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2022-12-31-accounts

St Peter with St Thomas Bethnal Green

Annual Report and Financial Statements For the Year Ended 31 December 2022

CONTENTS
Annual Report 2-20
Independent Examiner’s Report 21
Statement of Financial Activities 22
Balance Sheet 23
Notes to the Accounts 24-30
Detailed Statement of Financial
Activities with Comparatives 31

Page 1

ANNUAL REPORT 2022

Part 1

Sections 1-6: The Vicar’s Report

1. Reference information

Since the previous year end, the following have served as members of the PCC:

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2. Structure & Governance

i. Responsibilities of the PCC

The PCC of St Peter’s Bethnal Green has the responsibility, together with the Vicar, the Rev’d Heather Atkinson, to promote in the parish the whole mission of the Church. This includes the pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical aspects. It is responsible for the maintenance of the buildings of St Peter’s Bethnal Green. As a Church of England Parish church, the PCC and Vicar follow requirements of Church of England Canon Law.

With regard to the PCC's obligations to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, the members of the PCC confirm that they have complied with their duties under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016.

ii. Objectives and activities

The objectives of St Peter’s Bethnal Green are to promote in the parish the whole mission of the Church with a focus to worship God, make friends and change the world. Amplification of the vision of St Peter’s is on the website and available in other papers. Otherwise do talk to the clergy.

The 2022 electoral roll had 152 registered members at the APCM. Of these 53 have now moved to other localities, 2 precious people rest in peace, 3 have been sent to train for the priesthood (plus 2 spouses) and six others have gone to work for other churches/mission organisations. Those on the Electoral roll are able to nominate candidates for the PCC. The PCC and Church Wardens are elected annually at the APCM. The PCC organises itself to carry out its aims and objectives by having regular meetings and various subcommittees. The PCC held five formal meetings over the year and one emergency meeting regarding the closure of the nave.

The PCC’s Finance Team prepares information for explanation and decision making for the PCC and takes forward management matters with the Vicar. Day-to-day management of the church is delegated to the Vicar, Rev’d Heather Atkinson and her staff team. An Executive Group operating as a Standing Committee was not formed this year given the sleek size of the PCC and swift digital communications.

iii. Public Benefit

The PCC members confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit. St Peters’ Bethnal Green works alongside a number of organisations as partners in undertaking mercy, justice and evangelism. We support these practically, financially and in encouraging people to volunteer and we receive support from them in fulfilling our calling as a local church.

These include: Bethnal Green Spear Trust, Resurgo, Bow, Bethnal Green and First Love Foodbanks, Columbia Road Traders Association, The Mission Practice, Oaklands School, The Arch (formerly Arch 76), The Tower Hamlets Healing Prayer School, and other local churches, individual ministries, primary schools and social enterprises.

The church of St Peter’s Bethnal Green benefits the community by the activities described in the section entitled ‘Change the World’, notably through outreach and supporting others through our volunteer programme, prayer and financial input.

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3. ‘Worship God’

i. Church attendance

Average Sunday attendance in 2022 at St Peter’s Bethnal Green (2021-2017 in brackets):

Q1
(Jan-March)		 Q2
(April-June)		 Q3
(July–Sept)		 Q4
(Oct-Dec)
10am sung Eucharist
adults 22
(17, 26, 32, 31,
38,)		 29
(23, 33, 30,27, 34)		 27
(27, 32, 27,24, 27)		 28
(25, 30, 27, 30, 31)
children 1 (1) 2 (1) 3 (1) 3 (1)
11am service of the Word/Eucharist/All Age Worship
adults 43
(35, 61, 55, 40, 37)		 30
(32, 51, 56, 40, 37,)		 35
(38, 43, 56, 37, 41)		 33
(33, 46, 58, 55, 45)
children 16
(12, 15, 14, 10, 14)		 10
(15, 11, 16, 12, 11)		 14
(14, 12, 17, 10, 13)		 15
(15, 15, 13, 15, 12)
10.30am all-age services
adults 56
(40,0, 60, 74, 70)		 73
(99,68, 77, 54, 80,)		 47
(38, 46, 48, 56, 58)		 40
(45, 58, 77, 68, 70)
children 21
(12, 0, 15, 11, 20)		 18
(6, 16, 19, 13, 4)		 13
(9, 7, 11, 10, 7)		 13
(7, 8, 10, 14, 12)
5pm evening service (Not inc Campfire Carols: 58 adults, 30 kids or Carols by Candlelight:
on Columbia Road – approx. 7,000 adults…)		 75 adults, 18 kids, or Carols
approx. 7,000 adults…)
adults 0
(0, 15, 23, 23, 31)		 0
(0, 0, 12, 15, 21,
28)		 0
(0, 0, 18, 29, 25)		 0
(0, 0, 19, 0, 25, 30)
Total number of communicants across all Sunday services
335 460 419 433

The clergy and lay members of St Peter’s Bethnal Green led and preached at services. We follow the Church of England lectionary and the rubric of Common Worship. We experienced a third year of adapting to circumstances in the wake of the pandemic, the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II and then the collapse of the ceiling.

During the early part of the year it was decided to no longer make hybrid services available, since very few used the zoom option and it was potentially an ‘easy option’ that was second best to gathering in person. While masks are no longer obligatory we continued to have hand sanitiser and PCR tests available in church. During the year it felt appropriate for the clergy to drop the use of a mask and gloves when presiding at Holy Communion while care is taken to wash hands before distribution and if the president suspects a cold coming on, a mask is used. The congregation indicated a preference not to return to the common cup but to reinterpret this by remaining with the practice of the Eucharistic Minister administering by intinction. This will be reviewed after appropriate study as a church.

Morning Prayer, where a liturgical format works as a cradle for intercession for the church, the community and the world, is said every Wednesday at 8am on Zoom. It has been increasingly hard for some older members who have less mobility and strength to get to church. The clergy have needed to increase the number of pastoral visits and offered Holy Communion at home, in hospital and in care homes.

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ii. Occasional Services, Seasonal Services and Service to the Wider Church.

3 consenting baptisms, 1 wedding and 2 funerals were officiated by the clergy at St Peter’s Bethnal Green in 2022. 2 sets of Banns were read for marriages and the clergy undertook 5 funerals, as well as hosting a screening of the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II, attended by 49 people from the parish. In releasing the Mission Hall to full time tenants, we celebrated Holy Communion and prayed solemnly for the building’s continued use in God’s mission to the local area as a nursery in the next decade. The Vicar also undertook duties as an Assistant Diocesan Director of Ordinands, as a Trustee of the Simeon’s Patronage Trust and The Arch, and as a Stepney Area Deliverance Ministry Advisor. Other services included:

iii. Children’s Church

The children are invited to join in the prayer and worship at the beginning of the 11am service before leaving for groups and, have activities at 10.30 services which may be drama, activity or craft-based. Anne Bishop has continued to serve the church leading the ministry to young people on a voluntary basis. In the first half of the year we were able to run groups during the 11am services for Young Life and the creche. With team members moving on it was harder to sustain this in the latter part of the year although a ‘creche’ group for the under 5s continues and covers this burgeoning age group.

