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← The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St Peter And St Paul With St Luke, Newport Pagnell

2023-12-31-accounts

The Parish of Newport Pagnell

St Peter & St Paul, High Street, Newport Pagnell, MK16 8AR St Luke, Wolverton Road, Newport Pagnell, MK16 8JQ

ANNUAL REPORTS

for presentation to the

Annual Parochial Church Meeting on Monday 13th May 2024

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Contents

Page
Rector’s Report 4
Churchwardens Reports 5
Parochial Church Council
- Secretary’s Report
- PCC membership and PCC Sub-Committees 7
Statistics 8
Safeguarding 9
Mothers’ Union 10
Sunday Club 12
Fabric Committee 13
Re-ordering Committee 14
Bellringers 16
Stewardship 17
Communications & Publicity report 18
Parish Visiting 19
Mission Group 20
CTNP 21
Treasurers Report 23
Appendix 1 Accounts

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Rector’s report Rev Nick Evans

The last year has been a time of steady progress and change – but all in the right direction. Our community outreach has been furthered greatly by the new CAMEO ‘adults and toddlers’ sessions which meet on Monday mornings. Here, all sorts of pastoral contacts are made and members of the congregation have connected well with many young parents and grandparents.

Similarly, the Saturday concerts have attracted significant attendances and are part of the plan to help to fund the reordering of the church so that the church space is better equipped for worship and community events.

During the year we have seen visible progress with the church reordering resulting in three new toilets which are now operational along with a new kitchen area which is functional as soon to be completed. The refurbished vestry area too is now being used for various meetings and the south porch has been redecorated in readiness for a counselling area for people who need to share and talk about pastoral issues.

We continue to make fruitful relationships with the town population and this has included fostering our links with members of the town council across the political divide.

Our publicity outreach has been enhanced by the creation of a new more user- friendly website which has been well received. We continue to connect with the town population through the church Facebook page and we now have wi-fi access in all parts of the church building.

Regarding worship there are several new people who regularly worship at St Luke’s and the parish church and we seem to have bounced back well from the covid days. We also now have a baby grand piano which is used for some of our worship and other community events.

We continue to have an adult confirmation class and Sunday club for the children which resulted in two youngsters receiving their first communion during the year.

The new worship rota seems to be working well and publishing details of when and where Sunday services are happening across the benefice has been helpful to most people. We continue to practise the healing ministry in, and outside, the church building and this continues to be a valued part of our ministry here.

There have been many changes over the past year and I am grateful for the help of the churchwardens and LLM team for helping and encouraging others to be part of all this. Thank you to all who volunteer their help for so many activities within SSPP and St Luke’s. There are too many to name here without accidentally leaving someone out! Many thanks to those involved in Discovery Groups, flower arranging, cleaning, fabric committee, reordering, publicity, the office and those who volunteer to help run the weekly refreshment hospitality provided at services and other community events.

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There is much to look forward to in the future – along with the many changes that will be occurring within the deanery as a whole. The Diocese recognises that we are understaffed regarding the availability of professional clergy compared to the huge population that our benefice serves. Our parish population is larger than that of all the other parishes in the deanery put together!

The benefice will grow significantly in the future with new housing being built at Moulsoe and NP.

Given all this, we are preparing well to provide a strong church presence for the town, now and in the future.

Thank you all for your continuing support and help over the last year.

Churchwarden’s Report Jennifer Mazzone

The role of Church Warden is varied, interesting, enjoyable and, at times, challenging. I am continuing to learn more about the role even now and that is what motivates me to be involved.

It has been a busy year. St. Peter and St. Paul and St. Lukes continue to thrive, and we are now even closer together mainly due to the joint services. This has been so good to see. congregation numbers are very stable, if not growing. New members join us and are made to feel welcome. Many visitors pop into church during the week either for private prayer or just to sit quietly. There are always requests on the Prayer Cross and these people are prayed for at the weekly Zoom Prayer Meeting.

There have been two inspections in recent months. The quinquennial, both at SSPP and SL. was a very in-depth inspection undertaken by Adrian Ringrose. From this we received a very detailed report of work which should be undertaken on the building, some of which is urgent, mostly on the stonework. Secondly there was the Archdeacon’s Inspection which was undertaken by Tim Edwards from Sherington and Jo Spray from Olney. They have to make sure that everything has been documented properly and kept up to date. They inspected the registers, policies, vestments, and the silver amongst other things. Thanks to Malcolm, all was in order and the inspection ran smoothly and successfully.

Our Church celebrated the King’s Coronation with a wonderful service to which the town was invited. A visiting choir sang three moving anthems.

One highlight has been the purchase of a baby grand piano. Luckily, we had a £2000 discount when purchasing it. This will be such an asset as we hope to hold an increasing number of concerts in church, both to give pleasure and to raise funds for the reordering. The music at some services may be better played on the piano. The old piano went to a centre in Ampthill for adults with special needs.

The first concert was held earlier in the year, and it was a great success. There was a full house, and a variety of music was played. The lighting in the church was amazing and we saw the building at its best. More of these evenings are being arranged on a fairly regular basis. It is my wish to introduce some lunchtime recitals, inviting young people in the town to participate. There is so much talent out there.

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Another success has been Cameo. Every Monday morning the South Aisle is buzzing with children, parents, grandparents and carers all happily getting along together. They all participated at Christmas and Easter in a short service and the children had something to take home with them. This is mission.

I attend several committees (Mission, Reordering, Events and Fabric) as I feel that it is important in my role to be active in all aspects of our church life and to be aware of how we are developing as a church. It is the people who are important.

Many thanks go to so many people who quietly do all sorts of things in the church, the cleaners, flower arrangers and those who produce rotas. Be assured it is greatly appreciated. My thanks must go to Nick and Jenny as we move forward supporting each other and working together.

Churchwarden’s Report Jenny Frost

2023 started with a New Years Day joint service at St Luke’s.

As it was the 250[th] Anniversary of John Newton’s famous hymn Amazing Grace, we sang his original version penned for his New Years Day sermon in Olney (1[st] January 1773)

The correct title of Amazing Grace is ‘Faith’s review and Expectation’ and it was one of many hymns Newton wrote to accompany his sermons. An apt way to start a New Year! As the year continued, we followed our usual pattern of activities at St Luke’s. The Cross was put up in the garden on Maundy Thursday, to be decorated on Easter Eve or Easter Sunday by the congregation. The Easter Garden and decorations around the church were put up by the choir and others.

In May with the first coronation in 70 years the children’s groups, who hire St Luke’s, decorated the windows with some quite colourful pictures of the King and Queen! In October we held our, traditional, bring and share lunch after our Patronal Festival Service. It’s always amazing how much food there is!

