## **St. Mary’s Church Oxted** ## **Annual Report 2023** ## Knowing Christ Growing Community, Renewing Heritage Charity number: 1164439 ## **PCC Members** ## **Ex Officio members** Rev. James Ashton Team Rector (Chairman) – from 7 January 2020 Austin Copp Churchwarden – from September 2022 ## **Deanery Synod Representatives** Sue Mallinson * Catharina Hickson Valerie Adamson Edward Kyte Diocesan and Deanery Synod Diocesan and Deanery Synod *Sue Mallinson represents St. Peter’s Tandridge on Deanery Synod and is on the electoral roll of St. Mary’s , also representing Tandridge Deanery on Diocesan Synod. ## **Diocesan Synod Representative** Catharina Hickson ## **Licensed Readers** Sue Mallinson ## **Co-opted members** Rev. David Weightman Rev. Ken Robinson Marian Dalton PCC Secretary Liz Lane (Clergy) Katharine Nockles (Safeguarding Officer) Catharina Hickson (Diocesan Synod) Valerie Adamson (Deanery Synod) ## **Elected Members** Martin Fisher 2020 Treasurer and Vice Chairman Richard Adamson (2023 – 2026)) Natasha Copp (2023-2026) Katy Aspinwall (2023 -2026) Alison Murden (2023 – 2026) Emma Church (2023 - 2026) Caroline Horsford (2023 -2026) Len Muir (2023 – 2026) Xavier Copp (2023 – 2026) ## **Standing Committee** Rev. James Ashton, Austin Copp, Martin Fisher, Rev. David Weightman, Marian Dalton Members of the Standing Committee are agreed at the PCC meeting after the APCM. It conducts the business on behalf of the PCC (as directed by the PCC) in between PCC meetings and also sets the agenda for meetings. ## **Electoral Roll Officer -** Paul Shillito **Treasurer -** Martin Fisher ## **Churches Together in Oxted and District -** David Cook ## **Mission Group** David Cook, Valerie Adamson, Ruth D’Alessandro The Mission Group (joint with St. Peter’s) coordinates the links the churches have with the mission organisations the PCC decides to support. This includes donating money from PCC funds; raising awareness of their work; ensuring there is prayer for the work of the charities within services and other church events and encouraging people to pray at other times, inviting people from the charities to speak at services. ## **Ministry Team** Rev. James Ashton Team Rector Rev. David Weightman Assistant Priest Rev. Liz Lane Sue Mallinson Reader Rev. Ken Robinson Assistant Priest Mary Cook Pastoral Visitor **Bank Details :** Barclays Bank 20-76-55 PCC StMARYS OXTED General Account: 10688967 Regular Giving Only Account: 00688746 ## **Introduction** 2023 saw joys and challenge throughout the wider world; we welcomed a new King for our nation, there was ongoing concern at the cost of living crisis, our Lionesses were, so nearly, world champions, and there was the start of the ongoing violence and turmoil in Gaza and Israel, and the continuation of the painful conflict in Ukraine. We remember these world events, and continue to pray for all involved. In the season of Easter, we recall the empty cross and tomb. We thank God that we are filled; with his love, hope and joy. We thank God that we are filed with the joy of a shared life and worship. It is a real blessing to be part of the St Mary’s community, and I trust you find the same blessing as we journey together. Our ministry team grew during 2023, and we have been blessed with Rev Liz and Rev Judith, who have joined our ministry team as assistant priests. Their commitment to faithful and creative worship and prayer, enhances our team greatly. I am also extremely grateful to Rev David, Sue Mallinson, and Rev Ken for their partnership in the gospel. My thanks also to Natasha in the Parish Office, who gives us so much as a church, and keeps everything in order; and so much more besides. We also all owe many thanks to Austin, who has carried the position of Churchwarden with hard work and creative leadership – thank you Austin. Thank you also to members of the PCC, who have met regularly to scrutinise, listen and plan for the future. Our finances continue to challenge us – we have seen a lot of the tower work completed, although this largely came from outside grants. Our day-to-day finances improved slightly during 2023, and we are grateful to all those who continue to support us financially. Many thanks to Martin for leading the finance team again this year. Thank you to Rod, our organist, and the choir, who ensure that we are well-served musically. The new ‘Come & Sing’ evenings have been popular, and very welcome. Thank you also to Mira and her team, who have built our youth work here, and across our team ministry. I am also extremely thankful to our Junior Church team – you are all amazing. During 2023 The_Space became more utilised in our life, and hosted events, gatherings and meals throughout the year. There are too many highlights to mention, but one brilliant example has been the growth and joy of Baby_Space. It started in Spring 