ANNUAL REPORTS
For the Year 2023
MISSION STATEMENT
- “The Church is a community witness by lifestyle, words and actions that we live in Christ’s world. We seek to show that the love of our Creator and Saviour is for everyone.
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THE VICAR’S REPORT
The year began with a quiet January as the now usual pattern of services unfolded with all the disruption of previous years fading into ever more distant memory. Time was freed up to focus on some dull but essential tasks such as ensuring our compliance with how we handle data and rebuilding safeguarding policies. The good news is that we are now almost compliant. By this time most of our pre-COVID activities were fully restored: home communions, care home services, school assemblies delivered by our Open the Book team or clergy.
Life was feeling a lot more normal once again. Lent began and some of us devoted our Monday evenings to studying the teaching of the desert fathers regarding the temptations that assail us. Whether it has made us more holy is not for us to judge. But it was fun and interesting to see how these pioneers of community living fashioned a tradition that has endured.
Holy Week was packed as ever with services and we enjoyed our usual Agape supper on Maundy Thursday (with extra washing of feet); gathered to lament on Good Friday; paused on Holy Saturday and celebrated joyfully on Easter Day.
During the Easter season we welcomed some newly baptised adults and saw them and others confirmed by Bishop Will. We also enjoyed a special evensong for the coronation of our king. As the season drew towards Pentecost we kept Rogation with our service commencing in a local farmyard. The cattle came and joined us as on previous occasions. It was so lovely to have their support.
Messy Church settled into a good routine with a session every two months except during the summer holidays. Numbers fluctuated but also hit new highs (35) which is encouraging. Our Eco-church project in Upper Dicker also flourished with many from the village joining us on a Sunday morning to manage the changes taking place in the churchyard. In June we celebrated our developing partnership with Bede’s School with a special service of evensong. This is just a beginning as we progress, somewhat slowly, to seeing the handing over of Holy Trinity to the school’s management under a leasing arrangement.
The first quarterly coffee morning for church funds and a nominated charity took place in June. These have progressed well and raise several hundreds of pounds a piece.
At the end of June we gathered in the cathedral to witness the ordination of our new curate, Deacon Elly, who joined us immediately the next day at our patronal festival. It is a real joy to have her on our ministry team.
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The Apostles’ Award scheme has continued with four signed up to develop their discipleship. At the end of July we undertook a short pilgrimage to Canterbury, walking the last 35km of the Pilgrims’ Way finishing at the cathedral. Some of us were pounced on to bring forward the offertory which was a wonderful moment. To see our crew in their walking gear so honoured was rather moving.
The summer culminated with another well supported service in the Festival of Transport arena. Harvest followed and then All Saints’ and Remembrance as autumn threaded by. Before we knew it Advent was again upon us and another year nearly done. Just Carol services and Christmas celebrations before it would bring itself to an end.
But it has been a year of consolidation and growth. Numbers at our services are steadily rising as new people arrive. Indeed at the Crib service in Upper Dicker it seemed half the village attended. We face our challenges but are encouraged by signs of increase which feel well grounded.
None of this would be possible without the unstinting support of a large number of volunteers filling coffee rotas, reading and interceding, visiting, greeting, singing and rope pulling, playing and serving. Furthermore I am very grateful to all those who give time and energy to planning, governing and administering on committees and the PCC. And thank you to my Churchwardens for all they do to remind me of things I m right otherwise forget as well as managing the buildings and all they contain.
Some numbers:
During the year 5 weddings were celebrated in St Peter & St Paul. There were:
In Hellingly at St Peter & St Paul:
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4 funerals
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7 memorial services
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7 burials of ashes in the churchyard
In Upper Dicker at Holy Trinity:
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1 funeral
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7 memorial services
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2 burials of ashes in the churchyard
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18 children under the age of eight were baptised.
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1 adult was baptised.
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4 adults were confirmed.
The Rev’d Jeremy Sykes
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TRUSTEES’ REPORT (Parochial Church Council - PCC)
We held 6 PCC meetings over the year and each meeting contained the usual business, finance and a variety of subjects.
Attendance and Pastoral Care Our attendance at the 4 services each week has grown. Upper Dicker seeing some of our Hellingly Congregation going to 9.15 for a variety of reasons.
On a Sunday at 8.00am in Hellingly a quiet said Eucharist can start the day or finish the week. At 9.15am in Upper Dicker there was a chance to sing with a smaller congregation.
At Hellingly’s 10.45am, the numbers have grown and a number stay for coffee and a chat, giving the opportunity to meet other congregants and for new friendships to be forged. Both our team of Home Communion takers and our pastoral care visits to those in their own homes are welcomed.
This variety of services gives us a good base to build on with the wider community and the ability to welcome all ages across a variety of styles of services.
We have also been very aware of the last year that we have lost several of our congregation and that we felt we had lost dear friends. For those families who have wanted to come and sit in our church and reflect it has been a privilege to have our church open.
Teaching and Nurturing new and existing believers. Our Apostles Award continues to be supported and will be continuing this year.
For our Lent course there were 3 groups and each experienced a learning in a different way. Our early Easter Day service was followed by breakfast where there was an opportunity to sit and talk and is one of the ways we can sit and welcome our new members.
Our use of the Community Hub for events is one of the ways we are seen out in the community with the continuing growth of houses all around us. We are still able to offer a peaceful and tranquil space in our Church and churchyard which we hope gives everyone, a respite from our ever busy lifestyles. In this way we continue to show we are here 24 hours of the day.
Evangelism and Outreach We continue to support the Hailsham Foodbank with some of our congregation helping on a weekly basis and our collection of food goods presented each week during our service. Our presence at the Festival of Transport continued, however, we need to maintain this presence and it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the volunteer levels needed to support this outreach. Many of the stall holders come back each year for the home made cakes and our presences is always welcomed on the Sunday morning for our service in the arena.