There is an urgent need for more suitable helpers on the Young Life Team and the PCC discussed the urgent need for more space for groups. There is work to do to develop an age appropriate faith curriculum for the under 5s and the worship team has been working on introducing new songs for little ones. St Peter’s has continued to build a tradition of adults exemplifying engaged worship – including doing the actions. It has been brilliant to welcome some of the young people on to the Worship/AV Team. Further details of the work are given below in section 4.iv .

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iv. Prayer and Worship

Prayer is foundational to everything we do at St Peter’s. Any visible action and growth are built on the unseen life of prayer and the chancel has been a dedicated space for prayer while the zoom prayer meetings are the engine of the church. The ‘prayer warriors’ who attend Wednesday 8am zoom prayer meetings have been incredibly committed and interceded in ways that have led to many answers. Without them this church would not function. They add to the prayers of the PCC, the staff and those who pray for the ministry of St Peter’s at home. The intercessions in our services are often led by volunteers, bringing a wide range of voices and approaches. Increasingly we use WhatsApp groups, (including St Peter’s Alive, ‘Prayer Warriors’ and ones for individual life groups) to share prayers and prayer requests.

The 8am Morning Prayer zoom call is open to all. We are looking at other morning slots midweek which might be even more convenient for some and everyone is invited to join that conversation. Meanwhile we have successfully launched Dwell, which is an opportunity for worship, intercession and listening to the Holy Spirit on a Wednesday or Thursday evening. The Dwell dates aim to auger in seasons and missions such as Advent, Lent, Alpha and school terms so that these are couched and equipped by prayer and worship. They have been a powerful addition to our worshiping life in 2022.

Until November 17[th] 2022 the doors of the porch were kept open and the ‘say one for me’ cards were available in the church porch. These were used occasionally by members of the congregation to seek solidarity in prayer, but were mainly filled in by members of the public. These cards have been prayed over by the staff and, on occasion, in services. They are stored in the aumbry, with the reserved sacrament, and are burnt at the Easter Morning Vigil. We can see from the handwriting that some people are confident enough in the kindness of the church to use this gift regularly. The church porch will re-open as soon as possible.

On the occasion of the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II the church was opened in the afternoon for the ten days of state mourning. Many people came to sign the book of condolence and to spend time in the church. Some chose to leave their details on Hello cards and, as a result, one visitor responded positively to an invitation to Alpha. Others attended the screening of the state funeral and had the opportunity to pray and sing with us.

With strong and sacrificial support from the Worship/AV Team Luke Smith has overseen our music as part of his role as Ordinand. I am very grateful to Andrew Rixon who has borne the greater burden of playing the organ/keys at the 10am and to those who have lent their considerable skills and vision to bringing choral music at special services. In fact every member of the team has prayed, practiced, turned up, rehearsed and set up with extraordinary generosity and sensitivity.

I am so thankful to God for many gifted saints who have led us into deep worship through the year, come what may. They have shown remarkable versatility, imagination and good humour, when we have been forced to relocate to the back rooms, the garden and then a marquee. There is now doubt it has been costly, but they have always responded with optimism, practicality and good grace.

v. Scripture and Learning

Our preaching team cherishes both lay and clergy talent and I am deeply grateful to all those who have prayerfully prepared sermons in addition to their other responsibilities. We welcomed an external speaker from Alpha in Prisons, on Prisons Sunday, as well as the Archdeacon of Hackney who preached at Patronal Festival of Petertide.

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We began the year exploring how the bible, (in particular 1 Corinthians 12-15 and passages in Luke chapters 3-9) gives a pattern for being church: Spirit-led, anointed, equipped, resurrected, loving, proclaiming, worshiping and transformed. We continued reading Luke through Lent and then reflected on being ‘Eastery People’, inspired by readings from the Acts of the Apostles. After Pentecost, in Ordinary Time, we sought inspiration to live out our faith from the minor prophets of the Old Testament and in August we had a series of Sundays focussing on the theology and practice of adoption. A number of our congregation have experience of fostering and adoption but this proved to be a rich and powerful focus for all of us, releasing a deeper and felt understanding of God’s hospitality, healing and hope – our own treasured hallmarks.

In the Autumn we turned to 1 Timothy with a preaching series entitled ‘Following Jesus’, as well as topical Sundays such as Spear Sunday, Prisons Sunday, All Saints, Remembrance and Safeguarding Sunday. Our Advent lessons from the gospel of Matthew were ‘expecting’, ‘suffering’, ‘flourishing’ and ‘obeying’ which led to our Christmas theme of ‘Unearthing Joy’.

4. ‘Make Friends’

‘Making friends’ is about discipleship and community for those in the congregation and those beyond it.

i. Nurturing Connection with Children

Although our regular visit from Columbia Primary School was not possible in December 2022, Heather was invited into Elizabeth Selby Primary School to give two lessons on Christian faith to Key Stage 1 classes. A proposed visit was postponed while the nave is closed.

Having persuaded Mile End Climbing Wall to offer a Community Climbing Club, with professional instruction, free of charge, Ali Mulroy works with two volunteer helpers to offer climbing as an after school activity to young people in the local community who would most benefit from this project. 70% of these are from our local estates. Ali writes, ‘ The young people’s self-confidence and confidence with one another is building solidly week by week. Now they have been entered in the National Indoor Climbing Assessment Scheme, free of charge, which provides structure: personal goals, assessment, rope skills, concentration, mental resilience and the trust building exercise of belaying. The young people have been working towards their level one, building authentic community and confidence, whilst also maintaining a sense of fun. We also have our own Instagram account! Follow us @communityclimbingclub’.

ii. Nurturing Connection with Adults

Columbia Road Carols faced more challenges than usual when the old piano was inaccessible, but every obstacle was overcome to reach approximately 7000 people over four evenings of carol singing, prayers and our comms on printed carol sheets. Add to that the extraordinary number of tweets, Instagram shares, coverage on the BBC London television and radio – not to mention several videos trending on Tiktok (one had over 65,000 hits) we felt that the profile of the church was boosted but, more importantly, that Christ was being put back into the midst of Christmas and many people reminded of Christian culture.

The new ‘3rd Sunday’ lunch club is a space for the women of the church to connect socially by going out for coffee or lunch at venues within walking distance from church or in Room 3, (in the Vicarage basement). Ali writes, ‘This has been a low key, relaxed way to get to know each other on a smaller scale. We have a 3rd Sunday WhatsApp group to keep track of what we are doing each month.’

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Two volunteers host a weekly coffee morning for senior citizens, meeting either in the church or in the garden and latterly in Zander Court Club House just yards from the south gates. As well as combating the very real issue of loneliness, this has afforded opportunities for spiritual conversations and a sense of reconnection with the local church for people who have lived in the area for a very long time.

