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2023 Report 

for the 

Parochial Church Council 

of 

St Peter Broadwater, Stevenage 

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## **THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. PETER, BROADWATER** 

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING OF PARISHIONERS AND THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 

## **Sunday 27[th] March 2023 in the church building** 

The Vestry Meeting and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting were held at the same time. 

Revd Kate Sharples welcomed all to the meeting and opened in prayer. 

## **Those present:** 

||Funmi<br>Ajayi<br>Claudius<br>Allen<br>Gordon<br>Baillie<br>Janet<br>Bell<br>Catriona<br>Brenton<br>Richard<br>Brooks<br>Rosie<br>Busfield<br>Roger<br>Busfield<br>Paul<br>Carter<br>Liz<br>Carter<br>Kay<br>Collier<br>Kieran<br>Cooney<br>Rod<br>Cutler<br>Paul<br>Dymond<br>Tracy<br>Dymond<br>Obi<br>Eneli<br>Paul<br>Evenett<br>Anna<br>Everett<br>Simon<br>Flatman|Lynette<br>Foster<br>Hilda<br>Francis<br>Maurice<br>Gordon<br>Joanie<br>Gordon<br>John<br>Greenway<br>Graham<br>Hall<br>Elaine<br>Hall<br>Stella<br>Harry<br>Helen<br>Henry<br>Wendy<br>Hills<br>John<br>Hollands<br>Rosie<br>Hollands<br>Jacqui<br>Horbury<br>Catherine<br>Kaemba<br>Cameron<br>Kense<br>Aline<br>Kouame<br>Lynn<br>Lee-Diep<br>Jackie<br>Mitchell<br>Chi<br>Nyasbimvo|Ruth<br>Pollard<br>Brenda<br>Richardson<br>Christine<br>Russell<br>Pete<br>Sharp<br>Kate<br>Sharples<br>Wayne<br>Sime<br>Louise<br>Sime<br>Linda<br>Smith<br>Laura<br>Taylor<br>Carol<br>Temple<br>Mike<br>Toft<br>Judith<br>Toft<br>Joan<br>Ward<br>Patricia<br>Wood<br>Matthew<br>Wyatt<br>Stacey<br>Yau<br>AJ<br>Yau|
|---|---|---|---|



## **Apologies** 

Claudia Davis-Walters  (in children's church) Marion Burton Annette Baillie (in children's church) Doris Cork Claire Derrett-Smith (in children's church) Barbara Cutler Tapiwa Tungamirai (in youth) Sue Dungey Samuel Owen (in youth) Lynn Evenett Ken Aknai Corinne Headington Rose Aknai John Headington Maurice Ballard Elizabeth Henry John Bell Julie Owen Barbara Blackwell Pauline Sharp Pete Blackwell Cathy Smith Janice Brooks Paul Smith Brian Temple 



## **ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING OF PARISHIONERS 2023** 

1. APOLOGIES: See above 

2. TO RECEIVE THE MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD IN 2022 

It was proposed by Helen Henry that the minutes were a true and accurate record of the meeting  held on Sunday 3[rd] April 2022, seconded by Wendy Hills and agreed by all. 

## 3. ELECTION OF CHURCHWARDENS FOR 2023-24 

Rev Kate Sharples announced that the two candidates standing for Churchwarden were: John Hollands:  proposed by  Julie Owen  and seconded by Sue Dungey Wayne Sime  : proposed by  John Hollands  and seconded by Louise Sime. There being no other candidate both were duly elected for the year 2023/24. 

## **ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING** 

1. APOLOGIES:  See above 

2. TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE APCM HELD IN 2022 

It was proposed by Carol Temple and seconded by Wendy Hills that the minutes of the meeting held on Sunday 3[rd] April 2023 were a true record of the meeting and agreed by all. 

## 3. DEANERY SYNOD 

Obi Eneli was elected as a Deanery synod representative for the next 3 years, proposed by Wayne Sime and seconded by Brian Temple. 

4. MEMEBERSHIP OF THE PCC 

Rev Kate Sharples confirmed that Helen Henry was standing down.  Thanks were expressed for all she has done over many years.  Rose Aknai is standing down as Secretary, but continues as a member of the PCC. There were 3 candidates standing for the PCC: 

Matthew Wyatt, proposed by Wayne Sime, seconded by Michael Toft Julie Owen, proposed by David Owen, seconded by Samuel Owen 

Michael Toft, proposed by Gordon Baillie and seconded by Roger Busfield 

There being no other candidates Matthew Wyatt, Julie Owen and Michael Toft were formally elected. Matthew Wyatt will be appointed as Treasurer at the next meeting of the PCC. 

5. FINANCE REPORT AND APPOINTMENT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER TO THE PCC: 

   - Helen Henry gave a short report on the finances.  She thanked all those who have given financially to St Peter’s over the last year.  The significant increase in the gas costs has been an issue since November 2022, but thankfully the finances are in a healthy state. 

She also thanked Annette Baillie and Christine Russell for their time given in counting the cash received. Rev Kate Sharples announced that Sue Viles of Gamlingay is willing to act as our independent examiner  for the 2023 accounts. Proposed by Gordon Baillie, seconded by Michael Toft and accepted by the meeting. 

6. QUESTIONS AND REPORTS ON THE BUILDING, DEANERY SYNOD AND ELECTORAL ROLL No questions were received.  Thanks were expressed to Emma Stilling for all her hard work on the cleaning, to Vi for the flowers, to Gordon Baillie for taking on the role of Health and Safety Officer and to Roger Busfield for taking on the role of Maintenance Officer. 