Our Open the Book team continue to go into the local infant and junior schools where they are able to meet with young people to relate the stories of Jesus. At some of our Family Service the congregation have also had the opportunity of seeing the plays as well.
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We continue with our Messy Church sessions which many of our baptism families attend and come along to.
The Pet Service, was held inside due to our English inclement weather, however, this did not stop our host of dogs attending.
During the year we were able to purchase new hymn books which we hope will encourage the learning of new hymns and of course our Choir are able to use them during the communion. How nice it is to see our choir growing and improving under our very talented choir master.
Our bell ringers welcome other ringers from in and around the district and their welcoming sound on a Sunday morning, a call to the service. Of course, if you have ever wondered if you could ring, they would always be pleased to show you.
Harvest was celebrated with a supper in the Community Hub followed on the Sunday with our service and the church decorated with all the autumnal fruits, flowers and provisions.
For those of you who volunteer and who feel that it’s only a little bit and not much, it is appreciated that all will give what they can, so as in previous years we never can say “Thank You” enough to all of our unseen volunteers, those in the background without which we find it difficult to function. For our seen volunteers the same applies, they are there and it is only when they go missing do you realise that it’s a wonderful job they do.
A look at our Visitors book shows that we welcome walkers and visitors from away, many thanking us for being open and providing a tranquil place. It has been pleasing to read comments of those who married over a number of years ago and felt that that they wanted to return to the church for a visit.
Throughout the year we have struggled with our day to day finances and we will be looking to 2024 to increase our financial giving as we well has our congregation. As Christians we can continue to show we are even more relevant in today’s world by praying, caring, supporting and giving our time and talents where and when we can.
Provision of our church buildings. Having received the Quinquennial report in the previous year we have been starting to work our way through items on the list. Next year we are hoping our focus will be on redecorating and lighting.
One clock face was taken way towards the end of the year and will be re-instated when the weather is better. For those who saw the clock face being taken down you will understand the mammoth task regarding the weather. For the other clock face it had to remain in situ due to it at some point being cemented in.
Upper Dicker still a slow work in progress, however, we do appear to be coming closing to handing it over to Bedes. We are currently still maintaining it.
As with other church in the Diocese we have seen a decrease in the number of weddings held in our churches, but we continue to be appreciated by our parishioners and many others as a space where we have events and activities which we hope will continue to grow.
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The Eco project taking place at Upper Dicker continues and is looked after by villagers as well as some of our congregation. A thank you also needs to be mentioned to those who keep Hellingly Churchyard neat and tidy throughout the year.
Charitable Giving Once again we were able to select various charities for our seasonal giving and should anyone wish to put forward the name of a charity, please don’t hesitate to give the idea to the PCC Secretary. More of our charitable giving can be found in our accounts.
We look forward to 2024 although we are very aware that we face some financial challenges, we look at building on our firm foundations to encourage, challenge and develop our Christian life through work and ministry.
DEANERY SYNOD MEETINGS 2023
The Deanery Synod met 3 times last year, the 2[nd] of the meeting to elect the various officers to the Synod Committee. At each meeting a different Parish provides a synopsis of what has happened over the past few months and where they are aiming to go in their parish life of mission and ministry. The 3 parishes over the last year were:
i) Warbleton, Bodle Street Green and Dallington ii) Horam iii) Heathfield
The 3 topics from the main body of the meetings were:
a) Ascension Trust - has been in existence for 9 years, the Trust’s main aim is to get the Church out and present in the Community. Part of that story are the Street Pastors. Originally launched in Brixton, where street gangs and rising anti-social behaviour was a challenging issue. A team of 21 began the work which quickly spread across many towns and cities. There are now 20,000 trained volunteers across 250 initiatives in the UK and 10 international teams. And now we have School Pastors. They are there to bridge gaps not duplicate existing initiatives, they work through building relationships, to support in times of disaster with compassion and, most importantly, to listen. Heathfield was one of the first rural centres to get Street Pastors which subsequently developed into School Pastors.
b) 2 speakers at this meeting, the first from the Wellbeing for Clergy and Families and the speaker gave an insight on how the Church looks after its clergy and their family covering mental health and wellbeing, under the title: “Why Kindness Matters”. The second speaker of the evening was from the Beachy Head Chaplaincy who spoke of the concerns that Beachy Head was now the second most used location in the world for suicides. The speaker gave a brief description of how the chaplains are trained and that there is always 2 when they are out on patrol and he gave a couple of examples of how they were able to help
The middle meeting of the year was the election of the officers of the Synod and those attending were able to join a bring and share meal before the meeting started.
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FINANCIAL REVIEW FOR 2023
Incoming and outgoing resources
The total receipts on general unrestricted funds received were £81,717.18 and are detailed in the Financial Report.
Our planned giving though the Parish Giving Scheme, standing orders and envelopes increased by 2.5%. Our total voluntary income including tax recovered, but excluding legacies increased by 1.0%.
Contactless giving is on the increase and contributed £2,424 to the total above. There were no legacies received in 2023.
Sharing the ministry costs of the Diocese of Chichester
The largest expenditure of the PCC was the sum of £33,000 paid to the diocese for our share of all churches’ Parish Ministry Costs. This year we reduced the contribution from Hellingly and Upper Dicker by £19,000 on the previous year in an attempt to offset the deficit in our accounts and the church is meeting only 41% of the costs allocated to this parish compared with 78% paid last year.
The total relates directly to the housing, support, stipend and pension costs of the clergy of this parish, training of new ordinands, a contribution to national church funds and, shared costs of the Christian family throughout the whole diocese. Because we do not pay our full Parish Ministry Cost, our parish is supported by others in the diocese that pay more than their share. Our Curate was appointed in July 2023. As this is a self-supporting and training post there is no cost to the parish in stipend etc however we do cover expenses and mileage detailed under trustee payments and expenses.
Energy Costs
The global situation on energy costs has had an effect on the parish too. Our energy is bought on a commercial contract through the Parish Buying Scheme. There is no price cap on commercial energy as there is on domestic tariffs. Despite carefully managing our usage the energy costs more than doubled from £3,406 in 2022 to £7,003 in 2023.
