2024 ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE CHARITY COMMISSION Aims and purposes 5t Nicholas Allington Parochial Church Council (the PCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with our joint priest-in-charge in promoting the whole mission of the church- pastoral. evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also responsible for maintaining the thurch buildin& halls and church grounds Ibut not the Rectory which is the responsibility of the Diocese). Objertives and activitie5 The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St. Nicholas. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. When planning our activities for the year. we have considered the Commission's guidance on public benefit, and particularly the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. We try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through: Worship and prayer: learning about the Gospel- and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus through a range of formal and infomial worship, with and without communion. The church is committed to providing the Church of England 'occasional offices, of baptism, marriage and funerals. Provision of pastoral care for people Itving in the parish. Missionary and outreach work. To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Church of St. Nicholas and the Church Halls. The PCC has complied with Sertion 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to the House of Bishops guidance on SafeguardinE Children and Vulnerable Adults). Achievements and Performance St Nicholas Church is currently in interregnum whilst the PCC seeks a new prie5t-in-charge following the retirement of the previous incumbent, Rev Chri5 Lavender, in February 2023. The churchwardens assisted by a core 'Hub Team,. reporting to the PCC. have been undertaking the day-to-day tasks normally Carried out by the priest-in-charge, with the support of the Archdeacon and Area Dean. Worship und Proyer The PCC is keen to offer a range of services durinE the week and over the cotjrse of the year that our commijnity find both beneficial and spiritually fulfillin8. For example, a range of worship Services from Morriing Worship. Holy Communion and informal worship at Oasis Communion and Oasis with contemporary worship son8s. Our online worship presence on Facebook remains popular and this will continue. Attendance at worship and social activities has generally reached pTrpandemic levels, especially at the Christmas seNices. Hire of the halls has also recovered and income has returned to acceptable levels. We continue to see generosity from the community for the stock of items that we manage to help supply the local Foodbank and other causes. All are welcome to attend our regular services. The average weekly attendance, counted during October 2023, was 73, but this number increased at festivals including Christmas. Guide and Scout organisations continue to hold Parade Services in the church tjvo or three times a year. We endeavour to make our services easy for visitors to follow using Power Point projertion. enlarged texts. or printed OLrt in short booklets. The church sound system helps all visitors. a5 well as the hearin8-impaired. At present there are 123 parishioners on the Church Electoral Roll. Two names were added during the year and five were removed either through death or because they moved away from the parish. As well as our regular se￿ices. we enable our community to celebrète and thank God at the milestones of the journey through lrfe. Through baptism we thank God for the Bwft of life. and through funeral services friends and family express theirgrief and give thanks forthe life which is now complete in thi5 world and to commend the person into God's keeping. We have celebrated seven baptisms in church. Five funerals were conducted this year, which is fewer than previous years due to the church being without a priest-in-charge. No weddings were conducted, which is not unusual given the church is a modern building. Fiona Higgs, Children, the Families & Schools Minister has continued a Chaplaincy role within our local primary schools and leads assemblies, supports classrooms and the staff. She ha5 formed strong relationships with the schools and contintjed to provide the "Explorers" after school club5 at Allington and Palace Wood Primary Schools throughout the year. St Nicholas