St. Ma 's Church Ash Vale Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31st December 2024 CONTENTS PAGE Background ................................................................................. Introduction.. Le8al Requirement5....................................... PCC.. Aims, Definltions and Organi5ation.............................. Statutory Information and StatistiC5..... Electoral Roll and Church Attendance.. Summary of PCC meeting5................................. .. Mana8ement- Staff, Premises and Finance.................................................................................... SafeBuardin8..................................................................... Administration..................... Hall Hire.................................. Premises.............................. Finance............................. Review of Progress and Achievements- 2024......................,,.......................................,.,.......................... Project Mana8er's Report ........ Pastoral Care..................... li Fellowship Groups................................................. .11 Thursday Friends. .12 Youth and Children's Ministry........................,....,,........................................... 12 Sunday School... .12 God's Treasure Hunters.......................,,..,,,,...,.............................,,.,.,,...,,...............................,,.... 12 Worship.. .12 Prayer Ministry....................................................................... .12 The Wider Church- Aldershot Deanery Synod........................................,........................................,,..,... 13 Ecumenical News........................................... .14 In the Community.............................................. -14 Harvest Festival.......................... .14 Hear Here...........................,.,... .14 Vicar's Report.................................,,..,.....................................,..,,....................................... ,14 Independent Examiner's Report........,.,. .16 Annual Accounts..,..............................................................,. .17 Statement of Financial Activities for Year Endlng 31 Oecember 2024.........................................,. .17 Balance Sheet ès at 31 December 2024............................. .18 l. Accounting Policies. .19 1.182sis of Financial Statements. .19 1.2 Fund Accountin8................. .19 1.3 Income Resources.................................. .19 1.4 Resources Used........................,..,...........................................,.....................................,. .19 1.5 Fixed Assets......................,,.....................................,. .19 1.6 Investment................. .20 1.7 Current A55ets..,. .20 1.8 Current Liabilities.. .20 2. Incomln8 Resouice5.....................,......................................... .21 2.1 Voluntary Income.. .21 2.2 Activlties foi GeneratinB Funds....................... .21 3. Resources Expended......................................................... .22 3.1 Cost of Gener3tln8 Funds................ .23 3.2 Fundraising Trading Cost of Goods Sold or other costs................ .23 4, Stsff Costs... .........................................................................................................................................23 5. Transfer Between Funds.....................................................................................................................-.. 23 6. Fixed Assets........................................................................................................................................... 23 6.1 Equlpment....................... .23 6.2 Investments.................................-...................................................................................... .24 7. Current Assets............................................................................... .24 7.1 Debtors................................................................................................................................... 24 7.2 Cash in Bank and in Hand.................................................................................................... .25 8. Liabilities.................................... .25 g. Fund5... -26 9.1 De518nated F¢Jnds................................... .26 9.2 Restricted Funds.................-............................................................. .26 9.3 Movement in Funds.................................................................. .27 Back und Introdurtion - Legal Requirements This report is presented by the Parochial Church Council IPCCI and reflects the organisation, financial sltuation and activities of St Mary'5 Church throughout the year 2024. This Annual Report conforms to the requirements of the Church Representation Rules and the Church Accounting Regulations 2006. St Mary's PCC 15 a charitable body in law and Subject to the conditions of the Charities Act 2011. PCC mefflber5 are legally held to be Trustees of the Charitv. The PCC is required by law ro present 'an annual report on its proceedings and on the activities of the parish generally,, which will be received by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting IAPCMI. The PCC- Aims, Definitions and Organisation St Mary's Parochial Church Council IPCCI has the responsibility of co-operating Wlth the incumbent, the Reverend Neil Lambert, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the management of the Church building of St. Mary's Ash Vale. Members of the PCC are either ex-officio (licensed Clergy and Readers, the elected Churchwardens, and Diocesan and Deanery Synod Representatives), elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting IAPCMI, or co-opted because of speclal respon5ibllities they hold In the Church. Elerted Members serve inltially for three years. The PCC alm5 to meet at least six times a year to conduct its business and pray together. Address: St Mary's Church, Vale Road, Ash Vale. Aldershot, Hampshire, GU12 5JE Dlocese of Guildford,. Aldershot Deanery,. Group Mlnlstry wlth St Peter's, Ash emall: hoffice ash-v Charfty Reglstratlon No: 1152717 Incumbent: The Revd Neil Lambert, The Vlcarage. 203 Vale Road, Ash Vale, Aldershot. Hampshire, GU12 SJE Bank: The Co-operative Bank, P.0. Box 250, Dell House, Southway, Skelmersdale, WN8 6wr Independent Examlner: Mr Derek Monds. 12 Springfield Road, Ash Vale, Alder5hot, Hampshire, GU12 SEN Ex-officio members: Incumbent: Churchwarden to Aprll 2025: Churchwarden to April 2025: Lay-Reader: Deanery Synod.. The Revd Neil Lambert (Chairl Mr Robln Barratt ILay Chairl from Aprll 2023 Mr Charle5 Lusty (Lay Chairl from May 2022 Mrs Jane Cox Mrs Nikki Glover From April 2022 to April 2026 Mr Patrick Brown from April 2023 to April 2026 Elected members: from October 2020 to April 2026.. Mr Jonathan Retalllck from October 2020 to April 2026.. Mr Peter Scott from April 2023 to April 2026: Mr Martin Lindsay From April 2023 to April 2026: Mrs Janet Lusty Co-opted members: Alexandra Sanderson (Project Manager - Staff) Mrs Anna White1Safeguarding Officer) s￿￿coMMIttee5 ol the PCC The Standlng Committee is the only legally required sub-committee. It is made up of the Vicar, Churchwardens, Treasurer, Secretary and a PCC member. The PCC member who volunteered for the Standing committee was N Glover Premlses Commlttee.. The Vicar, Churchwardens, J Retallick and the Treasurer or l Roll nd Church A At the APCM OD 28 April 2024 the revised Electoral Roll was presented by Lesley Murphy, St Mary's Electoral Roll Officer. There are 87 names on the elettoral roll, of these 63 are resident in the Parish. The usual Sunday attendance numbers were taken over four Sunday5 in October. The figures for a 'normal' Sunday were recorded as.. 69 adults and 16 under-16s. There were 3 baptisms, O marriage5 in church. I funerals in church and 3 funerals were condurted by the clergy elsewhere. PCCR rth f 11 24: The PCC met five times during the year, one of which was a special meeting to formally approve the Annual Report and Accounts for 2023. We also held a special Premises Meeting Sn August lin place of the scheduled PCCI to discuss urgent fabric matters arising from Quinquennial and Net Zero discussions. The key decisions taken and topics raised during 2024 which are not mentioned elsewhere in this report, are summarized below Blbles funded for 'God's Treasure Hunters. youth group to support their dlsclpleshlp. Outreach: Increased social event5 in 2024 to bulld community, includlng the Candlemass Caleigh Dlsclpleship: "Practicing the Way" and "Watch and Pray" seletted for focus durin8 lent, and the key practice5 were explored further from