In November both churches had their Quinquennial surveys, which will form the basis of work planned for the next 3/5 years. More of that in the Fabric report! And then it was Advent and Christmas, another year has flown by.

We regularly have between 30-35 congregants at our 11am services and 45-50 at our joint services on the first Sunday of the month. Evening Services, except for Easter Eve and Advent, are generally lower with 20-25 in the congregation.

During the year the choir increased in size as Olwen and Ralph joined them and Freda became our organist for 11am services. They continue to meet regularly, on Saturday mornings, for practice and to choose the hymns for the coming weeks.

St Luke’s is a very much used building with Northern Pastures Preschool, 1[st] Newport Rainbows, 2[nd] Newport Rainbows, 4[th] Newport Brownies, Newport Rangers, Ouse Valley Trefoil Guild, Newport Pagnell Girl Guiding and Ouse Valley Girlguiding all being regular hirers. Therefore, on Saturdays the flowers are arranged, the choir meet for choir practice and the church is made ready for the Sunday service with chairs and tables put out and arranged as needed for refreshments and books and, of course, for people to sit on! A church building very much in use all week by a variety of children’s groups and our church

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community. The planning for the CTNP Annual Holiday club also takes place in St Luke’s as do Baptism and Wedding Preparation sessions.

My thanks to all those who serve on, and prepare, our rotas, the musicians, and Bill and Chris Watson for their continued, and much appreciated, support.

PCC Report

The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a registered charity.

Registered No: 1153668

The PCC met 7 times and the Standing Committee 7 times in 2023/2024

PCC membership

The appointment of PCC members is governed by and set out in the Church Representation Rules.

During the year, the following have served as members of the Parochial Church Council: Incumbent: Rev Nick Evans, Rector

Licensed Lay Ministers: Mervyn Evans and Karen Goff.

Churchwardens: Jennifer Mazzone and Jenny Frost

PCC Secretary: Olwen Smith

Deanery Synod representatives: Dick Smith (Treasurer), John Fowler, Mervyn Evans

Elected: Neil Ellis (from April 2023), Doug Hird, Brian Hunt (until April 2023), Beth Mackay, Kimonie Nicholls (until April 2023), Ralph Mazzone, Celia Oldham (from April 2023), Hazel Reynolds, Marlene Smith.

PCC Sub-Committees

The Parochial Church Council operates through several sub-committees which meet between full meetings of the PCC. They are:

Standing Committee: This committee comprises the Rector, Churchwardens, PCC Secretary and Treasurer. It has delegated powers to transact some of the business of the PCC between its meetings and deals mainly with housekeeping matters.

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Fabric Committee: This committee attends to the maintenance of the Parish Church, St Luke’s Church and 3 Castle Meadow Close, and considers future projects.

Events Committee: Established in October 2018 as an overarching committee to support organisers of events, providing support, advice and identifying possible helpers. Also, will identify new events and provide advanced planning.

Re-order Steering group: This group was established in January 2019 and will oversee and guide the re-ordering project.

Parish Visiting team: Established January 2020 to oversee and provide for the needs of those who request visits.

Mission Group: This group arose as a direct result of our Mission Open Day held in October 2021. The group had its inaugural meeting on Thursday 20[th] January 2022.

Statistics

Statistics
Baptisms Thanksgiving Weddings Blessings Church
Funerals		 Crem
Funerals
2014 28 4 23 0 14 21
2015 35 2 19 1 20 12
2016 34 0 14 1 25 5
2017 25 0 16 0 26 6
2018 13 0 12 1 24 5
2019 15 0 7 0 21 6
2020* 3 0 3 0 8 **201 **
2021* 7 0 7 0 16 161
2022 5 0 5 0 19 6
2023 17 0 4 0 19 5

*Covid 19 restrictions 1 Includes Graveside services

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Safeguarding Hazel Reynolds

  1. Safeguarding appears on the agenda at every PCC meeting. We continue to work in line with Church of England Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance.

2. Formal Obligation

PCCs are formally obliged to report to the APCMs on whether or not the PCC ‘has complied 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).’

3. Safeguarding Roles

The Parish Safeguarding Officer is Hazel Reynolds. In the latter part of 2023, she became the Benefice Safeguarding Officer. The DBS Recruiter and Verifier is Malcolm Godwin.

4. Safeguarding Policy, Guidance and Information

Our up to date Parish Safeguarding Policy is displayed in our entrance lobbies and appears on our website.

5. Safeguarding Learning and Development.

We had a Safeguarding training drive in 2022/2023, refreshing the training of appropriate parish workers and volunteers; we are required to refresh our training at least every 3 years. Access to the Safeguarding Training Portal is through the Oxford Diocesan website; we did offer face to face training to a few church officers in both Basic Awareness and Foundation, during 2022, but most were completed online.

At the time of writing, there are only a few church officers due to complete some Safeguarding training pathways before the end of 2024.

6. Safer Recruitment and People Management

In 2022 the Parish Administrator and I produced the Safer Recruitment Pack to guide and direct those church officers responsible for recruitment in our Parish; primarily it is volunteers we’re recruiting either for Clubs like the Memory Club or for in-house groups like our Sunday Club, and Parish Visitors (a PCC sub-committee).

The pack includes Volunteer role description forms, person specifications, volunteer application form, sample interview questions, reference request form and letter template, volunteer appointment letter template, parish volunteer agreement template, and Confidential Declaration Form for use in those instances when an enhanced DBS would be sought.

This process has most recently been followed when recruiting a new Sunday Club helper and two new Memory Club volunteers.

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  1. DBS Fewer Church Officers now need to have DBS clearance, the guidelines for when it’s required being more precise. Excluding members of our Ministry team (The Bishops ’office deals with their safeguarding and DBS clearance), 10 Church Officers hold DBS clearance, and it needs to be refreshed for 1 person this year.

8. Safeguarding Sunday

We marked Safeguarding Sunday at our combined service held in St Peter & St Paul’s on Sunday 19th November 2023; the objective being to raise awareness of safeguarding, and highlight the work done behind the scenes to protect children and vulnerable people. We could focus our next event on children and hold it at the 9.30 service, if we could be assured of at least 6 young people attending.

9. Concerns raised

Two Safeguarding concerns were raised in the past 12 months and resolved through liaison with the Diocese.

Mothers’ Union Jennifer Mazzone

I am very proud of our branch of the Mothers’ Union here in Newport Pagnell. We are still a very strong branch, and I was pleased to enrol Nicola Gatward as a member in December. We now have fifty-seven paid up members and I am enrolling Lyndsey Charlesworth as a member soon. The more members we have, the more we can spread the word about the work of the Mothers’ Union.