2023, and regularly welcomes between 10 and 20 parents with children under 1; they enjoy the friendship and support received at the group. We trust that The_Space will continue to be a wonderful aspect to our life together. We also continue to work in so many other places in the community. We regularly visit St Mary’s School, Tandridge Heights Care Home, Ridgeway Manor and Sycamore Court. These opportunities are an excellent way for us to love our community and be involved. I commend this Annual Report to you, and all that is contained within. May we pray and work together as a church, as we are filled with the fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit of God; always putting the example of Jesus before us. James Ashton, Team Rector ## **Churchwarden’s Report** The story for 2023 overall very positive with good congregation numbers and the team clergy back to full compliment. The recent inductions of Judith and Sue are really exciting and provide support to James in his new Team Rector role and to the whole ministry team. I’ve frequently heard and agree with many comments on the quality of sermons and services and thank the team for the hard work they put into these and all the other aspects of their ministry. With regard to the physical state and condition of the church, it is a story of old and new. For the lovely old St Mary’s building we have seen the completion of part of the Tower work under David Weightman‘s expert eye. Although the lower section still needs to be done (and will be the in the not too distant future), the immediate pressure is off. The next phase is some relatively minor works to the crumbling Porch stonework that should be done later this year. The new St Mary’s Space we have been blessed with has been well used from the start. It continues to host an expanding programme of faith and community events. We are very grateful to those who supported the purchase of the Space financially and with time and effort to refurbish. We are also very grateful to those who organise and staff the events held there and provide the delicious refreshments, which are always a tangible demonstration of God’s love. The upkeep of both buildings is considerable and the cost of this will be covered in more detail in our Treasurer’s report. We are thankful to those who regularly give to contribute to these costs and would encourage anyone not doing so and if possible allow us to claim Gift Aid on this. There are grants available for some works and we have been blessed with several already, and would like to seek out more. We would welcome help from any members who feel they could make the time to complete a Grant Application form or two to increase our chances of securing further funds. More mundanely, I am pleased to report that the buildings are insured and gas and electrical safety checks are valid as well as fire extinguishers serviced. Our thanks go to the army of volunteer cleaning parties both regular and occasional teams and also the gardening teams and others who keep the church and grounds looking well. Please look out for the next opportunities as the fellowship of working alongside church members can be a form or worship in itself, or at least the refreshments are heavenly! ## **Austin Copp Churchwarden** ## **GIFT** Growing in Faith Together (GIFT) is a lively ecumenical group with members from across CTOD churches. We meet during term time to share in a morning of bible study, group discussion, prayer or a social time. We also have occasional visiting speakers or listen to podcasts with a Christian theme. This summer we enjoyed a visit from Vic Stone who told us about her training for Ministry and its challenges. We also heard from Gillian Dickson of Hurst Green Evangelical Church. She spoke of how God has moved to bring about the rebuilding of the church against many apparent challenges. Regular items in our programme have included listening to a podcast from ‘The Archbishop Interviews’, in which Justin Welby discusses life and faith with a well-known person such as Tony Blair or John Cleese. We have also studied ‘Meeting Jesus in John’s Gospel’, bible studies concerning the stories of women such as Martha and Mary Magdalene. This autumn we hosted a four-part course in The Space, investigating the realities of Modern Slavery. This was run by Chris Elliott and Jennifer Hyde of Reigate Archdeaconry Social Justice Focus and was open to all. Each year we also form our own group in the weeks up to Easter to take part in the CTOD Lent Course, which is always thought provoking. Our final meeting of the year was, as usual, the Christmas Lunch which is held in the home of one of our members and always a fitting Christmas celebration. It is also a chance for purely social fellowship time together. We then take a break for a few weeks, before resuming to plan