September. Leaders Tralnlng: PCC agreed to support Nikki Glover In tralnlng as a Licensed Lay Mlnister. Sunday Servlces: We made a declslon to stop zoomingthe servlce as it was becomSng very hard to manage, Service5 remained a mixture of East Facing and 'ln the round,, offering a rich variety. Forward Plannln8: PCC Members took part in several Parish Needs Process meetings with colleagues from the diocese, discerning plans for St Mary's. The vision "Root5 down...Into the Gospel, Wa115 Down... Into the Communlty. remains unchanged. Mlsslon Overseas: We sent funds to U8anda to support vulnerable women who are part of the Amaha We U8anda Programmes. At the end of the skills course, they are given the essentials to start up a micro business le.g. hairdressing / tailoringl. Premlses: PCC are thankful to Robin for overseelng the Qulnquennlal Aeport and urgent actlons arising from it. Isee Premises Report) The Stewardship Group continued to encourage everyone to keep prayerfully considerin8 their giving. Without regular givin8 the church cannot run, or invest in the future. Sustalnablllty: PCC a8reed that we need to continue towards Carbon Net Zero. We applied for and got free VCSE scheme energy audit. funded by the government. which now Informs our plans, but no grant for works was awarded as the scheme is oversubscribed. Next step 15 a new boiler, and a faculty request wa5 submitted as soon as the DAC (Diocesan Advisory Committee) recommended its approval. Volunteers are needed to help shape the next areas to focus on in 2025. Servlng the Cornmunlty: The church itself may be used as a polling centre In the future, PCC agreed to thls potential use for the benefit of the community. Grateful Thanks: Rachel Watts has provided invaluable administrative assistance to Neil since Jackie retired. After discussion the PCC resolved to award an honorarium in appreciation. Our calling to serve the most vulnerable: A recurrin8 theme at PCC has been the call to serve those in need, support people who are'on the fringes,. a feelin8 of being sent to support those who a￿ suffering. vulnerable or excluded in different way5. There are many being helped by foodbank. appreciating pastoral visits. being served by Community Café, bein8 SUPPOrted at Toddler Group. needing Warm Hub help, asking for prayer support, needing our help to give them a voice to access services they are entitled to, and so on. We need pastoral assistants more than ever. Please see Nikki or Revd Neil if you feel called. Financ Anna White is the Designated Parish Safeguarding Officer Peter Wickwar continued as safeguarding Officer for Vulnerable Adults. Nikki Glover continued to lead the Pastoral work of the Church with the help of Sally Lowe Patrick Brown continued a5 Covenant Secretary, in addition to his role as Treasurer, Nikki Glover has continued in the role of Health and Safety Officer. Robin Barratt manages St Mary's insurance. Jane Cox continued as Lay Reader to the parislp. Alex Sanderson continued as Project Manager lemployedl and is designated Safeguarding lead at the Chapel (ecumenical project with HSB Methodist Circuit) Rachel Watts as Parish Administrator Toni Banks as Cleaner lemployedl Thi5 IS the Safeguarding Report for the twelve month5 to December 31" 2024. St Mary's 15 a member of the online Parish Safeguarding Dashboard which is the Parish Safeguarding Plan. St Mary's is now a Level 2 Church. There are 3 Levels to complete on the Dashboard. This dashboard is visible to the Diocese as a check on compliance wlth Safeguardlng issues. The "Promoting a Safer Church" Posters are on display around the Church whlch give contact details of who to report to if you have Safeguarding concerns. Our St Mary's Safe8uardin8 Policy 15 also on display in the entrance foyer. Safeguarding is on the agenda at every PCC meeting. St Mary's joined over 3,000 churches across the UK and hosted its third Safeguardln8 Sunday. This year the theme and focus were~ 'Let's talk about it,. The aim was to encourage churches to talk about how communities can work together to prevent abuse and create a world where every child and adult can feel and be safe. It was an opportunlty for us to ref lert on recent events following the resi8nation of Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury. We shared our experiences, what our church is doing to make it a safer place for everyone and thanked those who work behind the scenes to make it happen. Our Sunday School is flourishlng wlth many new famllles and their children joining our weekly Sunday School. Our young people Iln Year 6 and above) have attended Danehill Ventures. Danehlll Ventures is a holiday camp wSth a Christian focus, with various talk5 and workshops, The young people thoroughly enjoyed their time awav. The Safeguarding team has sought advice from the Diocesan Safeguardin8 Team on three occasions in the last year. The Chapel at Ash Vale now has its own Safeguarding Offlcer. St Mary's helps with projects like foodbanks, toddler tlme. St Mary's Is working jointly with the Chapel to help support the Safeguardlng Offlcer when the need arises. Anna White Rachel Watts continued in the post of Parish Administrator and Alex Sanderson continued in her role as Project Manager for St Mary's and the Chapel. Last year'5 APCM was held In Aprll In Church. The iKnow App was purchased in 2019, It has enabled the Administrator to keep all Church members who have a computer informed about what has been happening at St Mary's. 11 Hir What groups meet? 2024 has seen the Halls In good use by regular hirers. In terms of our connertions with the community. St Mary's is reaching a good ran8e of age groups and many local people through our facilities. We have wide range of groups usinE the Halls., Dog Training Iweeklyl, Brownies and Rainbows, several dance classes, exercise classes and U3A have become regular users of the Hall for several groups. There are about 15-20 parties each year on average which take more work than regular hires. Why is it good to hire the rooms of St Mary's outP The hire of rooms at St Mary'5 provides several benefits to our church community. Firstly, we are in the middle of the Parish and not far from the village, so we are able to offer a reasonably priced facility for community group5. Secondly the hire of the Ha115 brings in hire money which helps the financial situation a little- althou8h currently the cost of heating the rooms is quite high when they are in use in the winter. Overall, there 15 3 gain to the finances, but the new boiler should hopefully brin8 better cost benefits. Many of the people who visit the church for groups come from families that would not normally come to church, so we are providin8 an opportunity for people to visit 'Church' without attendin8 a service. How can our provision for community groups be improvedP The room5 are used heavlly and are showing signs of wear and tear: we need to be able to provide safe and secure room5 that are pleasant to meet in- and this includes our toilet facilities. Our heating system works but can be temperamental (sometimes because of how it is programmedl. We have a cleaner who does a good job on Ilmited hours, so help with regular clearing of rubbish bins by church members as well as keeping spaces tidy after church or church artivities would be really helpful. Qur kitchen 15 a150 a little tired and the oven is not reliable for 8uests to use- again if church gfQUPS can ensure they leave rooms tidier than they find them this would help our environment. A clean, welcomin& well signed building shows love to our visitors and hopefully they may want to come to church for a Service and therefore to spend time with God. Who is involved with Hall hire? Jackie Scott 15 the Hall hire Secretary. booking in 8roups and arrangin8 the heating for said 8roups. and 15 a5SlSted by Derek Monds who sends out invoices and Patrick Brown who keeps a check on payment5 received, returning deposits where appropriate. 1) The Premises sub Committee at it5 lengthy meeting on the 14 August 2024 considered in detail the Quinquennial Premlses Report 2024 and it5 176 requirements. This is an 80 pa8ed document. It describes, with copious photographic illustrations, the architect's detailed all day suNey of the church premise5 Ibut excludifig the adjoining vicara8el. The survey occurred in mid- January 2024. 2) As church warden l attended upon this architect'5 survey throughout the day to assist and support him as he had requested. Nye Saunders are the diocesan architects advising the bishop's 5t8ff at Church House. Thi5 architect knows the physical fabric of this church intimately. He prepared two previous surveys in 2014 and 2019., a considerable number of his previou5 requirements remain unimplemented. 