The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary the Virgin East Grinstead
Annual Report 2025
A St Mary’s Sunset
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CONTENTS
| Pages | |
|---|---|
| Annual report | 4-14 |
| Financial Review | 14-16 |
| Statement of financial activities (Receipts & | 17-18 |
| Payments) | |
| Balance sheet (Assets & Liabilities Statement) | 19 |
| Notes to the annual financial report | 20-24 |
| Independent Examiner’s Report | 25 |
St Mary’s Church, East Grinstead
‘Helping our community to know, love and follow Jesus.’
Incumbent: Rev. Adam Charles Wogan BA BTh SSC, St Mary’s Vicarage, Windmill Lane, East Grinstead. RH19 2DS
Independent Examiner: Mrs Claire Harper
Bankers: CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent. ME19 4JQ
Charity Registration Number 1152316
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical
Parish of St Mary’s, East Grinstead – Trustees Report
Structure, Governance and Management
St. Mary's Parish covers the northern part of the town of East Grinstead. It is part of the Diocese of Chichester within the Church of England. The Church Building, Hall, and Vicarage are located in Windmill Lane. The correspondence address is St Mary's Vicarage, Windmill Lane, East Grinstead RH19 2DS.
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) has registered with the Charity Commission as required by the Charities Act 2011. Its governing document is the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956.
During the year the following served as members of the Parochial Church Council:
| Incumbent | Fr Adam Wogan – Chair |
|---|---|
| Church Wardens | Mr Steve Pond |
| Deputies | Mr David Garrett |
| Mr Andrew Morris | |
| Deanery Synod Representatives | Mr David Garrett |
| Dr Karen Rose | |
| Ms Julie Orton | |
| Elected Members | Mrs Wendy Breeze- Safeguarding Officer |
| Mrs Su O’Neill – Hon Treasurer | |
| Mr Steve Pond – Churchwarden | |
| Mr Andrew Morris- Deputy Warden | |
| Mrs Elena Smith | |
| Mrs Moeena Winsor | |
| Mrs Diane Mead | |
| Mr Richard Gambriagio | |
| Mr Graham Loving | |
| Dr Karen Rose- Ex Officio | |
| Miss Julie Orton- Ex Officio | |
| Mr David Garrett- Ex Officio |
Membership of the PCC is determined under the Church Representation Rules and consists of certain exofficio members: The Incumbent and Assistant Curate, the Churchwardens, and members of the Deanery Synod. Up to 12 members of the congregation are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). Members are encouraged to stand for election to the PCC and we try to ensure a balance of skills and experience where possible. There is a Standing Committee, which will meet to deal with any urgent matters on behalf of the PCC.
The PCC appoints working groups when required, to focus on particular aspects of church life.
The role of Minute Secretary for PCC meetings was undertaken by various members of the PCC.
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Objectives and Activities
The primary objective of St Mary’s PCC is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in accordance with the traditions of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of working with the Incumbent in sharing in God’s mission to the world, especially within the ecclesiastical parish. This is reflected in its pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical work.
The PCC also has a responsibility for promoting and developing the ethos and work of its church Aided school, which includes nominating suitable candidates to act as Foundation Governors.
The PCC has responsibility for maintaining and promoting the use of its community hall, which is used by various local groups and organisations on a regular basis, as well as providing a well-equipped community facility.
The PCC has ownership of St Mary’s Cottage, (attached to the Vicarage),which is rented out to support the work of the parish management of the cottage sits with Mayhew’s Property Management. This ensures a professional relationship with the tenants.
The aims and objectives set out for 2025 were as follows:
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To increase the regular congregation.
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To engage more effectively with families and the wider community for them to take a fuller part in the life of the church.
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To take seriously the responsibility of caring for God’s creation.
We were thrilled to be able to undertake and develop a range of initiatives that were established in 2019 to engage with families and the wider community. These include our annual Plant Sale, Children’s Summer Club and Beer Festival, a weekly Baby and Toddler group as well as other social and evangelistic activities. Our monthly Family Mass continues to be our biggest mass of the month, with new families attending regularly. These events have provided many opportunities to share the gospel with people who would not usually interact with the Church. Our Breakfast and afterschool has now been running for a full year, and projections are good for the coming year. A more detailed report is found below.
Clearly our work is not complete, but we can thank God for the progress made so far. It is our hope to build upon this foundation for the coming year.
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Achievements and Performance
Church Attendance
Electoral Roll
Following the complete revision of the Electoral Roll during 2025, there are 109 members on the church Electoral Roll, 48 of whom are not resident within the parish.
Review of the Year
The full PCC met six times during the year (January, February, May, June, September and November, with an average level of attendance of 80%.
Mailing list
Our Facebook page continues to be a very valuable tool for publicity and evangelism, with regular posts, as well as videos and photos being uploaded. It is proving to be a valuable ‘mission for growth’ tool, enabling us to communicate effectively with those in the church family, as well as those on the fringes of our family and crucially to those in our community and parish who we are especially trying to reach out to. We currently have 813 followers on our Facebook page, up from 772 the previous year. Our Mailing List currently reaches 149 people. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please email sylvia.stmaryeg@outlook.com
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Our Christmas Services were very well attended and were spiritually uplifting. These included the return of East Grinstead Concert Band for our ‘Carols around the Oak Tree’ Service, which was attended by around 150 people.
