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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Wyke

2024-12-31-accounts

ST MARY'S CHURCH – WYKE

ANNUAL REPORT and

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS of the PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

for the year ended 31 December 2024

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 2024 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

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:

  1. which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act; and

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or;

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

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2024 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.

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

The Revd. Margaret Lyons was a retired priest with permission to officiate for the most of 2024, but sadly died in December 2024. Sylvia Percival and Susan Naughton assist in Parish ministry 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:

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. Since October 2024, these services have been held, with licensed permission, in the church hall attached to the main church building. This is due to our church boiler being condemned in September. The PCC are currently researching and seeking advice for the best way forward with this, taking into account the C of E’s commitment to going carbon net zero by 2030.

Our monthly service pattern comprises Church Family Worship on the 1[st] and 3[rd] Sundays and Church Family Communion services on the 2[nd] and 4[th] Sundays. Where there are 5 Sundays in the month an All-Age Communion is offered. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have

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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 and continues to be valued by them. Prayer ministry is offered for people, following our Communion services twice a month. When possible, we offer Kids provisions as part of our Sunday services, either in the children’s area, or as a more integrated part of the services. We offer 4 or 5 parade services a year for our sponsored scouting group, in particular for Harvest and Remembrance.

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

We have, from July 2024, restarted our monthly Messy Church services in the hall. In order to reach out to more younger families and build on the relationships we have made through our baby and toddler group.

In 2024 our electoral roll comprised 60 members, 42 of whom are residents and 18 nonresidents. The average number attending on Sundays is 39 adults (2023: 40) and 4 under 16yrs (2023: 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 5 Baptisms, 0 Confirmations, 5 Weddings and 5 church Funerals, during 2024.

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 three times this year

February – focussing on Bradford City of culture 2025 and with a presentation given by Rev. Ned Slingsby-Lunn

June – focussing on funeral ministry and with presentations from James Crabtree of D. Walsh Funeral Directors, Jane Adams from Greengates and the Diocesan Finance Manager giving both a funeral directors and diocesan perspective on this topic.

November – focussing on the impact of prisoners on churches and the issues they might raise, with a presentation given by Rev. Jim Taylor.

Alongside the Outer Bradford Deanery Synod meetings, our Deanery representatives also attend the Bradford Episcopal Area Forum (BEAF). This is open to all, but it is an additional duty for Deanery representatives to attend these. The BEAF meetings act as further meetings of the wider deanery and diocesan Episcopal area for churches and their congregations to gain connection and support from one another. During 2024 there were two meetings. The main focus of both of these meetings were celebrating the 10[th] Anniversary of the Diocese of Leeds. The first was a thanksgiving service at Bradford Cathedral in June and the second was a meeting in October focussed on sharing stories of how churches and Diocesan staff have worked together well during this time, to develop and encourage our mission going forward.

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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 scouting groups for their Christingle and local nurseries for the nativities, although this year there was much less interest in this from organisations due to the lack of church heating and cold temperatures.

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. Our craft and chatter group on Monday mornings is also thriving, starting a few years back with 6 people, now hosting over 20 people each week and exploring the local area with day trips and lunches out together as a social treat for attendees and also managing to support the church and other charities with donations too.

Pastoral care

Our pastoral care teams continue to be reviewed and our list for pastoral care is being updated, aiming 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 Diocesan links with The Sudan, our partnership with 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 & David Pocasagre 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, with their beautiful daughter, Sofia also work in Guatemala City, but on behalf of Latin Link, with theological studies/ biblical languages and vulnerable women.

Despite, over recent years, our deteriorating finances and our inability to pay the Diocesan Share in full, we have continued to tithe 10% of income to mission and evangelism partners and projects. In September, the PCC debated a proposal from the Treasurer that we should continue to support our existing partners and occasional requests from other worthy causes, based on affordability rather than a percentage of income. The PCC agreed that it was important that the church should demonstrate a 'Generosity of heart' based on St Paul's teaching that 'each should give according to their means' and so the church should not be expected to give if the means were not there. The proposal was passed and going forward it

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was agreed that we continue our commitment to support our Guatemalan mission partners and Open Doors.

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 (£774.11) and offerings from the Christingle Service (£360.30) 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. There are ongoing plans for the Wyke Foodbank to become a separate CIO (registered charity), not officially under the Wyke Christian Council of Churches, but still very much wanting and needing the support of the local churches. This is a move to open up access for further funding and a wider resource pool. It was voted in favour of by the Wyke Christian Council of Churches during 2023.