3) The premises sub-committee wa5 reconstituted by the vitar in June 2024 on the receipt of this 2024 report and its 176 requirements The subcommittee decided it must meet again urgently and proposed the 20th September 2024. This wa5 to aim to secure implementing the report's 90 urgent and immediate requirements asap. 4) However, the team is yet to meet. The committee meanwhile had familiarised itself with the 90 proposed urgent actions in the first two parts of the report. These were required to be executed either as 'immediate and urgent, or within 18 months, i.e. before June 2025. The key items which We￿ discussed by the committee included the following: Guttering to be cleared and fixin8s renewed and levels adjusted urgently. This requires the use of ladders and a cherry picker at higher levels. A committee member undertook to secure the use of a frlend's machine who is licensed to operate it. It was decSded the subcommittee must arran8e for this work to be scheduled ifflmediately and ￿vieWed each quarter in future. It proposed to arrange 'work days, to achieve this. This ha5 yet to occur unfortunatelv. The seriously deteriorating access way adjoining the church's western boundary beyond the small hall and Its play area and the narthex'5 undercroft access requlres urgent action. The flagpole dumped there has now become significantly over grown by 5tron8 prolif ic weed growth. This is now reseeding. The pole MUST be immediately removed Imarch 20251 so this area can receive the urgent professional remedial action required. It must be resurfaced with an impermeable cover or with pavin8 to prevent a recurrence of the same situation next year. The fire extinguisher by the entrance door must be urgently re-mounted on the wall. This has been a requirement of 2 previous quinquennial reportS,' It Is a statutory f ire safety obligation and so failure to do so is a potential criminal offence. The vicar and church warden at the meeting undertook to do so. However, this task stlll remains to be done. The cabling running alon8 the floor by the small hall and narthex entrance into the office remalns a trlp hazard. The continuing need for it at all needs reconsideration. The subcommittee ha5 not yet done 50. The floorin8 in the ladies, lavatories needs renovation and professional attention. The Sub committee's decision last Au8USt 2024 was to schedule an urgent actlon day. Regular annual professional tests and maintenance of the services have been done lother than the main boiler which await5 imminent removal). The church insurers have confirmed that an annual inspection of the lightning conductor is not required by them. This could be replaced by a tri-annual testing and save up to £5￿ in fees. A painting and decorating day was proposed by the 5ubcommittee'. various defined walls and other surfaces were nominated. However thi5 ha5 yet to be arranged by its chairman or members. The vicar reported to the subcommittee that the PCC had neglected on 2 occasions during his 17 year residence to redecorate his vicarage. The subcommittee ag￿ed that this omission be rectif led. The Bishop however has since at the vicar's request authorised certain expenditure at the vicarage. The Subcommittee may wish to check whether the maintenance of a vicarage and its boundaries is the legal responsibility of the PCC. The author understands that during the vicar's occupation, this is the vicar'5 responsibility and disbursement of the incurred costs is a Diocesan obligation. It is only during a vacancy the costs of maintenance of a vicarage and its curtila8e falls on the PCC. There wlll be a need before 2040-45 for the roof of the church to be renewed. Thls will enable solar panels to be installed and the interior of the roof space and the church fenestration Should precede it or must be coincidently addressed so as to optimise the insulation of the interior of the church. Thls requires a long term blnding financial capital investment strategy to be achieved by the church membership. Thls could and should be easily secured over the relevant 15 year perlod out of a current annual church turnover of £160k. If £9k li.e. about 6+% of the total current annual expenditurel is set aside - i.e,, £80) a month as % of annual totsl costs-and wisely invested, it should be obviously achievable. The problem of damp created by the external entrance ramp 's immediate proximity to the church's external southern wall at the south western corner of the church may have been resolved by the repointin8 work done in June 2024 but It must be monitored, The Internal mural discolouration within the church 50Uth wall appears to reduced , The water ingress internally through the western edge of the ceiling of the entrance vestibule by the doorway to the narthex probably arlses f rom defective flashing at the edge of the flat roof externally. This Is 5ignlficantly exacerbated by debrls which habltually clog5 UP the two drainage hoppers and downplpes at the western end of this flat roof. This problem is simply resolved, Fine meshed covers over the 2 hoppers and the certainty of a regular 3 monthly inspection and de-clogging of the mesh should avoid future ingress. It must be accompanied by the renewal of the existing flashing. The top ed8e of this renewed flashing must be cemented Into the adloining bricks polntlng unllke the existing flashing. Due to the complex nature of the flat roofs, the PCC are beln8 cautlOU5 in how we proceed with any repalrs due to previou5 experience5 Wlth similar issues which didn't fully re501ve the underlying problem5. They will require a second opinion and seek discernment of their options before moving forward with an effective long term remedy. A faculty has been granted for a new gas boiler. Its installatlon may occur in early April if and when the requislte fund5 can be released by the treasurer. Necessary and urgent boundary wall and other identified repointing work to brick work was done by a contractor at a cost of about £1250 in early June 2024. Robin BarrJtt. Church Warden. Flnan Summary Our hope in 2023 was to addre55 the annual deficit of around £20,000 from previous years which we managed to achieve and ended with a surplus of El,300. Thi5 wa5 good news at the time. In 2024 we stabilised this surplus at around the Same figure despite having to face an unexpected settlement for amund £2.500 for the costs of our gas supplies after it was discovered that our old gas meter had been under recording since its installation in 2013 (see below for more details). trl k Brown The surplus in 2024 was achieved through a number of generous donations and an increase in regular planned glving, both of which are going to difficult to sustain in 2025 and in future years. It is therefore essential to continue the good work achieved throu8h the 2023 Stewardship campaign and to regularly,ask members to review their giving in light of ongoing inflationary increases. Detalls Our overall net worth at the end of 2024 was around £75.100 as compared with £83,(￿7 the previous year~ an overall redurtion of around £7,900. This reduction was as a result an increases in Beneral funds of around £1,3CQ and a reduction in restricted funds of around £9,200. The increase in general fund5 was the net difference between income and expenditure whereas the reduction in restricted funds was the net difference between incomé and expenditure of £9,900 offset by an increase in invested income of around £700. Invested funds increased In value by around £700 In 2024 as compared to an Increase of around £2,600 in 2023. Thls reduction was as a result of the weaker market trading conditions in 2024 resulting in lower share valuation increases. whereas reinvested dividends remained at the same level as 2023 of around £800. The market value of our shares as at 31 December 2024 was around £31,700 as compared to £30,200 in 2023, an overall increase of- £1,500. Income during the year was around £169.100 whlch was £12,900 lower than the prevlous year's Income of £182,000. This reduction was a combination of an increase in unrestricted income of around £5,800 and a reductlon in restrirted income of around £18.700. The increase in unrestricted income was mainly as a result of increases in planned giving and sundry donations of £5,100 and £1,600 respectlvely, offset by a reductlon In 81ft aid received of £1,000. Whereas the reduttlon In restricted income was mostly as a result of a reduction in once of grant5 of around £23,000 offset to a small extent by increases in planned givin8, sundry donations and gift aid received of £1,600. £1.700 and £700 respertively. Expendlture durin8 the year was