has an active Mothers, Union group with monthly Holy Communion services. We also run St Nicholas. Fellowship. a social group for the elderly. Re￿dentIal Homes are visited, and services condurted there. Deonery Synod Two members of the PCC51t on the deanery synod. This providesthe PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structu￿5 of the church. The focus of the deanery is to bring about growth through a number of initiatives known as the Maidstone Mission Mosaic but also to provide an opportunity for churches to network and be MO￿ ovtward lookin8 and missional. The Church und Church Ha115 St Nicholas is open every day to our community for private prayer and is used on a regular basis. Our present church, consecrated Én 1975. is a square building mainly. recently re-ordered by the replacement of pews with chairs. The church Space is used for worship every Sunday and one Wednesday per month and at other times as required. It is also used for PCC Meetings. a weekly prayer group, a monthly meeting of mums and babes and other groups. and for appropriate community artivities. To one side are the clergv vestry, the Parish Office, which is used three momings a week, and three toilets, one with disabled access. The chL¢rch has kitchen facilities in the main body of the churth. There are two church halls in a building adjacent to the church that provide facilities to many local groups and businesses. These halls have a kitchen and toilet facilities, including a baby change and disabled toilets. Both church and ha115 have disabled access. A wide range of social and fund-raising events are held throughout the year that are open to the larger community. The Christmas Market draws many people into our buildings and is supported by a number of small local businesses. This yearwe held another Christmas Tree Festival which was supported by several local groups and organi5ations as well as church groups. The event which was open for three days attracted a good number of people from across the community. Communication of the life and events at St Nicholas is maintained through the weekly newsletter, via the St Nicholas website, our Facebook group and page, and on the church noticeboard. These are a vital means of not just keeping people within the church informed but also a way of reaching out to the wider community. The St Nicholas Sunday Lunch Club. working to the 5trin8ent health and safety requirements with a 5* food hygiene rating, allowed u5 to continue the old people's luncheon club during tho yoar with on average 45 people regularly attending However. with the organising team stepping down at the end of the year after several years, service. it was decided to have a review of the future for this group. Each Tuesday a Communty Café takes place in St Nicholas Church. This is run by a team of volunteers and is registered with Maidstone Borough Council. It is attended by up to 75 people each week and is clearly valued by many who come as a place to meet and make friends. some who come are recently bereaved. others are new to the area, and for many It is a place of warmth and welcome. During the week the hall is used by many local groups and organisations including a mother ènd toddlers, group on Tuesdays. We run a monthly Mum & Babes group in the church which has led to a Faith Explorers group led by our Children. Families & Schools Minister. Throughout the year the youth groupi JAHFA, have met regularly. Our church halls offer valuable meeting places for a wide variety of community and commercial activities, including the numerous branches of the Guide and Scout organisations. The halls are booked frequently for private bookings by local residents. Income from hall hire is strong and the church building is a150 being used more as a space for hrre to the community. Pastoral Care Some members of our parish are unable to attend church due to sicknes5 or age. Prayer and pastoral work has continued through a very supportive network within the congregation. The Prayer and Pastoral Care co- ordinator maintains ongoing tontact with many members of the congregation, particularly the elderly. Care Home ministry is provided through the Anna Chaplaincy network that draws from all denominations across the town and visits most care homes once a month. Mlssion and Evangelism Helping those in need ts a demon#ration of our faith. St Nicholas gives