On Advent Sunday this year, we held our annual Advent Bonfire party, and this year added in a Christingle Service. This was a great night, and one that we would like to continue into the future.
Fr Adam teaching us about the Christingles
The children showing off their creations
Our crib service was supported by children who attended the Christmas Club, and was attended by over 200 people. This service, along with our Nine lessons and Carols Service, and Christmas masses helped us increase our ‘Christmas service’ attendance on last year. We were thrilled to have had the highest Christmas attendance (Midnight and Christmas Day) in over 30 years!
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St Mary’s continued to be blessed throughout the year by a loyal choir, choirmaster and organist, as well as dedicated teams of Servers, Sacristans, Welcomers, Readers and Flower arrangers and a small but reliable group who throughout the year regularly clean areas of the church.
Spiritual growth
Over the course of the year, members of our church studied together at our Lent and Advent course. We also visited the Cathedral with our friends from St Swithun’s Church, on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of St Richard as part of the Cathedrals 950[th] anniversary.
One of the windows at the Cathedral
A closer look
We were also very pleased to bring three of our congregation to baptism and confirmation. This was held at a special mass at the cathedral and was celebrated by Bishop Martin. Congratulations to Chris, Adam and Phoebe.
Phoebe’s Baptism
St Mary’s candidates with Bishop Martin after the service
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Young People and Children
St Mary’s Stars Childcare LTD.
It has been another full-on year at St Mary’s Stars, the school wrap around club that runs out of the church hall, and provides before and after school childcare for children attending St Mary’s.
The number of children receiving care at Stars continued to be encouraging, on the busiest afternoon of the week we regularly have 20 plus children attending, many of whom stay for tea. The breakfast session numbers also continue to remain steady. Most of the children who attend do so on a regular contracted basis, but we have been pleased to also see a rise in the number of children we are giving ad hoc care to. We are now starting to receive enquiries from parents who have children starting at the school in September.
We are very pleased to have been able to invest in new and preloved resources for the children to use when with us. We have also expanded the range of themed craft activities for the children to do if they wish to, we aim to have these available throughout the week. One aspect of this has been to decorate the hall in marking various topical events, it was very nice to receive a letter from our MP Mim’s Davis, congratulating the Stars for their bunting marking the 80[th] anniversary of VE Day.
We are grateful to Father Adam for his construction of the blue gates and erecting the required fencing which means we have been able to expand the outside play area. The children love playing outside so we aim to get out every day conditions permitting.
During the autumn term we said goodbye to two members of staff, Becky and Kate, and welcomed Hayley and Christine to work with Helen and me at the club. We have all undergone further training regards various aspects of childcare and will continue to do this in the year ahead.
In December the club received its first inspection by OFSTED. We were delighted to meet their criteria across all areas. I would like to express my thanks to Jan Becker for her experience and knowledge which greatly helped up towards that result. The report was distributed to parents, and we are working to put recommendations contained within it into effect. In December we also received a visit from the Food Standards Agency who awarded us a 5 (the highest) rating regards our continuing hygiene practices.
We look forward at St Mary’s Stars in continuing to provide high quality childcare in a caring environment and building on the good things we have been doing over the past year and where possible being initiative in all aspects of that. Should anybody have any questions they might like to ask me about the club I will be very happy to answer them to the best of my ability.
Steve Pond, Manager.
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The link with our school has been both maintained and strengthened. collective worship is celebrated together in church each week, and regular school masses are held in church each term. The whole school worship together twice a month in church and KS1 and KS2 alternate in the intervening weeks. The children often visit church as part of the RE lessons, and Fr Adam makes visits to classes and staff on a regular basis.
Christmas artwork from our school children
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Baby and Toddler Group
The Baby and Toddler Group established here at St Mary’s in September of 2022 continues to meet the needs of local families. This has been a great blessing both for our church community and the wider community of
East Grinstead (and further afield). The group now allows us to engage with many families who have, at some time, engaged with the group. The group is offered free of charge as a sign of God’s love for his people.
The group is supported by various helpers and leaders who help with setting up the hall and providing refreshments. A special thank you is due to Jan, Bill, Hayley, Eileen, Lynn and Julie who help by setting up the hall, serving refreshments and producing delicious cakes!
Children and adults enjoying playtime and chat
It is fair to say that since the last Government introduced free nursery hours to younger children, our numbers have reduced, as more parents make use of this offer. The team are planning to review the offering that we make as a club over the spring term of 2026, and re-assess in time for the new school year.
The Foundation Governors continue to represent the interests of the Church on the Governing Body of the school. Kyle Smith and Fr David act as a Foundation Governors alongside Fr Adam, and members of St Swithun’s congregation
Links between our uniformed organisations have been maintained, and parade services continue. Fr Adam continued to serve as Padre to the Royal Air Force Cadets and Officers from the 1343 East Grinstead Squadron, throughout 2024, but stepped down in March 2025. Our uniformed groups were able to join us for parade services on Mothering Sunday and at our harvest Festival.
The ATC held their annual awards evening in church for the third time, this was a great evening.
Fr Adam has since joined the Sea Cadet Corp as the unit Chaplain of TS Resolution, our local unit. He will be commissioned as Chaplain RNR later in the spring of 2026.
