2023-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Wyke

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ST MARY'S CHURCH – WYKE

ANNUAL REPORT and

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS of the PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

for the year ended 31 December 2023

Vicar:

Rev. Lucy Wormsley

6 Vicarage Close Wyke Bradford BD12 8QW

Bank: Barclays Bank PLC

Independent Examiner: Mrs J Wilkinson FCCA 7 Fielding Way Morley LS27 9AB

Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of St Mary's Church, Wyke, Parochial Church Council.

I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31 December 2023 which are set out on pages 8 to 10.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and 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 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to

examine the accounts (under section 145 of the 2011 Act);
To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 145 (5)(b) of the 2011 Act; and
To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of Independent Examiner's Statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity 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:

which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements
to keep accounting records in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act; and
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 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.

Jacqueline Wilkinson, FCCA Signed ……………………………………….. 7 Fielding Way Morley LS27 9AB Date …………………………………………..

2023 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of St. Mary’s, Wyke, Bradford.

Aim and purposes

St. Mary’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The Revd. Lucy Wormsley is the incumbent and Vicar of Wyke, although she was on Maternity Leave between January and Dec 2023.

The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the church and hall of St. Mary’s, Wyke.

The Revd. Margaret Lyons is a retired priest with permission to officiate, with Sylvia Percival and Susan Naughton as Licensed Lay Ministers to the parish.

Objectives and activities.

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St. Marys. The PCC maintains an overview of worship, giving priority to all ages worshipping together every Sunday morning. Our worship services and midweek groups seek to put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.

As a registered charity, when planning our activities, we take note of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and the advancement of religion. We try to enable people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

Worship, prayer, learning about the gospel and developing knowledge and trust in Jesus.
Provision of pastoral care for everyone in our congregation and for people living in the parish.
Missionary and outreach work.

To facilitate all this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of St Mary’s church and hall.

Achievements and performance

Worship and prayer

We hold worship at 10.30am each Sunday. Our monthly service pattern comprises Church Family Worship on the 1[st] and 3[rd] Sundays (also on the 5[th] Sunday when there are five Sundays in the month) and Church Family Communion services on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Sundays. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have offered live streamed services from the church. This has continued even after the lockdowns eased, because it enabled some housebound congregation members to join with us more regularly. Prayer ministry is offered for people, following our Communion services twice a month, including prayer for healing. When possible, we offer Kids provisions as part of our Sunday services, either in the children’s corner, or as a more integrated part of the services. We offer 4 or 5 parade services a year for our connected scouting group, in particular for Harvest and Remembrance.

Seasonal services are provided for Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, Advent & Christmas.

We haven’t run our monthly Messy Church Services since the pandemic, but hope to reinstate this going forward, to reach out to younger families.

In 2023 our electoral roll comprised 60 members, 42 of whom are residents and 18 nonresidents. The average number attending on Sundays is 40 adults (2022: 36) and 3 under 16yrs (2022: 3). Those joining us via the Facebook livestream has remained at a low number, but we continue to livestream because it enables those few to access worship where they might not have been able without this provision. The numbers also increased at the seasonal times of Easter, Harvest and Christmas. We have celebrated 9 Baptisms, 0 Confirmations, 1 Weddings and 5 church Funerals, during 2023.

Deanery Synod

Two PCC members are able to be elected members of the Outer Bradford Deanery Synod, however we only have one person currently elected since the 2021 APCM. Bernard Lewis continues as our elected deanery representative and is also serving as the lay chair of the synod. Synod met twice this year, once in March via zoom and once in September in person. Topics covered were The Children’s Society (lead by their CEO Mark Russell), The Barnabas Programme from the Diocesan team, Wellsprings Together lead by Theo Sheridan-Watts and COP27/environmental issues brought by Jemima Parker from the Diocese.