Maurice Gordon thanked Rev Kate Sharples for all her work on behalf of St Peter’s 

7. APPEAL FOR FINANCES TO PAY FOR A NEW HEATING SYSTEM 

Rev Kate Sharples announced that an appeal will be launched at Easter for financial contributions towards the heating system in the church that needs to be replaced before next winter. 



## **2023 ANNUAL REPORT** 

## **FOR THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST PETER BROADWATER, STEVENAGE** 

## **Review of the year** 

- We started 2023 with a verse for the year:  Hebrews 12: 1-2 

let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. 

- 2023 was a year of growth.  We grew numerically with the average attendance on Sunday mornings slightly increasing.  We grew in faith, with a small Alpha course running at the start of the year, worship nights and prayer and praise evenings starting up.  We grew in staff with the appointment of a  Children’s and families leader.  And the PCC grew in understanding heating systems 

- This year we had 2 worship nights, spending time in God’s presence, with an extended time of worship and no set agenda.  It was great to see the Holy Spirit at work, to hear God speak and to receive God’s love and blessing.  People are enthusiastic about having more evenings like this next year.  In September we started a monthly Prayer and Praise on Sunday evenings.  Each one had specific prayer focuses, such as children, the elderly, the NHS and Gaza/Israel.  The prayer time included opportunities to pray together, pray silently at prayer stations and to pray for each other. 

- After a year of searching, Stacey joined us in March as the Children and families Leader.  She has taken on the overall running of Children’s church, alongside the existing leaders and helpers, and leads Stepping Stones baby and toddler group.  She also organised a monthly Kids’ breakfast, Easter stay and play, Love Stevenage, the pop up nativity and a Christmas hot choc social. 

- The Tearfund Big Quiz was a great success bringing people together and raising money. 

- We have a new logo and website which is attracting a lot more visits to the site and enquiries. 

- It was wonderful to see so many people at our Christmas services and events, with lots of visitors coming to carols by candlelight and the Children’s Christmas Celebration.  The pop up nativity was enjoyed by those who watched and took part. 

- The warm church project took up a lot of time as we investigated lots of different heating options, until finally deciding on air-to-air heat pumps with air-conditioning units in the church, insulating the loft and replacing the windows.  The congregation gave generously towards this, and we are now going through the process of final Diocese approval, planning approval and grant applications. 

- Thank you so much to everyone for being part of St Peter’s Church.  Thanks for serving, giving, praying, caring and supporting each other. 



## **Aim and purposes** 

St Peter’s Parochial Church Council (PCC), in cooperation with the incumbent, Revd Kate Sharples, is responsible for the whole ministry and mission of the Church to the Parish of Broadwater.  This includes pastoral, evangelistic, social action and ecumenical work and involvement in initiatives across Stevenage with “Churches Together in Stevenage”.  The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Church and hall buildings. 

## **Vision** 

Our vision is to be a missional church – showing God’s love to the community – and to be a relevant and visible presence, providing pathways by which people can seek and know God. 

- We want to continue to be a welcoming community that loves people of all ages and cares for them.  To enable all ages to become mature followers of Jesus and to rely on him through prayer and Bible reading and the infilling of the Holy Spirit. 

- We want to be “A Furnace” where people meet with Jesus, where lives are transformed by his presence, where miracles happen and where people are sent out by the Holy Spirit on fire for God. 

- We want to be church that serves the community, helping to meet the needs of the parish. 

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## **Mission Action Plan 2022** 

## 1. Make the front entrance accessible, more visible, and welcoming. 

Last  year plans were drawn up by the architect, which were agreed by the PCC.  The Diocese gave its approval and planning permission was granted. 

This year the project was put on hold so we could concentrate on the Warn Church project.  We will come back to this once the new heating system is installed. 

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## 2. Reach new people by specifically concentrating on families. 

We have had a Children and Families worker for 9 months and more families from Stepping Stones attended our Christmas Services, including the pop up nativity this year.  The Kids’ breakfast has helped the children and parents get to know each other and the community is growing.   We look forward to seeing this work developing over the coming year. 

## 3. Developing Youthwork community 

The youth café stopped early in the year as it did not attract young people from the community.  We are grateful to the dedicated leaders who ran it for 6 months. 

## 4. Care for the Environment 

Lots of progress has been made this year in identifying the right way forward for our heating system so that we can be net zero for carbon in the future.  The warm church project will provide heating using air-to-air heat pumps, insulate the church and replace the high level windows.  We are aiming for instillation by the end of 2024. 



## – **Activities and Highlights Building the Church** 

## **Music Ministry** _Ken Aknai_ 

It’s been such a privilege to witness the growth of the music ministry this past year, and how it has impacted upon the musical worship life of St Peters. God is doing some amazing things! I believe we have grown as a team in unity, musical skills, and in our spiritual lives, as well as in number. This past year, we have had a team worship night, where we could spend time together as a team focusing on Jesus, and seeking his guidance for the year ahead. 

We also introduced whole church worship nights, which have been amazing times of encounter with the Lord. We believe that the Lord is using these evenings to take us into deeper encounter with him, and to build his Kingdom in and around Stevenage. We encourage you to come along, especially if you haven’t been able to yet, and do bring your friends. 

A vital part of music ministry is the continued raising up of new musicians, singers and worship leaders, and God has answered our prayers for another keyboard player- Dave Salomon is a new recruit bringing his rapidly-expanding keyboard skills to the band (mentored by Rose), and also Ajay stepping up to lead us in worship some Sundays. 