our next meetings and look forward to another year. ## **Alison Murden** ## **Parochial Church Council** St. Mary’s PCC meets every two months with the agenda being set by the standing committee the week before. All PCC meetings are held jointly with St. Peter’s and the meetings are split into two, the first half as a joint meeting and in the second half the two churches divide into their separate groups. The PCC agrees with the treasurer issues regarding finance and how funds should be allocated. In 2023 they agreed St. Mary’s donations to the Parish Support Fund and donations to charities. It also agrees how money should be spent on the fabric of the church and recently in particular the renovation of the church tower. At every meeting there is an update on safeguarding and in 2023 the PCC adopted the current safeguarding policy. The Rector always updates the PCC on issues around the clergy team and they discuss how to plan for the big events around Christmas and Easter. ## **Marian Dalton** ## **Baby Space** Baby Space was launched in April 2023 with the aim of providing parents and caregivers of under 1s with a nurturing environment to connect and build friendships. The_Space was the perfect room to offer a welcoming environment where caregivers could socialise while enjoying tea, coffee, and some lovely homemade cakes! During the initial weeks, Baby Space attracted between 3 and 5 mothers and their babies. Over time, the attendance numbers have steadily increased, culminating in a recordbreaking gathering of 17 parents and their babies. The success of Baby Space exemplifies the growing need for social support networks for those with young babies. The positive response from the community demonstrates the value of initiatives such as Baby Space in fostering relationships and providing a supportive environment for parents. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who make Baby Space happen, from the set up to cake making, which enables it to run so successfully. ## **Caroline Horsford** ## **St Mary’s Church Choir** We now have 10 regular choir members, recently increased by the admission of James as a very keen and competent treble and Laura has joined the sopranos. On average there are 5/6 singers on any given Sunday at 9.30. We thank Sheila Bennett for her very loyal and musical service spanning more than 40 years. She has moved away recently and we wish her well. We have several singers from our congregation who join us for weddings, Christmas (including 4 “juniors”), Easter etc. I am most grateful for everyone’s support. As St Mary’s is also the Parish Church of Oxted, I feel there is an expectation, particularly from visitors, that there is a choir. We have had the privilege of singing, not only at regular services but also at our Remembrance and Memorial services, the Coronation celebration where we joined with St John’s, and more recently at James’ installation as Team Rector. We had a good team of carol singers at Tandridge Heights and since May 23 we have started meeting in church once a month for a chance to sing hymns and enjoy fellowship. Thank you to Rod, our organist who accompanies us each week. We are still without a Music Director…please keep looking!…..when the position is filled we may get back to choir practices too. ## **Mary Cook** ## **Churches Together in Oxted and District 2023** John Tolley has been manfully leading us as Chair and Rev James Ashton has agreed to lead us from our November 2024 AGM. A working group of members from Kings Church, Hurst Green Evangelical Church, URC and St Mary’s met to discuss the future direction of CTOD and suggested we work on a less structured basis although no written report was received. In view of our healthy financial situation we decided NOT to ask our member Churches for the usual annual Subscription. The World Day of Prayer held on the first Friday in March was marked locally by two services:- one in the morning at St.Andrew’s on the Chart and one in the evening at St.Peter’s, Limpsfield. The services were put together by the Christian women of Taiwan and the committee from the local churches helped to sort out the finer details. Our 2023 Lent Groups were rather fragmented but about 70 people were involved. One course was “Talking Jesus” which included some interesting videos with examples of sharing our faith with others. Another course was “Walking in the Wilderness”. which was more introspective. The ever popular Good Friday Walk of Witness took place on Good Friday 7[th] April and was organised by Rev Helen Cook of St Peter’s Limpsfield The “Job Club” initiative has continued to help several local people into employment and the Oxted Churches Bereavement support group has been a real benefit to the bereaved. Our fifth Sunday CTOD services raised £495.95 for the new CTOD Charity the locally inspired