around £177,700 was £10,700 higher than the prevlous year's expenditure of £167,000. This was made up of increases in unrestricted and restricted expenditure of around E6,31XI and £4.400 respectively. The maln reason for the increase in unrestricted expenditure was the Increase in the Parlsh Share of around £4,900. The other main dlfferences are too numerous to outllne here but can be found In detall In sectlon 3.1 to the notes of the accounts. The main reasons for the increase in restricted expendlture was increases In the food parcels project and utilitles costs of around £6,800 and £2,500 respectively, which were offset by reductions in the costs of the Chapel and Uganda projects of around £1,600 and £3,500 respectively. The increase in utilitie5 Costs were mostly as a result of the settlement costs of the under recording of the Smart 8a5 meter. This under ￿cording was first discovered in March 2024 when British Gas installed a new meter when the old rneter become faulty and was no longer transmitting Smart readings. As a result we were faced with a bill in May 2024 of just over £17,700 IVAT Inclusivel. Following a number of month5 negotiation, and to avold the potential of being taken to court, we settled on a repayment plan of just under £2,500. This wa5 subsequently funded from once off generou5 donations so that thi5 increased c05t didn't impinge on our unrestricted funds and our bottom line. The Communlty Centre showed a 8ain of £1,100 a5 compared to a gain of £1.800 In 2023, an overall redurtlon of £700. This reduction was mainly as a result of an expected rebate in 2024 of £500 on our credlt balance, but this wa5 subsequently consumed by the increase in actual electricity costs during the year. Although the church bulldings do not appear speclflcally in the Church accounts as they are consecrated property and are therefore excluded from the financial statements. the PCC has a responsibility for their insurance. Our Insurance cover through the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group was £6.65 million for buildin8s and contents, £10 million for employers, liability and £10 million for public and products liability. The insurance premium lincludin8 tax) paid during 2023 was around £1.650. Mlsslons and Charltles: Outward GlvSng The PCC agreed a total of around £8,000 of flnanclal support to a variety of missions and charities both at home and overseas from our planned giving which is in line with our commitment to givin8 10% of our planned income. At the PCC meetinB on 24 January 24 the PCC confirmed that 90% of this financial SUPF)Qrt would be given to the same 3 recipients as previous years, which are.. 30%1£2,4COI each to: Amaha We U8anda. Young peoples. work includlng Danehill support costs and Weeks, & Retalli¢k's Music and Arts Ministry. Of the remaining 10%1£8001 only £340 wa5 used on small donatlons. each of £100 or less. The Project Manager role at St Mary's is a part.time position, 16.5 paid hours per week. Alexandra Sanderson continued in this role throughout 2024. The role profile covers 2 key priorities, and the Food Parcels project: Prlorlty l. Openlng up the church for the communlty durlng the week Priority 2. Project Mana8ement at The Chapel (ecumenical project jointly with Hants Surrey Border Methodist Circuit at the former Methodist church on Wharf Roadl, Foodbank: The Ash Villages Food Parcels Project started out as a COVID project and has now become the local foodbank for Ash. Ash Vale. Ash Green and Tongham 1.1 Prlorlty I: Opening upthe Church Tuesday Little Lambs Ubrary baby and toddler 8roup Tuesdays 10:00-11:30am in term time. This group continues to thrive under the care of our wonderful team, including Heather on refreshments, Nikki and Karen on pastoral support and Peter on music. The families love it when Rev. Neil visits to chat at the craft table. We were all very sad to lose Margaret Damen this year, she is much missed. Frlday Communlty ofé l& warm welcome venue) Frldays 10:00-13'.00 offer5 a wami welcome all year round and special warm hub facilitie5 in winter. We have forged links with the food parcels team for referrals and hand out excess food at cafe each week. We are a re8lstered as a Surrey CC warm hub and have given out lots of extra support (electric blankets. fuel vouchers etcl to families In crlsis though thls connection. Guest 'cllnlcs' have Included Gulldford Wellbelng Team, Co-op Community Champions and local councillors. Rlchard Lucas is a regular vlsltor, attending to be available for local people and Ilsten to their concerns. We held a special event for Macmlllan in September. Dally Food shelf: We have added a food shelf outslde so that food can be on offer 2417 365. We add tlns when the team Is In the church, and encourage others to contrlbute whatever they can. Feel free to add your tlns tool Par15hloner Magazlne continued to be online only. We continue to publlsh artlcles onllne vla the church website on the Parishioner page and via the Parishioner Facebook page. News and contributions welcomed.. parlshloner@ash-vale.org.uk Lots of Communlty Events at St Mary's: Pancake Day was celebrated in the usual style with races and pancakes Summer Falr "Chlldren's zone" wa5 buzzing Wlth lots of support from our various comrnunitv 8roup5. thank you to all who contributedl The September date worked well and was well attended. St NS¢holas Day lantern walk was reinvented overni8ht as an indoor event due to bad weather. Everyone had an amazing time and enjoyed the new format. Lots of lovely feedback from families who enjoyed the adventure. Thank you to Kyle who was an amazin8 St Nicl Chrlstin8le Journey event was also well attended with over 100 people joining us for Chri5tingle Making, bonfire, live nativity, refreshments at the 'inn' and Neil's famous food on Christmas Eve. We found that a week-day is less well attended, and the team was very tired for Midnight Mass, so in 2025 we may try scheduling this for the weekend just before Christmas. 1.2 ProJert Management at the Chapel: Monday Chapel Café l& Wami Welcome Venue) has continued running s*ice Feb 2023 and was much appreciated by all who attended. In response to demand we continued it all year (term time only) and we built a wonderful Chapel Café community and a lovely team including Andy and Carolina who have been a superb help to us all. Wednesday Chapel Klds Baby & Toddler Group continued to run forthe extended opening times 11..00- 14..00 with chat, story and songs, then play & craft / community garden activlty, then break for a shared lunch, then sensory play after lunch to finish. Chapel Kids entered the Christmas Tree Exhibition at St Peter's in Ash in November and their tree decoratlons were lovelyl We were all sad to lose our Methodist Minister Revd. Gina Hoff when she moved to a new role in July. We are delighted to welcome Revd. Anne Day who has taken on the role and already brought her creative clay making skllls to the Chapel both as a toddler activity and In the form of beautiful ceramics at the Christmas Falr. We are also very thankful for Natalle who plays the accordion for song time every week. Wednesdays Chapel Craft ran weekly 20.00-22.00. Members are a great support to one another and the creations they share are beautlful. Their knitted sheep are stlll a feature at Little Lambs toddler group and they are an amazing recourse for people seeklng expert advice when a project get5 trickyl Sunday5 NWCLF: The Chapel is delighted to continue to be the local home of New Way Christian Lrfe Fellowship, who have been 8ranted a worship licence and meet here most Sundays. Joint services & fellowship at St Marys have been wonderful. Luke Tuibure is a member of the Chapel Management Commlttee and has been a blg help, leadlng workin8 parties and supportlng site maintenance. Chapel Muslc - run by Matt and Dan Weeks. whose ministry reaches local, national and international audiences and we look forward to the Resound Worship concert in 2025. We are hugely thankful for thelr support of the Chapel Project. Chapel Arts run by Jono and Debi Retallick has contlnued to serve the local communlty with home educatlon 8roups, Monthly Makes and their artwork reaches out both nationally and Internatlonally. They have also brought creativity to Picnic and Play and the Light Party again this year to the deli8ht of all who attended. Plcnlc and Play lJuly/Augu5tl in the holidays ran on Wednesdays in the summer. Well received and much appreciated by the local community. Neil's Pancakes and clay modellin8 were particularly well ￿ceiVed and everyone enjoyed their picnics, disco, games and activities. Huge thank5 to all involved. Love & U8ht Party131 Octoberl was a huge success, with a wonderful opportunity to share joy and li8ht with the community. Rev. Neil preached and we had a super team of volunteers who ran the activitie5, baked, served refreshments and looked after everyone, Chrlstrnas Falr at the Chapel was a lovely event. We had some amazing donations including lot5 of nearly new, great raffle, and guest stalls includin8 Selina's crafts, Sues sweets and cakes, Revd. Anne's ceramics and Karen's cards for the Children's Society. Theatre Roeket continued to use the Chapel and we were delighted to have them. They enjoyed some spectacular successes at competitions again this year. Pllates wlth Llndl at the Chapel has been a great success, so much so that they moved to a larger venue in summer. We wish them every blessing. 