The Sound Team went on a one day course as part of efforts to look at how we can further improve the sound mix in the church. 

As always I would like to express huge heartfelt thanks to everyone in the band, and on sound desk, for the time and effort (and early Sunday morning starts!) you all devote to serving the Lord in music and song. 

## **Prayer** _Rosemary Busfield_ 

During 2023 we consolidated our model of prayer ministry which places the emphasis on waiting for the Holy Spirit to do his work. Members of the prayer ministry team pray short prayers with the people who come forward and are continually open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We have encouraged people to stay in God’s presence for as long as they feel comfortable rather than returning to their seats immediately after being prayed for. At our meeting in March, a decision was made for the prayer team to stand at the front of church near the first line of chairs while waiting for people to come out, rather than standing on the stage. We now stand next to the person when praying rather than praying over them from the stage. Hopefully this makes people feel more secure. We are continually mindful that we need to be listening to what God is saying and we are open at times to doing things a little differently or praying in a different way, something we are all in agreement with. 

## **Youth Church** _Tapiwa Tungamirai_ 

We have continued to use the Youth for Christ material in youth group and have had good sessions and discussions with the youth. We’ve had a social each term (takeaway and games night) which the youth have enjoyed. Anna has taken time off for maternity, but the gaps in the rota have been filled by volunteers from the church. Thank you to all who are working with the youth! 



## **Kids’ Church** _Stacey Yau_ 

This year has been a year of many changes within Kids Church. Stacey was appointed Children and Young Families leader at the beginning of March 2023. As a team we have come up with a mission statement so we all know what our aims are. We have changed our resource to ‘Grow Kids Curriculum’, a well thought out resource. There are two versions of the session (one that suits our younger children and one that suits our 7-11 year olds). Every 4 to 5 weeks we start a new series and each series has a wealth of information, a video, craft ideas and games so that we can dive deep in teaching the kids all they need to know about the Bible topic. It has been a good investment. Numbers are really steady, we have 10 kids that come every week and many more that try to come as much as they can. We still see one time visitors as expected. 

We have split the groups this year so that the two groups don’t distract each other (which was becoming quite a problem!) This has meant that we have needed more volunteers on the rota every week. Thankfully we have a very good team that is slowly growing. The team are willing and very good at connecting with the kids, they are truly a blessing to this church. The split has been well received by child and adult alike. Some ironing out will need to be done in the following year but for now we make it work well. 

As part of integrating the kids into our wider congregation Stacey has been putting together videos to show during the Sunday service, an overview of each series that has been taught. We want the children to feel as much a part of the congregation as the adults and we want the adults not to see the children as a burden but as the next generation, someone to train to take over some of the responsibilities of the church and wider community. They are a valuable, willing, and somewhat untapped team. 

We have introduced a kids’ breakfast that happens the first Sunday of every month. The purpose of this is for not only the kids to have a relationship with each other but also make an opportunity for the families to get together and connect. We can talk about how the kids are getting on and if there are any concerns, or reason for praise. We have a steady group of 4 families that attend with more coming when they can. This created a reason to start the play area in the sofa area in church, which has stopped the running around church which was becoming unsafe. The kids love to play together, and it has been noted that they are all very comfortable within the church. A big success to call church home. 

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## **Pastoral Care** _**Rosemary Busfield**_ 

It is a privilege to continue offering support for people as requested either by phone or face to face contact, depending upon peoples’ preference. Our team remains small and while we do sometimes ask other members of the congregation to step in and provide extra support, we manage to achieve what is required. Our aim is to complement the support given in homegroups and friendship groups and we are mindful that we are a representative of Kate and St Peters church. 

At the latter end of the year, I commenced gathering information for a resource file. This will contain information regarding agencies that provide help and support for a variety of issues e.g. addiction, homelessness, the elderly to name just a few. This will be available for anyone in the church to use. 



## **Homegroups** 

The Green house group as we call ourselves have had a busy year we have shared many of the ups and downs of life and have always prayed and shared together. We still meet over zoom enabling those who live further away the opportunity to be part of a praying and bible study group, We have been using much of the London Institute for contemporary Christianity, LICC, resources and have been greatly blessed by the challenging and engaging material. Meeting over zoom has some limitations and we recognise that we need to meet in person and that we have done through social gatherings, meals together and as a team at church quiz evenings. We endeavour to drawn Closer to God To see Him more clearly. Love Him more dearly. and Follow Him through each and every day. _Paul Evenett_ 

All the members seem committed to the Lord and to the group. We see continuing spiritual maturity and genuine support for one another. _JJ Bell_ 

We welcomed 3 new members to our Home Group this year which was a blessing. God has been faithful to us, and we have had some amazing testimonies of His goodness and mercy through the year. It’ s been great being able to support each other through prayer and study using our online teaching series and our prayer is that God will continue to enable us grow into the people he wants us to be. _Obi_ 

The daytime Home Group has continued to meet on Wednesday mornings. Numbers attending have varied weekly up to 9 and we join together in fellowship, bible study, prayer and song. We have dealt in prayer with several health issues over the past year but have also really enjoyed the J. John ‘just 10’ CD series. This has been both challenging and entertaining and led to several testimonies from members. _Maurice Gordon_ 

## **Tearfund Big Quiz Night** _Rosie Hollands_ 

On November 17th 2023 we had a Quiz Night to raise funds for Tearfund. We started the evening with a meal and I would like to thank Simon who worked so hard helping me to prepare all the food.  We then had the first half of the quiz which clearly was well received by everyone - whispering during the questions and lots of laughter, cheers and groans during the answers!! 