Junior Church continues to teach our children and young people the Faith during our Sunday masses throughout term-time. We thank those hard-working people who share the Faith with our young people, and in doing so, prepare the Christian leaders of the future to work with us in Christ’s Vineyard. Thank you especially to Caroline, Steve and Wendy. Something that has been particularly exciting is that junior church now frequently takes place outside of term-time too. This is a great sign of growth in our parish, and one we pray will continue to grow.
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Junior Church activities
St Mary’s PCC took the decision to have a fallow year for the Summer Club this year, in order to give our volunteers a much deserved break. The club will be back again next year.
Just before Christmas 2025, St Mary’s again hosted its Christmas Club , which was established in 2018. We are very pleased to say that numbers were significantly up on last year’s disappointing attendance of 4. Around 20 children attended the club this year, along with several for the first time. The children enjoyed a morning of craft activities, games and engaging with scripture and drama in preparation for helping Fr Adam lead the Crib Service on Christmas Eve.
Stained glass art by the children of Christmas Club
Dress Rehearsal…Mary centre stage!
The Crib Service and Nativity Play
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Community Enrichment, Social and Fundraising
During the year, the church held various events celebrating the Church year alongside promoting national charities fundraising campaigns, as well as drawing various sections of the community together through the use of our church and hall.
Fundraising
Report by Andrew Morris Social and Fundraising Warden
‘“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” as the saying goes and this neatly sums up our fundraising strategy, which continues to focus on three main thrusts (with a few smaller additions).
We began the year with our well-established and much-loved Plant Sale, which raised an impressive £3,240. Over the past few years, David Garrett has worked hard to collect a wide variety of garden-related items to sell on the day. Visitors clearly enjoy browsing these unwanted treasures, and the stall consistently contributes a healthy sum to church funds.
Building on this success, we decided to reintroduce car boot sales as a simple way to generate additional income while also
clearing the growing stockpile of items stored in the shed. The first event proved encouraging: with strong support from the parish, 15 people rented pitches, and the church ran its own stalls alongside the café. Together, we raised £707, not a bad result for an event requiring relatively little effort.
However, a second car boot sale in the autumn, perhaps inspired more by enthusiasm than strategy was less successful, raising £313. As one wise Warden observed the following day, that was still £313 we didn’t have the day before. Both events provided valuable lessons, and as a result we plan to combine the Plant Sale with a car boot sale in 2026, maximising resources and focusing our efforts into one larger fundraising day.
The September Beer Festival 2025 was perhaps our best yet. This event is now finely tuned, and its popularity continues to grow both within the parish and beyond, with visitors travelling from further afield to attend. Hosting it inside the church once again proved a real success. Guests enjoy seeing the space transformed for the evening, and it offers non-churchgoers a chance to experience a different side of what we do. The event raised an outstanding £6,292.
Photos from our fantastic Beer Festival 2025
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Our Christmas Fair 2025 took a slightly different approach. Experience from previous years has shown that the festive tearoom is both the most popular feature and the strongest source of income, so we made it our main focus. St Mary’s School took the lead on the more traditional stalls and games. While fundraising remains vital, we must not underestimate the importance of our wider mission. Feedback from the fair is always warm and encouraging: the church looks beautiful, the music and atmosphere are uplifting, and the event provides a wonderful opportunity to share festive cheer with the parish. Although funds were lower this year at £809, we are building a strong reputation for the future.
Our wonderful Christmas Fair 2025
Finally, a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supports these events whether through donations, helping with set-up and clearing away, or simply coming along and taking part. Without this support, none of what we achieved in 2025 would have been possible.
Looking ahead, 2026 will bring new fundraising challenges, and we encourage everyone to consider how they can play a part in supporting our LWT project.
At a glance:
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plant Sale | £3121 | £3071 | £3085 | £3240 |
| Car BootJune | £707 | |||
| Car Boot Oct | £313 | |||
| Beer Festival | £4245 | £4082 | £4316 | £6292 |
| Christmas Fair | £1100 | £1760 | £2120 | £809 |
| Totals | 8466 | 8913 | 9521 | £11361 |
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Fabric
David Garrett Deputy Warden, Fabric.
I know that most of you would agree with me St Mary’s is a very special place and our worship at St Mary’s is enhanced by the interior beauty of our Church. Many of you will also have enjoyed moments of peace and calm in St Mary’s at other times in the week, seeking some solace from our busy lives. Therefore the care of the fabric and grounds of St Mary’s is hugely important.
We began 2025 with the removal of the three large beech trees on the north east boundary, at some considerable cost, but no damage to the Church or Vicarage! Other things that have needed attention are the securing of the tabernacle holding the blessed sacrament, after what we believe may have been an attempted
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theft and following the loss of our six altar candlesticks. As a result we have put in place a simple CCTV system to hopefully deter further burglary.
The proposals for the LWT project have encouraged us to “keep the place going”, rather than involve any other major expenses. Our gas boiler limps on and mending doors, and other Church furnishings, together with replacing lights bulbs, both in the Church and Hall have kept the Vicar and Churchwardens busy. We are extremely grateful to the army of cleaning angels, who month by month keep the Church looking loved and cared for. We meet most second Saturday mornings of the month and would love it if others joined us. The same is true for the grounds and garden. May I add that it is always gratifying when visitors come into our Church and say how lovely it looks”. David
Light, Warm, Transform Project
The LWT tender is completed and we have firm costs for Phase-1 (Electrical) and Phase-2 (Building) to provide the Diocese in order to gain Faculty (their approval). The tender was structured in phases to help manage expenditure so we can match available funds to our priorities.