We had an interesting and varied programme last year. It is not always easy to find appropriate speakers.

We all enjoyed Love to Move led by Sue Maison. We had Bible Reflections and speakers from Children’s Air Ambulance, from MAF and the Community Larder. Nick based his talk around Lent and also led the ever-popular Quiet Afternoon. Several meetings have been led by members and these are always interesting and thought provoking.

We held our two usual social events, an Afternoon Tea, and the Cream Teas when, once again, we were lucky with the weather. Not only do these events raise money for projects and the Relief Fund but they also provide an opportunity to meet socially and really get to know each other better.

Several members attended the Spring Meeting in Furzton. As usual, it gave us an opportunity to meet with members from other branches.

Another happy occasion was the celebration for the Diamond Wedding of Brenda and Mike, two of our most stalwart and supportive members. Following a Communion service, which included their wedding hymns, we had a cake, made by Linda Ramsay, and toasted the happy couple.

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A great success in our church has been the introduction of Cameo. (Come and Meet Each Other) Our branch was successful in obtaining a grant from the Diocese. With this we were able to provide toys and other equipment. We are still getting new attendees and we have had to enlarge the area to accommodate the numbers attending.

We now have a strong link with Woodhill Prison, mainly thanks to Moira who is a prison visitor, and she is able to liaise between the prison and our branch. We provided a bag of goodies for each Christian prisoner at Easter including a card and an egg. For Christmas, they received another bag which included a card, a little booklet, two small chocolate bars, a cross and a pack of cards. This Easter we have given every prisoner an Easter egg. This is obviously really appreciated, and we hope this link with prison continues.

Many members still provide items for Baby Basics as the need for this continues to grow.

Pauline continues to send cards to people for all occasions: bereavement, special birthdays, and anniversaries. Thank you, Pauline. These cards are really appreciated.

I continue to send cards to couples who are getting married in our church and some members continue to assist at Baptism Preparation meetings by providing refreshments and running a creche.

Daffodils are provided by our branch for Mothering Sunday.

We run the raffle at the Bazaar which is always very lucrative. June Weston continues to organise this.

Thanks also go to Sophie, Carolyn, Pam and Margaret for dressing our entry to the Christmas tree Festival. It was both unusual and popular.

I would like to thank all branch members for their continued support of me and the branch. Special thanks must go to the committee: Sophie Cull (Treasurer), Margaret St. George (Secretary), Pam Miller, June Weston, Linda Ramsay and Carolyn Hawkes. They are all so enthusiastic and work very hard for the branch. Linda Ramsay resigned from the committee at our AGM and Julie Parker has joined our happy band.

New members are always very welcome to join our thriving branch. Please spread the word about the work of the Mothers’ Union and encourage people to join this amazing organisation. There are still many people who do not know about us or what we do and stand for. We are a strong force for good and we do make a difference locally, nationally and around the world.

Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time on 019098613088 or 07517439790 or at jennifermazzone@hotmail.com

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Sunday Club Glenda Winfield

We have a group of 7 children who regularly attend Sunday Club on the second and fourth Sundays of the month and we were delighted to welcome a new little girl to Sunday Club recently. We have continued to follow the lectionary, with the majority of our lessons reflecting the readings in church.

One of our Leaders, Rebecca Harrison, decided to step down from the rota during the summer break. We thank Rebecca for all the time and support she has given to Sunday Club; we are extremely grateful.

Welcome Hannah! We were very pleased that Hannah Ellis accepted the invitation to join our team of Leaders, into which Hannah has settled very well.

Our Leaders have been working through and keeping up to date with appropriate Oxford Diocese Safeguarding Training courses throughout the year.

The Sunday Club offertory continues to support Hand in Hand in Ethiopia, a small children’s charity working in Addis Ababa. We receive regular newsletters from the charity, providing an update on Yonatan Darge, the young boy we sponsor. Yonatan is reported to be doing very well academically and enjoys playing football with his friends after school. With the sponsorship money, the charity is able to provide a daily meal, medical payments, school fees and materials, tutorials, clothes and shoes annually, entertainment and recreation activities.

The Christmas Fair in November was a great opportunity to do some Christmas Crafts with the children in our community and to make some decorations for the Children’s Christmas Tree, created from fir tree branches and pine cones, for the Christmas Tree Festival. As in previous years, the Christmas crafts were extremely popular, with very little space around the tables for most of the day. The Nativity Trail around the church was again a great success. Many thanks to everyone who gave their time, talents and resources to make this occasion so enjoyable and successful.

The Christingle Service in early December was amazing. The atmosphere was wonderful and it was enjoyed by all who came along. Thank you to everyone who took part in assembling all the various elements that made up the Christingles. It was also an opportunity to begin the journey of the Travelling Crib and invite families from the community to join in this tradition.

The Christmas Eve Crib Service was a joyful occasion, and the Sunday Club children and leaders were amazing, re-enacting the traditional Nativity Play. Thanks go to the children who played their parts so well, their parents, the Sunday Club Leaders, Karen Goff and Nick Read.

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It was so exciting for Sunday Club children, their families and friends to be back at The Venue for this year’s Pantomime, Jack and The Beanstalk, in late December. As always, the pantomime was great fun and enjoyed by everyone.

On Mothering Sunday the children were most helpful in assisting the Mothers’ Union to distribute bunches of daffodils.

On Easter Day we had lovely Sunday Club session with lots of children and this was followed by the traditional Easter Egg Hunt after the service.

Grateful thanks go to all the Sunday Club Leaders for their all of their great ideas and their dedication to our lovely little group of children.

Fabric Committee Doug Hird

As usual there have been a number of ongoing maintenance activities this year and a few more noticeable things.

The floor beneath the piano was reinforced which showed that the rest of the flooring needs attention, or complete removal. Allied to this has been the successful disposal of a number of the Victorian benches.

A letter to the trustees of the Revis alms-houses resulted in the removal of the old blue van and we have decided to fit stricter “No Parking” signs to make our point more strongly.

At the most recent meeting of the committee the most significant items of concern in the quinquennial inspections for both churches were discussed. The common theme being water.

Engaging contractors for these comprise the main focus of our activities for 2024.

The installation of a mesh WiFi system in SSPP was also discussed and subsequently installed by Dick Smith.

The committee proposed for 2024 is the same as for 2023:

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- Re ordering Committee Mervyn Evans

“A building that celebrates the past, lives in the present and embraces the future.”

Progress During the Year

It has been good to see Phase One of the reordering project happening at last. The new toilets were installed in time for the Christmas Lights event, the refurbishment of the South Porch is complete with new lighting installed.