Staff costs
The PCC pays for an administrator, organist and a cleaner. Further details are provided in the notes to the accounts.
Trustee payments and expenses
The PCC also supported the clergy by paying Council Tax of £3,897, water and environmental charges amounting to £666 for the Vicarage plus other annual costs towards travel, hospitality, telephone, postage and broadband amounting to a little over £2,068. Our Curate was reimbursed £495 for mileage and expenses.
Payments were made to the following PCC members, who are also trustees, for duties carried out at weddings and funerals. (Verger, Sound, Choir and Sexton). R Moore £40.00; G Hartley £96.00; C Haywood £32.00; J Clark £74.00. £111.00 was paid to J. Piper who is related to a trustee. £1084.60 was paid to Rev. P. Clark (related to a trustee) for duties as a retired minister. The only other payments made to PCC members were for the reimbursement of expenses. No PCC members / Trustees received payments for being a PCC member or Trustee.
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Office costs
A new colour laser printer was purchased in December to replace the Risograph which had failed after many years of service. The cost was £468.60 however this was covered by a generous donation of £600.00 for the printer and ink.
Repairs to the fabric of the church building
Prior to Covid plans were set in motion to refurbish the dials of the clock which had suffered from the effects of the weather. Covid delays and a change of contractor meant that this did not begin until August 2023. The project also includes dismantling, cleaning and minor repairs to the clock movement. The total cost is expected to be £14,280 plus vat. The vat is recoverable from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. The Friends of Hellingly Church are funding the project.
The Friends of Hellingly Church
The Friends of Hellingly Church are a secular group of enthusiastic locals dedicated to preserving the fabric of Hellingly Church. The Friends held a Jazz evening at the Hub, ‘Pimms on the Lawn’ (actually indoors because it rained) at Springham House and The Christmas Tree Festival.
The Friends fundraising is purely for the fabric of the grade one listed church. Over the year through membership, donations, events and the Christmas tree festival, The Friends raised £6,508.
The Friends contributed £5140.80 to the first instalment of the clock and dials restoration.
Why we hold some money in reserve
The PCC holds some funds in reserve restricted to the fabric of the church which can be used for fabric repairs, including those identified in the Quinquennial Inspection. These funds originate from the amalgamation of a number of historic trusts. These funds are largely held in CBF Church of England Funds.
As well as holding the above reserves, from time to time the PCC receives restricted legacies for expenditure on restricted purposes, defined by the donor. We aim to expend such money as soon as possible after receiving the legacy, depending on the specific objectives of the donor.
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APPENDIX OF ADDITIONAL REPORTS
HELLINGLY & UPPER DICKER MOTHERS UNION
Last year was another very active and busy year for Hellingly MU branch. I have again been particularly heartened by the buzz and chat and happiness witnessed by everyone enjoying each other’s company over coffee at the end of our Branch meetings.
Jackie Funnell joined our Mothers Union branch at the January Family Service. Our membership now currently stands at 36. I have stepped down from my position as Branch Leader as from our AGM in February 2024 and the branch is now committee-led. I remain a keen MU member and also still hold the position of Treasurer for the branch.
We held our ‘Wave of Prayer’ on 26th February 2023, after the 10.45am Sunday service. This was attended by 10 members and was lovely, peaceful and meaningful.
We held our 13th Loving for Life course on Saturday 4[th] February, which was attended by only 2 couples, but they were lovely people and once again we received excellent feedback and thanks. Thank you to Jeremy who came and joined the couples over lunch and for the afternoon session. It was a great day.
In April, we welcomed Kathryn Anderson, our Provincial President and she came to speak to us about the volunteering she did at Lambeth Palace, a heart-warming talk.
Our May meeting, we were lucky enough to once again hear Rev’d Sue Foster who came to speak to us and give a great talk on Modern Slavery and also talked in detail of her life experiences. Another friend of the branch visited us in June, this was Dr Ruth Butlin. It had been a long while since we had seen her, and she always gives a lovely talk.
In July we held our Walk and Lunch at the beautiful Ashburnham Place. 16 of us enjoyed a beautiful Cream Tea and afterwards, we went on a relaxing walk in the grounds.
In August, our branch hosted The Mary Sumner Day Service for the first time. We had set ourselves quite a mission in holding this at Hellingly, but all went very well with a record attendance of 25 of our members coming and a total of 74 attending in all – fantastic result and a wonderful day.
In October, we were very thankful to Rev’d Des Burton who, as always, gives a brilliant and such an entertaining talk. He talked all about how he related his past work as a Firefighter together with becoming a priest. Thank you, Des, for another wonderful evening. October also saw the Members Meeting, held at St John’s Church in Brighton. We were very glad to attend this and 4 of us went and enjoyed seeing Mothers Union in a slightly bigger scale and we all returned home feeling positive and enthused.
In November we invited Karen Hill who is our Diocesan President to her first ever visit to Hellingly. What a treat for us! She gave a great talk and made a few suggestions for us as we approach another year for the branch. She suggested we maybe spread out into the community with our meetings and take a different approach to membership in general. She was very sorry to hear that we had such a sad year in our branch, losing 10 members over
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the previous 18 months. Following Karen’s discussion, we ended up purely by chance hosting our Winter meetings at Abbott’s Wood Care Home and this was a great success. We shall be repeating this again during our 2024/25 programme. They made us very welcome.
In December we once again had a wonderful Christmas Evening at Hellingly Community Hub and 36 attended. My committee members all kindly agreed to contribute to the meal. I received so many comments and thanks for such a wonderful evening. Thank you everyone for all your support, although it was very hard work and lots of planning, it was all very worthwhile to see the enjoyment it brought us all.