1.3 Ash Vlllages Food Parcels Prolert: This is a joint project between St Mary's church and Carla Morson's local Ash Vill38es Support Circle. Food Parcels continued to be much needed in 2024. io Fundralslng." Our funding needs have increased significantly and grant applications work is a significant part of the workload now. The team has grown to more than 30 volunteers Iplus more at Christmas) and we are supporting more families than ever. We delivered 1040 parcels in 2024 and fed 3331 people. Having great links with the warm welcome hubs, we can also now cr05s-refer for community warm welcomes, fuel vouchers and we distributed the donated electric blankets and other 'warm hub essentials, provided by Surrey County Council to families in need. The project has its own web page now 35 part of the St Mary's website. Hubbub Communlty Frldge: We worked with oyr co-op community team and secured a Hubbub grant to open the Ash Vale Communlty Fridge in 2023. This now allows us to pass on all excess donatlons to the wider community. It also allows community members to donate any good food they would otherwlse throw away. Harvest: Local scouts, rainbow5, cubs, brownies, schools, companies and churches as well a5 individuals made wonderful contributions to our Food Parcels shelves at Harvest. Huge thanks to all involved. Chrlstmas Food Bank: We were once 3gaSn delighted and amazed by local people's generosity at Chrlstmas where donations allowed us to provSde food, winter warmers and Christmas gifts for 83 famllles. Donations came from Individuals, schools, churches and community groups, businesses and more. Every Food Parcel recipient ladults and children} received a 8ift as well as their food hamper that week. St Mary'5 and the Chapel 8ive grateful thanks for all volunteerin8 and funding support received in 20Z4. This includes generous donations of time. talent5 and fund5 from local people, community fundin8 from Co-op community fund, 5urrey CC Warm Hub funding, Methodist Circuit finding towards Project Manager wages, Methodist district funding towards the Chapel warm spaces, Lottery fund5 for foodbank and more. Without your flnanclal help we could not stay open as a church or employ our Project Manager or stock the foodbank. Wlthout your time and talents as volunteers we could not deliver any of these prolects. Without your donations for events, fundraising, community fridge, and Food Parcels we could not deliver help for the local community. You are making all the differencel We look forward to working with you in 2025. Thank you for all you do. If you would Ilke to contact our Prolect Manager about any of the above events and groups please phone or text Alex on 07730 609446 or you can email to Grants Received 2024.. Roc•h•d Amo•Jnt Ihankatk>n Mar-24 I,￿) Hul*th Foundation co.op Cha￿1 Community Frit*e Mar-24 1,171 Co•OP Comm￿lty Graht 1st Paymert Food Parcels Project Oct-24 750 SCC Warm Hubs Grant Friday Café Warm Hub Oct-24 5.IJX) Co-op Local Community Fund Grant Food Parcels Project Nov-24 2,(MJ7 Co-op COMM￿lty Grant 2nd Payment Food Parcels Project 9,928 Pastoral Car i Glover and Sall Sally and I have continued with the pastoral v151ts wlthin the community, but unfortunately due to111 health and my LLM training, we haven't been able to make as many visit5 a5 needed. Sally has still been able to send cards and keep in contact by phone though. The afternoon tea that we put on for the over 65's every other month has continued to be very well attended, averaging on 20 people coming each time. Please pray for the ongoing pastoral work. Nikki wshi Grou Six Bible Study groups continued to meet regularly, some weekly, some fortnightly, through 2024. Many followed the 'Pratticing the Way. course and found it an extremely helpful Buide to 8rowing a5 Jesus, disciples. For many, putting into practice the disciplines outlined in the course led to a deepenin8 of their relationship with Jesus. In addition to the regular Bible Study groups, the Seekers Group continued led by Steve Cox. After the end of the course, some ofthe group decided to meet once a month for study, prayer and fellowship. They too followed 'Practiclng the Way,. A small Alpha Group was run in the autumn led by Jane Cox and Lesley Murphy. li Thursda Fri Thursday friends continues provide fellowship and support to older member5 of our congregation thanks to the dedication of Irene Cummings. During the summer break member5 take turn in hosting each week and the Christmas lunch was a great succe55. thanks to everyone who brought food and seasonal fellowship. hlldr Sunday School Report: Our lovely Sunday School Is entirely run by volunteers (Alex is part of the team too, but is not paid to work on Sundaysl. This year's Sunday School register has 14 - 16 children who attend regularly, plus more who come less often, but are always a welcome addition to the group.4We love havin8 the older children in with us, as they are very helpful assisting the little ones in participatin& and when we have enough helpers we offer deeper discussions and more complex activities for the older group. We have a lovely, dSverse group of leaders and helpers which means the activities are varied too. We have had everything from magic sand to Lego, and from cookie decorating to colourin8. We continue follow the lectionary, and other special themes used in church, so that families can discu55 the same tOPiCS together when they get home after church, and the children's work shown off at "show and tell" during the notices at the end of each service reflects on the same themes as the grown-ups have been exploring in church.4Ne again had a special "Safeguarding Sunday" this year, and all learned the "Use your Roar" song and reminded ourselves about letting trusted grown-ups know if we are worrled about anything. A huge thank you to all who have been involved in Sunday school in 2024, and we all look forward to more fun and learnin8 in 2025, God's Treasure Hunters God's Treasure Hunters Started in Summer 2023. aimed at the older chlpdren aged 10 years and up, and continued to meet in 2024 until July. We met from 4pm until 6pm on Sunday afternoon5, usually Meetin8 in church for game5, bible study, food and prayers. We also had some outings which the children fundraised for with bake sales, and we visited Forest Kids Ash which was a great way to enjoy a meeting in the open air. Several of the group attended the Ventures Danehill youth camp, the older ones In the Summer and y.ounger one5 in October. Due to the team of leaders not havin8 capacity to continue, the 8roup stopped meeting from September. We have made a focussed ffort to have discussion materials and artivities for teens at Sunday school in the second half of 2024 on the weeks when we had 3 leaders for the session, but we need more leaders to be able to do it weekly. We urgently need either funds for a youth worker or parent volunteers lor bothll so that this work can start up again with a real focus on delivering something worthwhile for our tweens and teenagers. It will be a key challenge for our church in 2025. Please see Revd. Nell If you can help wlth funds, time or both I Mlnl ors We have 3 fantastic worship communlty at St Mary's who lead at the 10.30am servlce each week. A number of volunteers give their tlme and energy to make thls happen. I thlnk it is really fantastlc that a wide and varled amount of music is used in the services. Some weeks you can be singin8 a hymn that Is hundred5 of years old, then a timeless chorus from the 1980,5 and then a contemporary worship son8 written this year, all in the same service. We also Use good number of songs written by people from wlthin the church which is also a very healthy sign and the worship team feel particularly encouraged in that area I Some of the worship team 8ather informally every now and again to practice new son85 that we think might be 8ood for congregational worship. and also to trial