Alongside our attachment to the Outer Bradford Deanery, we are connected in the Diocese through the Bradford Episcopal Area Forum. To this, members of all four Deaneries in the Bradford Episcopal Area, along with members of every parish congregation, are invited to share together collaboratively and supportively of one another. During 2023 there were two meetings, looking at Children Young People and Families with a presentation from the Diocesan team for this area of ministry and The Barnabas Programme, headed up by a team and involving Rev. Jude Smith and Jonathan Wood (our Diocesan Secretary).

The Church and Church Hall

The church is open to the community on specific occasions for private prayer and other activities. We welcome our local schools into church and we visit the schools throughout the year. We both provide and host services for other organisations such as the Wyke Children’s Centre for their nativity and scouting groups for their Christingle.

The church hall is widely used throughout the week and at weekends by groups paying rent. These groups include a lunch club on Tuesdays for the elderly, Scouts, Cubs and Beavers and other sport/activity groups. We have built up quite a full programme of users during the week and also have many children’s party bookings, which we welcome. The St Mary’s baby and toddler group is going from strength to strength and we are finding this is a great platform for church mission with people from the community.

Pastoral care

Our pastoral care teams have undergone review over the past year and we hope and aim to improve the ways in which we offer pastoral care, home/hospital visits and support for all our congregation members.

The ministry team and prayer chain pray regularly for the Parish and church members. The prayer chain responding to specific requests for prayer from individuals.

Sylvia continues to provide a ‘prayer needs’ page in the Weekly News sheet to help and encourage our discipline of praying for one another and for the needs of the church, community and worldwide connections (such as Open Doors, CMS and Latin Link Mission Partners and other matters in need of prayer).

Mission and evangelism

We have continued our support and connection with our mission partners in Guatemala. Azaria Spencer is now joined by her new husband David and they are building a new ministry together as mission partners through the work of local church in Guatemala City. They work with CMS, especially amongst young people. Geoff and Cesia Baines are also a married couple with their beautiful daughter, Sofia, who we met this year on their visit to St. Mary’s. They work with theological studies/ biblical languages and vulnerable women, also in Guatemala City but on behalf of Latin Link.

We tithe 10% of our voluntary receipts (planned giving, etc.), usually divided equally between three Christian Charities. This year we have continued our support to Open Doors, CMS and Latin Link partnerships and are continuing our distribution of the tithe into the start of the New Year, 2024. Please see the Financial Review and Statements for further details.

We separately (i.e. not reported in the Financial Statements) continue to give to the work of The Children’s Society, through our collection boxes (£770.34) and offerings from the Christingle Service (£362.10) towards their work with vulnerable children in England and Wales.

Ecumenical relationships

We play an active role in the Wyke Christian Council of Churches, through which we have been excited to see the opening of our new project, The Meeting Place. The Wyke Christian Council of Churches charity comprises of six local churches and operates not only the Meeting Place Coffee shop, offering fellowship, refreshment, advice and support to local people, but also continuing the running of a Trussell Trust Food Bank serving the people of Wyke and surrounding areas. The churches in Wyke provide well attended joint services twice a year, monthly prayer meetings and ministers’ prayer breakfasts. Also, they arrange other joint events throughout the year.

The Foodbank’s manager, Dawn Stobart, has reported that demand for the Foodbank has continued to increase rapidly, but that the work of the Meeting Place has already seen some amazing testimonies of people being helped in a whole variety of ways. The Foodbank has got very busy and has now needed to open on Wednesdays as well as the usual Tuesday and Thursdays. They continue to be in need of new premises, due to building disrepair at the current premises and future expansion needs for the Foodbank.

Safeguarding

We follow the Diocesan Policy and statement for safeguarding at St. Mary’s Church. Evelyn Haigh continues as our Parish Safeguarding Officer. We continue to hold safeguarding updates each month on our PCC agendas and update all our noticeboards (in church and in the foyer area), regularly, with relevant information and contact numbers. We place high priority and focus on keeping children, young people and vulnerable adults safeguarded at all times, encouraging that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Our leadership at St. Mary’s undergo regular safeguarding training, including a newer Domestic Abuse training session as well.