The Petertide Pizza Party and the Back to School BBQ were also great opportunities to build friendship and relax together. Big thanks to those who worked quietly behind the scenes (not least behind the pizza oven and BBQs) to enable those parties to bring joy and be spaces we could invite guests into.

iii. Nurturing Welcome and Hospitality

Just as last year our practice and understanding of hospitality has morphed and widened even further with new challenges with the building. The twin tasks of Welcome and Hospitality belonged to the whole church in 2022 and everyone was encouraged to help newcomers stay and develop friendships. The practicalities of hospitality fall on four smiling teams lovingly entitled ‘The Tea and Coffee Crew’ under the leadership of Ali Mulroy, who writes, ‘ Over the last year our hospitality team has worked tirelessly to keep us refreshed. Endlessly enabling beautiful times of community to happen at services and events with hot drinks and always a lovely collection of munchies. They bring a sense of down to earth fun and warmth to their role - this is a real gift to our church family. As a team there is a huge amount of support for one another. The desire to serve the church community and make it feel like home feels always at the forefront. We are so grateful to their loyal and regular service.’

Certain saints are on site very early each week to ensure there are lights, neat seating, refreshments and prayer before our services while our administrative staff have worked tirelessly to ensure everything from heating and cleaning to insurance and milk in the fridge. It’s worth noting that they are not employed on Sunday and since the worship has been held in the marquee, it has been necessary for all the staff to arrive earlier and set up everything necessary for services. Even so, we could not have managed this without the extra help given by a team of brilliant volunteers who have practiced hospitality by setting up and putting away. There were a lot of shiny halos glinting in the December sun.

iv. Nurturing Communication

Our online media have been a vital part of staying connected with our community and offering good hospitality to those who are reaching out to the church. A more tangible approach for our nearest neighbours has been to mount the old glass fronted noticeboard, formerly on the church door a decade ago, next to the South gates. Reusable banners for seasonal services have been designed by Luke and have been hung on the railings.

Luke Smith, along with our Teams Administrator, has responsibility for ensuring the website is updated regularly and developed to use with our database and organisational software, ChurchSuite. Team rotas are now mostly organised via ChurchSuite. They hope that further use will be made of this facility going forward and are keen to hear from anyone at St Peter’s who does not know how to access it for themselves, via: ‘MyChurchSuite’.

Instagram and Facebook, managed by Ali, are our main external reach. Mailchimp ‘round robin’ emails reach the Electoral Roll and beyond. The WhatsApp group ‘St Peter’s Alive’ has continued to engender a sense of church family but is used regularly only by about a third of its members. Smaller groups within the church also have WhatsApp groups and the Life Group leaders and staff will continue to pursue a wise – and no doubt evolving - use of social media to promote both social connection and broadcast information.

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v. Nurturing Faith in Children & Youth

The old African wisdom that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ resonates in a church such as ours. We place a high value on intergenerational events and seek for our children and young people to find faith in the context of a multi-generational church family. It’s not surprising then that our Young Life Team has members in their second and seventh decade, and some in between, all passionate to see the next generation sink deep roots into the Christian faith. We long to see more people commit to this team.

The return to in person worship inside and the glorious arrival of new babies and families allowed for children’s groups to flourish and during 2022 we often tried to run appropriate groups for three different age categories because numbers were growing. We realised that more space for Young Life groups was essential and the team used rooms in the Vicarage, which were not very practical, while the options for a new space were explored.

While this was an exciting problem to have, at the same time there were challenges. Members of the team moved on and others became discouraged because attendance was erratic so that carefully planned sessions might have to be abandoned and mixed age activities improvised. In part this was understandably due to families taking more opportunities to visit family and friends after the enforced disconnections of Lockdown. It was also a consequence of a small team, with leaders and helpers needing to flex out of their preferred age range to work with older or younger children. It was certainly a result of that fragile stage of growth in which two or three families being away on the same weekend makes a big difference, but everyone turning up means the rooms are too small.

I am so grateful to Anne and the Young Life Team for pressing onwards in difficult circumstances and continuing to pray for and champion this crucial ministry. Although Sundays have been a roller coaster, there have been many wonderful moments and encouragements. Young people regularly participate in All Age services, including the Act of Remembrance in Ion Square and Dwell.

Anne and others have also taken the young people to Youth East, a termly gathering for worship, teaching and fun hosted for East London 11-18s by Saint Church in Hackney. This has been a very positive opportunity for our (pre)-teenagers, offering relevant, engaging teaching to counter some of the confusing and even antiChristian ideas encountered in secular culture and education as well as to widen friendships across churches. Some of our young people also attended Christian summer camps and Focus, which gave them greater confidence in Jesus and space to air their faith questions.

Since February 2022 Ali has facilitated ‘Climb and Dine’ Sundays roughly twice a term for the older youth who do not attend the Community Club, (which is also more externally focussed but includes some of our primary aged children). Ali writes, ‘The idea for this is for them to have social time together, learning new skills, having a laugh and getting to know themselves and each other in different ways. Stronghold in London Fields gave us a greatly reduced price on Sunday sessions with our own instructor which was a real blessing. The young people took on the challenge of climbing with such good attitudes and a real community approach - cheering one another on. We have had a broad variety of people helping. It’s been a great opportunity for the youth of the church to get to know different adults and find intergenerational community, building community and fellowship through fun and friendship.’

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vi. Nurturing faith in adults

Life Groups are midweek meetings, with a focus on discipleship and mutual support, designed to be at the heart of the church at St Peter’s Bethnal Green. In addition to existing groups, two new evening life groups started in 2022, and a third was being gathered by the close of the year. In order to ‘make friends’, both with God, with one another and with people who need the friendship of God, we strongly encourage everyone to serve on a team and to belong to a life group.

In addition to teaching through our preaching and life group bible studies, faith was nurtured by a variety of means, including a well-attended and powerful evening sharing in the HTB Leadership Conference via weblink and a group attended Focus in July to be inspired again by renowned speakers and worship leaders.

In accordance with the direction of the House of Bishops, Heather extended an invitation to the Living in Love and Faith Course either in person with other Tower Hamlets churches at St Paul’s Shadwell or online. Five people chose to take part online with Heather which was a small number but led to good conversations and prayerful consideration of what it means to be human, with a focus on identity, sexuality and relationships.

Luke has been running Elevate as an optional gathering for Spear trainees in which spiritual conversations are facilitated and welcome into the community of St Peter’s nurtured. Luke has developed the model and has trained other Spear centres in his approach.

Alpha ran in the Spring and Autumn, attracting attendees from within and without the regular congregation. Two guests came from Elevate, one came having struck up conversation while walking through the garden, but all came because the Holy Spirit was gently at work. Both courses were hosted and catered for by a very small team, empowered by the prayers of a wider group of faithful intercessors. Looking ahead it would be great to have more people to join the Alpha Team. Those who have served in the last year have found it very rewarding.

5. ‘Change the world’

i. Pastoral Care

Supporting and caring for others bridges the call to make friends and change the world. It has been impressive to see a number of church members committing to visit those who are housebound and enjoying their friendship. Each befriender, along with the life group leaders, are forming into an increasingly effective Pastoral Team. As more of our older members need to be cared for at home we are learning how to stretch in their direction, while always encouraging their determination to get to events. So much pastoral care goes on here without others seeing, in many directions. To those who reach out, pray with, message, telephone, shop, bake, visit, help out and listen – may God give the increase to all you offer.

ii. The Church Garden

With careful maintenance of the shrubs and beds from our staff and volunteers, the garden remains a source of beauty and peace for the many locals who now spend time there.