new compositions from our writers. Pete and Jackie Scott still run the church choir each week. They support the worship from wlthln the congregation Sunday by Sunday, but also feature heavily when it come5 to the big church festival5. Pete is regularly at Little Lambs and helps out by playlng songs for the young children and parents. We really hope to keep growing in the way we lead the sung worship at St Mary's in two ways: Firstly, to contlnue to seek an encounter with God as we worship, and to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and change us as we sing. And secondly, to learn what it means to not just "lead worship but to "lead community". This is about the way songs are chosen,. songs that in their nature value community. And also how singing is encouraged throughout the whole church body in a way that values everybody, and 5ay5 all are welcome, all can join in. we value each and every one. YER MINI TRY2 Prayer chaln (Rachel Watts) This email prayer chain run by Rachel continues to be a rnainstay of prayer minlstry at St Marys. Connecting church members to one another in 3 commitment to pray for situations, and people both known and unknown to us 12 personally. It has and continues to be a real blessing for church members and their loved ones. Both requests for prayer, updates and praise for answered prayer are received by Rachel and emailed out to church members. What's App A small group of Church members are in this group where ￿questS for prayer afe posted or pinged, if appropriate Rachel will also put these on the prayer chain after checking with the person who submitted the prayer request. Sometimes prayer requests are put forward which are for the What's App group only and this would be specified by the peison who has submitted the request. Prayer Meetings WEEKLY- Tuesday at 11.45 am at St Marys after Little Lamb5 attending by a small group of people, at least 2 to a maximumof4 or 5. MONTHLY- The first Friday of every month at St Marys from 6.30- 7.15pm. Attended by between 2 and 6 people. Led by different members of the prayer team, IKaren, Lindy, Steve Cox. Jane Cox and Robin). Prayer Ministry After the Sunday SeThice The team consisting of Karen and Robin, Kate and Peter W, Jane Cox and Eileen Monds, Derek Monds and Sarah Mould. The team work in pairs and usually stick to the same pairin8 and the same Sunday in the month over 4 Sundays- arranging swaps or cover for holidays or sickness. Lindy, Ben PhSlpot and Helen are also sometimes able to stand in if cover is needed or there is a 5" Sunday in the month. This ministry is seems apprecSated by members of our church family when they feel they are in need of someone to share and pray with them. Intercessory Prayers Rachel or8anizes a rota of people to lead our Intercessory Prayers a5 part of our regular Sunday Services. World Day of Prayer 2024 The World Day of Prayer written by the Christian Women of Palestine was h05ted by St Marys in March 2024. This was well attended by people from churches in Ash, Ash Vale and Tongham with a few people coming from outside the area. Prayer Request Box at Bartlett Group Practlse Dortors Surgery There 15 a Prayer Request Box in the surgery which 15 emptied from time to time and requests are then cSr¢ulated for prayer by Rachel via the email prayer chain. -Al During 2024 there were two regular meetings held. These were held at the Church of the Good Shepherd In February and at Holy Trlnlty In June. There was also a specSal meeting for the Parlsh Need5 Process was held In July at Fleet where synod members, clergy and PCC members were Snvlted. A number of members of St. Mary's attended this meeting Isee also Forward Planning in the report from the PPC) Over the two regular meetings, two main topics were discussed.. The Raclal Justlce Covenant On Racial Justice Sunday, Beverley Hunt spoke at the Cathedral about the need to address racism and spoke about 2 document5 which should be discussed in Synod. PCC'S and the pews. All synod members were encouraged to read the documents which should have been sent to clergy. At the February meetlng it Wa5 recornmended that followSng 4 prlnciple5 of the raclal j¢Jstlce covenant be adopted biennially by the pari5hes/Deanery l.Disciples.' We commit to Jesus Christ as individuals, as churches and as part of society. 2.Oiversity'. We commlt to encourage, build up and celebrate the racial diversity of the Body of Chrlst across Guildford Diocese. 3.Representation.' We commit to improve the inclusion. participation, and representation of UKME/GMH IUK Minoritised Ethnic / Genetic Ethnic Heritage) people in our congregations, our lay and ordained leadership and in our diocesan staff. 4.Accountability: We commit to accountability and transparency in parish and diocesan systems, Structures. and processes. with clear goals for raclal dlversity and inclusion This covenant was formally adopted at the June meeting. Foundations In Ministry Course At the February meeting Matt Grove, who leads the Diocesan Foundations is Ministry course, talked about what training is available within the diocese for those that feel God calling them to serve in any way in the church. This ranged from long terrn, part time tralnlng to become an ordained or Ilcensed lay minister, to shorter part time courses for music worship leading, occasional worship servlce leader, occasional preacher and children's ministry. There is also an array of information on the diocese webslte to browse for anyone interested, whatever age and educational background you have, don't let that make you feel hesitant to answer God5 call. 13 This was further discussed at the June meeting. Ecumeni l News "Ecumenical relations, also known as ecumeni5rn, are the effort to seek Christian unity by cultivating meaningful relationships and understanding by and between the many different Christian churches and Christian Communlties." Being one church the Body of Christ is what we are but a150 what we strive for. Working together with other denomination5 should always be part of any mission we do. The first thing that comes to mind is that we join together with Holy Angels Ash Rgman Catholic Church each Remembrance and Good Friday in public places but through the year the two denominations we work closely with are the Methodist church through the work at the chapel in fact I'm a licensed Methodist clergy person which is done on an annual basis. The other denomination 15 nonconformist the 'New Way Christian Fellowship,. As a church and also for myself we have found great blessing in working with both. It 15 also good to recognise that within St Marys Itself we have many different denominations even people of no faithl God is goodl Vive la differencel mm Harvest Servlce, we were pleased to welcome the Scouts to our harvest service in 2024. Gifts from the service were sent to the Ash Villages Food Parce15 Project Hear here- HeaTln8 Aid repair Clinic Some of you will know and have visited the Hear here clinic which 15 held on the first Friday of every month in the Church. It is run in association with the NHS and Guildford Diocese and there are now volunteers (Hearhere Champions) around the Diocese- almost one in every church. The clinic aims to provide a service to hearing aid users by offering a maintenance service, providing batteries and spare parts and also some advice on how to use hearing alds If anyone 15 Stru88ling. Because the clinics take place in churches It means that people don't have to travel to a hospital or surgery for spare parts, and this releases pressure on the vitsl services at NHS facilities. M05t people who visit St Mary's come from within a 2-mile radius. All the clinics are run by trained volLtnteers and the one at St Mary's has been run for at least 6 year5 by Jackie Scott. Over that time, it has become known around the village and people who have visited pass the message on to their friends- word of mouth is a powerful thingl It Is another opportunity to share the love of Jesu5 wlth our nelghbours throu8h carln8 for baslc nee4s. St Mary's Hear here clinic runs at the same time as Friday café and this means that some of the clients come through to the café whlle they wait or after they have been seen. Often coffee Is brought to them while they sit in the queue. It has become a frSendly and welcomlng space where repeat vislts from clients means that relatlonshlps are belng built. The clinlc has Brown and usually there a￿ about 12 cllents to see In a 2-hour period. The clinlc runs on a first come, first Served basls, which means that sometimes there Is a short wait for cllents, but most are patient and considerate and practically all 80 away feeling they have been helped. In the last year Peter Scott has started to help by pointin8 people in the right direction. offerin8 a steadying hand, distributin8 batteries and chatting to help people feel at ease. As the number of vlsitor5 15 8rowin8 more help would be welcomed. It is a non-threatenin8 way to 8et Involved and another opportunity to make people feel part of our church community if only for the short time they are with us. Peter is about to train to be able to repair hearing aids too, which will hopefully mean people wait less long. If anyone would like to offer receptionist skills once a month that would be fantastic. Vlcar's Re St Mar 's 2024 St Mary's is always changing, and yet always seems to remain the same. And both of these are good things. God is always leading us to new things, and at the same time the truth of his love does not change and neither does his word. He is truly immutable omnipotent and eternal. A true foundation and rock. This 8ives us hope in a world that seems to be like 3 rough sea, and in our little corner of Ash Vale we do not neglect to meet together to as it says in Hebrew5 10.. 