A reminder of our aims for the Light Warm Transform project are, centred on people, tradition, and the future. We aim to;
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Make our Church light, warm and with good audio.
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Enhance the aesthetic of our beautiful church.
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Encourage more people to come to church and also use the space in a wider variety of ways.
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Enhance our Christian mission with outreach and charitable programs.
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Improve the safety, performance and reduce running costs.
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Achieve 100% sustainable energy.
Implementation this summer is unlikely, as the timescales & monetary challenges are great. However we have achieved a major milestone with the tender and are excited as the project proceeds to Faculty and orders may start to be placed.
We hope to offer sponsorship opportunities within the project and welcome any other fundraising ideas.
Any questions or if you’d like to be involved in any practical way just let us know. Graham
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Eco-Church Social Responsibility
Eco Report for 2025
Having achieved the A Rocha Gold award in MARCH 2025 our main aim this year has been to maintain our high standards and to continue encouraging people to live their lives with consideration for the environment, and to support those who are suffering from the effects of climate change. Climate change has become more evident this year with floods, drought, and unseasonable weather, and many are finding life extremely difficult and uncertain.
Locally we have been instrumental in setting up an Eco section of Churches Together led by David Shaw a retired Methodist Minister at Trinity. We meet approximately every two months to exchange ideas and encourage each other.
We also now have a new Diocesan Environmental Officer, Rev Buff Stone, Associate Minister St Luke’s Pentonville who is very active in organising training sessions, and the Chichester Diocese has now obtained a bronze award and is working towards it’s silver.
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Our garden was a large contributor to us obtaining Gold, the assessors were really impressed with how we had transformed a large area of tarmac into an attractive wildlife friendly garden and produced flowers to decorate the church!! Our gardeners are getting older so more help would be much appreciated!!
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Churches together
Our Meetings are now subdivided into Clergy and Laity, both meet on the same day but at different times and both chaired by Ben at Trinity Methodist Church. The idea is that the Clergy decide what they want to happen and the laity assist in ensuring that it does. It seems to work as the Good Friday service in town demonstrated.
In May 2025 we also ran “Thy Kingdom Come” based at St. Swithun’s. This is a global ecumenical prayer movement that invites Christians around the world to pray from Ascension to Pentecost for more people to come to know Jesus. This year it will run from14th to 26[th] May 2026.
As well as promoting Christianity in the town Churches Together is a really good way to get to know people from other churches and to learn about their activities. There is now an Ecumenical Eco group, also under the auspices of Churches Together where ideas are discussed and support given to each other.
St Mary’s hosted the 2025 AGM of the CTEG IN April 2025, and looks forward to doing the same again this year.
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Family Support Workers
FSW continues to work across the Diocese providing exceptional service to families who for various reasons cannot access the support they deserve from social services as waiting lists increase.
Despite cuts in funding and applications for grants for charities becoming increasingly difficult to secure the Association having had a poor six months has regained stability and as ever looks to the future with optimism. In this Deanery the committee works to fund our practitioner by organising small events but also assisting with the larger events in the Diocese.
A small food store is also kept locally for FSW families to access via our practitioner in times of need and we thank St. Mary's for the provision of a collection point and the congregation for their generous donations. Thank you for your continued support and the committee look forward to seeing you at our events.
In addition to supporting FSW, St Mary’s has continued to make various donations towards the below charitable organisations:
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Royal British Legion (Poppy Appeal)
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Crawley Open House (Sleep Out sponsorship)
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Christian Aid (during Christian Aid Week)
St Mary’s has continued to collaborate with other denominations through events such as the Annual World Day of Prayer , Christian Aid Week , and by having representatives on the East Grinstead’s Street Pastors Team as well as members who volunteer at and/or are trustees to the East Grinstead Foodbank and FSW .
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St Mary's has continued to raise funds for the Royal British Legion through their Poppy Appeal . In addition, two members of our church family, Lynda and John Railton, have continued to be Joint Poppy Appeal Organisers for East Grinstead.
Financial Review
Overview
This report has given you all the wonderful things that St Mary’s has achieved during 2025. Thanks need to go to every single person who has contributed in so many ways, but St Mary’s can only survive financially through the generous continued planned giving of all of you.
Your giving is our sole income . We raise other monies through fund raising or one off donations but what we receive from you on a regular basis is what pays for the day to day up keep of this church.
Fund raising is normally put in the reserve accounts and drawn on when there are extraordinary expenses.
At the end of 2025 the St Mary’s 100 club had 38 members with 70 tickets in total so space for many more. One ticket is £5 a month. There is a quarterly draw. Half of the income funds the quarterly prizes and the other half of the income is used for savings into the R&R fund. Net profit for 2025 was £1,911.73.
The Diocese a few of years ago set out what it expects each church to contribute, for a long time we have not been able to meet this and are still paying below what is expected, this needs to be met if we are to ensure a full time priest at St Mary’s should our current incumbent move to another parish. Please follow this link for an informed explanation of how our parish share funds the wider parish mission and ministry (How does parish share fund parish mission and ministry? - YouTube). If you are able to increase your giving or become a planned giver if you are not already please contact the Giving & Gift Aid Secretary.