The crucifix has been most wonderfully restored by David Agnew, with a new cross made

from the wood of one of the old pews and is now in its new location above the south porch door.

The new servery is functional, the electrics, water and drainage are all fitted and some of the internal cabinets are in place.

We hope to have the servery completed in the next month or two, but this element of the project has been delayed slightly by the need to change contractors.

It is encouraging that the costs of Phase One have been in line with the original estimates.

It is perhaps appropriate to cast our minds back to the vision which provided the impetus for the reordering project. In 2019 we proposed the following:

“Renewing the Historic Heart of the Town”

Among the priorities identified for the building were:

b. A place for community use, for life events such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, hospitality and welcome.

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c. A venue for history, heritage and culture. Concerts, school visits. Here the emphasis is on a warm and hospitable space with high quality facilities, toilets and signage.

d. Environmentally friendly, a centre of excellence, a potential to generate income, a sound investment for future generations.

The new facilities have gone some way to meeting these needs. The additional toilets, improved catering facilities and the refurbished south porch have enhanced our offering to the community.

In March we held the first of a series of fund-raising concerts ‘The Parlour Sessions’ and it was a great community event.

At the time of writing a second concert is planned for 11[th] May, and we hope that, as before, all tickets will be sold.

As we come to the end of this first phase of reordering, our attention turns to the challenge of Phase Two. Here, learning from experience, we will focus on obtaining the necessary Faculty approval before going out for large grants as many of the grant-making bodies will not consider any application until all the approvals are in place. As a reminder, here are the intentions for the next phases of the project:

Proposals

Phase 2

1. Removal of pews and pew platforms. Six pews to retained and used for social seating in the aisles.

2. Laying new, level, flooring in place of the pew platforms.

3. Renewing the heating system.

4. Renewing the lighting in the Nave.

5. Redecoration of the Nave.

6. Purchase of new seating.

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Phase 3

1. Reconfiguring the sanctuary and providing ramped access to a new dais.

Early estimates for Phase Two suggest that we will need to raise some £600k, a considerable sum of money, but we are confident that it is achievable. The committee tries to have a short weekly meeting, normally on Friday mornings in the Parish Office. We would welcome more involvement though, so do speak to any member of the team if you would like to get involved, no experience necessary!

Finally, the committee would like to thank all for their patience during the process and for their generous support.

The Reordering Sub-Committee comprises Mervyn Evans (Chair), Jennifer Mazzone, Ralph Mazzone, Dick Smith, Malcolm Godwin, Paul Hawkes and Leon Hudston (Project Manager).

Bellringers Doug Hird

Ringing at Newport continues at a relatively low level. This is not unusual at the moment though. There is no 8-bell tower in North Bucks that regularly runs an 8-bell practice and many 6-bell towers have no ringing at all. The ringers we do have are spread thinly throughout North Bucks so any meaningful progress can only be made by combining our efforts. This is where the Oxford Diocesan Guild shows its value in holding together the art in the diocese. The North Bucks Branch runs regular practices, training events and social events which benefit individuals and strengthen ringing in individual towers. Survival is only assured through ringers being non-parochial but this requires some organisation and communication.

A post on Facebook for volunteers to come along elicited no response. There will be other occasions when we can try again though.

We have had a number of visiting bands and some local groups have made use of the ringing simulator to practice advanced methods without disturbing the locals.

Work on the bells is ongoing to make the striking as true as possible. This involves measuring the delay between the swing of a bell and its strike. The target is less than 5ms error. So far only three of the bells fall within that.

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----- Start of picture text -----
Newport Pagnell Odd Struckness (ms)
40
30
20
10
0
-10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
-20
-30
-40
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To remedy this, tapered nylon washers are being made to bias the clapper positions.

The clock is becoming increasingly unreliable and inspections and servicing by the clock firms have identified wear in some of the bushings. So the clock will, at some point, need to be overhauled. The striking of the quarters, hours and tune machine are beset with electrical problems. These are also on the shopping list.

Stewardship Dick Smith

Planned Giving is a vital part of our income, and regular members of the congregation should commit to regular giving throughout the year. During the year, our Planned Giving dropped slightly by £500. However, Parish costs continue to rise and we need to see that growth continue going forward. Although it was good to see some new members of the congregation joining the scheme, we continue to lose long-term members who have either died or whose financial situation has changed.

Recovery of Gift Aid from HMRC consists of 2 parts. Firstly we receive Gift Aid on a large part of our Planned Giving (some members of the scheme are not tax payers and therefore cannot Gift Aid their contributions) Secondly we are able to claim Gift Aid on small donations in our collections at services. In 2023 we saw a drop in Planned Giving but collections were significantly higher and in 2024 our tax recovery income will increase by about £1,100 (we have to claim this in arrears).

We would welcome new members to the Stewardship scheme. If you are regular attendees at any of our services, please consider joining the scheme. Contact me for further information (nppcc.treasurer@gmail.com or 01908 730870)

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Communications & Publicity report Moira Evans

Most of our communications with parishioners and the general public is now done electronically through various social media routes as well as standard emails.

Facebook

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Parish Facebook
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Likes Followers
2021 2022 2023 2024
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The Parish Facebook page has continued to attract visitors and to date (15/04/24) the figures are:

0 The ‘like’ counter is the number of people that have Likes Followers liked our Facebook page. When a new visitor likes our 2021 2022 2023 2024 page, the default setting is that they also follow our page. When someone ‘follows’ our page, it means that our Facebook page posts will appear on their personal Facebook feed.

Other town Facebook pages such as Newport Pagnell What’s On and NP Chit Chat are used to advertise church events and services throughout the year.

Website

Our website (npparish.org.uk) was redesigned recently and now provides a cleaner and easier navigation journey for people looking for information about our services, church activity or other life events. It is cl

ear that the website is primarily an outward facing resource tool for the general public as the new site was live for 2 weeks before any parishioner noticed!

Zoom

The Parish has a Zoom account and Zoom video conferencing has enabled us to continue our weekly Zoom Prayer meetings. One Discovery Group meeting also take place on Zoom as do some parish and diocesan meetings.

Pews News and Parish Emails

These continue to be circulated to parishioners on the parish database and keep everyone up to date with service details and other relevant information.

Pews News continues to be made available as a hard copy for those who do not use the internet.

WhatsApp

The parish has an active WhatsApp group currently with 49 members (up from 45 last year). Other groups such as Confirmation Class, Events and Church Transport also use WhatsApp to communicate quickly with each other.

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Benefice Planner

The diary of services and events is circulated electronically, published on Facebook, available on the website, and at the back of the churches as a hard copy. The aim is to cover 4 months at a time so it needs producing 3 times a year.