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iii. Spear

Spear Bethnal Green, which runs employment coaching for NEET young people aged 16 – 24 continued, the 9[th] year of operation. It is the piece of social action that St Peter’s unites over, while celebrating that many individuals are impacting society in a host of other ways too.

Bethnal Green Spear Trust is a separate charity but St Peter’s offers office space and training facilities gratis. The Trust employs three full time coaches who are part of the St Peter’s staff team. The Trust works in partnership with Resurgo, the umbrella organization which supports Spear Centres across the country and provides our staff with professional coaching and development. Most of the gathered events, such as Mock Interview Day, are held at St Peter’s in church buildings or with our friends at Bethnal Green Mission Church. The celebration evenings, when a cohort finish their intensive coaching, offer a great opportunity for the rest of the church to show their support of the project in an easy, heart-warming way.

Our centre consistently has above average statistics for getting and retraining young people back into employment, education or training. Last July, Spear Bethnal Green was assessed on ratings and Key Performance Indicators as ‘Thriving’, which is an outstanding achievement. The Centre Manager writes, ‘This has only been achieved a handful of times across all Spear centres, so we’re chuffed that as a team we’ve been able to get to this place.’

Members of the congregation support Spear in many ways but all are encouraged to pray and to consider giving financially, where possible, in addition to giving to St Peter’s. Some volunteer for mock interviews or using professional contacts to make links with corporate sponsors or to enable company visits. Others cater for and attend the celebrations – the power of showing up impacts the young people very positively.

The Trustees are members of the church or friends of St Peter’s worshiping in other churches. They operate in an executive capacity and we are especially grateful to them for an immense amount of hard work and prayer which has enabled the charity to keep going. During 2022 the role of Chair of the Board of Trustees was officially vacant and two trustees did stints as Acting Chair.

Other income is derived from grant-making bodies (though this is a precarious and time-consuming model) and we are pleased that Spear is a popular charity locally, supported in recent years by members of the local community, including the Columbia Road Traders Association who again trained and employed Spear trainees to act as stewards for our carol singing events at the Columbia Road Christmas market.

iv. Art and Soul

Along with a volunteer helper Ali Mulroy launched our popular community art club, ‘Art and Soul’, in February 2022 in response to research that indicated a local need for third space intergenerational activities and creative pursuits that counter poor mental health and loneliness.

Ali explains ‘We wanted Art and Soul it to be a really relaxed space for all and it seems to be that way. The vision is for it to be a space where we are able to explore community, creativity and faith at whatever pace feels right for each person . There seems to be a strength and intimacy that comes from different ages and backgrounds meeting together. We regularly have Spear trainees, neighbours and church regulars, of different ages, nationalities and religions, all creating together.

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At around 3pm we have an optional prayer time in the chancel for anyone who wants to join. It’s been a gentle and deep time of prayer and meditation together. Affectionately known as ‘candle time’, more and more this has become a space to explore different ways to pray, hear God and share with one another what we feel God is saying. Many have been growing in confidence and are discovering that sharing their spirituality in the group in a relaxed, natural way, blesses all of us.

Art and Soul have also created a really lovely connection with Arts for All, a local art therapy club for people with diverse backgrounds and additional needs, hosting Arts for All a number of times and the two groups have worked well together.

We’ve gone on one art museum outing and aim to do more in the summer of 23.’

v. The Other 6 Days...

St Peter’s staff and congregation are encouraged to be involved in management and governance of ministries, projects and institutions. We seek to support and champion everyone’s weekday activities, by counting what we do for ‘the other six days’ as the mission of the church, whether what we do is paid or unpaid. Our regular ‘This Time Tomorrow’ slot in the 11am service highlights the lives and impact of individuals, with the aim of being known, being commissioned and being prayed for. This includes our daily tasks of raising families and earning a living or it may be another area of service, for example Street Pastors or the The Arch, a local charity building friendship with vulnerable women, whose board of trustees and volunteer base includes several members of St Peter’s.

6. Site Management & Administration

After 6 years of negotiation, stagnation and further negotiation, Kido Education International eventually made an exceptionally good offer to take on a long term lease on the Mission Hall for 12 years, with an 8 year mutual break clause, paying £100,000 per annum rental and undertaking to renovate the building, improve its energy rating, install a mezzanine floor and fit it out to become a nursery serving the local area. Given that our research of local needs in 2021 had affirmed the results of previous listening campaigns – that nursery provision is sorely needed in the area - this seemed an appropriate use of the building for the immediate future, when it is in urgent need of investment and failing to produce an adequate steady income (or a robust missional purpose) with ad hoc rentals.

The offer made in January 2022 could not be ignored, being on the previously agreed terms with a 25% increase on the previous rental offer. Over the minimum term of tenancy, this still amounts to a better deal than before, when the market was in our favour and the PCC voted unanimously to let the hall to Kido, following through on decisions made previously. The PCC then worked with Birketts Solicitors to agree a robust contract with Kido and this was signed in May 2022.

Frustratingly for all, work started on the building but then had to be stopped when excavations in the foundations revealed evidence of a Thames Water Sewer. It took many months for Thames Water to respond and by the end of the year Kido were still waiting for the survey to be completed. Kido have nonetheless honoured their contractual obligations to pay a monthly rent to St Peter’s for the site and communication with them is efficient.

[Addendum: The survey was completed in March 2023 and Kido’s building work is due to recommence in May 2023 with the hope that the nursery will open in September.]

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ii. The Crypt

Parabolic Theatre Company continue to provide an income stream for St Peter’s as they store their props and tech in the crypt and develop its use for immersive theatre, rehearsal and prayer. The Artistic Director now holds a premises licence to sell alcohol on site in very limited circumstances while the Venue Manager has undertaken a range of relevant training. The church retains one aisle and two rooms in the crypt for our own storage. Last summer four shows ran for a healthy season and forged positive links with young creatives in the theatre industry. I am grateful to all those who have negotiated the practicalities of this relatively new project with grace and diligence.

iii. Maintenance & Development

The Church

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The Crypt

The Garden

The Vicarage and Basement Flat

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The Mission Hall and The Old School

iv. Staff

Heather Vicar Full time(6 days)
Alison Associate Priest Part time(3 days)
David Operations Director Full timefrom Jan 2023
Luke Ordinand Part time(3 days)
Rachel Teams Administrator Part time(10 hours)
_George _ Site Security Officer Part time(4 hoursplus daily lock up)
Colin Groundsman Part time(12 hours)

Overall 2022 evolved as a year of recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic in which we began to feel ready to look to the future and start a development project on site to improve our facilities as well as maintain them. The sudden loss of our worship space, and the extraordinary and robust response of the congregation who backed the decision not to abandon the locality (we wanted those with mobility issues to still be able to get to church and to continue to celebrate Holy Communion in the parish) but remain in situ and worship, whatever it took, was and is inspirational. But none of that mattered compared to the value of the people we cherish here and the people beyond our walls who we want to bless. Through bereavement and healing, through catastrophe and creativity we have begun to recognize how God is tending us. For this and many reasons, I am so, so proud to be vicar of this awesome church where the good news of Jesus is lived and shared.