Sadly, we had 6 Mothers Union members who last year sadly passed away and we remember them fondly – Betty Bragg in March, Barbara Moore, Beryl Healey, Mary Redford and Sheila MacMullen in May and Lynne Evans in June. Bless them all………
I close wishing us all many opportunities to promote Mothers Union by helping others and most importantly to continue to enjoy our time of fun and fellowship in the future. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time serving on the Committee and would like to thank everyone for their help and love shown to me over the last two and a half years. With love and many thanks for all your support.
Val Moore
HELLINGLY CHOIR/ MUSIC REVIEW
It has been a pleasure to continue directing our choir, and to developing techniques and repertoire, as well as to exploring more unfamiliar and experimental ideas. On the whole, the choir have grown more and more confident in the challenges presented to them, and there is a greater sense of interactive communication amongst members.
Unfortunately, our progress this year has been blighted by the on-going complications caused by a head injury I sustained in July 2023, however, we have established an excellent supportive friendship as a unit, which has meant, in most cases, our musical offerings for services etc have been able to go ahead. I believe that the seed to our progress, along with practice sessions, has been staying connected via the WhatsApp group, where informative and supportive discussions can take place, and, where I am able to provide both prerecorded and live recordings of musical parts and accompaniments, as well as links to supporting materials, to assist with the learning and practice of music between sessions, in the case of any absences, or by means of simply building confidence and reassurance.
This past year, we have introduced an additional Mass setting for use during Lent and Advent, Missa Simplex, as well as including other parts of the standard St. Thomas ‘Kyree’ and Acclaimations. We have also explored a number of new hymns/songs and anthems for weekly services, as well as those more specific to Lent/Easter, Advent/Christmas, and King Charles III Coronation. We have varied our technical repertoire somewhat, most notably singing in cannon, singing unaccompanied both in parts and in unison. Perhaps amongst our more adventurous singing techniques, as demonstrated during Communion in the Easter Day service ‘You’re alive you’re alive you have risen’, is that of dividing the choir into three parts to create a celebratory layered echo effect. Another is that of staggered breathing, as
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demonstrated during the Carols by Candlelight service ‘Still, still, still’, to form a continuous vocal accompaniment with no obvious breaths to the listener. Another technique, still in progress, is that of singing in contrary motion, a skill I hope to demonstrate at a later date.
All in all, despite the medical-related difficulties and frustrations, lots of positive progress has been made this past year, achievements and goals met, and new experiences to look forward to, a ‘Folksongs of Praise’ is very much in the planning, so too is incorporating instruments other than those used already to diversify the musical input of the church.
Note:
I would like to express my sincere thanks for all your support, understanding, and patience during, what I can only describe as being, a very dark period in my professional and personal life following my accident last summer. I am pleased to report that my scan and test results have not indicated any long-term cosmetic damage, and I am currently taking a max strength medication to help settle the constant variable headaches and migraines, before undergoing memory/language/speech therapy; my consultant is quite positive that I will make a full recovery with the right support, but has also advised that time and appropriate rest will play an important role in my recovery. I fully intend to continue with my duties, but will notify someone as quickly as possible should I feel to unwell to perform
OPEN THE BOOK
This is our 7[th] year of OtB and the team is still going strong, and the 3 schools still welcome us warmly on our bi-monthly visits. One head teacher announces us at each assembly as the schools’ favourite visitors! This certainly gives us the confidence that we are valued by them. We completed 6 assemblies last year plus our Family Service appearances.
There was one additional project, organised by us last year, which took place in December when we had the 2 reception classes from Hailsham Primary Academy come into church to make Christingles. Some of our team attended each morning, together with 2 teachers and a small group of mums. All of them enjoyed the activities and the children had a great time. One little boy, who had obviously never been in the church before, looked up at the ceiling and around the space as he came into the building and as he passed me, I heard him say “Oh cool!” The school have asked us if they can repeat this visit next December with the new reception classes.
In September we had a training day led by Steff Shepherd, one of the lead trainers from OtB. All but 1 of our team attended plus 2 potential new members who have since joined officially. So now we are a team of 12. It was a very inspiring day, and we all gained a lot of new ideas from it.
Over the Harvest and Christmas period we acted as stewards for Hellingly’s school Harvest and Carol Concerts.
It continues to be an amazing privilege to take this form of ministry into 3 non-Church schools. The team really love being with the children, who, never cease to amaze us with their keenness to get involved and the questions they sometimes ask!
I would like to thank my very special team who are willing to try anything, well virtually anything! For our gifted prop makers, for everyone’s offerings of ideas, for keeping me on
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track and for their total and genuine commitment to spreading the Christian Faith through story telling.
BELL RINGERS - Annual Report 2023
The total number of regular Sunday ringers in the band is currently seven, with a further four semi-regulars, including one from Hailsham, attending our weekly practice nights when available. Experienced ex-ringer Jill Bennison was also a welcome addition to our band during the year.
During 2023 we rang for four weddings (a marked reduction from the previous year), one wedding anniversary and one funeral, as well as for the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla in May. We also hosted three groups of visiting ringers from Kent, Westham and St Leonards, and we were well-placed in the annual April SCACR regional quiz.
Unfortunately, over the Christmas/New Year festive period, we were only able to ring for the Carol Service due to a lack of available ringers. For the first time in many years, we could not half-muffle the bells for Remembrance Sunday ringing as the muffle straps were found to be unserviceable; we have recently taken delivery of new straps to rectify this problem.
Despite managing to attract several new learners during the year and spending considerable time and effort to teach them, all but one have given up. With an ageing band, limited numbers, and the difficulty of retaining new recruits, the prospect of continued ringing at Hellingly is now looking bleak. We are hoping to run a campaign to attract returning exringers in 2024 and maybe even an Open Day for those that might be interested. In the meantime, we welcome any interest from members of the congregation or local community in coming to join our friendly band at our Wednesday practice nights.