Parish Visiting Beth MacKay

We are a team of people who are ready and willing to go out to visit members of the congregations and others who might appreciate a visit from someone from one of our churches - perhaps because they’re elderly, housebound, in a care home, suffering from illness, recently bereaved or just lonely or struggling and in need of some company. On visits we’re happy to worship and pray with people, share Holy Communion, as well as have a good chat. Or we’ll just chat if that’s what people want. We always contact people by phone in the first instance and only visit if they are happy for us to do so. All team members are required to have regular DBS checks and relevant safeguarding training.

Members of the team make regular home visits to people who are housebound and have requested visits (this might be weekly, fortnightly or monthly), and also make more adhoc visits to others as needed. Communion Services are held monthly at Lathbury Manor, Castlemead and Tickford Abbey. We don’t currently hold services at Westbury Grange as it has its own chaplain who arranges regular services there but we do visit two of the residents on a regular basis and bring home communion to one of them.

It's not just about visiting though. We also make phone calls to people who might need support and provide ad hoc help in cases of illness or bereavement, such as lifts to church/other places, or shopping/meals etc. Of course, we know that many other members of our church family are regularly reaching out to others and carrying out the same caring and support activities as those carried out by the team and we believe that pastoral care isn’t just the responsibility of one person or one designated team. To be successful it has to be a shared ministry by us all in response to Jesus’ command that we love one another as he loves us . And, as a team within the church, we rely on other people to alert us to situations where we may be able to help.

Members of the current team are: Mervyn Evans, Rev Nick Evans (Rector), Karen Goff, Carolyn Hawkes, Brian Hunt, Beth MacKay (Parish Visiting Coordinator), Pam Miller, Sue Maison, Hazel Reynolds and Marlene Smith. If anyone would like to find out more about the role of a Parish Visitor, I will be happy to talk to you. My phone number is 07989085318.

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Mission Group Karen Goff

This group arose as a direct result of our Mission Open Day held in October 2021 with its inaugural meeting in January 2022. This group has met 3 times since the last APCM.

Our aim is to try to fulfil the Five marks of Mission (adopted by the General Synod of the Church of England in 1996):

To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom (Tell)

To teach, baptise and nurture new believers. (Teach)

To respond to human need by loving service. (Tend)

To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to seek to pursue peace and reconciliation. (Transform)

To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth. (Treasure)

In May 2023 our first CAMEO (Come And Meet Each Other) group took place and has been running very successfully attracting a variety of carers, fathers, mothers, grandparents and their young children. The group meets on Monday mornings from 9.30 to 11.30 and continues during school holidays. Numbers are so good that a larger area has been created on the south side of the church. A short, interactive story, prayers and a song were included at Christmas and Easter and we were able to provide appropriate gifts for the families. It is lovely to see the young children with their adults wander round the church and feel very comfortable. Free refreshments are available and an opportunity to chat and get to know people from the congregation as well as other carers.

‘Explore Christianity’ material has been very popular providing prayer cards on a variety of topics that people are welcome to take. Posters from this company have also provided display material at Advent and Easter. This company also has a 3 session course called ‘Hope explored’ which we are thinking of using in the right setting. The diocese also has some online courses that we are exploring.

Following the success of the ‘Walk through the Bible’ event in July 2022 we are planning another one based on the New Testament.

We continue to think about our mission in rural parishes but await news of deanery reorganisation to move this forward.

20

CTNP Celia Oldham

CTNP is a group of Christian churches in Newport Pagnell. We organise joint events throughout the year to help spread God’s word to the people of this town.

Holiday Club summer 2023

The Holiday Club took place from August 21[st] to 24[th] , and 146 children attended for at least one day: 121 had 100% attendance. We were blessed with dry weather throughout, and this meant that every group had the chance to go outside and launch air-powered prayer rockets in the area behind Lovat Bank. This reflected the Space Academy theme, which was enhanced by daily contributions from Revd Dave Gregory of the Baptist Church, who conducted simple scientific experiments, which greatly appealed to the children. They also learned the key stories from the book of Daniel, created lots of crafts, and enjoyed a drama serial.

All this was only possible because of the 36 adult volunteers and 23 young helpers who took part.

Alternative premises will need to be found for summer 2024 , as the Baptist Church is being refurbished.

Songs of Praise 22[nd] October 2023

This service was well attended by members of all churches in Newport Pagnell. Representatives from each of the churches gave their testimony then chose a hymn. The service was followed by coffee and biscuits which gave the opportunity for members from the different churches to socialise.

Finding the Nativity on the High Street 21[st] December 2023

This followed the same format as previous years, with scenes from the nativity being staged at various churches in Newport Pagnell. Children received a stamp on their card for each scene they visited. Many thanks to all those who gave up their time to ensure the event was a success. It was asked that in future, before the carols at the end, it is emphasised that all the churches are involved. All ministers were in attendance.

New Year’s Day walk 2024

This event is organised by the laity of the churches. It involved a walk around each of the Newport Pagnell Churches. There was a short 10-minute service at each church. The theme was ‘Spiritual Gifts’.

21

United Service for Christian Unity 24[th] January 2024

This took place at the Parish Church. Ministers from all the churches in Newport Pagnell took part. The service included readings, reflections and hymns chosen by the clergy. There was a large congregation which included members from all the churches.

World Day of Prayer 1[st] March 2024

The service is written by Christian women from a different country each year. It is prepared about 5 years in advance. On the first Friday of March, every year, the same service is held in countries all around the globe. This year the service was written by the women of Palestine. NPCT hold the service in a different church each year. This year it was in the methodist church. About 50 people attended, including several from SSPP. The theme was ‘Bear with one another in love’. The service included readings, songs, and stories from the women of Palestine. Members from various churches took part in the service. This was followed by coffee and cake.

Lent Lunches

Some of the long-term helpers felt it was time to step down, so there was an appeal for new recruits. Fortunately, many answered the call and the lunches were able to go ahead. On each Friday during Lent, around 100 people partook in sharing a meal of tasty homemade soup, cheese, and a roll, followed by coffee and cake. There was a lovely, communal atmosphere. Grateful thanks to all those who helped in organising, making soup, baking and serving food. The money raised goes to Christian Aid.

Walk of Witness on Good Friday

This was not a CTNP event this year. However, Members of SSPP had their own walk of witness.

Easter Biscuits

Biscuits were handed out to the shopkeepers and passers-by on the High Street, together with an Easter message. Thank you to all those who helped bag the biscuits and give them out.