HMAA

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Part 2

Section 7: Treasurer’s report

Income to support Church mission

Finances at St Peter’s were overseen by the Finance Working Group, a sub-committee of the PCC, made up of the Incumbent, a Church Warden and at least one other member, supported by the Operations Director and the former Treasurer. This team met regularly and makes recommendations on finance matters to the PCC.

2022 Review

2022 Income

The ministries and activities of St Peter’s Bethnal Green were largely funded by three groups of income: -

Giving Income in 2022 (funding from the congregation members and friends of St Peter’s in the form of standing orders, one-off gifts, regular collections and related gift aid) amounted to £94k . This was at a similar level to 2021 when giving income totalled £91k. No ‘giving drives’ for particular projects were held in 2022.

Property Income (the letting and renting of church premises) also accounted for a significant proportion of the church's income, at £67k (2021: £30k ) . This comprised £54k for the hall and £13k for the church crypt.

- Hall

The hall was leased to Kido Schools UK Ltd from June 2022 (Kido plan to open a pre-school nursery in the hall later in 2023). The PCC have thus achieved their goal of finding a socially conscious commercial venture to provide market rental of the hall to fund other aspects of St Peter’s mission and secure a solid long-term financial footing.

- Crypt

At the start of 2021 the crypt was given over to Parabolic (an immersive theatre company) as storage and for the development of an immersive performance space. A pilot phase continued through 2022 during which the monthly rental increased from £500 to £1,500 per month.

Thirdly, Grant Income from external bodies, such as the Henry Fawcett Fund (HFF), provided a total of £19k . (2021: £89k). HFF mainly supported staffing costs (Operations Director, Associate Priest and Teams Administrator). Other grants included a grant from the government’s Listed Places of Worship Scheme (which covered the VAT paid on building repairs) and an energy support grant from the London Diocesan Fund. No substantial fundraising bids were successful in 2022, hence the drop in grant income.

In addition St Peter’s received £11k from an insurance claim for storm damage to the Mission Hall boundary wall and £6k (2021: £8k) from events (including Columbia Carols). Overall, St Peter’s received £197k in 2022, down from £218k in 2021.

Page 16

2022 Expenditure

All expenditure aimed to support the mission of St Peter’s Bethnal Green to Worship God, Make Friends and Change the World.

Over the course of the year: -

Staff costs were £36k (2021: £34k), which included pension contributions for the Associate Priest, and pay for the Operations Director and the Teams Administrator,

Ministry expenses (including retreat and event expenses) were £20k (2021: £15k). These included youth and children’s activities, leading two Alpha courses, a group of 18 people going to Focus and costs for Columbia Carols (which was covered entirely by related income).

Gift expenditure amounted to £32k (2021: £77k) . This comprised a contribution of £30k (2021: £24k) to the Diocesan Common Fund and financial assistance totalling £2k to individuals facing hardship. (The higher level of Gift expenditure in 2021 was due to the dispersal of Love Your Neighbour grants funded by the government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.)

[Common Fund (CF) is the name given to contribution made by each parish in the Diocese to support the costs of clergy, clergy accommodation, clergy in training as well as other Diocesan functions such as safeguarding.]

The CF contribution requested by the Diocese was £85.2k (£7.1k per month) but only £30k was paid. The decision to continue to contribute to the CF at a lower rate than hoped was taken after a great deal of thought and prayer by the PCC. It was accepted as necessary to allay fears of running out of cash at key points in the past year.

Property related expenditure totalled £66k . (2021: £63k). This comprised routine expenditure of £45k (on items such as site security, the upkeep of the grounds, cleaning, energy, rent for the Associate Priest’s flat, letting the Mission Hall and routine repairs), £11k on repairs to the Mission Hall boundary wall (covered by an insurance claim) and £10k on phase two of re-wiring the electrical mains in the church building

Administration expenditure which included insurance, office costs, the fee for preparing and examining the accounts, and depreciation amounted to £20k (2021: £16k ) .

Overall St Peter’s spent £174k in 2022, down from £205k in 2021.

Surplus for the year and the closing position

This year the PCC has reported an increased surplus for 2022 of £23k (2021: £13k) and the PCC’s net assets increased by this amount to £1,043k. This comprises fixed assets (principally the Mission Hall) with a carrying value of £973K and net current assets of £70k, of which £67K are unrestricted.

Page 17

Policy on reserves

The PCC has determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted net current assets of no less than £58k (which equates to about 3 months' of budgeted operational expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and/or expenditure vary adversely.

Reserves are continually reviewed by the Finance Working Group and the 2023 budget aims to keep the level of reserves as close to the policy as possible, whilst trying to increase Common Fund contributions and necessarily increasing ministry costs with new staff. At the year end the PCC held unrestricted net current assets of £67k and the PCC is complying with its reserves policy.

Risk assessment and mitigation

The financial risks which the church faces are considered bi-monthly by the Finance Working Group.

Measures are proposed by the Finance Working Group and implemented by the PCC or staff team to ensure that appropriate financial systems, policies and procedures are in place to manage and mitigate financial risks. As an organisation with a relatively low level of reserves, there is a financial risk which is managed by strong financial systems and controls. As a matter of general policy, independent professional advice is taken where appropriate.

Investment and cash flow policy

As mentioned above, St Peter’s has relatively low reserves and hence it rarely has excess funds to invest. The rent deposit of £30k received from the Mission Hall tenant is held in a separate, with notice, deposit account. The rest of the cash held by the charity is held in a bank current account so that it is readily accessible.

Grant making policy

The PCC carefully evaluates grant applications before any grants are awarded.

Health and Safety and Employment Law Policy

In 2022 the church employed one staff member, and the premises are in regular use by several people including children and vulnerable adults. Employment Law and health and safety measures are adhered to, and assistance in these matters is sought from the Diocese of London and independent professional advisors.

Sustainability policy

St Peter's encourages the adoption of sustainable practice in all areas of church life and work, as a means to contributing to the reduction in carbon emissions in dealing with the growing evidence for manmade climate change. Measures taken include: - recycling, energy audits, encouraging the use of public transport, cycling and walking.

Page 18

2023 Plans

The financial plan for 2023 assumes regular routines of worship and ministry will continue at St Peter’s. This despite the forced closure of the church building in November 2022 due to asbestos contamination following a partial ceiling collapse. (Additional funds will be sought externally to cover the cost of repairs and making the building safe for use once again. These will include an insurance claim. The financial support of the Diocese is also being sought.)

The 2023 budget requires the expenditure on activities and ministries of St Peter’s to be wholly covered by the cash received. The budget will be reviewed regularly by the Finance Working Group.

2023 Income

Our budget for regular giving income is set at £83k (2022 actual £93k).

Property income is forecast based on the lease of the hall to Kido Schools UK Ltd (which will increase from £6.7k to £8.3k PCM from June 2023) and the rental income from Parabolic Theatre for the crypt (£1.5k PCM).

The budget for grant income is set to include an ambitious £60k of grants to fund capital repairs; also the cost of the Operations Director working as a fundraiser for one day a week. This arrangement will be subject to review during the year.