Various different cakes were served with coffee during the break. The church was filled with voices chatting and laughing. People from different churches had come so there was lots of ‘catching up’ with friends. 

The second half of the quiz was again a great success and the evening finished with people choosing cake to take home with them. 

We had such a great evening together and raised over £300! 



## – **Activities and Highlights** Engaging with the Community 

## **Stepping Stones** _Stacey Yau_ 

Stepping stones has not seen many changes this year as it was already such a success.  Numbers are steady and we still see many familiar faces. More bible stories have been added to the ‘story time’ collection of books and we have a new puppet called Rosa comes to visit on occasion to talk about an experience she has had (that links to a bible story). We have a great team that all know exactly what to do and are able to mingle with the community very well. Although we did lose a couple of volunteers due to circumstance changes, this year we have had two mothers join our team from the Stepping Stones group and our very own Emma and Anna joined us too. 

**Tea and Co** _Annette Baillie and Richard Brooks_ 

Firstly, we would like to thank the team members - Lynn Evenett, Sue Dungey, Jackie Mitchell, Ruth Pollard, Chris Russell and Carol Temple - for all they do. 

We have settled into the hall permanently and this has proved to be more user friendly. The group continues to be popular with our regulars and we have been meeting a more diverse set of needs as new people have engaged with us. For the most part folk come to enjoy playing board games, colouring or sitting and chatting over a cup of tea and a cake.  To mark Christmas, in the last session of 2023 we experimented with a different format; comprising a quiz followed by a sing-a-long led by Paul and a short talk by Richard. This change was welcomed and we plan to include similar events in 2024. 

At the invitation of the Early Years staff at Shepalbury Park School, as part of their enrichment programme, some of the group have visited the school. We have joined in craft and reading activities, attended a Teddy Bears Picnic, watched the dress rehearsal of the Nativity Play and enjoyed refreshments served by some of the older children. 

## **Schools Work** _Kate Sharples_ 

There have been some class visits to church to find out about what happens in church and what Christians believe, and I’ve been into school to talk to classes about what vicars do. 

Shephalbury Park school came into Church for Easter and Christmas services, and Roebuck Academy KS2 (711s) came in for Christmas services. 

Assemblies were taken with Bridgebuilders every half term in Roebuck Academy and Shephalbury Primary. 

The Christmas Journey ran 6 sessions with Shephalbury Park, Roebuck Academy, St Margarets Clitheroe and Knebworth Primary School attending.  We are really grateful for the opportunities to go into our community primary schools. 



## **Love Stevenage** _Stacey Yau_ 

This year was the first Love Stevenage this side of Covid. The main challenge was the unknown of how many people would come and what age etc. This made planning quite hard, but we were given a beautiful day and all was well received. We had a carnival theme, bouncy castle and face painting and a treasure hunt that sent a fair amount of the visitors to the park (to help with space management within the church grounds) Overall the day went well, and it looked as though the visitors all had a good time.  Next year we will spend a bit more time on promoting the event better to increase attendance.  A good step back into the event game and a good learning experience for next year. 

## Foodshed _Annette Baillie_ 

Thank you to all those who have given donations to the Foodshed by putting items in the collection basket in church and by contributing to the Easter, Harvest and Christmas appeals. 

On Tuesday mornings we have been running a small distribution outlet in the hall using pre-packed bags from Foodshed central. Our vision was to help parents in the parish who were struggling to feed their children, by working in cooperation with staff at the primary schools and using a referral based system. Clients are given food to take home, offered hot drinks, toast and breakfast bars as well as a listening ear and in some cases given pointers to other agencies. 

The uptake varied from week to week and in the autumn we expanded our vision to incorporate the wider needs of the community. With the help of Foodshed staff we started to distribute to non-school clients who live in the Broadwater area and who find it easier to access our location. 



## **Making it Happen** 

## **Electoral Roll** 

There are **97** names on this year's roll. 

We have had 9 new people added to this year's roll. 

8 people who have been removed because they moved away, worshipped at a different church, or passed away. 

Of the 97 people, 32 are male - which is 33% or a third, and 65 are female, 67% or two-thirds. Just over half of which live within the parish, 53 (55%) and 44 (45%) live outside of the parish in the surrounding areas of Stevenage or the nearby villages. 

## **Parochial Church Council (PCC)** 

The PCC and the Vicar, Revd Kate Sharples, continue to work well together, overseeing the work and activities of St Peter’s.  The PCC met 5 times in 2023 plus an away day in January. 

## **Administration** 

Lynne Lee-Diep has continued to work 12 hours a week as the church administrator and hall booking manager.  She does a fantastic job in making sure everything runs smoothly. 

## **Deanery Synod** _**Obi Eneli (Deanery Synod Rep)**_ 

There were 3 meetings of the Stevenage Deanery Synod last year.  Below are the highlights: 

Theresa Britt from the Beds and Herts Historic Churches Trust gave a talk on the work of the Trust. She explained that it exists to make grants available to public churches to maintain the fabric.  Over the past 20 years the Trust has awarded £3.5 million for repairs, and 9 churches in the Stevenage Deanery currently subscribe to the Trust. The Trust is registered as a charitable incorporated organisation, and she explained that she wants to raise its profile. 