24 to stir up one onother to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together. a5 15 the hobit of some. but encouraging one onother ond all the more as YOU See the Doy druwing neor.-We must encourage one another, worship together, and to study His word. Simply because there is no other way. You hove the words of eternol lift. where shall we go? His disciples responded to Jesus. So, as we reflect on the highlights and lowlights of 2024, we find both encouragement and warnings. Highlights for myself speaking personally include.. 14 i) Food Parcels Project, and Asylum seekers work, and Community Fridge, where we have been led to work with the very poor and those in need. This is not just an action but a direction that we feel St Mary's is going in. As we hold the beatitudes always like a slgnpost before us of where Gots wants us. The f lower arranging team never fail to inspire me with their creations. Beautv 15 truly an important element of coming close to God. Sunday school - l am sure everybody who sees what happens at Sunday school secretly wishes they could be part of it and not be stuck in church. A dedicated team of leaders rnake thi5 happen and it's clear that we are lucky to have the best children in the South of England attending our church I We were blessed to have Rachel who bravely took up the mantle of church administrator working from home. 2024 we discovered Practising the Way course, * had a big impact and we continue to use it, along with promoting the Lectio 365 and Every Day with Jes¢Js to help us in our daily bible reading. Uganda has been very fruitful: we have reached I mlllion trees planted and started the work with the Women of Hope this year. We were fortunate enough that jasper could go and visit the team in October and encourage them. We were blessed with 2 excellent church wardens and a great team on the PCC. It was always a blessing to meet with Patrick's hand firmly on the financial rudder. which we always give thanks for. We give thanksthat 2024 was the first year for many years when we were in the black and not the red, which seems like God saying "you're kind of goin8 in the right direction" We are very thankful and humbled by those that give sacrificially for God's work to continue in this place. As always it has been a joy to work alongside our Fijian brothers and sisters as we reach out to people in Ash ale with the Good News of Jesus Christ that are truly a blessing. We are celebrating Nikki being on the LLM course and are already seeing the fruit of that. 101 The music group and choir are really coming in to their own, St Mary's have always been blessed with great music, and they really do help facilitate our worship & praise. At this time of year we reflect on friends who have passed away from St Mary's, including John Cumner In January, Margaret Damen quite unexpectedly, and Stacey who will be greatly missed by the Friday Cafe regulars. Our prayers are with all those who are grievin8 a recent loss. 121 There are so rnany thank yous that spring to mind when I look back over the year. One for a special mention Is my Church Warden Robin. who took this on when he should have been taking things easier, and we do appreciate all the help that he has given to so many. There are many more to thank, but we will save this for the APCM, We met with the Archdeacon to ￿VIeW our parish plan, and it is very evident that possibly our bi88est challenge is to provide for our teenagers. We lack the volunteers to run a re8ular group. Our team made a brave attempt but the capacity just isn't there. Whlch means we need to find funds for a part time youth worker. and a team of volunteers to help. Please keep thls In your prayers as It is vital for the long-term future of the church. This is a hard ask when we are already fundraising for a new boiler. but is a must-do challenge for 2025. It is interestin8 to me that more and more, the "fuziy ed8es" of toddler groups, Café, and outreach events feel like our "centre" who never miss the opportunity to get together. Our challenge is to keep and build up our 'core" and to do this we must not ne8lect to meet together. Sunday5 and Home8roups are as essential as they ever were. It is where we meet to listen to God, and to be sent out. Hebrews 10:24- 25 °And let us consider how to stlr up one another to love and good work5, not neglecting to meet together, os is the hGbit of some. but encouraging one another, and all the more us you see the Duy drawing near." 2) 41 61 71 81 91 iii 131 141 15 The PCC of the Ecclesiastlcal Parish of St Mary's Ash Vale INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT ON THE ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31" DECEMBER 2024 Report to the PCC of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Mary's Ash Vale on the accounts for the year ended 31. December 2024. Re5pectlve responslbllltles of trustees and examlner. The charity's trustees are responslble for the preparation of the accounts. The charitV'5 trustees conslder that an audit is not required for the stated year under Section 144 of the Chri5tie5 Act 2011 IThe Charities act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibillty to Examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act. To follow procedures laid down in the general directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145151 Ibl of the Charities Act, and To state whether particular matters have come to my attention. Basls of Independent examiner's statement My examination was carried out in accordance with general directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination Includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparlson of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeklng explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair, view, and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below. Independent eKamlner'$ Statement. In connection with my examinatlon, no matter has come to my attentlon. Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, any material respect, the requirements: To keep accountlng records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act,. and b. To prepare account5 which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Charlties Act. Have not been met,. or To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Derek H Monds l Eng MIET 13 Sprlngfleld Road 16 Annual Accounts (Patrick Brown) Statement of Financial Activities for the year ending 31st December 2024 U￿r•￿1¢tod Restrlctsd funds funds Endowm•nt lunds TOTAL 2024 TOTAL 2023 comlng r•&)urc•3 InccrnirKJ r•S￿rceS Itrmr g￿rOt￿j fijnds Vclurtary ir¢on Acli%ilies tr werdtirrfJ fiJThts In￿SIn￿t i￿￿M• Inccrniro roswrc09 frc*n ch￿t￿4e acti￿1•5 Other incomlng rescAJrces 102,083 18,447 47,548 563 149,631 19,010 918 1fLJ,877 J),247 852 22 872 59 15001 Is))) Total incominy rO￿ure•* 120,16• 48.983 169,152 182,035 R•wurc•s •xp•nd6d Ccdt of genèr3tirMJ Ctr8t of98￿rat￿n9 ￿Unt￿Y I￿l￿ne Ffft*aisitvJ trwjing c￿1 of gc*As sc4d 878 7S 774 275 165,17t 810 12 532 117,827 532 176,442 58,815 GoWn8￿e cc6ts Total f•ffjQU￿•• •xp•nd•d G&ns I lo$898 on In￿tment as¥g¢5 11B,837 .890 17T,727 167,030 2,559 Nfrt Incomlng l out9olng r¢¥•urces beforo tran￿•1 1.331 1•,2181 17,8871 17.564 rran Gross Irar%fBrn telTrAwn fuThYs N•t mov•m•nt In fund* 1,331 19,218} 17.4Jn 17,564 Reconclll•don ol fund• Tot•1 fvndl brought fonw•rd 6.846 76,151 82,997 65,433 Total ftsndx ¢arrl•d lov*ard 8,177 66,933 75,111 82,997 The notes lo the Financial Statemeni for the year are from pages 19 onward and fonn part of this accounl. 