The Emergency Help Scheme

In the past year over 250 journeys were arranged. Just under half of these were to Milton Keynes University Hospital. Of the remainder, the bulk were in Milton Keynes too, but 23 were to locations further afield, including, for the first time, the Horton General Hospital in Banbury. Sadly, there were 3 requests where no driver was available. Our aim is 100% success rate, of course, and we are hopeful that we will be able to meet the demand with our existing community of drivers, although, as I have mentioned, new drivers are always welcome.

22

EHS funds have increased since last year, due to some generous donations, and we remain solvent. Our single greatest item of expenditure is our public liability insurance premium. We wish to thank our friends for their generous support during the last 12 months.

CTNP Website

The website has been recently set up and is run by Chris Rowe.it is intended to link with the websites of Newport Pagnell churches. Chris may ask for a £50 contribution from each church.

Treasurer’s report Dick Smith

If you look at the basic figures we show a deficit of £40,239.37 of receipts over payments. On the Restricted Funds (mainly Fabric) we had a surplus of £11,500 due to donations received towards the Vestry refurbishment that was undertaken in 2022. On the Unrestricted Funds we are showing a deficit of £53,370.42, but if you separate out the Reordering Project the deficit is only £1,780. To cover the deficit on the Re-ordering Project we had to transfer £50,000 from one of our investments. Although fundraising was started in the later part of the year, we received income of only £5,250 and we also received grants of £37,500. Legacies over recent years have helped support us financially, although we had none in 2023, but we need to improve our general income to ensure we can fund everything we want to do. The more we deplete the reserves we have, the less we will be able to afford. We cannot afford to move forward with the next phase of the Re-ordering Project without raising significant funding as if we use more of our reserves we will not be able to cover our general costs.

Planned Giving dropped this year by £500 over the previous year, and collections have risen by nearly £2,000, but we are still £3,000 below that raised in 2019. In 2023 we had a huge rise in energy costs of approximately £8.000, although the costs will reduce this year they will still be in the region of £4,000 above those in 2022. Our Tax Recovery recovered slightly in 2022 and has risen again in 2023. Rent was nearly doubled as the Pre-school at St Luke’s has been paying the full cost during 2023. Fee income however was fairly static and is below pre-pandemic levels, we only see a fraction of the weddings we used to have.

Our general expenditure remained relatively static, except for energy costs and the Reordering Project. Parish Share was held at the same level by the Diocese in 2023, but we will see an increase in 2024 of approximately £2,000 and may well see a significant increase in 2025 of around 10%.

The value of our investments have in general improved over 2023, but show a drop due to the sale of £50,000 to cover the Re-ordering Project. This will also result in a reduction of the dividends we receive.

23

The PCC continued to use an external accountant again this year for the independent examination of the accounts. The PCC approved the accounts at the PCC meeting on 22 April.

24

Appendix I Accounts 25

Parochial Church Council of Newport Pagnell

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2023

Receipts and Payments Accounts

Note
RECEIPTS
Voluntary Receipts
Planned giving
Collections at services
All other giving/voluntary receipts
5a
Tax recoverable
Activities for generating funds
5b
Investment Income
5c
Church activities
5d
Re-Ordering Project
Total Receipts
PAYMENTS
Church activities
Diocesan parish share
Clergy and staffing costs
5e
Church running costs
5f
Parish house costs
Mission giving and donations
5g
Re-ordering Project
Cost of generating funds
Other Payments
3
Total payments
Excess of receipts over payments
Transfers between funds
4
Cash at bank and in hand at 1 January
Cash at bank and in hand at 31 December		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
TOTAL
funds
2023
TOTAL
funds
2022
£
£
£
£
£
38,047.60
0.00
0.00
38,047.60
38,576.86
8,269.82
0.00
0.00
8,269.82
6,437.12
2,802.84
7,493.39
0.00
10,296.23
46,172.26
11,781.69
0.00
0.00
11,781.69
10,217.36
60,901.95
7,493.39
0.00
68,395.34 101,403.60
21,371.00
17,996.82
0.00
39,367.82
15,153.25
27,896.01
6,045.79
0.00
33,941.80
33,085.99
6,762.00
0.00
0.00
6,762.00
5,103.80
44,017.50
0.00
0.00
44,017.50
1,718.80
160,948.46
31,536.00
0.00
192,484.46 156,465.44
54,391.59
0.00
0.00
54,391.59
54,294.57
14,043.47
0.00
0.00
14,043.47
13,196.12
45,245.23
18,404.95
0.00
63,650.18
73,639.50
984.60
0.00
0.00
984.60
532.11
5,710.75
0.00
0.00
5,710.75
6,240.61
93,943.24
0.00
0.00
93,943.24
9,430.38
214,318.88
18,404.95
0.00
232,723.83 157,333.29
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
587.28
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
214,318.88
18,404.95
0.00
232,723.83 157,920.57
(53,370.42)
13,131.05
0.00
(40,239.37)
(1,455.13)
51,590.12
(1,590.12)
0.00
50,000.00
0.00
(1,780.30)
11,540.93
0.00
9,760.63
(1,455.13)
49,194.78
10,886.49
0.00
60,081.27
61,536.39
47,414.48
22,427.42
0.00
69,841.90
60,081.26

Parochial Church Council of Newport Pagnell

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Note
Cash funds
Cash in hand
Bank current account
Deposit funds
Retained Deposit on 3CMC
Other monetary assets
Gift Aid recoverable
Other income due
Investment assets
Investment fund shares
at market value
3
Assets retained for church use
2
Liabilities
Mission giving
Organist fees
Clergy and staffing costs
Employer contributions due to HMRC
Re-ordering Project
Church running costs		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
TOTAL
2023
TOTAL
2022
£
£
£
£
£
0.00
0.00
0.00
784.68
20,113.81
20,898.49
10,545.19
48,244.80
2,313.61
50,558.41
51,151.07
-1,615.00
-1,615.00
-1,615.00
47,414.48
22,427.42
0.00
69,841.90
60,081.26
12,144.32
12,144.32
11,059.47
0.00
0.00
0.00
25.60
12,144.32
0.00
0.00
12,144.32
11,085.07
223,366.90
77,287.18
139,782.17
440,436.25 457,369.80
68,000.00
0.00
0.00
68,000.00
68,000.00
1,420.01
1,420.01
1,843.25
591.40
591.40
285.60
0.00
0.00
0.00
618.80
618.80
595.00
0.00
0.00
2,017.39
3,161.77
167.98
3,329.75
16,663.84
5,791.98
167.98
0.00
5,959.96
21,405.08

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. Fixed assets retained for church use is the freehold house at 3 Castle Meadow Close, purchased in 1995 on behalf of the PCC for £80,000 less a 15% equity retention held by the Diocesan Trustees (Oxford) Ltd. On 4 December 2017 the 15% Equity Retention was gifted to the PCC by the Diocesan Trustees (Oxford) Ltd in recognition of the PCC having maintained the house in good order ever since. In 2018 £55,212.17 was spent renovating the property. The market value of the house is in the region of £450,000.