Finances
The following pages detail our finances for 2025, please contact the Treasurer if you have any questions regarding anything contained within this report.
This year there is a page with some charts covering the last five years as numbers can be a bit onerous to review and then the usual financial reports follow on.
The total receipts on general unrestricted funds received were £100,101.17. The total receipts on restricted funds were £1,726.69. The total funds received on endowed funds were £8,251.36. Making a grand total of receipts as £110,079.22.
The total expenditure on general unrestricted funds was £112,803.80.
The amount of Income tax recovered via the PGS (DD giving) was £4,993.25. The amount of Income tax recovered via HMRC (SO giving and misc giving/collection plate) was £ £4,166.19. Total Gift Aid recovered £9,159.44.
Light, Warm, Transform
You must all be aware of our mission to improve not only the heating and lighting in our wonderful church but to improve the facilities including a refectory area and toilets. This project has been in development for a few years, but requires a huge amount of money. We have already paid large architect and other charges so our reserve accounts are reduced from last year. Long term we would like to see more rental of the hall, increased income from Stars Childcare along with the new church space once the works are completed. But to achieve this we need a lot more in the way of grants and fund raising to achieve this goal.
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Stars Childcare
Over the last two years St Mary’s Church has funded the start up costs along with a top up income during 2025. Stars is now paying for itself, although it does not currently get charged for hall rent, but this is something we hope to introduce in 2027 along with repayment of the monies lent to it. The table below shows a summary for Stars from inception to date.
| St Marys Stars | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening Balance | £0.00 | £1,199.50 | £2,405.22 |
| Total Income | £8465.00 | £43,471.43 | £59,458.95 |
| Loan St Marys Church | £5,000.00 | £1,500.00 | |
| Total Expenditure | £12,265.50 | £43,765.71 | £58,505.42 |
| Closing Balance | £1,199.50 | £2,405.22 | £3,358.75 |
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 a contingency against unforeseen situations.
As well as holding the above general reserves, occasionally the PCC receives restricted legacies for expenditure on particular purposes, defined by the donor. We aim to expend such money as soon as possible after receiving the legacy, depending on the specific objectives of the donor. Where we have identified that the specific purpose can only be achieved by delaying the expenditure, we invest the legacy temporarily until such time as the need for expenditure is identified.
Su O’Neill - Treasurer, Giving & Gift Aid Secretary and EE Officer stmaryschurcheg@gmail.com
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Annual Financial Report for 2025 - Statement of Financial Activities
| Receipts and Payments 2025 | Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowed Funds |
Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund |
Funds |
All Funds 2025 |
All Funds 2024 |
|||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM: |
||||||
| Church | ||||||
| Giving | 48,343.84 | 48,343.84 | 48,157.64 | |||
| Appeals / Fundraising | 13,724.03 | 13,724.03 | 12,931.13 | |||
| Misc Giving | 2,860.85 | 2,860.85 | 2,547.66 | |||
| Grants | 300.00 | 300.00 | 1,100.00 | |||
| Parish Outings | 0.00 | 0.00 | 778.00 | |||
| 100 Club | 3,582.73 | 3,582.73 | 3,206.87 | |||
| Weddings & Funerals | 1,833.00 | 1,833.00 | 1,680.00 | |||
| Light Warm Transform | 1,730.00 | 1,730.00 | ||||
| Hall | ||||||
| Rentals | 10,511.25 | 10,511.25 | 10,882.00 | |||
| **Cottage ** | ||||||
| Rent | 17,100.00 | 17,100.00 | 15,975.00 | |||
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| Receipts and Payments 2025 | Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowed Funds |
Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund |
Funds |
All Funds 2025 |
All Funds 2024 |
|||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| General Reserve | 115.47 | 115.47 | 348.17 | |||
| R&R Fund | 1,659.41 | 1,659.41 | 2,291.65 | |||
| Organ | 5.49 | 5.49 | 29.10 | |||
| **Cottage ** | 61.79 | 61.79 | 68.82 | |||
| Lowdells | 640.35 | 640.35 | 740.58 | |||
| Stenning Trust | 7,156.60 | 7,156.60 | 6,946.49 | |||