17 Balance Sheet as at 31st December 2024 2024 2023 Flx•d as88ts Equipmènt InKeslmenls 31,713 .179 32,772 .179 Currgnt awts Debtors Cash at bank arKJ in hand 8,545 61,616 55,(K)7 61.270 70.161 LS•blllle• fAedilcxs 18.932 17.343 N¢t curr•nt less current Ilabllltles 42,338 52,818 Totsl asg•ts I•￿ curr•nt114bllI￿O$ 75.111 82,997 Total n•t asff•ts l•as Ilabllltl•J 75,111 82,997 Rgpr•wnt•d by Unrnstrlcted Unreslricled - Genwd lund 8.575 5.173 Do￿gnIted C*signat•J- Ccvnmunity D&dopment D8Signal&J- Emergency Relief Fund R•Jtrlctèd Reslrfcted- Charel Fund R8striCt￿ - Chlldrenb Society Re8lrfc1￿ - G)mmunily Frf6Je Grant Restricted - Fl(£¢J Fcrt#n Restrict￿j - Emergency Rdlef Fund Rastrict￿ - Energy Rese Restricted - FOOKJ Parcels Proffiecl Reslricled - Mantenance FurKI Restricted - PCC Inlestment Fund Reslri¢led- PCC Memtrfid FuTrJ Restrict￿l- Poslcoje CAJnmunlty Tnjsl Fund Restricted- Project M8na98T Restrict￿- Refvgee Prq'ecl Re51ricled - Rc¢fA￿eo1 Restrict￿1 - Special Qlloctlon8 Restricted - Waftn Phjbs FUTr Reslricled - Uganda Project Restricted - YcMJThJ People 423 1,179 423 1277) 276 1767} 169 835 611 17.621 29,713 150 30,181 31,716 518 3,39) 5,831 269 109 2,29) 7,249 259 267 1.311 Fundsof th• ¢hurch 75,111 82,997 Approved by the PC.C on 23 March 2025 and signed on their behalf by: ThL Revd. Neil l.ambL'rt {PCC Lhairn)an) and Mr. Patrick Rrown (pcc 'frwurer) 18 Accounting Policies 1.1 Basis of Financial Statements The financial statements have been prepared in accordaiice with the Church accounting R¢gulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and th¢ Charities SORP ?005. The finiincial statements havo blen prL'pared under th¢ historical cost conN'ention excLPt tor th¢ Naluation ot invL5tment assets, whi¢h Iirc Sho￿,￿ at market value. 'I'hc fiiiancial statements in¢lud¢ all tri111saclions. assets and liiibi lilies for which the PLC is responsible in law. Thcg do not include Ihc financial %lalcincnis of church group5 that owe iheir main atTiliaiion lo another body, nor those that are infonnal gatherings ofchurch members. Fund Accounting Gen¢ral or unrestriLled tunds reprc&enl the funds of the PCC thai are not subjeLI to any restriclionfy regarding their use and arc available lor application on the general pUr￿l>¢S ol. Ihc PCC. FL￿￿￿. designated for a particular pu4)ose by the PCC. are also unresLricled. Restricted funds are lho.se funds that may be spent on restricted purpoges and details of the funds held and Ihe restrictions are provided in notc 9. Incoming Resources VolunlAry inc(Jm¢ #nd capil41 sourc Planncd gii'ing colle¢lions aiid similar dL)nalions are r¢¢vgnibL.d whLn reLeii'ed by or 011 bLh4lf uf Ihc PC.C. Tax re¢¢1￿¢d under Gift Aid¢d giving is recogmised ivhi'n IhL iiicomiiig7 rc8ourcL lo ￿'hILh thLy rclatL is TecLived. (irants and Icgacies lo Ihe PCC arc accounled lor as soon as thc PCC is nolified of ils l¢g411 ¢ntit1ein¢￿I. thL' am()unt duL is qUdnlifi4)hlL and ils uliiina￿ rcceipt by IhL PCC is r¢asoi)ably ccrtain. funds fdiScd by fei¢s alld 8pL'¢ial ev¥nls arc accounlcd for gross. Sales ofbooks and magaLines from tlie church bookstall are accoun*d for gr08S. Other Income RLntal income from ILttings of thL Community CLiitrL and Lhurch prL'rni5es is recognised when thc rL'ntal is due. Income from Investments Dividends and inlLrL'sl are accouniLd for when due and payable, lh¢ inler¥¥l ¥niiilemcnls are aLLuunled fur as ih¢y aLurue. Tax r¢Loi'Lrable on l•ULh inL()me 18 recognised in the same aLLounling year. G*ln5 And losses un Investments Realised gams or losses are recognised when inves'tments are sold. Unre8lis¢d gains or losses are accounle¥Pra￿le 4,11 757 6,312 GISDS 694 Paid in thr￿8 (289) (289) IHre Ulilib'8s refuTr SLKKlry debbrs 143 232 375 228 4,580 1,683 6,263 8,545 24 Cash in Bank and in Hand Total 2024 Total 2023 CCLA DeFK)Sit Accounis (4) Ctrop Current Accw 1,438 38,302 32,618 Uoyds Current ACC￿nt 13,887 26.215 Lbyds CcwrTwnity Centre ACCI￿nt Cash in kprKI Iknera 958 259 Fixé P&cels 459 55,007 61,616 Liabilities Creditors 2024 2024 2024 2023 Annua C￿trard gi¥ing (curratt year) CXth*rd (3kiryJ 2021 7,2CX) 1,081 Cxtherd G¥iro 2022 1.245 CkntsArd G'%irvJ 2023 6,570 British C£s Lits (Ekntric) British &s (CAS) Casle Wat 172 172 753 753 119 119 Adrrinistration PefLWJ8e XnBs Gts 752 Ificar￿ Ptr￿e Ch* Prq 781 t Per61 81 120 Pe￿rnatIe t)epxits FCKKI Parcds Prqect 2.342 2,342 Cr￿Jit*S 645 24 1.392 25 Funds 9.1 Designated funds Designated funds are funds held by the PCC to Capture the cost of specific activities and, with the exceptton of the Community Development Fund, 2nd the Ernergency Relief. their nel surplusesldeficits transferred ba¢k to the general fund at year end. 9.2 Restricted funds The main restricted funds are.. The Chapel fund, which during previous y¢ars was used lo siippon ihe work and costs associated with the upkeep of the Chapel, was iransferred to the Chapel's own bank account during ?014. From 2015 onwards the balance of income and expenditure through St. Mary's books are transferred to the Chapel's own bank account. The Children's Society fund is used for colleclii)ns for the C.hildren's Society particularly (rom the funds collected Irum Ihc Jnnual Chrislii)gle Event. Thc Community fridg¢ Cjraiil wa8 for thl inglallation of ali cxlcrnal fridge to Chdpcl dnd ongoing ulility and othcr sUPPOrt costs to Lll4blL for sury)Iu5 food lo b¢ vffer¢d to anyon¢ who would like make use of it. 'The fun(L%' held by the PCC ￿'ere tran¥f¢￿ed to ChapLI bank acc(Trunt in Nov¢rnb¢r 2024. The Emer¥cn¢y Rclief Flind way created in 2020 iv provide support for chiirL'h members who needed urgent financial suppvrt. The Energy Reserve Fund was sel up in 2024 10 provide for the costs of the under payment of our ga% usage as a result of the historic undcr rcading of our old smart meter when it was replaced with new rneler in March 2024. Food ParLel.s Projccl was set up to pmvide food parcels and has completely supers¢ded the prcvious Covid- 19 1'.und. Thc PCC Inveslmenl tund may bL' used tor rcligiou8 purpose.q only. ThL' Postcode Community 'frust fund wa5 created in 2018 45 a result of a SUCLLs¥ful bid for tui)ding for the PTojecl Manager costs (500/0) and syeLifi¢ arts & cratls equipment (500/0). ThL ProjL'Lt Manager fund was crcatL'd in 2016 to partly provide for the costs of employing a part-timc projLCt managLr frvtll 4 re-UCLurring but r¢'du¢ing graiil from th¢ diocese. It is now currcntly funded from voluntary donations and from Ihc Chapel activities. Thc RefiJ¥ee Pmjcct was sct up iii 2018 1() supp(irt a syri¢￿ refugee family lo scttlc in Ash Vale under the Government scheme run through Guildford Bornugh ("ouncil. The project WAS closed down in early 2023 and the Fund is now used for the ongoing support of refugecs in our area. Spccial Lollection fund is Ubed for once-oly single donations for bpeGifiL purposes rather than set up a separate fund for each donaiion. Currently the fund is made up of£ 1,11011 in memory of Margc Wilson, £1.250 for the future costs of $olar panelb for thc church and £200 for environimcntal certifiLalion The Uganda Projeci tund which may be ￿8¢d to support our work with our partners 111 Ugllnda (including (he 05t of visi15 to and frotn Ugaiida). The Warni Hubs Fund is a Surrey County Council grant funded initiafti'e to pro￿.1de wann space8 for peopl¢ to be able lo drop in for friendship and refreshments. Currently both the Chapel Cafe and the c.hurch Friday Café are supported by separate grants in this fund. 26 The other r¢stricted fimds are nomially raisd for their specific purposes and ¢xpcnded during the same year with the exception of thc Mcmorial Fund which was sct up lo support Ioc41 churches in nccd. Movement in Funds Balanc88 88 at 1st January 2024 Incomlng Resources Outgolng R•sourcg$ Balances a8 at 31st December 2024 Transfers Galns and Losses Unre•trlcted Genera fund 5,173 103.679 103,544 6,575 5,173 1(13.679 103,544 6.575 D•slgnatod Ccrnmunity DeNeknrMn¥rt Fund Crrnmwlty C8nlra Fw Emerger￿Y Rdief Fund Thursd8y cafe 4r3 16,321 15,222 71 11,(P31 1,179 169 169 1,673 16,49) 15.293 11,2681 Total (non restrlcttrd funds) 6,846 120.169 118,&37 8,1TT R•strlctod The &Ki8ty Chapd FUTh Children's &xiety Gcmmunity FrKI￿ Grant Ernerge￿Y Rdlel FurKI En8rgy Reserne Flocrtl Forum F￿d Parcds Prq￿t aintena￿e Furd PCC Investment FuThJ PCC Vemori4 FUTh Picn￿ & Play- H￿Id￿ ￿knnger Postc¢)J8 Community Trust Fu￿1 Pr*t Vanagei (767> 169 9,537 276 9.(M7 169 2,265 {2TII 276 835 611 3,1&9 2.5Tr 29,713 15,889 27,980 150 17,621 30,181 491 31,716 518 27 407 407 5.831 12,470 935 150 11,052 823 7,249 R¢J)f ApFe Special Cd1￿￿￿ Ug&)Ja Project Wami FurNI y￿rg P8Cfle Sub total 259 1.311 750 282 1,417 267 194 76,151 6,934 Total fund• 82,997 169,153 177.727 688 75,111 27