Kingsdown & Creekside PCC
Annual Report of the Parish of Kingsdown and Creekside in the Diocese of Canterbury, 2025
The parish is now in its 10th year and is registered, as an excepted charitable organisation, in its own right. The registration no. is 1162554-0
The purpose of the parish is religious activities which are available to the general public. The PCC of the parish, which comprises the trustees of the charity, continues to operate by acting as a central reporting and decision making body for the parish as a whole and oversees the spiritual direction for the parish, maintaining seven parish churches and open churchyards via seven steering groups which are subcommittees of the PCC and attached to each church, by identifying and supporting other charitable activities as it sees fit and is able to supply from its finances and by provision of activities that may involve people living in the area who are not necessarily members of the churches. Members can be identified as those having their names entered on the church electoral roll of the parish; the current electoral roll stands at 114.
The PCC achieves its purpose by providing public worship in all licensed places of worship on a regular, identifiable basis which are open to all members of the public. Most of the church buildings are kept open at times other than advertised services for at least part of the year thus providing ready access to quiet and sacred places. There continue to be ideas under discussion to improve the facilities of a number of church buildings in the parish. One of the churches has a monthly café serving hot breakfasts, drinks, cakes in order to make the Church a more visible presence in the community and give an opportunity for the wider population to meet together and become familiar with the church building.
Assemblies are delivered at Teynham Parochial Church of England (Controlled) Primary School where Collective Worship is led by the Clergy team on a weekly basis in term-time with parents included for special celebrations such as Christmas and Easter. A Light Party is held for Primary aged and a second one for Secondary Aged Children at Halloween with invitations being sent widely through the
Communities. The local primary schools are visited regularly by clergy and others where they lead assemblies and are closely involved in the governance of the Voluntary Controlled School in Teynham. A special school for pupils of secondary age in Doddington is supported by the PCC in a number of ways including through the use of the Vicarage premises as an exam venue for pupils requiring special arrangements.
The All Together Now service, started in 2022, is continuing to be held at one of Our Churches with a specific aim to reach out to families. This monthly service has been growing in numbers of adults and children attending.
Our isolated rural church with no main services continues to offer a service of Holy Communion once a month on a Thursday during the summer. Additional pastoral work is undertaken including visiting the sick and bereaved, providing social contact and activities through other regular meetings.
The Occasional Offices of Baptisms, Funerals and Weddings are a normal part of our mission and outreach to the wider community in the parish. During the year, the PCC offered a well being programme facilitated by the NHS held in Doddington Vicarage which was open to all residents of the Benefice.
Members of one of the church communities are also closely involved in the running of groups for young people such as scouts, cubs and beavers and a local preschool group.
Each church has 2 services a month and a Benefice service on the 5[th] Sunday in the month. Our remote Church holds a Service at Easter and a Carol event at Christmas with a summer series of monthly holy communion services.
A daily Morning Prayer service, live-streamed on Facebook, has continued since the first one took place on March 20[th] 2020.
The PCC met six times during the year, with an extra meeting to approve the accounts, in order to set the overall spiritual direction of the parish, to review what it has done in the past and to identify how it might advance the mission of the church in general. Individual churches also support various charitable activities as they see fit. At each meeting, safeguarding is an important issue with the safeguarding leader ensuring that PCC members are fully informed of the latest requirements from the Diocese. The Annual Parochial Church meeting took place during and after a service in May.
The PCC continues to be represented in the local organisation of the Church of England at both deanery and diocesan level.
The ministry of the church is provided not only by ordained clergy but by a strong team of lay people both licensed and authorised. This enables the PCC to ensure that there is a wide range and number of services in the parish each Sunday (apart from the fifth Sunday of a month when a Benefice Service is held at one of the churches on a rotating basis.). All of these activities are ways in which we work to meet the objectives of the charity.
Administrative Details
The address for correspondence is and registered office of the charity is:
The Vicarage, The Street, Doddington Kent ME9 0BH
Churchwardens:
Charlotte Relf Sophia Steel Bruce Leckie Les Roberts Bob Prichard David Willis
Members: Joyce Trim David Buckett Heather Parry Cheryl Tomsett Julie Redgrove
Deanery Synod Representative: Sue Baldry Catherine Richardson Lissie Bayford
Officers: Joyce Warren. Treasurer Heather Parry Secretary
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT to the Parochial Church Council Kingsdown & Creekside
This report on the Benefice accounts of the P.C.C. for the year ended 31[st] December 2025, which are set out in the Annual Report and Financial Statement, is in respect of an examination carried out under Regulation 3(3) of the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (‘the Regulations’) and s.145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
As the members of the P.C.C. you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. You consider that the audit requirement of the Regulations and section 144(2) of the Act does not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Regulations.
Basis of Independent Examiner’s Report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the Act and to be found in the Church Guidance, 2006 edition, issued by the Finance Division of the Archbishops’ Council. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the P.C.C. and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 130 of the Act.