Financial Review

General Fund:

This year our Financial Statements show a General Fund Deficit of £5,868, reducing our reserves to £4888. Receipts of £56,995 are mainly derived from Giving/Gift Aid, £32,190, and Church Hall Rents, £14,155, but were not sufficient to fully cover payments of £62,823. The latter include a contribution of £29,800 to the Diocesan Share and £10,823 for gas and electricity costs.

Designated Funds:

During the year we incurred total payments of £17,437 and transferred £100,000 into investments (see Note 2 in the Financial Statements). The payments were for expenditure that could not be covered from the General Fund, including £9,749 for the re-laying of the main floor in the church hall and an added contribution of £2,000 to the Share.

Restricted Funds:

These are funds that may only be used to fund projects within the scope of the fund, as set out in detail in the notes to the Financial Statements. This year there was minimal movement in these funds.

Financial situation:

It is abundantly clear that we are unable to sustain the level of spending required to support ongoing ministry and the maintenance of the church buildings from the depleted General Fund reserves. In recent years this has impacted heavily on our ability to pay our Diocesan Share*. This year we paid 80% of the £39,757 Share requested which brings the total shortfall for the last six years to £54,463!

Going forward, the PCC has resolved to work on a break-even budget which means the payment of Share from the General Fund will be the balancing amount (i.e. the difference between actual receipts and all other payments). The Mobile Mast designated fund will be used, sparingly, to at least make up the Share payment to equal the average of all the churches in our Deanery (circa 65%) and to cover any ‘substantial and essential’ unbudgeted expenditure (e.g. repairs to the high west window).

Reserves Policy:

As we now hold considerable funds in the designated Mobile Mast Fund the PCC are resolved to ensure that the General Fund reserves do not fall below £2,000.

*Diocesan Share is set annually based on a calculation that ensures churches are asked for a proportionate amount after taking into account the number of full or part-time clergy provided, size of the congregation and an indexed social economic factor. It largely provides for the stipends and housing of the clergy which currently averages £64,198 p.a. The Share requested from St Mary’s for 2024 is £41,149.

Volunteers

We would like to thank every person who works hard to make our church what it is and help with the smooth running of all services, events and the running of the church hall. Lucy wishes to add her particular gratitude for all the care and support and extra time that has been given during maternity leave this year. Special thanks this year to Rev. Jenny Savage for helping support St. Mary’s during Lucy’s maternity leave.

Structure, governance and management

The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure and is a Registered Charity.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At St Mary's the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent (our vicar), churchwardens, retired priest with Permission to Officiate, Licensed Lay Ministers and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All regular members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.

During the year, the PCC met 10 times during the year with a pattern of alternating between business focussed meetings which include a time of prayer and mission focussed meeting where business is kept to urgent matters only, such as finance, fabric and safeguarding. In addition, we have a Standing Committee which met on a regular basis to aid communications and ongoing works between PCC meetings, especially throughout the maternity leave.

The main areas of focus for the PCC this year have been:

The items on the Quinquennial inspection report
Church Worship and provisions for children and young people
Financial reports monthly
Building concerns and issues – including the hall flooring and fallen masonry at the west end.

It would be very welcomed, to have new faces standing for election to the PCC at this year’s APCM, to enhance and grow the leadership of St Mary’s.

Fabric

Following the Quinquennial Inspection last year there have been minor repairs to the roof, and a new floor in the hall and kitchen.

There was some dislodged masonry work which fell from the rose window at the church’s west end and so inspection, safety netting and plans have been undertaken this year and into 2024 to make safe and look toward repairing this issue.

There has been some repairs and improvements made to the church hall heating and minor repair works to the taps in the toilet facilities.

The work required on the church bells continues to be in abeyance. Funds amounting to £3,886 have been raised for this project and the PCC is continuing to make the decisions about how to move forward with this project, having now received an updated quote from Blyth and Co.