  3. There are 3 endowment funds held on behalf of the PCC by the Diocesan Trustees (Oxford) Ltd . The Ecclesiastical Trust was established in 1990 from 69.25% of the sale of Church House. The trust is held in CCLA Church of England Investment funds for the purpose of furthering the religious and other charitable work of the parish and the income is unrestricted. The Elizabeth Darcy Charity was set up from 4 small charities to benefit the poor of the Parish The fund is held in the M&G Charity Multi Asset fund and the income is restricted. The Chancel Repair fund was established in 1972 and is held in a CCLA Church of England Investment fund for the purpose of repair and upkeep of the Chancel and the income is restricted.

Parochial Church Council of Newport Pagnell

There is 1 restricted investment fund, the Hayllar Fund, which was established in 1980 and is held in 2 investment accounts with Black Rock Charities UK Bond Fund A Inc and M&G Charifund. The purpose of the fund is for the upkeep of the churches and both the capital and income is restricted for that purpose.

Finally, there are 2 unrestricted investments, set up from the funds left in the wills of Louise Moodie and Iris Robinson. £150,000 of Louise Moodie's bequest was invested in the CCLA Church of England Investment fund during 2017 and £50,000 of Iris Robinson's bequest was invested in the same fund in 2020, to provide a reasonable return on the funds although the capital can be spent as and when necessary.

4 Fund Values

Ecclesiastical Trust
CBF Investment Fund
CBF Short Duration Bond Fund
Elizabeth Darcy Fund
M&G NAACIF Fund
Chancel Repair Fund
CBF Investment Fund
Hayllar Fund
M&G Charifund
Black Rock Charinco
Louise Moodie Fund
CBF Investment Fund
Iris Robinson Fund
CBF Investment Fund		 TOTAL
to 30/12/23
TOTAL
2022
£
£
74,868.75
68,430.56
8,948.45
8,475.52
2,209.57
2,172.43
53,755.40
49,132.81
68,879.52
70,536.96
8,407.66
8,271.06
162,835.56
195,024.40
60,531.34
55,326.06
440,436.25
457,369.80
  1. The movement in designated and restricted funds during the year were:
Bal b/fwd Receipts Payments Transfers Bal c/fwd
Designated
Ecclesiastical Income Account 18,572.98 2,860.70 0.00 (20,000.00) 1,433.68
Louise Moodie Income Account 2,072.93 5,966.59 0.00 (5,000.00) 3,039.52
Iris Robinson Income Account 16,786.78 2,073.00 0.00 (14,000.00) 4,859.78
Sunday School 55.67 104.34 150.00 0.00 10.01
Memory Club 5,738.76 1,892.40 1,868.66 12.50 5,775.00
Organ Fund 2,037.12 60.70 0.00 (186.00) 1,911.82
Re-ordering Fund (17,083.20) 44,017.50 93,943.24 21,840.12 (45,168.82)
Restricted
Rental Deposit on 3CMC 1,615.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1,615.00
Fabric Current Account 8,705.22 31,403.66 18,404.95 (1,590.12) 20,113.81
Fabric Deposit Account 1,452.35 46.54 0.00 0.00 1,498.89
Hayllar Income Account 293.17 9.40 0.00 0.00 302.57
Darcy Fund Income Account 435.75 76.40 0.00 0.00 512.15

This year the Flowers Account was closed. Over recent years there has been no significant income besides the money from wedding fees. The fees and the flowers costs are shown in the main account.

All transactions related to weddings, funerals, etc. are processsed through a separate Benefice account and the fees due to the PCC are transferred monthly in arrears into the general fund.

There are lines on the accounts for Re-ordering income and costs, and an additional page at the end of the accounts showing the Receipts and Payments for the overall project. The PCC decided to transfer the remainder of the legacy from David Lock (£12,087.83) and pay £20,000 from the Ecclesiastical Fund into the Re-ordering Fund. Other income has come from Grants, Donations and a Stewardship Appeal has been started. Money from the Louise Moodie Fund and the Iris Robinson Fund is being transferred to cover the deficit at present. As fundraising progresses this money will be returned to those funds.

The Rental Deposit on 3 Castle Meadow Close is held in the Deposit account but cannot be used for General Funds.

Parochial Church Council of Newport Pagnell

During 2023, £1,248 was received in Organ Fees and £557.40 was spent on Routine Maintenance. £690.60 will be transferred to the Organ Fund in 2024 to cover the surplus.

5. Further Analysis of Receipts and Payments

Note
Receipts
a) All other giving/voluntary receipts
Donations
Legacies
Grants
Copier
Sunday School
Memory Club
Misc
Fabric Donations & grants
Rent
Events (including Fetes)
Special Collections
c) Investment Income
Dividends on Investment Fund
Income from Investments
Bank and Deposit Fund Interest
d) Church activities
Fees for Batism Certificates
4
Fees for Weddings
4
Fees for Funerals
4
Contributions for Heating
4
Organ Fees
4
b) Activities for generating funds		 Unrestricted
funds
Restricted
funds
Endowment
funds
TOTAL
funds
2023
TOTAL
funds
2022
£
£
£
£
£
319.10
6,198.39
0.00
6,517.49
100.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
39,000.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1,680.00
200.00
0.00
0.00
200.00
302.00
104.34
0.00
0.00
104.34
208.81
1,892.40
0.00
0.00
1,892.40
4,659.38
287.00
1,295.00
0.00
1,582.00
222.07
2,802.84
7,493.39
0.00
10,296.23
46,172.26
0.00
17,996.82
0.00
17,996.82
1,313.15
16,916.23
0.00
0.00
16,916.23
8,523.95
3,878.76
0.00
0.00
3,878.76
4,088.35
576.01
0.00
0.00
576.01
1,227.80
21,371.00
17,996.82
0.00
39,367.82
15,153.25
9,726.33
5,974.95
0.00
15,701.28
15,596.04
16,800.00
0.00
0.00
16,800.00
16,800.00
1,369.68
70.84
0.00
1,440.52
689.95
27,896.01
6,045.79
0.00
33,941.80
33,085.99
54.00
0.00
0.00
54.00
48.00
1,848.00
0.00
0.00
1,848.00
2,063.80
1,995.00
0.00
0.00
1,995.00
1,342.00
1,617.00
0.00
0.00
1,617.00
804.00
1,248.00
0.00
0.00
1,248.00
846.00
6,762.00
0.00
0.00
6,762.00
5,103.80