| SP Lowdell | 387.47 | 387.47 | 377.30 | |||
| WT Lowdell | 66.94 | 66.94 | 65.18 | |||
| TOTAL RECEIVED: | 100,101.17 | 1,726.69 | 8,251.36 | 110,079.22 | 108,125.59 | |
| EXPENDITURE | ||||||
| Church | ||||||
| Parish Fees/Parish Share | 28,304.00 | 28,304.00 | 26,400.00 | |||
| Utilities | 10,202.05 | 10,202.05 | 13,155.23 | |||
| Purchases / Supplies | 14,522.96 | 14,522.96 | 19,278.26 | |||
| Fund RaisingExpenses | 3,018.01 | 3,018.01 | 3,404.86 | |||
| Repairs / Renewal / Fees | 20,721.14 | 20,721.14 | 9,767.43 | |||
| New Era Project | 16,448.98 | 16,448.98 | 1,905.00 | |||
| Charity Appeals / Payments | 227.00 | 227.00 | 1,545.00 | |||
| Misc Costs | ||||||
| Other Costs | 929.28 | 929.28 | 1,796.70 | |||
| Social Evens & Outreach | 2,785.60 | 2,785.60 | 2,247.84 | |||
| St Marys Stars Wraparound | 481.02 | 481.02 | 1,588.00 | |||
| FlagPole | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.32 | |||
| Oak Garden | 165.93 | 165.93 | 105.40 | |||
| 100 Club | ||||||
| Prizes | 1,590.00 | 1,590.00 | 1,560.00 | |||
| Licence & Bank Charges | 81.00 | 81.00 | 83.00 |
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| Receipts and Payments 2025 | Unrestricted | Restricted | Endowed Funds |
Total | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund |
Funds |
All Funds 2025 |
All Funds 2024 |
|||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Hall | ||||||
| Utilities | 1,486.00 | 1,486.00 | 2,038.88 | |||
| Repairs / Renenwal | 2,212.06 | 2,212.06 | 1,873.13 | |||
| Cleaning | 44.54 | 44.54 | 3,728.91 | |||
| Hall Supplies & Equipment | 781.27 | 781.27 | 563.87 | |||
| **Cottage ** | ||||||
| Repairs / Renenwal | 2,840.36 | 2,840.36 | 2,359.60 | |||
| Mayhews Management Fees | 2,124.00 | 2,124.00 | 1,687.80 | |||
| Vicarage | ||||||
| Utilities / Insurance | 3,777.45 | 3,777.45 | 4,420.32 | |||
| Other Costs | 61.15 | 61.15 | 442.39 | |||
| TOTAL PAID | 112,803.80 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 112,803.80 | 100,051.94 | |
18
Balance Sheet (Assets & Liabilities Statement)
| Investment Income - Statement of Assets and Liabilities |
Unrestricted | Restricted Funds |
Endowed Funds |
Total all Funds 2025 |
Total all Funds 2024 |
Total all Funds 2024 |
Total all Funds 2024 |
Total all Funds 2024 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Funds |
|||||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||||||
| ASSETS | |||||||||
| Bank Current Account | 15,419.19 | 15,419.19 | 11,649.02 | ||||||
| 100 Club | 1,636.92 | 1,636.92 | 1,725.19 | ||||||
| CBF Deposit Funds | 342.64 | 31,848.25 | 47,404.52 | 79,595.41 | 86,456.30 | ||||
| Bank and deposit accounts | 17,398.75 | 31,848.25 | 47,404.52 | 96,651.52 | 99,830.51 | ||||
| Other Assets: | |||||||||
| S P Lowdell - Investment Fund | 13,196.86 | 13,196.86 | 13,860.32 | ||||||
| W T Lowdell - Investment Fund | 2,279.98 | 2,279.88 | 2,394.11 | ||||||
| Stenning Trust - Investment Fund |
189,945.97 | 189,945.97 | 197,855.86 | ||||||
| The Cottage | 425,000.00 | 425,000.00 | 425,000.00 | ||||||
| Investments Assets at Market Value |
0.00 | 425,000.00 | 205,422.81 | 630,422.81 | 639,110.29 | ||||
| Total Assets | 17,398.75 | 456,848.25 | 252,827.33 | 727,074.33 | 738,940.80 | ||||
| LIABILITIES | |||||||||
| Gift Aid on PGS for Dec paid in Jan 2026 |
427.96 | 427.96 | -310.00 | ||||||
| CAF voucher received during Christmas services |
300.00 | ||||||||
| 2025parish feespaid in 2026 | -1,030.00 | -1,030.00 | 800.98 | ||||||
| Total Liabilities | -302.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 | -602.04 | 490.98 | ||||
| TOTAL NEW ASSETS | 17,700.79 | 456,848.25 | 252,827.33 | 727,676.37 | 738,449.82 |
This Financial Report for the year 31[st ] December 2025, including the notes following, was approved by the PCC and signed on its behalf by
..................................................................................................................................
Fr A C Wogan PCC Chairman
..................................................................................................................................
Date
19
Notes to the Annual Financial Report
The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, using the Receipts and Payments basis.
The following assets are recognised but not valued in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities: Movable church furnishings held by the churchwardens on special trust for the PCC, which require a faculty for disposal.