Children’s Hospital Pyjamas. ## **David Cook (CTOD Treasurer) Feb 2024** ## **St. Mary’s Sheep** The sheep continue to graze part of the old graveyard and the graveyard extension alternately. They seem happy and are very well visited by old and young alike. The other benefit to us as a church is that the grass and other growing greenery are kept down and tidy. We still have some nettles and ferns which need managing by volunteers. Posts still rot and some need replacing each year. The sheep are a very hardy breed and live outdoors all year round. They need supplementary feeding outside the growing season. Beech hedges are used for extra feed especially in hot dry summers. Other hedge management is arranged by David Cook and Austin Copp. I am very grateful to the A Team made up of Roger Hewitt, Hazel and Paul Showler, and Robin Hickson. ## **Catharina Hickson** ## **St. Mary’s School** St Mary's school continues to thrive under the leadership of Sarah Lewis and Anna Woodward in the academic year 2022-23. It is a place of friendship, inspiration, fun, learning and development for pupils, staff and hopefully families. St Mary's is a place that lives to celebrate the small moments and the big things in the life of individuals and classes and the whole school whether they be personal, academic, artistic, sporting or performance. The community is deliberately mutually supportive, and learning how to be good friends in the good times and the trickier ones is woven into all that is done. This slowly builds self understanding, self worth and self control. Pupils learn to value effort as well as achievement. Learning that it is OK not to know or grasp something new straight away but after quite a bit of practice and effort the reward of success is even greater. Mutual respect and support is developed by daily mindfulness practice and issues resolution using restorative justice. The joys of knowing God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are available to all, and worship anchors each day and the major events of the year. The school has many sporting teams that excel in competition, they win and lose with equal grace, which is a great credit to them. At St Mary's the school is blessed with 3 halls and lots of outdoor space including playgrounds, a multi use games area with an astroturf surface, climbing and balancing structures; all of which naturally encourage sporting play and fitness. Performance is built into the curriculum for all and becomes a learnt skill which is very useful in adult life. Those that want to can join dance, singing and playing music and drama in clubs and build to performances that we all enjoy. The School visits church to worship and to learn about the building and it's surroundings and we in the church enjoy welcoming them. Our Rector, James also leads worship and prayer in school regularly. Many of the school staff support the development of teaching and teachers both in our school and around Surrey, leading on many teacher qualifications by mentoring and coaching. This keeps our staff teams reflective and up to date with best practice which in turn benefits our pupils. Some of my favourite highlights are the festival in the field, the art exhibition and sharing worship and prayer at harvest. Our pupils, parents and staff remain a joy and the school a jewel that remains bright and varied. It is an honour to visit and support as a governor. ## **Catharina Hickson, Governor** ## **Hear Here** Hear Here continues to welcome the users of NHS hearing aids, to service them and to pass on advice to those who use them. We were retrained in autumn 2023 by Crawley audiologist, Faye and the Guilford Hear Here lead Jude Darby. This service is free to users on a first come first seen basis. We see from two to 15 people per month. We are present on the first Friday of the month with Meeting place. Meeting place has moved from the OCH meeting room to in Church and now has its home in OCH The_Space which is much more user friendly. I am grateful to Austin and Natasha for arranging for sound baffles on the walls to dampen reflected sound which can be a big problem for those with less than perfect hearing. I would like to thank our team:- Roger Hewitt, Dudley Withers, Hazel Showler and our most recent recruit Robin Hickson. ## **Catharina Hickson, Hear Here@ St Mary's Oxted, lead.