Administrative Information

St Mary's church is situated in Green Lane, Wyke. It is part of the Diocese of Leeds within the Church of England. The correspondence address is 6 Vicarage Close, Wyke, Bradford, BD12 8QW. Registered Charity number 1153194.

PCC members who have served at any time from 1 January 2023 until the date this report was approved are:

Ex Officio members:

Incumbent: The Revd. Lucy Wormsley (Chair) – on maternity leave 25[th] Jan 2023 to 2[nd] Jan 2024 Wardens: Mr Bernard Lewis (Vice chair) – acting as chair during maternity leave Ms Hannah Dowler Deanery Synod rep: Mr Bernard Lewis Licensed clergy: The Revd. Margaret Lyons (retired with Permission to Officiate) Licensed Lay Ministers: Mrs Susan Naughton (working as Lead Chaplain for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust) Mrs Sylvia Percival

Elected members:

Mrs Evelyn Haigh (PCC Secretary) Mr John Roberts (Treasurer) Mrs Gillian McQueen Mrs Christine Haley Mrs Dawn Moody Mrs Dianne Douglas Mrs Gillian Watson

Approved by the PCC on Tuesday 19[th] February 2024 and signed on their behalf by Rev. Lucy Wormsley (Incumbent/PCC Chair)

Date.....20/ 02/2024.............

Signed...........................................................

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF ST MARY'S CHURCH, WYKE, BRADFORD

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the Year Ended 31 December 2023

Receipts and Payments Accounts

Note RECEIPTS Voluntary receipts Planned giving Collection at services Collections - weddings, baptisms & funerals All other giving/voluntary receipts 3(a) Gift Aid recovered Activities for generating funds 3(b) Investment Income Church Activities 3(c) Total Receipts PAYMENTS Diocesan parish contribution (Share) Fund Raising expenses 4(b) Church activity expenses 4(c) Missionary giving and donations 4(a) Extra-ordinary items of expenditure 4(d) Total Payments Excess of receipts over payments Tranfer to Investment Fund 2 Cash at bank at 1 January Cash at bank at 31 December Statement of Assets and Liabilities Cash Funds Barclays Current Account Barclays Premium Deposit Account Other monetary assets Gift Aid recoverable Investment assets Collective Investment Account at value as at 20/12/2023 2	General Funds £ 23295 3507 341 1235 6388 34766 5545 1074 15570 56955 29800 1398 25104 6521 0 62823 -5868 0 10756 4888 4888 0 4888 1859	Designated Funds £ 0 0 2000 4688 1000 9749 17437 -17437 -100000 174706 57269 0 57269 57269 104479	Restricted Funds £ 0 0 0 50 0 50 -50 0 10564 10514 0 10514 10514	TOTALS 2023 £ 23295 3507 341 1235 6388 34766 5545 1074 15570 56955 31800 1398 29792 7571 9749 80310 -23355 -100000 196026 72671 4888 67783 72671 1859 104479	TOTALS 2022 £ 21486 2110 767 8520 5976 38858 3278 203679 245815 33500 716 23812 3200 18831 80059 165757 0 30270 196028 16026 180000 196026 1559

Notes

1 The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Payments basis.
2 This is a long term investment of a substantial part of the 50-year Mobile Phone Mast Licence in the expectation that the fund will grow over a medium to long term period faster than inflation. The investments are in a platform of nine ethically-based funds, managed by Quilter Investment Platform Ltd. The amount of £100,000 was invested on 21 June 2023.