Trevor Godden Hellingly Tower Correspondent
FRIENDS OF HELLINGLY CHURCH
The Friends have been in existence since December 2017 with the role of raising funds for the preservation of the fabric of the church building. It is independent of the PCC but responsible to it for the management of its funds. So far they have raised £31, 508. Architects fees for plans to replace the West door cost £1,290 and, so far,£5,140 for the refurbishment of the clock in the church tower. A total of £13,000 has been set aside for this ongoing project. IN the meanwhile the Friends' committee await a further request from the Parochial Church Council to help fund further ongoing measures in keeping with our motto : "If the Roof leaks and the Walls sag, We are there for you ".
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We are always on the lookout for new members. Contact our secretary, Teresa Butler, email ajbutler8@btinternet.com or telephone 01323- 845652.
Three events took place this year..A Jazz Evening with the Pete Willson quartet at the Hellingly Hub; a Pimms on The Lawn at Springham House, hosted by Annmarie and Alan Anderson ; and the third Festival of Christmas trees in the church. Ronald Chatwin ( Chairman: Pro tem )
FAMILY SUPPORT WORK
Mandy Pittman and Janet Perez took on the shared role of Parish Representative on the Dallington Deanery Committee for Family Support Work, representing Hellingly Church, in the spring of 2023, after being nominated by Father Jeremy.
Family Support Work is a registered charity that has been helping vulnerable children and families throughout Sussex since 1890. The origins of the charity lie in the Diocese of Chichester and although FSW is an independent charity their work is closely linked with the church and its work is motivated by the Christian faith. The charity now includes twenty qualified professional practitioners providing free support in a variety of ways and is open to all regardless of faith, race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexuality or disability. Rebecca Hale is the practitioner for Dallington Deanery, which includes our local area of Hailsham and Hellingly.
Our introduction to our new role was an invitation to a fundraising garden party at Crouch Farm, East Hoathly where we met the Chief Executive Martin Auton-Lloyd, and various members of the Deanery Committee. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming and they shared more information on the role of a parish representative – mainly attending quarterly deanery meetings and providing a communication link between FSW and the Hellingly Church by sharing updates. The volunteer caterers at the event were made up of several deanery committee members and Christo, the Deanery Chair. Nicknamed the “Dream Team” they provide catering at various charity events throughout the year, often working with Heathfield Rotary Club, resulting in a large proportion of the monies raised within the Dallington area. They were delighted to find that they had two new willing recruits and so far this year Janet and I have helped out at Waldron Classic Car Show in August, some NGS Open Gardens in our local area, and the Heathfield Christmas Lights Night, helping to raise thousands of pounds. We look forward to continuing to help the dream team in 2024.
After a meeting with Father Jeremy we came up with a plan to raise awareness of the charity’s aims and objectives within the church by providing regular newsletter updates and a making space on the church noticeboard for upcoming events. In December Janet and I sponsored a tree for the Christmas Tree Festival and decorated it with FSW logo paper chains and baubles. We invited visitors to write their Christmas family memories on the baubles and hang them on the tree. We found out from the deanery committee meetings that other members did something similar, but they had also found ways of raising money by auctioning the tree at the end of the festival.
Future plans are to explore ideas for raising funds for FSW within our Church community, although it is acknowledged that many already give generously to other charities, including our own much needed church funds raised by the Friends of Hellingly. It is hoped that FSW
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will become affectionately embraced by our church community as a local charity providing badly needed local support for vulnerable families struggling to get by. Janet and I welcome any ideas that will help achieve this.
Mandy Pittman, Deanery Rep
MESSY CHURCH
Messy Church meet at the Hub on the 2nd Sunday of the month from January to November excluding July, 3-5.30. Families are welcomed with a cup of tea or juice and encouraged to mingle, while their children play with a variety of games and toys. This is followed by a session of craft activities related to the theme of the session, hopefully resulting in the children making something they can take home, or eat. The group then comes together for a quiet time to listen to a story and sing some songs, again, relating to the theme, followed by tea with a further opportunity to chat to the families.
Messy church has so far been largely attended by baptism families, though there have on occasions been some older children joining in. Numbers have not been huge but there are one or two families who come regularly. Those who come do seem to enjoy it. There is plenty of room do please bring your children or grandchildren to join in the fun.
There is a small band of loyal helpers and it would be lovely if anyone would like to join in. Come and see what we do if you would like to know more.