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.

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Financial Review

General Fund:

This year our Financial Statements show a General Fund Deficit of £2,465, reducing our General Fund reserves to £2,424. Receipts of £62,401 are mainly derived from Giving/Gift Aid, £34,213, and Church Hall Rents, £16,718. Payments amounted to £64,866 which included a contribution of £30,000 to the Diocesan Share and £13,874 for gas and electricity costs.

Designated Funds:

During the year we incurred total payments of £11,647 which included a total cost of £4,840 for architect’s fees and subsequent repairs to the high west window; other items listed in Note 4(d) plus sundry donations of £1,000; and £3,000 additional Share contribution.

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. A total amount of £2,691 was expended from the Church Ground and Graveyard fund on repairs to the perimeter wall and the front paved area.

Investments:

At the end of the year the value of our investments is £113,260, a satisfactory increase over the year of £8,781 (8.4%).

Financial situation:

As reported last year, we are unable to sustain the level of spending required to support ongoing ministry and the maintenance of the church buildings from the General Fund reserves. In recent years this has impacted on our ability to pay our Diocesan Share*. This year we paid £33,000 (80%) of the £41,149 Share requested which brings the total shortfall for the last six years to £52.560! We are reliant on the Mobile Mast designated fund to provide adequate reserves and to cover unexpected, but necessary, expenditure. However, it is incumbent on us to manage the Mobile Mast Fund (including the investments) for future generations as it derives from the lease agreement covering 50 years to the year 2072! Given the situation relating to the church central heating boiler (as detailed in the Fabric report) we should not rely on this fund to cover any more than the repair cost as quoted!

Reserves Policy:

The combined year-end funds held in the general and designated funds total £48,046 and are well in excess of the long-held policy of holding a minimum of two months average expenditure and give us a decent cash-flow buffer.

*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 socio-economic factor for our area of Bradford. It largely provides for the stipends and housing of the clergy which currently averages £66,124 p.a. The Share requested from St Mary’s for 2025 is £42,384.

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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.

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.

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 who also met as a fabric committee this year to aid the research for the number of issues we have experienced with regards to our building and churchyard.

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

It would be very welcome 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

We have until midway through 2024 had the support of the Community Payback Team with the upkeep of our grounds and in particular they worked to renovate the patio flagging at the front of the church by the lychgate. This work was not completed, but due to a lack of supervisors for the group generally, we no longer have them visiting. We would welcome any offers of support for a team of people willing to help with the maintenance of the grounds, including leaf clearance, weed clearing from pathways. We are very grateful to those who already volunteer in the churchyard and thank them for all their hard work, it is very appreciated and goes noticed and complimented by many in the community. Our thanks

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extend to the community payback team for their work in the past year and we hope they are able to come back to us at some point in the future.

There has been installation of updated security flood lighting to the car park on a timer for those using the church, hall and carpark after dark.

Unfortunately, we had the sad news that the church boiler was to be condemned at its annual service in September 2024. Since then, we have moved into the hall for the majority of our services, under specially granted licence from Bishop Toby. This project will not be a simple fix or replace job, as the Church of England have a set target of 2030 to go carbon net zero, which restricts churches from simply making changes which would cause ongoing high carbon emissions. General synod voted on this target at their meeting of Synod in February 2020, where they called for Dioceses and churches to “take action and ramp-up efforts to reduce emissions.”. We were identified prior to the heating issues as one of the worst 10% of churches for carbon emissions and so had already begun seeking support and advice on ways to reduce this, being part of an energy auditing pilot scheme throughout the Church of England nationally. By the year end 2024, we have sent back our queries and questions about the audit results (no reply received as yet), and we have begun seeking advice from the Diocese as to how we can move forward and what the wider possibilities are. The costings for many of the greener options for heating our church have been estimated to incur heavy costs and will require grant funding. This opens up the possibility of wider projects for change. The PCC, while frustrated by the complexity of the process, remain optimistic about the possibilities that could lie ahead. Alongside the challenges there has already been some great positive feedback about worshipping in the church hall. It is very much a case of watch this space and if you fancy having a say then get in touch with Rev. Lucy. Alternatively, if you wish to be more involved in the process, and have skills to give to the work, then you would be very welcome to join the PCC.