3 Receipts a) All other giving/voluntary receipts Legacy - Mrs Rosemary Moore Donations - church members and others Grant - contribution to increase in Energy costs b) Fund Raising Line Dancing Social Events Refreshments Summer Garden Party Brass Band Concert Christmas Fayre Mary & Martha Wine Tasting Craft & Chatter c) Church Activities Fees for Weddings and Funerals Church Hall lettings - local community use Mobile Phone Mast fees 4 Payments a) Missionary giving and donations CMS - mission partners in Guatemala Latin Link - Mission partners in Guatemala Open Doors Leeds Diocesan Sudan Link Other donations b) Fund Raising Refreshments Summer Garden Party Brass Band Concert Christmas Fayre Wine Tasting c) Church Activity Expenses Clergy and staffing costs Cost of services, licences and subscriptions Organ and piano maintenance Training and presentations Electricity - all buildings Gas - all buildings Water - all buildings Cleaning - all buildings Church maintenance & security Insurance - buildings, contents and liability Church hall maintenance & security Church grounds equipment and maintenance Quinquennial Survey Fee Printing, photocopying and stationery Telephone and internet expenses Independent Examiner Fee Mobile Mast costs and allocations Professional Fees d) Extra-ordinary items of expenditure Rewiring of church electrics (incl. VAT refund) Upgrade church hall heating (incl. VAT refund) Repairs to lightning conductor (incl. VAT refund) Repairs to church hall floor	General Funds £ 0 1235 0 1235 300 952 1010 1400 1106 0 628 150 5545 1415 14155 0 15570 1800 1800 2000 0 921 6521 -502 -113 -522 -105 -157 -1398 120 1763 233 115 3444 7379 324 3237 1589 3563 2132 362 0 743 0 100 0 0 25104 0 0 0 0 0	Designated Funds £ 0 0 0 0 1000 1000 0 4688 4688 9749 9749	Restricted Funds £ 50 50	TOTALS 2023 £ 0 1235 0 1235 300 952 1010 1400 1106 0 628 150 5545 1415 14155 0 15570 1800 1800 2000 1000 971 7571 -502 -113 -522 -105 -157 -1398 120 1763 233 115 3444 7379 324 3237 1589 3563 2132 362 0 743 0 100 0 4688 29792 0 0 0 9749 9749	TOTALS 2022 £ 6000 20 2500 8520 222 399 0 1230 1370 58 0 0 3278 1382 16147 186149 19181 600 600 2000 0 0 3200 124 0 472 120 0 716 176 1097 226 0 1979 3795 297 2432 1385 3330 756 864 1200 897 488 100 4791 0 23812 15575 2561 695 0 18831

5 DESIGNATED AND RESTRICTED FUNDS

The movement in these funds during the year were:

Restricted Funds: Church Grounds & Graveyard Fund Youth Club Fund Parish Weekend Fund Children & Young Peoples Fund Designated Funds: Church Bells Fund Mobile Mast Licence Fund	1-Jan £ 6041 2144 431 1948 10564 3886 170820 174706	Receipts £ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0	Payments £ 0 0 -50 0 -50 0 -117437 -117437	31-Dec £ 6041 2144 381 1948 10514 3886 53383 57269

Restricted Funds:

The Church Grounds & Graveyard Fund now mainly comprises a Legacy of £6000 received in 2022 specifying that it should be used for 'the upkeep and improvements to the churchyard'.

The Youth Club Fund represents grants and fund raising for the running of a community Youth Club.

The Parish Weekend Fund represents funds raised in support of previous parish weekends and can only be used for a similar purpose.

The Childrens and Young Peoples Fund was created as a restricted fund in 2014 as a result of incorporating Sunday School funds into the Church Accounts. All receipts and payments relating to children and young people's activities ar channeled through this fund.

Designated Funds:

The Church Bells Fund was created by the PCC in 2020 to hold donations and grants, etc. for the purpose of repairing the church bells.

The Mobile Mast Licence Fund comprises the Fee received for a 50-year Licence. The fund is to supplement the General Fund ,where necessary, to maintain payment of the Diocesan Share, the upkeep of the church and church hall fabric; for the maintenance of the churchyard and graveyard; and for the hiring of staff to assist the vicar and the PCC in pursuit of the aforementioned aims. £100,000 from the fund has been invested to maintain the existance of the fund for as long as possible.