Alison Sylvester
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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HELLINGLY AND UPPER DICKER, SUSSEX
| Accounts For The Year Ended 31st, | December 2023 |
|---|---|
| Contents | Page |
| General Fund | 2 & 3 |
| Reconciliation of Funds and Investments | 4 & 5 |
| Church Trust & Chancel Fund | 6 |
| Statement of Assets and Liabilities | 7 |
| Notes to the Accounts | 8 |
| Retiring Collections and Charitable Giving | 9 |
| Fundraising | 9 |
| Friends of Hellingly Church | 10 - 12 |
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Receipts and Payments Account 2023
| INCOME | General Fund |
Designated Fund |
Restricted Fund |
Total All Funds 2023 |
Total All Funds 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income Donations and Legacies | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| Legacies | 0.00 | 20000.00 | |||
| Planned Giving (Not PGS) | 4803.26 | 4803.26 | 4541.50 | ||
| PGS includingGift Aid | 36091.52 | 36091.52 | 35535.03 | ||
| Collections and Other Giving | 15404.03 | 1760.05 | 17164.08 | 17612.64 | |
| Gift Aid - From HMRC | 3738.91 | 3738.91 | 3477.62 | ||
| Income from Church Activities | |||||
| TradingIncome | 1000.87 | 1000.87 | 688.45 | ||
| Magazine Sales and Advertising | 0.00 | 0.00 | |||
| Fundraising | 3062.12 | 3062.12 | 3138.40 | ||
| Fees Weddings/Funerals Etc | 9965.62 | 175.00 | 10140.62 | 18899.77 | |
| LPW Grant Scheme | 215.40 | 215.40 | 749.60 | ||
| Grant Wealden DC | 2275.00 | 2275.00 | 2028.00 | ||
| Other | 666.09 | 2404.00 | 3070.09 | 533.94 | |
| Income Investments | |||||
| CCLA Interest | 0.39 | 0.39 | 0.07 | ||
| CCLA Interest | 51.18 | 51.18 | 8.91 | ||
| Bank Interest | 103.52 | 103.52 | 14.82 | ||
| CAF Bank Interest | 0.11 | 0.11 | 0.22 | 0.00 | |
| Total All Income | 74948.32 | 6614.05 | 154.81 | 81717.18 | 107228.75 |
2
| EXPENDITURE | General Fund |
Designated Fund |
Restricted Fund |
Total All Funds 2023 |
Total All Funds 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenditure Raising Funds | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ |
| Expenditure RaisingFunds | 100.00 | 100.00 | 100.00 | ||
| Church Activities | |||||
| Parish Contribution | 33000.00 | 33000.00 | 52037.00 | ||
| CharityCollection | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Charitable Giving | 188.20 | 188.20 | 927.44 | ||
| Salaries and NI | 16075.28 | 16075.28 | 13027.46 | ||
| Church Running Expenses | |||||
| Gas | 4627.77 | 4627.77 | 2302.61 | ||
| Electricity | 2375.52 | 2375.52 | 1103.20 | ||
| Water and Waste Water | 298.34 | 298.34 | 188.77 | ||
| Wafers/Wine | 247.40 | 247.40 | 234.87 | ||
| Candles | 250.52 | 250.52 | 587.98 | ||
| Church Insurance | 4404.91 | 4404.91 | 3967.29 | ||
| Lent Books/Palm Crosses | 16.89 | 16.89 | 22.87 | ||
| Stationery | 456.12 | 456.12 | 373.80 | ||
| Baptism Cards/Candles/Confirmation Prayer Books | 73.65 | 73.65 | 329.77 | ||
| Hall Hire - Various Events | 450.00 | 450.00 | 325.00 | ||
| Music/Hymn Books/RSCM | 470.57 | 720.05 | 1190.62 | 110.00 | |
| Magazine and Printing | 238.85 | 238.85 | 411.94 | ||
| Assigned Fees & Fees - Other | 1628.80 | 1628.80 | 3691.40 | ||
| Refreshments | 337.61 | 337.61 | 279.40 | ||
| Copyright | 231.00 | 231.00 | 412.50 | ||
| Wedding& Funeral - Support Costs | 3523.81 | 3523.81 | 8265.63 | ||
| Open The Book/MessyChurch | 26.05 | 110.00 | 136.05 | 0.00 | |
| Clergy Expenses | |||||
| Vicarage Expenses - Water,Council Tax,Etc | 4996.53 | 4996.53 | 5110.69 | ||
| Vicar's Expenses | 1634.18 | 1634.18 | 1468.98 | ||
| Curate's Expenses | 495.00 | 495.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Benefice expenses(other) | 0.00 | 142.56 | |||
| Expenditure Other | |||||
| Church Fabric | 2859.00 | 2859.00 | 5529.00 | ||
| Bells and Belfry | 0.00 | 252.00 | |||
| Clock | 5330.55 | 5330.55 | 579.60 | ||
| Churchyard | 1765.00 | 1765.00 | 1855.00 | ||
| Church Flowers | 255.95 | 255.95 | 0.00 | ||
| Repairs | 288.00 | 288.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Electrician | 2876.44 | 2876.44 | 748.80 | ||
| Organ/Piano | 175.00 | 175.00 | 358.60 | ||
| Safetyand Risk Assessments | 6.00 | 6.00 | 1776.60 | ||
| Security /Fire | 598.76 | 598.76 | 128.44 | ||
| Equipment | 324.99 | 468.60 | 793.59 | 228.32 | |
| Office and Admin | 220.14 | 220.14 | 603.43 | ||
| Other FundraisingCosts | 0.00 | 49.00 | |||
| Website/Zoom/Facebook etc | 66.22 | 66.22 | 302.60 | ||
| Bank Charges | 196.15 | 196.15 | 370.94 | ||
| GBX Core Costs | 360.00 | 360.00 | 432.00 | ||
| Other | 338.00 | 416.10 | 754.10 | 711.54 | |
| Total All Expenditure | 78432.26 | 3735.70 | 11353.99 | 93521.95 | 109347.03 |
3
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Reconciliation of Funds and Investments 2023
| 2023 | 2022 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| £ | £ | |||
| Total Receipts | 81717.18 | 107228.75 | ||
| Transfer from Church Trust(Fabric Fund) | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Transfer in from Friends Account | 5140.80 | 0.00 | ||
| Total Payments | 93521.95 | 109347.03 | ||
| Excess Receipts over Payments | -6663.97 | -2118.28 | ||
| Interest Retained in Organ Fund | 26.82 | 10.87 | ||
| Unrealised Appreciation on Investments | 4645.99 | -4742.93 | ||
| Total Excess Receipts over Payments | -1991.16 | -6850.34 | ||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Barclays Current A/C ****3890 | 2231.60 | 986.59 | ||
| Cheques Outstanding | 0.00 | 0.00 | ||
| Barclays Deposit A/C ****5046(Fabric) | 9502.09 | 17406.39 | ||
| Barclays Current A/C ****1795(UD) | 4.29 | 409.19 | ||
| CAF Cash General Fund | 100.01 | 0.00 | ||
| CAF Gold General Fund | 100.10 | 0.00 | ||
| CAF Cash Fabric Fund | 100.01 | 0.00 | ||
| CAF Gold Fabric Fund | 100.10 | 0.00 | ||
| CCLA Deposit A/C CB3023863-001 (Upper Dicker Organ Fund) (Was 61014140001D) |
863.70 | 836.88 | ||