Miles Lemon
Original signed
Miles Lemon FCG/FCIS The Greys, Erriot Wood Lynsted ME9 0JW 23 April 2026
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KINGSDOWN & CREEKSIDE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
BENEFICE ACCOUNT 1 January to 31 December 2025
| RECEIPTS PAYMENTS PARISH SHARE TRANSFERS Parish Share Doddington 12,252 Area Dean Admin Lynsted 5,500 Insurance Newnham 5,000 Norton 7,000 Bellringers/ Organist/ Choir Oare 7,906 CDBF Fees Teynham 11,500 Bank charges Wychling 1,580 50,738 Clergy Expenses Mileage Benefice INSURANCE TRANSFERS Conferences/ Training Doddington 2,431 Other Expenses Lynsted 3,012 Newnham 2,587 Printing/ Stationery Norton 1,203 Postage Oare 1,635 Telephone/ Broadband Teynham 3,223 Benefice Office Utilities Wychling 1,346 15,437 Service Expenses Wedding Prep Fees Received 27,000 Churchdesk Deanery: Clergy Fees - Funerals 349 Administration Fee (4 reps) Donations - Benefice via Stripe Churchd 191 Donations - Steering Groups via Stripe C - Donations - Benefice gift aid 228 Information Commissioner - 419 Deposit interest 186 Growbaby Misc. - donations 40 Rector's Discretionary Fund Growbaby Donations - Restricted - Transfers to Steering Groups Rector's Discretionary Fund - Steering Group Transfers 25 4,079 4,304 TOTAL RECEIPTS: 98,247 TOTAL PAYMENTS: BALANCE SHEET Balance b/f 1 January 2025 30,311 Income 98,247 Expenditure (86,285) Balance carried forward 31 December 2025 42,272 Represented by Banks £37,764.89 Debtors 73,505 Creditors -£68,998 42,272 Note 1 Being: Debtors Undestignated 21,556 Steering Group Transfers Designated funds Parish Share shortfall Reserve Fund 3,554 Rector's Discretionary Fund 400 Growbaby 1,370 Note 2 Landsale 15,392 20,716 Creditors Steering Group Transfers 42,272 CBF Parish Share shortfall |
45,738 6,699 15,816 3,107 7,189 4 1,468 50 1,281 2,799 1,090 83 956 1,151 311 92 120 120 Data Protection 47 - 190 - 775 86,285 5,282 68,223 73,505 -£775 -68222.91 -£68,998 |
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INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT to the Parochial Church Council Kingsdown & Creekside
This report on the Benefice accounts of the P.C.C. for the year ended 31[st] December 2025, which are set out in the Annual Report and Financial Statement, is in respect of an examination carried out under Regulation 3(3) of the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (‘the Regulations’) and s.145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
As the members of the P.C.C. you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. You consider that the audit requirement of the Regulations and section 144(2) of the Act does not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Regulations.
Basis of Independent Examiner’s Report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5) (b) of the Act and to be found in the Church Guidance, 2006 edition, issued by the Finance Division of the Archbishops’ Council. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the P.C.C. and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
In connection with my examination no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 130 of the Act.
Miles Lemon
Original signed
Miles Lemon FCG/FCIS The Greys, Erriot Wood Lynsted ME9 0JW 23 April 2026
1
KINGSDOWN & CREEKSIDE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
BENEFICE ACCOUNT 1 January to 31 December 2025
| RECEIPTS PAYMENTS PARISH SHARE TRANSFERS Parish Share Doddington 12,252 Area Dean Admin Lynsted 5,500 Insurance Newnham 5,000 Norton 7,000 Bellringers/ Organist/ Choir Oare 7,906 CDBF Fees Teynham 11,500 Bank charges Wychling 1,580 50,738 Clergy Expenses Mileage Benefice INSURANCE TRANSFERS Conferences/ Training Doddington 2,431 Other Expenses Lynsted 3,012 Newnham 2,587 Printing/ Stationery Norton 1,203 Postage Oare 1,635 Telephone/ Broadband Teynham 3,223 Benefice Office Utilities Wychling 1,346 15,437 Service Expenses Wedding Prep Fees Received 27,000 Churchdesk Deanery: Clergy Fees - Funerals 349 Administration Fee (4 reps) Donations - Benefice via Stripe Churchd 191 Donations - Steering Groups via Stripe C - Donations - Benefice gift aid 228 Information Commissioner - 419 Deposit interest 186 Growbaby Misc. - donations 40 Rector's Discretionary Fund Growbaby Donations - Restricted - Transfers to Steering Groups Rector's Discretionary Fund - Steering Group Transfers 25 4,079 4,304 TOTAL RECEIPTS: 98,247 TOTAL PAYMENTS: BALANCE SHEET Balance b/f 1 January 2025 30,311 Income 98,247 Expenditure (86,285) Balance carried forward 31 December 2025 42,272 Represented by Banks £37,764.89 Debtors 73,505 Creditors -£68,998 42,272 Note 1 Being: Debtors Undestignated 21,556 Steering Group Transfers Designated funds Parish Share shortfall Reserve Fund 3,554 Rector's Discretionary Fund 400 Growbaby 1,370 Note 2 Landsale 15,392 20,716 Creditors Steering Group Transfers 42,272 CBF Parish Share shortfall |
45,738 6,699 15,816 3,107 7,189 4 1,468 50 1,281 2,799 1,090 83 956 1,151 311 92 120 120 Data Protection 47 - 190 - 775 86,285 5,282 68,223 73,505 -£775 -68222.91 -£68,998 |
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