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. but seeking more options for us to explore in whether we can fix without full renovation works.

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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 2024 until the date this report was approved are:

Ex Officio members:

Incumbent: The Revd. Lucy Wormsley (Chair) Deanery Synod rep: Mr Bernard Lewis Licensed clergy: The Revd. Margaret Lyons (retired with Permission to Officiate) – sadly died in December 2024 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 Gillian Watson

Mrs Dianne Douglas (sadly died in Sept 2024)

Approved by the PCC on 18/03/2025 and signed on their behalf by Rev. Lucy Wormsley (Incumbent/PCC Chair)

Signed........................................................... Date......18/03/2025......................... ([Samaly]

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

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the Year Ended 31 December 2024

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 A/c value at 20/12/2024
2		 General
Funds
£
24171
3186
239
1500
6856
35952
6077
903
19471
62401
30000
1382
28283
5200
0
64866
-2465
0
4888
2424
2424
0
2424
1858		 Designated
Funds
£
0
0
3000
0
1000
7647
11647
-11647
0
57269
45622
0
45622
45622
113260		 Restricted
Funds
£
0
0
2641
50
0
2691
-2691
0
10514
7823
0
7823
7823		 TOTALS
2024
£
24171
3186
239
1500
6856
35952
6077
903
19471
62401
33000
1382
30925
6250
7647
79204
-16803
0
72671
55868
2424
53445
55868
1858
113260		 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

Notes

3
Receipts
a)
All other giving/voluntary receipts
Donations - church members and others
Other
b)
Fund Raising
Line Dancing Social Events
Refreshments
Summer Garden Party
Brass Band Concert
Christmas Market
Craft & Chatter
Wine Tasting
Concert
Ceilidh
Sponsored Swim
Other
c)
Church Activities
Fees for Weddings and Funerals
Church Hall lettings - local community use
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 donation
b)
Fund Raising
Refreshments
Summer Garden Party
Brass Band Concert
Christmas Market
Wine Tasting
Concert
Ceilidh
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
Professional Fees		 General
Funds
£
1500
0
1500
215
1419
0
0
1643
200
0
783
515
1115
187
6077
2753
16718
19471
1200
1800
2000
0
200
5200
698
0
0
59
0
175
450
1382
105
2290
239
52
3952
9522
881
4335
619
3672
690
113
0
926
787
100
0
28283		 Designated
Funds
£
0
0
0
1000
1000
0
0		 Restricted
Funds
£
50
50
0
2641
2641		 TOTALS
2024
£
1500
0
1500
215
1419
0
0
1643
200
0
783
515
1115
187
6077
2753
16718
19471
1200
1800
2000
0
1250
6250
698
0
0
59
0
175
450
1382
105
2290
239
52
3952
9522
881
4335
619
3672
690
2754
0
926
787
100
0
30925		 TOTALS
2023
£
1235
0
1235
300
952
1010
1400
1106
150
628
0
0
0
0
5546
1415
14155
15570
1800
1800
2000
1000
971
7571
502
113
522
105
157
0
0
1399
120
1763
233
115
3444
7379
324
3237
1589
3563
2132
362
0
743
0
100
4688
29792
4
Payments (continued)
d)
Extra-ordinary items of expenditure
Repairs to Church Hall floor
West Window - scaffolding, architect & repairs
Hall Roof repairs
Defibrillator
Church roof and steeple repairs
New car park lights		 General
Funds
0
0
0
0
0
0
0		 Designated
Funds
0
4840
655
400
510
1242
7647		 Restricted
Funds		 TOTALS
2024
0
4840
655
400
510
1242
7647		 TOTALS
2023
9749
0
0
0
0
0
9749

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
381
1948
10514
3886
53383
57269		 Receipts
£
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0		 Payments
£
-2641
0
-50
0
-2691
0
-11647
-11647		 31-Dec
£
3400
2144
331
1948
7823
3886
41736
45622

Restricted Funds:

The Church Grounds & Graveyard Fund now mainly comprises the residue of a Legacy of £6000 received in 2022 specifying that it should be used for 'the upkeep and improvements to the churchyard'. The sum of £2641 was expended in 2024 on repairs to the car park wall and the front paved area.

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

The Parish Weekend Fund represents funds raised to enable people on low incomes to attend 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.