| CCLA Share Accounts(From below) | 41619.92 | 36973.93 | ||
| CCLA Deposit Account CB3023453-001 (Fabric)(Was 002D) |
1338.00 | 1338.00 | ||
| CCLA Deposit Account CB3023454-001 (General)Was 003D |
10.10 | 10.10 | ||
| Total in All Funds | 55969.92 | 57961.08 | ||
| Excess Receipts over Payments | -1991.16 | |||
| Check Sum | 55969.92 | 55969.92 |
4
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Financial Statement for Share Accounts 2023
| Financial Statement for Share Accounts | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | Unrealised Appreciation |
||||
| £ | £ | £ | ||||
| CCLA 1J ClosingBalance | 41619.92 | 36973.93 | 4645.99 | |||
| OpeningBalance | 36973.93 | |||||
| Sale of Shares | 0.00 | |||||
| Total | 41619.92 | 36973.93 | 4645.99 |
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Financial Statement for Upper Dicker Organ Fund 2023
| Financial Statement for UD Organ Fund | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | Interest Retained |
||||
| CCLA CB3023863-001 Was(6104140001D) | 863.70 | 836.88 | 26.82 | |||
| Total | 863.70 | 836.88 | 26.82 |
5
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Church Trust and Chancel Fund
CHURCH TRUST (This is Fabric Fund)
| CHURCH TRUST(This is Fabric Fund) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | Unrealised Appreciation |
|
| £ | £ | £ | |
| CB 3005213(Was A/C 110001189F) | 54319.20 | 50325.65 | 3993.55 |
| Total | 54319.20 | 50325.65 | 3993.55 |
CHANCEL FUND
| CHANCEL FUND | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |
| £ | £ | |
| Investment Income Received | 910.49 | 905.47 |
| Deposit Account Interest Income received |
837.32 | 330.30 |
| Total Accumulated Income Held on Behalf of the PCC |
27436.49 | 25688.68 |
Following a review of the law the Chichester DBF decided in 2019 that the previous presentation of Chancel Funds had been misunderstood and that a revision was required. Income received from Chancel trusts is not investment income, as the PCC does not own the trust fund nor its investments. Income from Chichester DBF is a restricted charitable grant to reimburse the cost of insuring the Chancel, which previously has been paid by the PCC from General Funds.
Accumulated grant income not yet received from Chichester DBF and included in Debtors amounted to £27,436.49 at 31st December 2023 (2022 £25,688.68)
6
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dlcker Statement of Assets and Liabilities 2023 General ' Dg•ignated Funds Funds Restrlcted Endowed Fund Total All F08 Total All Funds 2023 2022 ASSETS Current account" 'T90 Current account~ "795 Current aeeount~"Y10 CAF sit account 367 CAF Bank re5eNe 8eccwJnt- Barclays D• Cuirent aLrount Fabric Deposit account" Fabric CCLA dèposit account CB3023454-001 IGeneT?11 Was 003D CCLA deposit awount CB302345>001 (Fabric) Was 002D CCLA Sttare Account CB3032452- 001 Fabri Was 00IJ C8F deposit account CB3023863- 001 LUD Or an Was 001D Church Trust Debtors Chichester DBF Chancel Insuran Grant DÈbtorsHèlllngly Parish Council Hub Rolling D osit 1822.72 40e 88 2231.60 4.29 g86.59 409.19 100.01 100.01 100 10 100.10 9502.09 9502.09 174C6.39
711 CAF 100.01 100.of 0.00 .388 CAF 100.10 100.10 0.00 10.10 10.10 10.10 1338.00 1338.00 133800 41e19.92 41619.92 36973.93 883 70 $4319 20 863.70 836.88 54319.20 50325.65 27436 49 27436.49 25688.68 0.00 100.00 o.oo 000 TOTALS 2037.22 408.88 135279.51 0.00 137725.61 134075.41 LIABILITES To DBF 838.60 638.60 192.80 Uncleared Ch ues 0.00 000 TOTALS 638.60 0.00 00 638.60 192.80 Approved by Ihe Parochial Church Council on Po5ilion Data
Notes to the Financial Reports 2023
-
1) The Financial Statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the charities act 2011 and the Church Accounting Regulations 2006, using the Receipts and Payments basis.
-
2) The following assets are recognised but not valued in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities: Moveable church furnishings held by the churchwardens on a special trust for the PCC, which require a faculty for disposal.
-
3) Payments to PCC Employees:
The PCC of Hellingly and Upper Dicker is registered as an employer with HMRC. The PCC has two current employees. Gross payments were made amounting to £14,593.12, included in this are the appropriate PAYE and NI deductions that were sent to HMRC amounting to £1,312.32. The church cleaner is self-employed. Payments were made to the value of £1,482.16. No deductions for tax or NI were made.
-
4) Payments to PCC members / Trustees:
-
Payments were made to the following PCC members, who are also trustees, for duties carried out at weddings and funerals. (Verger, Sound, Choir and Sexton). R Moore £40.00; G Hartley £96.00; C Haywood £32.00; J Clark £74.00. £111.00 was paid to J. Piper who is related to a trustee. £1084.60 was paid to Rev. P. Clark (related to a trustee) for duties as a retired minister. The only other payments made to PCC members were for the reimbursement of expenses. No PCC members / Trustees received payments for being a PCC member or Trustee.
-
5) Donations from PCC Members / Trustees:
-
Identifiable donations from PCC Members / Trustees exceeded £9246.06. Some donations into the charity are received anonymously. It is possible that some of these are made by trustees.
-
6) In 2023 a review was undertaken to identify fabric expenditure from general funds dating back to 2017 when The Parish of Hellingly and The Parish of Upper Dicker combined. Over this period a total of £13,827.68 of Hellingly fabric funds were used to support the general fund. Because the legacies received and fabric funds held in reserve are all restricted to Hellingly church, fabric expenditure at Upper Dicker all came from general funds and the now closed Margaret Lawrie Trust. For Upper Dicker £36,554.45 of general funds has been spent on fabric. Combining the two figures General Funds have supported fabric by £22,726.77.