** ## **Fellowship/Social** 2023 was a busy year with a variety of events being organised although sadly the May Fayre was not amongst them. Several of the events were held in The Space which was officially launched by the Archdeacon on April 23[rd] Some of the social activities were a mixture of social and worship. The first of these was the Shrove Tuesday evening of pancakes and prayers on February 2[nd] held in The Space. From 6[th] to the 8[th] of May the church was open to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III. It had been beautifully decorated on the Friday and throughout the three days visitors were welcomed in to admire the flowers. On Saturday 6[th] May the Coronation was screened in church. There was a good crowd to watch the televised service and a toast was given for the King. On Monday 8[th] May a large variety of activities were laid on in Church including the ever popular tower tours and meet the sheep as well as cream teas and some tasty cakes being available. A large crowd of people enjoyed the day. At the end of it all a well attended barbecue was held in the church grounds. On June 10[th] a Trivia Quiz was held with a two course buffet supper. This raised around £650 which was split equally between church funds and the funds of The Heritage Trust On 1[st] July a well attended and very enjoyable wine tasting evening was organised in The Space by Richard Lane, raising approximately £500 for church funds. From 21[st] to 25[th] August Holiday at Home was organised in The Space. With a different activity every day followed by a light lunch this was popular. The Patronal Festival was celebrated on 10[th] September with a barbecue and cricket match against St. John’s, Hurst Green at Master Park with tea in the pavilion, all courtesy of Oxted and Limpsfield Cricket Club. This was the 30[th] such occasion and for a variety of reasons probably won’t be celebrated in this way again. Harvest time was celebrated towards the end of September. On 23[rd] September a church open day was held. As usual this was very popular with visitors coming in to admire the beautiful flower displays and to enjoy the various activities that were laid on. An enjoyable Harvest Lunch was held on Sunday 24[th] September As usual the pupils of St. Mary’s School donated a huge amount of produce when three harvest services were held for them in church. This was sorted by a small band of volunteers. About 50 parcels were distributed to local people, and food was sent to Welcare, Caterham Food Bank and the Renewed Hope Trust at Redhill -- organisations that help the homeless and families in some sort of need. Toiletries were collected by the Godstone Hygiene Bank. On October 14[th] an Autumn Fair was held, using the Meeting Room in OCH as well as the St. Mary’s Space giving a profit to church funds of around £550.00 It was held at the same time as the RNLI sale and both organisations felt that they benefited from the synchronisation of dates. On 5[th] November the annual Memorial Service for the departed was held in church. As usual it was very popular and was attended by well over 100 people, with once again many of them travelling some distance to attend. After the service many of them enjoyed a tea in Oxted Community Hall. On 26[th] November –Stir up Sunday, Christmas puddings were made in the Space and in December three informal Advent lunches were held. Through the year breakfasts have been held in The Space on the first Saturday of the month. ## **Valerie Adamson** ## **Oxted Churches** For practical reasons the Oxted Churches decided to continue with the practice started in Covid restricted times and not produce joint Easter and Christmas cards. Instead articles were published in the Oxted Local magazine giving some details of services from Holy Week through to Easter and at Christmas along with details of church contacts. Lent groups were held as usual, some in people’s homes and some by Zoom and were led and enjoyed by several members of St. Mary’s On 25[th] November the usual joint Churches Trivia quiz was held. This was well attended with representatives from the local Oxted churches and also from Hurst Green Evangelical Church. With no card printing costs to pay for the profit of around £325 from the evening was given to the St. Mary’s Heritage Trust. ## **Valerie Adamson** ## **Missions and Charities** The Mission and Charities Committee (including members from both St. Mary’s and St. Peter’s Tandridge) met on 3[rd] May to discuss general principles about how much to give to Missions and Charities and which ones to support. It was decided that having supported the same organisations for the previous four years a change should be made and discussion took place with regard to the various categories that should be supported. It was decided that two international organisations should be supported, two National ones and one local. It was agreed that members of the respective congregations should be asked for their suggestions and that the most popular would be considered for support. It was noted that £2,000 had already been sent to Christian Aid in support of the Turkish Earthquake Appeal, most of this coming from donations topped up by Gift Aid, given by members of the congregation. At July’s PCC meeting it was announced that the most popular