Parochial Church Council of Newport Pagnell

Payments

Note
e) Clergy and staffing costs
Clergy expenses
Parish administrator
f) Church running costs
SSPP building running expenses
SL building running expenses
Insurance
Vestry Costs
Parish Office
Training
Social Events
Choir Pay and Organists
Church flowers
4
Misc.
Sunday School
4
Memory Club
4
Organ Maintenance
SSPP Maintenance (Fabric)
SL Maintenance (Fabric)
g) Mission giving and donations
NP Christmas Lights
The Childrens Society
Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia
Buildbuilder Trust
Willen Hospice
The Welcome Directory
MK Night Shelter
Water Aid
Bucks Clergy Charity
Hearing Dogs for the Deaf
Other		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Endowment
Funds
TOTAL
funds
2023
TOTAL
funds
2022
£
£
£
£
£
1,850.75
0.00
0.00
1,850.75
1,367.29
12,192.72
0.00
0.00
12,192.72
11,828.83
14,043.47
0.00
0.00
14,043.47
13,196.12
10,975.03
0.00
0.00
10,975.03
4,695.12
5,220.12
0.00
0.00
5,220.12
2,763.55
8,529.95
0.00
0.00
8,529.95
8,007.76
6,039.30
0.00
0.00
6,039.30
3,897.52
6,392.47
0.00
0.00
6,392.47
5,243.16
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
599.86
0.00
0.00
599.86
395.75
3,462.30
0.00
0.00
3,462.30
5,188.20
960.51
0.00
0.00
960.51
993.50
489.63
0.00
0.00
489.63
425.85
150.00
0.00
0.00
150.00
150.00
1,868.66
0.00
0.00
1,868.66
1,527.47
557.40
0.00
0.00
557.40
1,032.00
0.00
16,897.13
0.00
16,897.13
34,889.35
0.00
1,507.82
0.00
1,507.82
4,430.27
45,245.23
18,404.95
0.00
63,650.18
73,639.50
150.00
0.00
0.00
150.00
150.00
693.25
0.00
0.00
693.25
648.11
717.50
0.00
0.00
717.50
650.00
700.00
0.00
0.00
700.00
650.00
700.00
0.00
0.00
700.00
650.00
800.00
0.00
0.00
800.00
650.00
700.00
0.00
0.00
700.00
650.00
650.00
0.00
0.00
650.00
750.00
100.00
0.00
0.00
100.00
0.00
500.00
0.00
0.00
500.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
1,442.50
5,710.75
0.00
0.00
5,710.75
6,240.61

Parochial Church Council of Newport Pagnell

Re-ordering Project Designated Fund

As at 31 December 2023

RECEIPTS

Donation from John & Daphne Fowler 525.00
Donation in Memory of Thomas (Gordon) French 200.00
Donation in Memory of Derek Senior 250.00
Donation in Memory of Rita Millburn 350.00
Donation in Memory of Mel Partridge 118.80
Donation from Flower Festival June 2022 500.00
Anonymous Donations 800.00
Transfer of Residue of David Lock's Legacy from General Funds 12,087.83
Transfer from Ecclesiastical Fund 20,000.00
Gift Aid from Donations 250.00
Stewardship Appeal 5,267.50
74,739.95
Temporary Transfers
From Louise Moodie Fund 34,390.82
From Iris Robinson Fund 10,778.00
45,168.82
Grants
Oxford Diocesan New Projects 2,500.00
Oxford Diocesan Development Fund 30,000.00
Benefact Trust 3,750.00
Beatrice Lang Trust 5,000.00
VAT Recovery 1,590.12
42,840.12
Total Receipts 128,358.07
PAYMENTS
Architect Fees (23,630.22)
Measured Building Survey (5,148.00)
Croma Conservation Survey (1,296.00)
AJS Contracting (7,920.00)
Milton Keynes Council (882.00)
DrainageSurvey (564.00)
Statement of Significance (1,500.00)
Subscriptions to 'Church Grants' (98.00)
Project Management (11,888.57)
Groundworks for Servery (128.40)
South Porch Lighting (11,158.48)
Phase 1 (Servery & Toilets) (64,136.40)
Miscellaneous (8.00)
Total Payments (128,358.07)
Closing Balance 0.00

INDEPENDErir EXAMINERS REPORT TO THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH couficiL OF NEwpoKf PAGNELL Thls repjt on the financial stst&nents of the FICC for year ended 31st December 2023 whlch are set (Mjt on page5 1 to 4, is in respett of an examlnakn carrted out In accordan with the thurth Accounting ￿UlationS 2006 (Tr ￿UlatIOnS°) and s.144 (2) of tr Charities Act 2011 (Ihe kv.) Re5peth re5ponbllltles of the PCC and the examlner As the ff￿bers crf the PCC are res￿n&￿Ie for the pre￿rntion of financial ststements. You constder that the a￿lIt requirement of ReJulatrort5 and section 144(2) of the Art do not ap￿. It Is my res￿r￿1b11ity to issue thts rep)rt finarKlal stat&nents In accordan wlth the tem￿ of the Regulatrors. Basls of thls rewt My examlnatlon was carrled out kn accOry£an￿ with the General t￿reC￿Or6 gr4en by the Charfty Crynmlsskm urmder Sectknn 145(5Xb) of the Act ￿K1 to be fcwnd in the Church guIdan￿, 2006 edition, issued the ￿nar￿e Dpils￿n of the Archbishops. Council. That examinatiijn indudes a r￿1￿¥ of the aCC￿nting records kept ty tr PCC ar￿ a comparison of the acc(XEnts with those records. It aEso Indudes cor61derir#J any unusual Items or dtsdosures In the flnandal ststerrents arKI seeklng explanati￿5 from you as trustees conomlrNJ any s￿h matters. The p￿￿U￿$ urthrtaken do not provKle all the evklen that Y￿uld be r￿UIr￿￿ in an aud¢ a￿1 I do Th)t express an audlt oplnkn on the vlthv gbm by the accounts. In connection with my examination, Th) matter has c(#ne b) my att￿t￿)n. (i) whkh gi¥es me Teasonth cau* to bell￿ that In any materfal reS￿t the requiranents to keep accounting records in 2Kcordano with section 130 of the N¢. and and 0￿P[Y wlth the r4U1re￿￿ts of the Act aNI Regulath)ns (2) to which, in my opinKJn, attention sh￿Id ￿ dra￿ In (xder to er&3b￿ a pro underthndin9 of the acc4)unts to be reathed. J R COBLEY FCCA Artlsans. House 7 Queensbrfdge Northampton NN4 7BF Tel NIX 01604 823560 19th AP￿ 2024