| Analysis of Total Received | Unrestricted | Restricted Funds |
Endowed Funds |
Total All Funds 2025 |
Total All Funds 2024 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General fund |
||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Plannedgiving (excl. tax refunds) | 36,143.01 | 36,143.01 | 35,813.16 | |||
| Gift Aid - Parish GivingScheme | 4,993.25 | 4,993.25 | 5,397.97 | |||
| Gift Aid HMRC Recovered | 4,166.19 | 4,166.19 | 4,177.16 | |||
| Loose cash collections | 2,507.79 | 2,507.79 | 2,074.35 | |||
| Non-Gift-Aided Donations | 513.48 | 513.48 | 1,455.14 | |||
| Gift-Aided Donations | 533.60 | 533.60 | 695.00 | |||
| Givingvia Collectin | 1,031.50 | 1,031.50 | 781.50 | |||
| Charity Appeals | 1,112.88 | 1,112.88 | 0.00 | |||
| 100 Club | 3,582.73 | 3,582.73 | 3,206.87 | |||
| Baby & Toddler donations | 68.63 | 68.63 | 200.00 | |||
| Legacy / Bequests | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Grants | 300.00 | 300.00 | 1,100.00 | |||
| Donations and Legacies | 54,953.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 54,953.06 | 54,901.15 | |
| Fees for Weddings & Funerals | 1,833.00 | 1,833.00 | 1,680.00 | |||
| Total Charitable Activities: | 56,786.06 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 56,786.06 | 56,581.15 | |
| Church Hall Rent | 10,511.25 | 10,511.25 | 10,882.00 | |||
| Fundraising | 13,535.15 | 13,535.15 | 12,931.13 | |||
| Rent from Cottage | 17,100.00 | 17,100.00 | 15,975.00 | |||
| Trading Activities | 41,146.40 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 41,146.40 | 39,788.13 | |
| General Reserve(unrestricted) | 115.47 | 115.47 | 348.17 | |||
| R&R Fund(Restricted) | 1,659.41 | 1,659.41 | 2,291.65 | |||
| Organ(Restricted) | 5.49 | 5.49 | 29.10 | |||
| Cottage(Restricted) | 61.79 | 61.79 | 68.82 | |||
| Lowdells(Endowed) | 640.35 | 640.35 | 740.58 | |||
| Stenning (Endowed) | 7,156.60 | 7,156.60 | 6,946.49 | |||
| S P Lowdell - Investment Fund | 387.47 | 387.47 | 377.30 | |||
| W T Lowdell - Investment Fund | 66.94 | 66.94 | 65.18 | |||
| Investments | 115.47 | 1,726.69 | 8,251.36 | 10,093.52 | 10,867.29 | |
20
| Analysis of Total Received | Unrestricted | Restricted Funds |
Endowed Funds |
Total All Funds 2025 |
Total All Funds 2024 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General fund |
||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| Parish Outings | 288.00 | 288.00 | 778.00 | |||
| Sundry Receipts/Misc Giving | 35.24 | 35.24 | 111.02 | |||
| Light Warm Transform | 1,730.00 | 1,730.00 | ||||
| Total Other Receipts | 2,053.24 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 2,053.24 | 889.02 | |
| Total received on all funds | 100,101.17 | 1,726.69 | 8,251.36 | 110,079.22 | 108,125.59 | |
21
| Analysis of Total Paid: | Unrestricted | Restricted Funds |
Endowed Funds |
Total All Funds 2025 |
Total All Funds 2024 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund | ||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Charitable Costs | ||||||
| Church | ||||||
| Parish Share to Diocese | 27,360.00 | 27,360.00 | 26,400.00 | |||
| Parish Fees to Diocese | 944.00 | 944.00 | ||||
| Gas Supply | 6,461.22 | 6,461.22 | 9,686.01 | |||
| Electricity Supply | 2,310.00 | 2,310.00 | 2,280.00 | |||
| Water Rates | 332.88 | 332.88 | 311.42 | |||
| Organist & Music | 4,400.08 | 4,400.08 | 4,400.28 | |||
| Parish Administrator | 4,680.00 | 4,680.00 | 8,190.00 | |||
| HMRC Fees | 1,143.40 | 1,143.40 | 1,127.16 | |||
| Telephone & Broadband | 1,097.95 | 1,097.95 | 877.80 | |||
| Sacristy Supplies | 837.79 | 837.79 | 1,466.38 | |||
| Fund RaisingExpenses | 3,018.01 | 3,018.01 | 3,137.87 | |||
| Priest Expenses Mileage | 420.30 | 420.30 | 536.35 | |||
| Social Events & Outreach | 2,785.60 | 2,785.60 | 2,247.84 | |||
| Children's Corner in Church | 0.00 | 0.00 | 7.00 | |||
| Costs for Children's summer club |
0.00 | 0.00 | 266.99 | |||
| Church Insurance | 3,703.57 | 3,703.57 | 3,654.69 | |||
| Piano & Organ Tuning | 900.00 | 900.00 | 1,618.00 | |||
| Fees & licences | 1,088.20 | 1,088.20 | 409.21 | |||
| Subscriptions | 841.56 | 841.56 | 1,144.30 | |||
| Church Equipment | 381.97 | 381.97 | 764.04 | |||
| Incidental / Gifts | 131.48 | 131.48 | 140.85 | |||
| Parish Outings | 317.50 | - | 317.50 | 1,058.00 | ||
| FlagPole | 0.00 | 0.00 | 100.32 | |||
| Oak Garden and Gardening | 165.93 | 165.93 | 105.40 | |||
| Office | 3,096.42 | 3,096.42 | 3,289.00 | |||
| Vicarage Alarm | 61.15 | 61.15 | 442.39 | |||
| Clergy & Incidental Expenses | 306.67 | 306.67 | 190.30 | |||
| Church Buildings Repairs & Maintenance_(misc)_ |
13,494.44 | 13,494.44 | 1,578.93 | |||
| Accounting& Examiner's Fees | 250.00 | 250.00 | 250.00 | |||
| Architect Report | 120.00 | 120.00 | 2,861.40 | |||
| Bank Charges | 60.00 | 60.00 | 61.50 | |||
| Charitable Giving | 227.00 | 227.00 | 1,545.00 | |||
| 100 Club | ||||||
| Prizes | 1,590.00 | 1,590.00 | 1,560.00 | |||
| Licence and bank charges | 81.00 | 81.00 | 83.00 |
22
| Analysis of Total Paid: | Unrestricted | Restricted Funds |