2023 Expenditure

We plan to increase our away giving through an increase in our Common Fund (CF) contribution from £2.5k PCM in 2022 (35% of full CF) to £4.4k PCM in 2023 (60% of full CF).

(CF is the name given to contribution made by each parish in the Diocese to support the costs of clergy, clergy accommodation, clergy in training as well as other Diocesan functions such as safeguarding.)

Our CF contribution remains significantly below the level set for each parish by the Diocese (£7.3k PCM). We plan to review our contribution upwards in future years.

Staffing will remain at the levels established in 2022 (Vicar, Associate Priest, Ordinand, Operations Director, Teams Assistant and Site Assistant). The Associate Priest will have an adjusted package to on a par with similar appointments. A part-time paid Young Life Pastor role remains vacant.

Dependent on the success of capital fundraising, urgent capital repairs will be carried out to the tower stonework, the organ and levelling the garden paths. Other capital works include the installation of a fire alarm system and emergency lighting in the crypt.

The 2023 budget requires the expenditure on activities and ministries of St Peter’s to be wholly covered by the cash received. It is to be reviewed every half-year.

Note: - An assessment by the Diocesan parish property adviser in January 2020 advised that the church building will require between £750k and £1m spending on the fabric in the next 10 years (before any re-development of the internal space). This must be held in mind in future financial planning.

Page 19

The PCC responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The PCC is responsible for preparing the Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Charity law requires the PCC to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of the affairs of the charity as at the balance sheet date and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the financial year. In preparing these financial statements, the PCC are required to:

  1. Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;

  2. Observe the methods and principles in the Statement of Recommended Practice for Charities;

  3. Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

  4. State whether the applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

  5. Prepare the financial statements on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.

The PCC is responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011 and the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Approval

This report was approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf by:

Heather Atkinson

The Rev’d Heather Atkinson, Vicar Date : 30 October 2023

David Bishop

David Bishop, on behalf of the Finance Working Group Date : 30 October 2023

Page 20

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

('the Charity')

I report to the members of the PCC (who are also the charity's trustees) on my examination of the accounts of the Charity for the year ended 31 December 2022 on pages 22 to 31 following, which have been prepared on the basis of the accounting policies set out on pages 24 and 25.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

  1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

  3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair' view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Ajay Rajani

Ajay Rajani FCIE Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage London EC1Y 8AB

31 October 2023

Page 21

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

Note
INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM:
Donations and legacies
3
Charitable activities
4
Other trading activities
5
Other income: proceeds of insurance claim
Total income and endowments
EXPENDITURE ON:
Charitable activities
6
Raising funds
7
Total expenditure
Net income/(expenditure)
Transfers between funds
14
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds:
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward
14		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
91,858
6,276
66,811
11,035
175,981
150,705
1,775
152,480
23,501
-
23,501
46,849
70,351		 Restricted
Funds
£
20,890
-
-
-
20,890
21,409
-
21,409
(518)
-
(518)
972,786
972,267		 Total
Funds
2022
£
112,748
6,276
66,811
11,035
196,871
172,114
1,775
173,889
22,983
-
22,983
1,019,634
1,042,618		 Total
Funds
2021
£
180,169
8,233
30,011
-
218,413
202,313
2,550
204,863
13,549
-
13,549
1,006,086
1,019,635

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.

All income and expenditure derive from continuing operations.

The notes on page 24 to 31 form part of these accounts.

Page 22

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2022

Note
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets
9
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
10
Cash at bank and in hand
11
CREDITORS: Amounts falling
due within one year
12
Net current assets / (liabilities)
TOTAL NET ASSETS
FUND BALANCES
14
Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
3,148
3,148
23,625
82,733
106,358
(39,155)
67,203
70,351
70,351
-
70,351		 Restricted
Funds
£
970,000
970,000
-
2,267
2,267
-
2,267
972,267
-
972,267
972,267		 Total
Funds
2022
£
973,148
973,148
23,625
85,000
108,625
(39,155)
69,470
1,042,618
70,351
972,267
1,042,618		 Total
Funds
2021
£
970,721
970,721
8,864
45,329
54,193
(5,279)
48,914
1,019,635
46,849
972,786
1,019,635

The financial statements were approved by the members of the PCC and were signed on its behalf by:

Heather Atkinson

Rev Heather Atkinson Date 30 October 2023

Charity number: 1154668

The notes on page 24 to 31 form part of these accounts.

Page 23

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

1 Statutory Information

The Parochial Church Council of St Peter with St Thomas, Bethnal Green is a charity registered with the Charity Commission in England & Wales. The charity's registered number and principal address can be found on the Charity Information page.

2 Accounting Policies

These financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis, under the historical cost convention. The financial statements include all activities for which the PCC is legally responsible; the activities of informal gatherings of church members and groups that owe their main affiliation to another body and are excluded.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with The Church Accounting Regulations 2006, the 'Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)' ("the Charities SORP"), with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland ("FRS 102") and with the Charities Act 2011. The charity meets the definition of a public benefit entity as set out in FRS 102.

The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 (the '2008 Regulations') requires charities to prepare their accounts in accordance with 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005' but this accounting standard has since been withdrawn and has been replaced by the Charities SORP mentioned in the preceding paragraph. The charity has prepared these financial statements in accordance with the new Charities SORP; this departure from the 2008 Regulations is believed to be necessary for these financial statements to give a 'true and fair view'.

The principles adopted in the preparation of the financial statements are set out below.

a) Going concern

The PCC have assessed whether the use of the going concern basis is appropriate and have considered possible events or conditions that might cast significant doubt on the ability of the charity to continue as a going concern. The PCC have made this assessment for a period of at least one year from the date of approval of the financial statements. In particular the PCC have considered the charity's forecasts and projections and the possible implications should projected income and / or expenditure vary unexpectedly. The PCC have concluded that there is a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue to operate for the foreseeable future. The charity therefore continues to adopt the going concern basis in preparing its financial statements.

b) Income

Income (which includes planned giving, collections and other donations) is recognised in the period in which the charity becomes entitled to receipt, the amount receivable can be measured with reasonable certainty, and receipt is probable. For the most part income is generally recognised when it is received by, or on behalf of, the PCC. Income is only deferred when the charity has to fulfil conditions before becoming entitled to it or where the donor has specified that the income is to be expended in a future period.

Income from donations and legacies includes recoverable gift aid, which is recognised when the related donation is received. Gift aid that has not been recovered by the balance sheet date is included as a debtor.

The charity relies on volunteers to carry out many of its activities. However, in accordance with the SORP, the value of these services has not been included in these financial statements as they cannot be reliably measured.

Income from charitable activities represents income receivable from goods, services and facilities supplied in furtherance of the charity's charitable objects. It includes income from weddings and funerals and from church events and courses.

Income from other trading activities represents income receivable from activities undertaken to generate funds for the charity and comprises income receiveable from letting property.

c) Expenditure

Expenditure, including irrecoverable VAT, is recognised when it is incurred or, if earlier, when a legal or constructive obligation for a payment arises provided that it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Contributions in respect of the diocesan parish quota are included in the Statement of Financial Activities for all amounts agreed to being payable for the financial year. Any contributions that have not been paid over by the year end are included as a creditor.