monthly to a range of charities both local and abroad including Alongside Africa. St Nicholas provides 3 weekly online service via Facebook and the church website to over 250 people, the majority of whom do not regularty connett with St Nicholas in other ways. The weekly newsletter update is emailed to approximatety 2(KJ people and paper copies are available forthose who are not on the internet. We maintain a significant presence in the Primary Schools. which are non-church. through the work of our Children's, Families & Schools Minister. Ecumenlcal Relatlonships The church is a member of Churches Together in Maidstone. Our previous incumbent attended Leader5 Breakfasts that are held each month and involve all Christian denominations from across the town. Once a new priest-in-charge is appointed this will continue to be supported. Financial Review Finances are healthy with good reserves, although there are indications of potential challenges ahead. At the end of the year there was a surplus of income over expenditure. although this was lower than previous years. Total income for the year amounted to £128.55112022- E131,2841 of which £486 related to restricted income. There was a net surplus for the year of £9.88612022 - £16.887 surplus), of which £6.330 related to general funds. At the year*nd unrestricted funds totalled £106.26212022 - £94.9321 of which £42.143 is held in designated funds. The condition of the fabric of the church and halls are thankfully sound. and no substantial items have bee highlighted as needing urgent repair. Our halls remain popular with hirers and provide a valuable source of income. Reserves Policy During the year the PCC approved a resolution to maintain reserves to a level of three months of annual expenditure. as opposed to six months. This is to allow for future investment on new mission and development initiatives once è new priest-in-charge has been appointed. The building reserve of £20.[￿ is desi8nated for possible roof repairs needed in the future. Volunteers We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make our church the lively and vibrant community it is. There are many people actively involved in worship and prayer, pastoral work, leading or contributing on a working group or simply helpin8 Out on a rota. A huge thank you to everyone contributing to the life within the parish at St Nicholas in this wav. Structurei governance and management The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At St. Nicholas the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent lour priest-in-chargel. churchwardens and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who attend our services. the members of otsr congregation, are encouraged to re8tster on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of Eenerdl con￿rn and importance to the parish including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. New members receive initial training into the workings of the PCC. The full PCC met eight tifnes during the year with an average level of attendance of 74%. Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has several committees each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. These committees, which include worship, social. halls, fabric and finance. are all responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly with minutes of their decisions being received by the full PCC and discussed a5 nece55ary. Administrative information St. Nicholas Church is situated on Poplar Grove, Allington. Maidstone. It is part of the Diocese of Canterbury within the Church of England. The parish is legally known as the Parish of St Nicholas. Allington with St Peter, Maidstone. Rou8hly it stretches at its western edge from ihe railway, either side of the London Road, toward the town centre down to the river and Lockmeadow. The river end of the parish is the area which formerly came under the previous St Peterfs Church. no longer in use. The running of the parish comes under two Churchwardens and the Parochial Church Council or PCC. Ministry and worship comes under a Priest-in- Charge and a Children's and Families Minister. The correspondence address is The Parish Office. Poplar Grove, Maidstone, Kent ME16 ODE. The PCC is a body corporate IPCC Powers Measure 1956. Church Representation Rules and a charity registered with the Charity Commission. PCC members who have served at any time