Endowed Funds |
Total All Funds 2025 |
Total All Funds 2024 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund | ||||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| **Vicarage ** | ||||||
| Council Tax | 2,891.53 | 2,891.53 | 3,829.17 | |||
| Water | 885.92 | 885.92 | 591.15 | |||
| TOTAL Charitable Costs | 86,385.57 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 86,385.57 | 86,211.75 | |
| Trading Costs | ||||||
| Hall | ||||||
| Hall Cleaning(incl. Windows) | 44.54 | 44.54 | 3,728.91 | |||
| Hall Insurance | 1,234.78 | 1,234.78 | 1,218.23 | |||
| Hall Electricity Supply | 1,449.00 | 1,449.00 | 1,296.00 | |||
| Hall Water Rates | 37.00 | 37.00 | 742.88 | |||
| Hall Repairs & Maintenance | 977.28 | 977.28 | 654.90 | |||
| Hall Supplies & Equipment | 781.27 | 781.27 | 563.87 | |||
| **Cottage ** | ||||||
| Cottage Insurance | 394.14 | 394.14 | 380.10 | |||
| Cottage Repairs & Maintenance | 2,446.22 | 2,446.22 | 1,979.50 | |||
| Mayhew | 2,124.00 | 2,124.00 | 1,687.80 | |||
| TOTAL Trading Costs | 9,488.23 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 9,488.23 | 12,252.19 | |
| WrapAround Club | 481.02 | 481.02 | 1,588.00 | |||
| Light Warm Transform | 16,448.98 | |||||
| Total Other Payments | 16,930.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 16,930.00 | 1,588.00 | |
| Total paid on all funds | 112,803.80 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 112,803.80 | 100,051.94 |
23
| Statement of Deposit Funds |
Balances B/fwd |
Income | Expenses | Transfers | Balances C/Fwd |
Balances C/Fwd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-Jan-25 | 31-Dec-25 | 31-Dec-24 | |||||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |||
| Endowed Funds: | |||||||
| Lowdells Trust Fund | 4,020.93 | 640.35 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 4,661.28 | 4,020.93 | |
| StenningTrust Fund | 35,586.64 | 7,156.60 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 42,743.24 | 35,586.64 | |
| Lowdell - SP Lowdell | 13,860.32 | 387.47 | -1,050.93 | 0.00 | 13,196.86 | 13,860.32 | |
| Lowdell - William Thorold | 2,394.61 | 66.94 | -181.57 | 0.00 | 2,279.98 | 2,394.11 | |
| Total Endowed Funds | 55,862.50 | 8,251.36 | -1,232.50 | 0.00 | 62,881.36 | 55,862.00 | |
| Restricted Funds: | |||||||
| R& R Fund | 40,134.80 | 1,659.41 | 0.00 | -11,500.00 | 30,294.21 | 40,134.80 | |
| Organ Fund | 121.34 | 5.49 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 126.83 | 121.34 | |
| Cottage Fund | 1,365.42 | 61.79 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 1,427.21 | 1,365.42 | |
| Total Restricted Funds | 41,621.56 | 1,726.69 | 0.00 | -11,500.00 | 31,848.25 | 41,621.56 | |
| Unrestricted Fund: | |||||||
| General Reserve | 5,227.17 | 115.47 | 0.00 | -5,000.00 | 342.64 | 5,227.17 | |
| Total Unrestricted Funds | 5,227.17 | 115.47 | 0.00 | -5,000.00 | 342.64 | 5,227.17 | |
| Total All Funds | 102,711.23 | 10,093.52 | -1,232.50 | -16,500.00 | 95,072.25 | 102,710.73 |
Lowdell and Stenning Trusts. The Trustees are the Vicar and Church Wardens.
-
The Lowdells Trust is a parish Trust Endowed by WT & S P Lowdell, for the benefit of the disadvantaged in the parish.
-
The Stenning Trust is a parish Trust Endowed by Fanny Augusta Stenning for Education and Mission in the parish. The Custodian Trustee is the Diocese of Chichester, and the Managing Trustees are the Vicar & Churchwardens.
-
Lowdells Charities, Sydney Poole Lowdell – any income to be applied towards the endowment and support of the poor of the district of Baldwins.
-
Lowdells Charities, William Thorold Lowdell – income of this charity is to be used in furthering the religious and charitable work in the Parish of St Mary the Virgin East Grinstead
NB - Share price has caused an adjustment to the year end figures for the SP Lowdell and William Thorold Accounts - this is showing in the expenses area of this report
24
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary, East Grinstead
ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT FOR 2025
Independent Examiner’s Report
The year end reports were not finalised in time to have an independent review prior to annual leave by the Treasurer and the Independent Examiner, therefore the report will be circulated after the APCM, when they have been reviewed.
25
The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary, East Grinstead ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT FOR 2025
Independent Examiner’s Report
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary, East Grinstead for the year ended 31 December 2025.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
-
Accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
The accounts do not accord with those records; or
-
The accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a “true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Signed:
Name: Katie Donovan
Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any): ICAEW Address: 1 Sunrays, East Street, Mayfield, East Sussex, TN20 6TZ Date: 09/06/2026