organisations suggested by St. Marys’ members were Mercy Ships, The Christian Blind Mission,(CBM) CSW-- Everyone Free to Believe, Justice and Care and Jigsaw South East. It was agreed that these should be supported. As church finances were running at a loss some of the donations were sent off immediately and some held back. By the end of the year £1,000 had been sent to CBM, Mercy Ships, CSW and Jigsaw South East. It was agreed that efforts would be made to get speakers from the organisations to address the congregation and that they should be supported in prayer More details about the selected Missions and Charities are available on the church web-site Thanks are due to David Cook who served on the committee for the previous four years but retired from it in January 2023. ## **Valerie Adamson** ## **St. Mary’s Oxted Bellringers Report for 2023.** The year of 2023 was very successful for the bellringers. We managed to ring at the majority of Sunday services as well as other special events. The ringers were fully involved with the Church ‘Open Day’ and provided a demonstration of bell ringing. On a couple of occasions, we supplemented the ringers at Limpsfield Chart by ringing simultaneously for Sunday services at both St. Mary’s and St. Andrew’s churches. The year ended with a Ringer’s Social Gathering in The_Space where ringers, their ‘other halves’, and some church officers were invited. The event, planned to include all between 8 and 80 years of age was enjoyed by all. The band of ringers is now strong following many years of trying to recruit new ringers. We are most fortunate to have several young ringers who, I hope will continue to ring for many years to come. All new ringers are following an accredited training programme (Association of Ringing Teachers (ART) scheme). All have reached Level 1 and most Level 2 while making good progress towards Level 3. One band member moved away. St. Mary’s has now got an excellent ringing teaching facility fully equipped with computers which are connected to the bells. This enables individual and group learning to be done without making a noise outside. I am most grateful to have received a few newer computers which has allowed me to upgrade our system and pass on older but fully functioning equipment to others. The availability of the computer training system has enabled St. Mary’s to host several training sessions for both the Surrey Bellringers, Whiting Society and other organisations. Regular ‘Twice a Month’ sessions were introduced and have become very popular enabling afternoon and evening practices to be organised. Donations have been made which are passed on to the Church funds. We look forward to an equally successful 2024. New or returning ringers are always welcome to join us. ## **Ian Griffiths** ## **Safeguarding** The role of the Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) is to work with the clergy, churchwardens, PCC and members of the church community to make sure we create a safe environment for the activities that we undertake with children and vulnerable adults. We follow the guidance provided for us by the Diocesan Safeguarding Officer in ‘A Safe Church’. A summary of the safeguarding principles adopted by your PCC can be found on the church porch noticeboard and the noticeboard inside church. These principles were readopted by the PCC in September 2023. I have worked for a number of years with Fay Prater, the PSO from St Peter's, so that together we can consider and support each other with safeguarding planning and any issues. We are also now linking up with the two new PSOs at St John's so we can further combine our various experience and knowledge. We have recruited, or are in the process of recruiting, a number of new volunteers following the process agreed by the PCC a few years ago. This still seems to be working well. We have also been focussing on getting training up to date for all those who volunteer in our church. This is mostly done via an online course but for leaders within our church community the training is delivered by the Diocesan Safeguarding Team and a number of us have completed this course over the last year. Fay and I are also making more use of the church database - Churchsuite - to support us in the administrative aspects of safeguarding activity. At any time, if any member of the congregation has a concern, please speak to me, James, Liz or David, or Fay the Safeguarding Officer at St Peter's. Even if it isn't clear whether there is a safeguarding issue or not, it is always better to talk it through at an early stage so that a potential issue can be averted or if our safeguarding arrangements don't seem to be covering a particular activity or scenario we can respond. Please contact me by email on safeguardingstmarysoxted@gmail.com or on 07778 539664 (please note that my phone goes