Peter Adams a representative of the St. Albans Diocese to the House of Laity of the General Synod and the Lay Chair of both Diocesan and Luton Deanery Synods gave an interesting talk on the workings and business of the General Synod. 



## . 

## **Finance Report** for the year ending December 2023 _Matthew Wyatt , Treasurer_ 

On behalf of the PCC, I would like to thank everyone who gives financially to St Peter’s, however you give and however much you give. 

Regular giving from the congregation has been steady this year, totalling around £60,000, and a further £12,750 tax recovered from gift aid. We also received around £16,500 for the warm church project, including £3,700 from a councillor’s locality grant and tax recovered.  We received a grant of £6,000 towards our Children and Families Leader. 

We had extra expenses that were not budgeted for, with repairs to the boundary wall, the tower brick work and lead flashing and some electrical work.  The largest expenditure is the parish share of £57,000.  This money goes to the Diocese and pays for the housing and stipends of all clergy, and the Diocese overheads. 

We have focussed our financial support to our 3 mission partners – _Bridgebuilders, Oak church, and the Pugh family’s mission work in Tanzania_ , giving a total of £4788 

The Church savings accounts has £105,718.  This can be accounted for as: New Entrance £28,000 (specific donation a few years ago) Project Fund £12,900 Families/Youth £21,527 (money from grants and a specific donation 3 years ago) Reserve £25,000 (3 months costs for emergencies) Warm Church Project £15,797 (gifts from the congregation and a grant) 

The church and hall building have been used as expected this year with all the usual activities and groups running for the church and the community.  The PCC’s reserve policy has remained the same and no trustee received any financial remuneration. 

## **Hall Report** _Lynne Lee-Diep_ 

Overall there has been a reduction in regular hall hire this year, although hall hire income slightly increased. One group stopped running and 2 others reduced their hours. 

There are some gaps in the diary for potential hall users but there doesn’t appear to be much of a demand for group hire in the mornings or early afternoons. The hall is still used for activities that moved from the church such as Time for Tea and Midweek Communion. 

Party hire at the weekends continues.  There is lots of interest, but enquiries don’t always result in a booking, often due to circumstances beyond our control. 



## **Buildings and Fabric Report** _John Hollands and Wayne Sime (Church Wardens)_ 

The church buildings and fabric generally remain in good condition. The main concern is the high cost of heating the church and the age of the gas heating system. During 2023 work was carried out to explore the alternatives and we agreed to proceed with a heat pump/air conditioning system + insulating the roof spaces. We aim to carry out this work in 2024 once we have planning permission, a faculty and additional funds. 

There were a few on-going issues remaining from the 2018 Diocesan Quinquennial Report (ie spalling brickwork mainly on the tower and cracking to the cill beneath the large stained glass chancel window). These structural repairs were carried out in March 2023. In addition, the lead collar around the tower was replaced as the original was in poor condition. The quinquennial review of buildings was carried out in August 2023. We are still waiting the completed report. One item was concern over cracks in the main walls near the west end of the church. A structural survey was carried out in 8 January 2024. Some structural repairs are required that are likely to be carried out in 2025. 

There has been some other minor maintenance works carried out during the year, including replacing the lights in the chancel with LEDs, repairing loose coping stones on the boundary wall and cleaning the gutters and flat roof areas of moss and muck.  In view of recommendations from the Fire brigade we installed emergency lighting in the church in March 2023. 

We thank Roger again for his work on the building and grounds, including mowing the lawn regularly and keeping the shrubbery trim and tidy. In addition, we thank Emma Stilling for her hard work keeping all areas of the buildings clean and safe during the year. 

## **Safeguarding** _Louise Sime_ 

## 

We take Safeguarding very seriously, recognising there are a few people who are determined to harm children or adults and deliberately seek out organisations where children or other vulnerable people meet. Churches are particularly susceptible to this risk.  We need to ensure we create and maintain a safeguarding culture that will discourage people from becoming involved within church for the wrong reasons and make it difficult to harm or abuse children or adults.  Everyone working with children and vulnerable adults have been Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checked and have been asked to take part in the diocesan safeguarding training. All our leaders and helpers have completed their e-learning safeguarding training sessions.  Lynn Lee-Diep, our church administrator, continues to be our lead Recruiter and ensures all new DBS checks are carried out.  We have started to use the safeguarding dashboard software to monitor activities and will move over to the system properly in 2024. 

We can report that the PCC has been fully compliant with the duty under section 5 of the safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016.  (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops guidance on Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable adults) 

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## **Administrative information** 



St Peter’s Church is situated on Broadwater Crescent, Stevenage, part of the Marymead neighbourhood hub. It is part of the Diocese of St Albans within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Willows, Stevenage Herts SG2 8AN. Registered charity number is 1152921. PCC members who have served at any time during 2023: 

## **Ex Officio members:** 

||Vicar: Reverend Kate Sharples (Chair)|
|---|---|
|Clergy:||
|||
|||
||Gordon Baillie|
|Readers:|Obi Eneli (and Deanery synod rep)|
||Paul Evenett|
||Wayne Sime (and vice chair and Deanery synod rep until June)|
|Wardens:||
||John Hollands|
|||



## **Elected members:** 

Rose Aknai Kieran Cooney Helen Henry Treasurer (until March 2023) Wendy Hills Julie Owen (from March 2023) Louise Sime Mike Toft (from March 2023) Matthew Wyatt Treasurer (from March 2023) 

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## _Approved by the PCC on Tues 2 April 2024_ 

_and signed on their behalf by the Reverend Kate Sharples (PCC Chairperson)_ 

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## **VICAR** 

Revd Kate Sharples, The Vicarage, 1 The Willows, Stevenage SG2 8AN 

## **BANK DETAILS** 

Bank of Scotland PO Box 10, 38 St Andrew Square Edinburgh EH2 2YR 

## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER** 

Susan Viles Debonair Management Services Limited 

14 St Mary’s, Gamlingay, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 3ET sue@debonairms.co.uk 



## Report from the Treasurer for the PCC of St Peter's Church Broadwater for the year ending December 2023 

Finance Report for the year ending December 2023 Matthew Wyatt, Treasurer 

On behalf of the PCC, I would like to thank everyone who gives financially to St Peter’s, however you give and however much you give. 