from Istjanuary 2023 until the date this report Was approved are.. Incumbent= Rev. Christopher Lavender Ichairn7an)- retired 22 Febrnary 2023 Churchwardens.. Dr Nigel Smetham. Mrsjennystone Children, Families & Schools Minister: Mrs Fiona Higgs Eletted members: Mrs Sarah Lavender- representative on Deanery Synod- left 22 February 2023 Ms Helen Rogers- Treasurer Ms Emily Stone- Secretary Mr Michael Froude Mrs Gill Waite Msjune Bagshaw Mrs Gill Poole Mrs Martina Tidball Mrs Nicola Tulip Mr David Salvage Ms Jacqueline Wilkinson Ms Ruth Brind Mrs Angela Redford Mr Seb Lincoln Approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf by Nigel Smetham IPCC Vice-Chair- Parish in vacancy) ALLINGTON P C C FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT 2023 Designatsd 2022 Totsl Jnd5 General ftjnd RestriGtsd TrAal nds RECEIPTS Voiunlary Ro¢•ipts RegularGiving Pledged giving Income reo)v8r8 Coll8GItOlls in church 42837 12530 4907 80274 4217 42837 12530 4907 60274 4217 4684 58305 1071 44775 12255 8238 85267 2383 5018 58358 258 Othervolunt8ry receipts AGbvibe5 for generating fiJvd5 Receipts from ChufGh aL*wbes Interest on Deposits 3b 57819 1071 486 128065 486 128551 131284 PAYMENTS Chuffjh aGIivAfres DioGe%an Parish Shate Other Payments 54547 62188 54547 64118 54604 59793 1930 116735 1930 118665 114397 Surpluslldeficrtl before transfers 11330 16887 TraDster5 beiween knnds -50(K) 501XJ Surpluslldefiotl for year aft8rtranthrs 6330 5000 9886 16887 C8sh B818ncg8 at 01101rd3 57789 37143 2049 96981 Cash Bolancey at 31M2f23 64119 42143 605 106867 Statement of Assets and Liabilits¢$ 2023 Designated fuTrts 2022 Total funds General fund Restrscted fvnds Total Cash Funcls Bank CurrentAccount CBF Deposit Fund Rgser¥e A(￿Unt Goodbox Cash 35351 35351 12116 59211 129 60 106867 36667 11739 48515 11511 3￿32 28579 129 60 64119 60 96981 42143 605 OlherMonetaryAssets GnlAd Tax reg)verable Paye Halls lettingsdue 2961 863 1915 2778 1915 2778 1129 4090 Li8bilits'es D8posits Pension p8yment Ctsditor Paym6nts to diocg8se Arnounts collected br ChartyAppeals 200 568 276 1154 657 657 666 666 2207 oved by Con 15bh and %gned on Iheirbehalf by". gned...... C ChaimiaTrl and ig￿1 ogers IPCC Trea>Jrerduring 20231 H81e NOIES I. F￿ed Assets retair*d for clwrch use are vfflierbdfinthe year of purcha8a. Th& two church halls prevwsly Shry￿￿ in r85trictedfred assets have an insuredvalue of approximatety£2,600MIO. 2. Th8 movemert in d8sigrwt•d ar¥J restrKtsdfwK15 dw Balance b 15000 22143 37143 Èar *re: Recei Pa nts Transfers 5000 Balance 20000 22143 42143 DaÉlgnatsd." Building fijnd 8equestfiJnd luntestrir*d) 5000 Sunday Lunth Club Fellowship Halls DÈpoyt H8ating Grant Sperial chartyappeals 410 430 2(X) 10( 724 172 424 200 1000 2049 1930 605 3. Re¢tiO¥ and Paymerts ana￿$1* 2023 Des•3nated 2022 Ttstsi fuThls General fvnd Restricted T¢rtal a. cA￿r vduntrary receiFts Donations Charita￿e Oon4tion5 4217 4217 2383 4217 4217 2383 b. ActNrt(es for gen8ratlThJfwKIB Fund Raisng 4684 4684 5018 4684 4684 5018 c. R•tÈlpts fr¢¥n Chur¢h a¢tlvlt•s Fees Halls Inwtne Sunday Lunth Club Flag pole Heating &ant H811sdeposit 1086 53761 1159 1152 1000 200 58358 57819 57819 486 57819 58305 3. Rec8lM8 aTrJ Payrnerts analysis Ctd 2023 2022 Totsl funds General Deswatèd Rèstricted T¢*al d. ChU￿h a¢tivi¢w- paymènts Charitable payFnen15 O¥ers88s hristhan Rellef an(f Develop￿￿1 Horne Mission 10(K> 2400 400 1000 2400 400 1100 300 545 38(N) 3800 1945 C18rgyexpenses Fees Church rvnnrng eXpe￿Se$ H￿￿1$ running ÈxpÈnsès Salanes. wages and honoraria Adtninistratitsn expgns¢s Youth Work Fundraising Sunday Lunch Club Fellowship Sundries Halls Deposit 416 8161 19402 26373 3480 138 391 416 9161 19402 26373 3480 138 391 724 416 8237 23910 20836 3037 465 635 728 724 27 27 200 64118 200 1930 62188 60209 4. The exF¢nse$ to ctergy may i￿￿KIe a $rnall Thmaterial whkh relats$to t￿tr n¢¢lon a$ PCC mornbers. Noother paymerts Mpr• made to PCC rnomb•ts. CIMA Chartered Accountant ## Gemma Sturley ## **Independent examiner’s report to Allington PCC** I have completed my examination of the accounts of Allington PCC for the year ended 31 December 2023. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 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. 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. Gemma Sturley Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) 33 Larking Drive, Allington ME16 0UT 28th March 2024