT
YEAR ENDED 31 December 2025
| 2025 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds £ £ RECEIPTS Giving Planned giving 48,352 - Collections 23,575 3,357 Grants and donations 18,071 5,000 Gift Aid 15,701 - __ __ 105,699 _ 8,357 _ Activities for generating funds Village events 1,400 - 200 Club income 11,400 - _ _ 12,900 _ - _ Church activities Fees 14,383 - Other income 100 - _ _ 14,483 _ - _ Investments Investment income 18,607 - Investment gains - - _ _ 18,607 _ - _ Total receipts 151,689 _ 8,357 _ PAYMENTS Church activities Diocesan share 72,990 - Diocese fees 6,229 - Clergy expenses 4,267 - Ministry sundries 2,068 - Services – electricity, gas etc 6,333 - Insurance 6,679 - Church running & misc expenses 18,187 - Quinquennial inspections - - 200 Club prizes 4,525 - Charitable and project expenses - 12,515 Designated fund expenses 8,552 - Tree works 893 - Accountancy 2,810 - Glass and organ works 814 - Sound system 3,076 - Electrical works 3,791 - _ _ Total payments 141,214 12,515 _ _ Net receipts/(payments) 10,475 _ (4,158) _ |
Total funds £ 48,352 26,932 23,071 15,701 ___ 114,056 _ 1,400 11,400 _ 12,900 _ 14,383 100 _ 14,483 _ 18,607 - _ 18,607 _ 160,046 _ 72,990 6,229 4,267 2,068 6,333 6,679 18,187 - 4,525 12,515 8,552 893 2,810 814 3,076 3,791 _ 153,729 _ 6,317 _____ |
2024 Total funds £ 51,884 18,642 61,152 17,008 __ 148,686 _ 1,232 10,993 _ 12,225 _ 19,336 284 _ 19,620 _ 17,470 60 _ 17,530 _ 198,061 _ 69,336 7,407 5,006 2,664 7,083 6,511 20,666 5,004 4,700 34,478 655 2,400 2,865 - - - _ 168,775 _ 29,286 _ |
|---|---|---|
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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE
ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY’S, EASEBOURNE
COMBINED STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITES
As at 31 December 2025
| Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Endowment funds £ £ £ Cash Funds Easebourne Barclays current accounts 76,997 1,531 - CBF Deposit account 49,147 - - _ _ _ 126,144 _ 1,531 _ - _ Selham Barclays current accounts 7,181 - - _ _ _ Lodsworth Barclays current accounts 16,381 - - CCLA deposit account 136 _ _ _ 16,517 _ - _ - _ 149,842 1,531 - _ _ _ Investment assets Easebourne Chancel Trust Investment Funds - - 2,681 _ _ _ Selham M&G Charitable Income Fund 103,256 - - _ _ _ Lodsworth CCLA Repairs Fund 138,053 - - CCLA General Fund 115,964 - - _ _ _ 254,017 _ - _ - _ 357,273 _ - _ 2,681 _ 507,115 1,531 2,681 Net current liabilities (410) - - _ _ _ Net assets 506,705 _ 1,531 _ 2,681 _ |
Total funds £ 78,528 49,147 _ 127,675 _ 7,181 _ 16,381 136 _ 16,517 _ 151,373 _ 2,681 _ 103,256 _ 138,053 115,964 _ 254,017 _ 359,954 _ 511,327 (410) _ 510,917 _ |
|---|---|
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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE
ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY’S, EASEBOURNE
FUNDS ANALYSIS
YEAR ENDED 31 December 2025
| Restricted Funds Balance brought forward Net expenditure for the year Transfer to unrestricted funds Balance carried forward Comprising: Spire/tower project Other restricted funds Designated funds Emergency building/safety fund Lodsworth project fund Included within unrestricted funds (below) Unrestricted funds General unrestricted funds Designated funds Balance carried forward |
£ 356,210 150,495 _ 506,705 _ |
£ 10,460 (4,158) (4,771) _ 1,531 _ - 1,531 _ 1,531 _ 150,000 495 _ 150,495 _ |
|---|---|---|
Signed on behalf of The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary’s, Easebourne
REV CANON D WELSMAN
Reverend Canon D Welsman
A KELLY FCA
A Kelly FCA
29 April 2026
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