straight to voicemail for any unrecognised numbers so do leave a message and I can call you back). **Katharine Nockles Parish Safeguarding Officer** ## **Meeting Place** Our Friday morning drop in coffee continues to thrive, with new faces alongside some who have been coming for many years. It is a happy and lively room, offering a warm welcome along with fresh coffee and home-made cakes. We are very pleased to welcome two new team members - Janet Magnay and Bernice Staples - thank you! The_Space continues to offer convenience for the team and comfort for our guests. On the first Friday of every month the Hear Here champions run their drop in clinic, this is a lovely way to welcome more people for coffee, a number of whom then return during the month. We have been visited by the Tech Angels to discuss how they can help support people with their smart phone, tablet and pc use. Meeting Place - for coffee, cake and conversation, Friday mornings 9:30-11:30. All welcome. Thank you to the Meeting Place team. ## **Natasha Copp** ## **Tandridge Deanery Synod** The meetings were all about social concern in society today. Zoom meeting of 23rd February: addressed by Mark Russell, CEO of The Children’s Society: ‘Helping children thrive, not just survive’ Chief Executive of The Children’s Society since 2019, Mark Russell is an inspirational, engaging and passionate speaker with a good sense of humour and a lovely Irish accent. The Children’s Society dates from 1881 when Edward Rudolf, a young Sunday school teacher in South London, decided to do something about the effects of poverty on young children. Originally called ‘The Society of Waifs and Strays’, it has been re-branded over the years. Mark Russell talks about that white anger that life is still just too hard for too many children, after 141 years. The Society’s roots are deep inside the Christian faith and deep inside God’s heart for children. He sees his work as his vocation, to fight for the children of this country. There are proportionately more children living in poverty in London today than when The Children’s Society was formed. That is a disgrace. The Children’s Society’s Good Childhood Report, is not just research by academics but the voice of children themselves. This is a worsening situation. _See it at https://_ www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/professionals/resources/good-childhoodreport-2022 This research shows there are more unhappy children in Britain than anywhere else in Europe. This is attributed to the pressures of the exam system causing worry about failure and the fact that Britain has the highest levels of poverty. The goal is, by 2030, to overturn the damaging decline in children’s wellbeing, which has worsened every year since 2009, setting a path for long lasting growth. Children will be happier than they are now, more hope-filled and more secure. A good strategy is needed, with Christ-centred, outward focused parishes. Mark Russell said he believed in the power of the church to make a difference and change the world for children. **Meeting at St John’s Hurst Green on 14th June** : addressed by Mervyn Thomas CMG: Founder President of CSW (Christian Solidarity Worldwide) The vision of CSW is a world free from religious persecution, where everyone has the right to practise their religion or belief freely. The specialist team of advocates works in over 20 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America to protect and promote everyone’s right to freedom of religion or belief. They work to challenge and change laws, behaviours and policies which lead to abuses of this vital right. Mervyn Thomas founded CSW in 1979 at the age of 27, following the suggestion of an MP friend. He felt God had spoken to him and that this would become his life’s work, which it did. At first there was little interest and no understanding of the extent of the problem. The Keston College study in 1979 on prisoners provided useful evidence of the violation of the right to freedom of belief in the countries of Eastern Europe, Asia and around the world. Over time the work expanded to countries beyond Europe and people of other religions and beliefs in addition to Christians. When as Christians we speak up for them, this is missional and what Jesus would do. Proverbs 31: 8 says ‘Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.’ Consider also the story of the Good Samaritan. 2019 saw the publication of a report, requested by Jeremy Hunt, Foreign Secretary, written by the Bishop of Truro (assisted by Mervyn Thomas). The British Government adopted all 22 recommendations, including a Special Envoy for the Freedom of Religion or Belief. This is Fiona Bruce MP for Congleton; there are 170 MPs on the all-party parliamentary group. 