Regular giving from the congregation has been steady this year, totalling around £60,000, and a further £12,750 tax recovered from gift aid. 

We also received around £16,500 for the warm church project, including £3,700 from a councillor’s locality grant and tax recovered. 

We received a grant of £6,000 towards our Children and Families Leader. 

We had extra expenses that were not budgeted for, with repairs to the boundary wall, the tower brick work and lead flashing and some electrical work. 

The largest expenditure is the parish share of £57,000. This money goes to the Diocese and pays for the housing and stipends of all clergy, and the Diocese overheads. We have focussed our financial support to our 3 mission partners – Bridgebuilders, Oak Church, and the Pugh family’s mission work in Tanzania, giving a total of £4788 

The Church savings accounts has £105,718. This can be accounted for as: New Entrance £28,000 (specific donation a few years ago) Project Fund £12,900 Families/Youth £21,527 (money from grants and a specific donation 3 years ago) Reserve £25,000 (3 months costs for emergencies) Warm Church Project £15,797 (gifts from the congregation and a grant) 

The church and hall building have been used as expected this year with all the usual activities and groups running for the church and the community. 

The PCC’s reserve policy has remained the same and no trustee received any financial remuneration. 

1 



## **Parochial Church Council of St Peter's, Broadwater Annual Accounts** 

## **Year ending 31st December 2023** 

|**Section A**|**Statement of financial activities Section A**|**Statement of financial activities Section A**|**Statement of financial activities Section A**|**Statement of financial activities Section A**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|**Recommended categories by**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**||**Prior year**|
|**activity**|**funds**|**funds**|**Total funds**|**funds**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Incoming resources (Note 2)**|||||
|**Income and endowments from:**|||||
|Donations and legacies (notes 2a-b)|75,677|13,067|88,744|108,133|
|Charitable activities (note 2c)|20,838|685|21,523|20,492|
|Other trading activities|||-|-|
|Investments (note 2d)|2,785|-|2,785|622|
|Other (note 2e)|3,637|9,700|13,337|83|
|**_Total_**|102,936|23,452|126,388|129,330|
|**Resources expended (Note 3)**|||||
|**Expenditure on:**|||||
|Raising funds|-|-|-|-|
|Charitable activities (notes 3a-c)|126,033|12,385|138,418|113,188|
|**_Total_**|126,033|12,385|138,418|113,188|
|**Net income/(expenditure) before**|**investment**||||
|**gains/(losses)**|-23,097|11,067|-12,030|16,143|
|Net gains/(losses) on investments||-|-|-|
|**Net income/(expenditure)**|-23,097|11,067|-12,030|16,143|
|**Extraordinary items**|-|-|-|-|
|**Transfers between funds**(note 9)|||-|-|
|Gains and losses on revaluation of fixed assets for the charity’s own|||||
|use|||-||
|Other gains/(losses)||-|-|-|
|**_Net movement in funds_**|-23,097|11,067|-12,030|16,143|
|**_Reconciliation of funds:_**|||||
|Total funds brought forward|77,012|66,558|143,570|127,428|
|**_Total funds carried forward_**|53,915|77,625|131,541|143,570|



2 



## **Section B Balance sheet** 

||||**Restricted**||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Unrestricted**|**income**|**Designated**|**Total this**|**Total last**|
|||**funds**|**funds**|**funds**|**year**|**year**|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Fixed assets**|||||||
|**Tangible assets**|<br>**(Note 5)**|21,644|-|-|21,644|29,883|
||**_Total fixed assets_**|21,644<br>|-|-|21,644|29,883|
|**Current assets**|||||||
|**Debtors**|**(Note 7)**|1,118|-|-|1,118|2,810|
|**Investments**|**(Note 6)**|241|-|-|241|240|
|**Cash at bank and in hand (Note 6)**||30,113|77,625|-|107,738|114,809|
||**_Total current assets_**|31,472<br>|77,625|-|109,097|117,859|
|**Creditors:amounts falling due within**|||||||
|**one year**|**(Note 8)**|-800|-|-|-800|4,172|
|**_Net current assets/(liabilities)_**||32,272<br>|77,625|-|109,897|113,687|
|**_Total assets_**|**_less current liabilities_**|53,916|77,625|-|131,541|143,571|
|**_Total net assets_**|**_or liabilities_**|53,916|77,625|-|131,541|143,571|
|**Funds of the**|**Charity**||||||
|**Designated funds**||-||-|-|14,639|
|**Restricted income funds(Note 6)**|||77,625||77,625|27,665|
|**Unrestricted funds**||53,915||-|53,915|101,266|
||**_Total funds_**|53,915<br>|77,625|-|131,541|143,571|



|Signed by two PCC members on behalf of all<br>the PCC|Print Name|Signature|Date of<br>approval<br>dd/mm/yyyy|
|---|---|---|---|



3 



## **Parochial Church Council of St Peter, Broadwater Notes to the Financial Statements** 

## **For the Year Ended 31 December 2023** 

## **1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES** 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2015 together with the Charities Act 2011, and the Statement of 

Recommended Practice for Accounting by Charities. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. 