The charity makes grants to other institutions and individuals to further its charitable objectives. Grants payable are recognised as constructive obligations arise, which is generally when the charity expresses a commitment to the recipient that can be measured reliably and then only to the extent that any conditions associated with the grant are outside of the control of the charity.

Expenditure on raising funds comprises expenditure incurred in respect of the charity's property letting income.

Governance costs, which are included in expenditure on charitable activities but are identified separately in the notes to the accounts, includes costs associated with the independent examination of the financial statements, compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements and any other expenditure incurred on the strategic management of the charity.

Page 24

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

e) Tangible fixed assets

Consecrated and beneficed property is not included in these financial statements by virtue of s.10(2) of the Charities Act 2011. All expenditure on consecrated or beneficed buildings is written off in the year in which it is incurred.

Movable church furnishings held by the incumbent and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are capitalised in accordance with the policy set out below. These items are regarded as inalienable property and are listed in the church's inventory which can be inspected at any reasonable time. Inalienable property acquired prior to 2010 has not been capitalised as there is insufficient cost information available.

Items purchased or donated for the charity's own use are capitalised when the cost of purchased items, or the fair value of donated items, is more than £500 and the item is expected to benefit the charity over more than one accounting period. Depreciation is charged on a straight line basis so as to write down the value of each asset to its estimated residual value (if any) over its expected useful economic life. To achieve this objective the following rates of depreciation are charged:

Freehold land Is not depreciated (because it is not consumed by use) Freehold buildings Over 50 years after taking account of the building's residual value Equipment Over 3 to 7 years

The trustees used an insurance valuation to help estimate the market value of the charity's freehold property on 1 January 2014 (being the date of transition to FRS102) and, as permitted by FRS102, its estimated market value on that date has been treated as being the property's deemed cost. The members of the PCC consider the residual value of the freehold building to be very high and believe that any provision for depreciation would not be material; consequently no depreciation has been charged in these accounts.

The carrying values of tangible fixed assets are reviewed for impairment in periods when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable.

f) Leased assets

g) Pension scheme arrangements

h) Taxation

The charity has taken advantage of the various reliefs from taxation available to charities and no tax is payable on the charity's income.

i) Financial instruments

j) Exemption from preparing a cashflow statement

The charity has taken advantage of an exemption conferred by the Charities SORP and has not prepared a cash flow statement.

Page 25

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

3 Donations and legacies

Regular giving
Ad hoc giving
Church collections
Income tax recoverable
Government grants: Listed Places of Worship Scheme
Grants
4
Income from charitable activities
Fees for weddings, funerals etc
Retreats and events
5
Income from other trading activities
Church hall lettings
Crypt lettings
Rents received
6
Charitable expenditure
a
Costs incurred directly on specific activities
Ministry expenses
Diocesan parish quota - common fund
Diocesan service fees
Staff costs
Ministry expenses
Retreats and events
Church running costs
Property expenses including cleaning and minor repairs
Major repairs to church building including electrical re-wiring
Major repairs to church hall (largely covered by related insurance claim)
Insurance
Office expenses
Depreciation
Governance costs
Independent examiner's fee for preparing and examining the accounts
Major project expenditure
Site development
Grants payable (note 6b)		 2022
£
68,023
6,675
2,962
15,799
2,469
16,821
112,748
2022
£
2,052
4,224
6,276
2022
£
54,014
12,797
-
66,811
2022
£
30,000
2,976
36,201
9,698
7,691
41,364
10,200
11,339
10,007
7,064
403
2,400
991
170,334
1,780
172,114		 2021
£
54,303
23,644
692
12,613
-
88,918
180,169
2021
£
1,766
6,467
8,233
2021
£
20,762
5,225
4,024
30,011
2021
£
24,000
1,157
33,667
3,492
10,238
38,877
20,690
-
7,713
5,755
493
2,370
686
149,141
53,174
202,314

The fee payable to the independent examiner for preparing and examining the accounts was £2,370 (2021: £2,370).

Page 26

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

6b Grants payable

6b
Grants payable
Grants for the relief of poverty
Grants for the relief of poverty
The charity's principal grants to institutions comprised:
St John's Hoxton
St Mathew's Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green Spear Trust
7
Cost of raising funds
Rents payable
Legal and professional fees		 Institutions
£
-
-
Institutions
£
52,972
52,972		 Individuals
£
1,780
1,780
Individuals
£
202
202
2022
£
-
-
-
-
2022
£
-
1,775
1,775		 2022
£
1,780
1,780
2021
£
53,174
53,174
2021
£
3,835
24,992
24,145
52,972
2021
£
2,550
-
2,550

8 Analysis of staff costs, the cost of key management personnel and trustee remuneration

The average monthly number of employees during the year was 1 (2021: 1). Most of the charity's activities are carried out by volunteers. No staff received salaries at a rate of tmore than £60,000 per annum.

Pension contributions of £1,062 were payable in respect of Rev'd Alision Mulroy, who is a clergy member of the PCC. She also receives a stipend from the Diocese and some of the Parish Quota paid to the Diocese is used to help meet the cost of this stipend. In addition she is provided with accommodaiton (which is customary for clergy); during the year the cost of this accommodation to the PCC was £8,820.

Rev Heather Atkinson (who is a clergy member of the PCC) also receives a stipend from the Diocese and some of the Parish Quota paid to the Diocese is used to help meet the cost of this stipend. Rev Atkinson is also provided with accommodation (which is customary for clergy); during the year the PCC did not make any payments (2021: £nil) in respect of her use of this accommodation.

No member of the PCC received employment benefits in either the current or preceding year.

Page 27

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

9 Tangible fixed assets

Cost
At 1 January 2022
Additions
At 31 December 2022
Accumulated depreciation
At 1 January 2022
Charge for the year
At 31 December 2022
Net book value
At 31 December 2022
At 31 December 2021
Debtors
Income tax recoverable
Lettings and event income receivable
Prepaid expenditure
Grants receivable
Cash at Bank and in Hand
Cash at bank with immediate access
Notice deposits
Petty cash
Creditors: liabilities falling due within one year
Other creditors
Accrued expenses
Tenant deposit
Freehold property comprises the church hall at Warner Place.		 Freehold
Property
£
970,000
-
970,000
-
-
-
970,000
970,000		 Worship
and Office
Equipment
£
4,382
2,830
7,212
3,661
403
4,064
3,148
721
2022
£
5,543
6,956
11,125
-
23,625
2022
£
54,903
30,067
30
85,000
2022
£
5,533
3,623
29,999
39,155		 Total
2022
£
974,382
2,830
977,212
3,661
403
4,064
973,148
970,721
2021
£
2,548
1,878
-
4,438
8,864
2021
£
45,299
-
30
45,329
2021
£
2,355
2,924
-
5,279

10 Debtors

11 Cash at Bank and in Hand

12 Creditors: liabilities falling due within one year

13 Pension commitments

During the year employer’s pension contributions totalling £2,227 (2021: £1,314) were payable to defined contribution personal pension schemes. At the balance sheet date pension contributions totalling £1,062 (2021: £nil) were owed.