-
7) Charity donations and retiring collections were paid as detailed in Appendix A on page 9.
-
8) The accounts for the Friends of Hellingly Church are shown at Appendix B on pages 10 and 11. This account is under the control of the Parochial Church Council; however, it does not form part of the general funds. In 2023 £5,140.80 was transferred from the Friends of Hellingly Church Funds to the General fund for the first instalment on the clock and dial refurbishment.
8
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Appendix A – Charitable Giving, Retiring Collections and Fundraising 2023
| 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charity Giving | Retiring Collections | |||
| Children's Societyfrom Christingle Service | 66.00 | |||
| Total | 0.00 | |||
| Farming Community Network from Harvest Collections and Harvest Supper |
122.20 | |||
| Children's Societyfrom Crib & Carol Services | ||||
| Total | 188.20 | |||
| Fundraising for Church Funds | ||||
| Income | Costs | |||
| Festival of Transport | 1280.80 | 100.00 | ||
| Agape Supper | 199.50 | |||
| Amazon Smile Donations | 27.50 | |||
| Coffee Mornings | 1144.21 | |||
| Bluebell Walk | 584.11 | |||
| S/H Book Donations | 53.00 | |||
| Total | 3289.12 | 100.00 |
9
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Appendix B - The Friends of Hellingly Church Receipts and Payments Account 2023
| INCOME | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|
| Income from Donations | ||
| Single Donations | 520.00 | 540.00 |
| Donations in Memory | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| StandingOrders | 2020.00 | 2163.00 |
| Other Donations | 212.00 | 250.00 |
| Gift Aid - From HMRC | 503.30 | 685.72 |
| Bank Interest | 0.11 | |
| Total Income from Donations | 3255.41 | 3638.72 |
| Income from Fundraising | ||
| Income from Events | 5640.21 | 4922.16 |
| Total Income from Fundraising | 5640.21 | 4922.16 |
| Total All Income | 8895.62 | 8560.88 |
| EXPENDITURE | 2023 | 2022 |
| Expenditure Raising Funds | ||
| Advance Deposit Future Events | -150.00 | 150.00 |
| Printing | 0.00 | 414.26 |
| Stationeryetc | 0.00 | 59.11 |
| Event Expenses | 2359.31 | 1907.10 |
| Web Renewal | 5.50 | |
| Bank Charges | 171.34 | 166.83 |
| Total Expenditure Raising Funds | 2386.15 | 2697.30 |
| Expenditure Charitable Activities | ||
| Contribution towards Clock and Dial Refurbishment | 5140.80 | 0.00 |
| Total Expenditure Charitable Activities | 5140.80 | 0.00 |
| Total All Expenditure | 7526.95 | 2697.30 |
10
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Appendix B - The Friends of Hellingly Church Financial Statement 2023
| Financial Statement 2023 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Statement for Friends Account | 2023 | 2022 | ||
| £ | £ | |||
| Income from FundraisingEvents | 5640.21 | 4922.16 | ||
| Income from Donations inc GiftAid | 3255.30 | 3638.72 | ||
| Bank Interest | 0.11 | |||
| Total Income | 8895.62 | 8560.88 | ||
| FundraisingExpenses | 2386.15 | 2697.30 | ||
| Donation to HellinglyChurch Fabric | 5140.80 | 0.00 | ||
| Total Expenditure | 7526.95 | 2697.30 | ||
| Excess Receipts Over Payments | 1368.67 | 5863.58 | ||
| Friends of Hellingly Church Accounts | ||||
| 2023 | 2022 | |||
| £ | £ | |||
| Opening Balance | 27775.61 | 21912.03 | ||
| Excess Receipts over Payments | 1368.67 | 5863.58 | ||
| Closing Balance | 29144.28 | 27775.61 |
11
The Parochial Church Council of Hellingly and Upper Dicker Appendix B- The Friends of Hellingly Church Statement of Assets and Liabilities 2023 Gon•ral Fynds Deslgnated Funds Restrlcted Funds Endowed Fund Totsl All Funds Total All Fund8 2023 2022 ASSETS Bareiays Crnt aCunt "750 CAF Cash Current account .712 CAF Gold Deposrt A¢cLnt .890 Debtors Hellingty Parish Council Hub Securi De sit 11103123 28944.17 28944.17 27775.61 100.01 100.01 0.00 100.10 100.10 150.00 0.00 TOTALS 0.00 29144.28 0.00 1 29144.28 27925.61 LIABILITES Uncared Che ues 000 0.00 TOTALS 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Approved by the Paro¢hial Church Counril on Slgnalure Posi(ion 12 12
(HARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WAIES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiners Report Report to the trusteesl members of The Parochial Church Counal of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Hellingly and Upper Dicker. Su88ex On accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 Charlty no (if any) 1164080 Set out on pages I report to the Iruslees on my examination of the accounts of the above charily Ilhe Trust") for the year ended 3111212022. Responslbllties and basls of report As the charity's trustees. you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance wrth Ihe requirements of the Charities Act 2011 I'the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under se10n 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examinalion, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under Section 145(5llb) of the Ad. Independent examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to bel*ve that in. any material respecl.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charrties Act., or the accounts not accord wtlh the accounting records,. or the accounts did nol comply with the appliGable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts sel out in the Charities IAccounls and Reports) Regulations 2CQ8 other than any requirement thal the accounts give a 'lrue and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no ¢oncems and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enabEe a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ' Please delet8 the words in the bwkets rfthey nol apply. Signed: Date: 23.04.24 Name: John CharS Males Relevant professlonal ICAEW qualiflGation{s) or body (If any): FCA IER Oct 2018
Address: Watson Associates 30- 34 North Street, Hailsham East Sussex. BN27 1DW Section B Oisclosure Only complete If the examiner needs lo nignlight matenal matters of conrn (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance br examin8rs>. Glve here brlef dgtsils of any items that the examlner wlshes to disclose. IER Ocl 2018