## **Funds** 

Unrestricted funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application on the general . 

purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for the particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted. **Incoming resources** 

## _**Voluntary income and capital sources**_ 

Giving is recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid is recognised when received. 

Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the associated income is recognised. 

## _**Other income**_ 

Rental income from the letting of the church hall is recognised when rent is due. 

## _**Income from investments**_ 

Interest is accounted for as earned. All interest earned is credited to the Unrestricted Fund unless monies are 

## **Resources used** 

## _**Grants**_ 

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation on 

## **Activities directly relating to the work of the Church** 

The diocesan parish share is accounted for when it falls due. 

## **Fixed Assets** 

## **Consecrated property and movable church furnishings** 

Consecrated property of any kind is excluded from the accounts by Part 1, Chapter 2 (10) of the Charities Act 2011.Even though it is not technically consecrated property, the Church Hall is not recognised in the accounts. 

4 



Movable church furnishings held by the Vicar and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC, and which require a faculty for disposal, are accounted for as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the church’s Inventory, which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). 

Expenditure incurred on consecrated buildings or individual items under £5,000 is written off as incurred. 

## **Other fixtures, fittings and office equipment** 

Individual items of computer and office equipment are capitalised and written off over three years. 

## **Current assets** 

Amounts owing in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors. Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit either with the DBF, Church of England Funds or at the bank. 

5 



|**2**|**INCOMING RESOURCES**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**TOTAL**|**TOTAL**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Funds**|**Funds**|**2023**|**2022**|
|||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|2(a)|<br>_Incoming Resources from donors_|||||
||Planned Giving|||||
||Gift Aid Donations (0101, 0110)|48,471||48,471|47,104|
||Income Tax recoverable (0601)|12,893|2,433|15,326|12,746|
||Other planned giving (0201)|13,015||13,015|9,734|
||Loose cash at services (0301)|1,258||1,258|1,931|
|||75,638|2,433|78,071|71,515|
|2(b)|_Other Voluntary incoming resources_|||||
||Donations, contributions, appeals (0550, 0804,|39|10,634|10,673|36,617|
||1232)|||-|-|
|||39|10,634|10,673|36,617|
|2(c)|Income from operating activities|||||
||Church Hall (1230)|17,436|-|17,436|16,315|
||_Fees*_<br>(1101, 1102, 1104)|1,540|685|2,225|1,102|
||Other<br>(1402, 1403, 1408, 1410, 1411)|1,862||1,862|3,076|
|||20,838|685|21,523|20,493|
|2(d)|_Income from investments_|||||
||Bank interest receivable|2,785|-|2,785|622|
|||2,785|-|2,785|622|
|2(e)|_Other incoming resources_|||||
||Other income (1415)|117||117|83|
||Grants<br>(0801, 0803, 1416)|3,520|9,700|13,220|-|
|||3,637|9,700|13,337|83|
||TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES|102,936|23,452|126,388|129,330|



* Fees from restricted funds shown in note 2 ( c ) are fees due to the Diocese in respect of set fees for weddings, funerals, baptisms etc. 

**==> picture [119 x 369] intentionally omitted <==**

6 



## **3 RESOURCES EXPENDED** 

|**Unrestricted Restricted**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>3(a)<br>_Grants_<br>Charitable giving:<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>International Charities & Causes<br>National Charities & Causes (1830)<br>-<br>-<br>Local Charities & Causes (1802)<br>4,522<br>4,522<br>-<br>-<br>Missionary giving:<br>International Charities & Causes<br>National Charities & Causes<br>266<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>Local Charities & Causes<br>-<br>266<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>Total Charitable and Missionary giving<br>4,788<br>3(b)<br>_Activities relating to the church_<br>Ministry : Diocesan parish Share (1910)<br>Clergy expenses + house (2101,2102,2130,2145)<br>Funeral and wedding fees (2208)<br>Evangelism (2201,2203,2213.2214)<br>Work with Children (2216, 2146)<br>57,147<br>153<br>-<br>942<br>1,215<br>4,803<br>381<br>10,693<br>Work with Youth (2217)<br>Church running expenses<br>(2207,2211,2218,2219,2331,2340,2401,2410,2420)<br>Church maintenance (2330,2701,2710)<br>10,178<br>19,122<br>390<br>-<br>-<br>Equipment (2332)<br>Church Hall (2530,2540,2560,2591)<br>Sub-Total<br>7,566<br>-<br>100,955<br>11,635|**TOTAL**<br>**2023**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>4,522<br>4,522<br>4,788<br>4,788<br>-<br>266<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>266<br>-<br>-<br>4,788<br>4,788<br>57,147<br>153<br>48,470<br>5862<br>543<br>942<br>1,215<br>15,496<br>381<br>789<br>131<br>209<br>10,178<br>19,122<br>390<br>8,727<br>3,611<br>60<br>7,566<br>16,339<br>84,741<br>112,590|
|---|---|