Page 28

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

14 Restricted funds

During the year the movements in the charity's funds were as follows:

Church Hall fund
Organ fund
Staff fund
Event fund
Art & Soul fund
Energy support fund
Repair fund
Other small funds		 Opening
balance
2022
£
970,000
1,629
-
-
-
-
-
1,157
972,786		 Incoming
resources
2022
£
-
-
12,869
1,311
1,000
2,641
2,469
600
20,890		 Outgoing
resources
2022
£
-
-
(12,869)
(1,311)
(1,000)
(2,641)
(2,469)
(1,118)
(21,409)		 Transfers
in the year
2022
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Closing
balance
2022
£
970,000
1,629
-
-
-
-
-
638
972,267

Analysis of net assets by fund

The assets and liabilities of the various funds were as follows:

Tangible fixed assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors falling due within one year
e previous year the movements in the charity's funds
Church Hall fund
Organ fund
Access fund
Staff fund
Love Your Neighbour fund
Retreat fund
Hardship fund
Culture Recovery fund
Other small funds		 were as follows:
Opening
Incoming
balance
resources
2021
2021
£
£
970,000
-
1,629
-
3,304
2,078
-
5,000
462
55,760
1,944
1,820
-
405
-
23,600
911
855
978,250
89,518		 Unrestricted
funds
£
3,148
23,625
82,733
(39,155)
70,351
Outgoing
resources
2021
£
-
-
(1,648)
(5,000)
(56,222)
(3,764)
(405)
(23,600)
(609)
(91,248)		 Restricted
funds
£
970,000
-
2,267
-
972,267
Transfers
in the year
2021
£
-
-
(3,734)
-
-
-
-
-
-
(3,734)		 2022
£
973,148
23,625
85,000
(39,155)
1,042,618
Closing
balance
2021
£
970,000
1,629
-
-
-
-
-
1,157
972,786

In the previous year the movements in the charity's funds were as follows:

Analysis of net assets by fund

In the previous year, the assets and liabilities of the various funds were as follows:

e previous year, the assets and liabilities of the various funds were as follows:
Tangible fixed assets
Debtors
Cash at bank and in hand
Creditors falling due within one year		 Unrestricted
funds
£
721
4,426
46,981
(5,279)
46,849		 Restricted
funds
£
970,000
4,438
(1,652)
-
972,786		 2021
£
970,721
8,864
45,329
(5,279)
1,019,635

Page 29

ST PETER WITH ST THOMAS BETHNAL GREEN

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2022

14 Restricted funds continued

The Church Hall fund is in respect of the church hall at Warner Place. The custodian trustee is the London Diocesan Fund and the PCC cannot sell the property without the consent of the London Diocesan Fund.

The Organ fund was created from grants and donations received for the church organ.

The Access fund was created, principally, from grants and donations received to improve disabled access to the church site.

The Staff fund was created from grants and donations received to help meet the cost of employing staff.

The Love Your Neighbour fund was created from a grant received from the Church Revitalisation Trust to help provide essential services to vulnerable people. 95% of the amount received has been distributed as grants to organisations that provide these essential services. These organisations are St Matthews (which runs the Bethnal Green Food Bank), St John's Hoxton (which runs a Debt Advice Centre) and Spear Bethnal Green (which offers employment coaching for young people).

The Retreat fund was created from grants and donations received to help meet the cost of a church retreat.

The Hardship fund was created from grants received to help indvidiuals experiencing financial hardship.

The Culture Recovery fund was created from a grant received from the Heritage fund to help the PCC during the pandemic and specifically to help the PCC pay some operating expenses and undertake repairs to church property.

The Event fund was created from grants received to help fund the provision of ministry events.

The Art & Soul fund was created from donations received to help the charity run a community arts group.

The Energy support fund was created by a grant received from the Diocese to help the charity with energy cots.

The Repair fund was created from a grant from the government's Listed Places of Worship Scheme to help meet the cost of repairs to the church building.

The Other fund was created by a number of small grants and donations given for a variety of different projects.

15 Operating lease income

The charity has granted a lease to a nursery provider that gives them exclusive use of the church hall at Warner Place. The minimum amounts receivable (until the next break clause and ignoring the potential effect of future rent reviews and any unforeseen events that could result in early termination) in respect of this lease is as follows:

2022 2021
£ £
Income falling due:
Within one year 91,666 -
Between one and five years 400,000 -
After five years 241,667
 -

16 Transactions with related parties

During the year the PCC received grants totalling £14,180 (2021: £7,280) from the Henry Fawcett Fund, a registered charity established for the relief of poverty in the parish. The vicar and the PCC’s two church wardens serve as trustees of the Henry Fawcett Fund and the Henry Fawcett Fund is regarded as being a related party.

During the year the charity :

Except for the reimbursement of expenses incurred when acting as agent for the charity, or incurred when undertaking duties associated with serving as clergy, no expenses were paid to (or for) members of the PCC.

17 Common fund contribution

In some previous years the PCC has been unable to pay in full the common fund contribution it had offered to the Diocese. The shortfall, which for accounting purposes is not a liability, amounts to £65,000. If the PCC's finances improve, then there may come a time when the PCC would consider making additional payments to the Diocese to make good some, or all, of the shortfall.

18 Other financial information

Towards the end of the year there was some damage to the ceiling in the church building. It soon came to light that there was asbestos in the ceiling (some of which had been released by the ceiling damage) and that work would need to be undertaken to repair not only the damage and but also deal with the asbestos. The PCC has had to close the church building whilst this work is undertaken and the church is meeting temporarily in a heated marquee in the church grounds and in other rooms. The repair work, including the removal of the asbestos, is expected to cost about £466,000 and this will be funded by an insurance claim for £212,000, a grant of £107,000 from the Diocese, other grants totalling £127,000 (including £54,000 from the government's Listed Places of Worshiop Grant Scheme) and a loan of £20,000 from the Diocese. The PCC hopes to open the church building again before the end of 2023 .

Page 30

Total funds carried forward Total funds brought forward Reconciliation of funds: Net movement in funds Transfers between funds Net income/(expenditure) Total Expenditure Raising funds Charitable activities: EXPENDITURE ON: Total income and endowments Other income Other trading activities Charitable activities Donations and legacies INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM:
14 14 7 6 5 4 3 Note
70,351 46,849 23,501 - 23,501 152,480 1,775 150,705 175,981 11,035 66,811 6,276 91,858 £ 2022 Funds Unrestricted
972,267 972,786 (518) - (518) 21,409 - 21,409 20,890 - - - 20,890 £ 2022 Funds Restricted
1,042,618 1,019,634 22,983 - 22,983 173,889 1,775 172,114 196,871 11,035 66,811 6,276 112,748 £ 2022 Total
46,849 27,836 19,013 3,734 15,279 113,616 2,550 111,066 128,895 - 30,011 8,233 90,651 £ 2021 Funds Unrestricted
972,786 978,250 (5,464) (3,734) (1,730) 91,248 - 91,248 89,518 - - - 89,518 £ 2021 Funds Restricted
1,019,635 1,006,086 13,549 - 13,549 204,863 2,550 202,313 218,414 - 30,011 8,233 180,169 £ 2021 Total