**==> picture [119 x 19] intentionally omitted <==**

7 



## **3 RESOURCES EXPENDED** 

- 3(c) Church Management & Administration Administrator / Vicar's secretary (2050) Administration (2360) Other costs (2301,2303) Printing & stationery (2361) Examination Fees (2601) Office telephone & internet (2310) 

3(d) **Other** Other (2212,2221,2215) Depreciation (2841) Front entrance (2900) 

## **TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED** 

|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**TOTAL**|**TOTAL**|
|---|---|---|---|
|**Funds**|**Funds**|**2023**|**2022**|
|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|7,394|-|7,394|7,089|
|93|-|93|-|
|2,859|-|2,859|2,207|
|45|-|45|161|
|250|-|250|250|
|662|-|662|658|
|11,303|-|11,303|10,365|
|748|750|1,498|60|
|8,239|-|8,239|12,222|
||-|-|1,012|
|8,987|750|9,737|13,294|
|126,033|12,385|138,418|113,188|



8 



|||**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**Church Hall Account**|**£**|**£**|
||Income|17436|16,315|
||Expenditure|7566|16,339|
||Net Deficit/income|9,869|(24)|
||**Stepping Stones Account**|**£**|**£**|
||Income|1200|1,230|
||Expenditure|650|607|
||Net Deficit/income|550|623|
|||**2023**|**2022**|
|**4**|**STAFF COSTS**|£|£|
||Family Leader|14,642|-|
||Administrator/Vicar's secretary|7,089|7,088|
||Cleaner|4,815|4,314|
|||26,546|11,402|



9 



## **5 FIXED ASSETS** 

## **Cost** 

Brought forward 

Additions 

Disposals Carried forward 

## **Depreciation** 

Brought forward Charge for year Disposal Carried forward 

Net Book Value 2022 

Net Book Value 2023 

## **6 ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND** 

Fixed Assets Cash at bank and at hand* Short term deposits 

## **7 DEBTORS** 

Income tax recoverable Hall Hire 

|**Kitchen**|**Meeting**|**Building**|**Access for**|**Chairs**|**AV System**|**Total 2023**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Rooms**|**roof**|**all**||||
|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|£|**£**|
|23,130|6,965|16,320|42028|12,502|4,982|100,944.90|
|-|-|||||0.00|
|-|-|-||||0.00|
|23,130|6,965|16,320|42,028|12,502|4,982|100,944.90|
|21,005|6,521|11,133|25,416|9,976|1,992|76,043.00|
|2,125|444|521|<br>1,659|2,494|996|8,239.00|
|-|-|-||||0.00|
|23,130|6,965|11,654|27,075|12,470|2,988|84,282.00|
|2,125|444|5,187|16,612|32|<br>1,994|24,901.90|
|-|-|4,666|14,952|32|<br>1,994|21,643.90|



|**Unrestricted**|**Designated**|**Restricted**||
|---|---|---|---|
|**Funds**|**Funds**|**Funds**|**TOTAL**|
|**£**|£|**£**|**£**|
|21,644||-|21,644|
|30,113||77,625|107,738|
|241||-|241|
|51,998|0|77,625|129,623|
|**2023**|**2022**|||
|**£**|**£**|||
||1,876|||
|1,118|934|||
|1,118|2,810|||



10 



|**8**|**CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE**|**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**YEAR**|**£**|**£**|
||Creditors £2500 held in case VAT is payable on|||
||disability entrance.||3,853|
||Accruals||-|
||Amount held for other parties|-800|319|
|||-800|4,172|



|**9**|**FUND DETAILS**|**2022**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Transfers**|**2023**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted Funds|**£**|£|£|£|**£**|
||General Funds|77,012|102,936|<br>126,033||53,915|
|||77,012|102,936|<br>126,033|-|53,915|
||Restricted Funds||||||
||New Building|27,663||||27,663|
||Children and Families Project|38,895|6,220|<br>10,693||34,422|
||Warm Church Project|-|16,547|<br>750||15,797|
||Diocese Board of Finance (DBF)||685|<br>942||-257|
|||66,558|23,452|<br>12,385||77,625|
||**TOTALS**|**143,570**|**126,388**|<br>**138,418**|**-**|**131,541**|



11 



## **Independent Examiner’s report to the PCC of St Peter, Broadwater** 

I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31[st ] December 2023, which are set out on pages 1 to 11. 

## **Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the examiner** 

The church's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) and that an independent examination is needed. 

It is my responsibility to: 

- examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act; 

- to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Church Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act; and 

- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. 

## **Basis of independent examiner's report** 

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Church Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the church and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the 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 examiner's statement** 

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 

- (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: 

   - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act; and 

   - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act 

have not been met; or 

- (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

**==> picture [172 x 61] intentionally omitted <==**

Name: Susan Viles Address: 14 St Marys, Gamlingay SG19 3ET Date: 29[th ] April 2024 

12 



## **Independent Examiner’s report to the PCC of St Peter, Broadwater** 

I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31[st] December 2023, which are set out on pages 1 to 11. 

## **Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the examiner** 

The church's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the Act) and that an independent examination is needed. 

It is my responsibility to: 

- examine the accounts under section 145 of the Act; 

- to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Church Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act; and 

- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention. 

## **Basis of independent examiner's report** 

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Church Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the church and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the 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 examiner's statement** 

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 

- (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements: 

   - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act; and 

   - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the Act 

have not been met; or 

understanding of the accounts to be reached. 

**==> picture [170 x 60] intentionally omitted <==**

Name: Susan Viles Address: 14 St Marys, Gamlingay SG19 3ET Date: 29[th] April 2024 

Page 12