84% of the world’s population lives in countries with high or very high restrictions on religious freedom. In Britain there may be discrimination in places, but there is not persecution. Governments should put human rights before trade. India is the worst country for attacks on religious minorities, but little is said about it because we want to trade with them. We can: PRAY - PROTEST (write to your MP) - PROVIDE (letters) - PROCLAIM (tell people what is happening, speak out, invite a speaker from CSW to your church). See CSW.org.uk **Final meeting:** a Training Session on Unconscious Bias, led by Revd Canon Wendy Robins. The background to UB is described in this answer to a question at Southwark Diocesan Synod (2021) In 2017, the Church of England commissioned the development of an in-house UB training programme, to ensure that it was theologically grounded. The underlying assumption is that unconscious bias affects the church’s ability to honestly and openly use the gifts of all God’s creation for the purpose of the Kingdom. UB training is only the first step in exploring the way in which we can build a church where all are appreciated and valued, where individuals can utilise their unique strengths and where all can flourish as we work towards a more just and equitable church. The training is primarily offered by Church of England lay and ordained trainers, who have been trained by the course developers, a highly respected and experienced organisation Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion (ENEI). This is to ensure that the trainers fully understand the context of sin, forgiveness, reconciliation and restoration Written by Rt Revd Bishop of Croydon, Rosemarie Mallet, then Archdeacon of Croydon, who was a leader in writing the Anti-Racism Charter for Southwark Diocese (2021) ## **Our churches’ representation on Deanery and Diocesan Synods** ## **Lay Membership of Tandridge Deanery Synod** Members were nominated and elected in 2023 by their church PCCs Each of our churches has three places - not all were taken For St Mary’s - Valerie Adamson and Ed Kyte For St Peter’s - Sue Mallinson The three vacancies need to be filled - if you are interested do talk to the present reps. ## **The Deanery Synod elects 3 lay representatives to Southwark Diocesan Synod** Currently two are from our churches - Sue Mallinson and Catharina Hickson 2024 is election year. There will be a call for nominees - who do not have to be current members of the Deanery Synod. If you are interested, please do talk to Sue and Catharina. ## **Sue Mallinson, Deanery Synod Representative** ## **Flowers** St Mary's has a small team who arrange flowers to beautify our ancient church. Our focus is on creating displays for the key festivals of Easter, Christmas and Harvest though arrangements are created for other occasions too. None of us are formally trained. We have all learned by trial and error over the years and we help and support each other. Every arrangement is different and reflects us as individuals; the common theme is that we enjoy creating something that we hope is enjoyed by others and visually enhances our worship. In 2023 we particularly enjoyed decorating for the Coronation. Our most recent activity was creating small spring posies for Mothering Sunday. Some of those were done at the Friday Meeting Place where two ladies were delighted to help put them together. Given how much enjoyment was had we plan to expand on that next year. A few years ago the team was large enough for there to be a rota so that - aside from the more sombre periods of Lent and Advent - there was a pedestal of flowers near the altar throughout the year. It would be lovely to get back to that again if possible so if anyone would like to come and join the team please do contact me on flowers.stmarysoxted@gmail.com. ## **Katharine Nockles** Flower Team ## **St. Mary’s Monkeys** St Mary's Monkeys playgroup was historically closed during school holidays. I have sought to change this reopening post Covid in May 2021. During 2023, our doors were only closed for five Fridays during the full calendar year (four of those closures were due to the hall being hired out to a third party, not due to a lack of helper support/availability). Our playgroup is aimed at children under five years of age and thus school holidays are not relevant to many of our users and for many parents and carers, the playgroup is an invaluable asset during school holidays because we also welcome older siblings (many of whom are our past “Monkeys” which is always lovely) and it provides an affordable activity for the whole family. The admission fee for playgroup, has been maintained since May 2021 as £3 per adult guest because we wish to be fully inclusive. This means that during the holidays, parents can bring the whole Von Trapp family of children and we still only charge the family £3. There is an additional charge of £2 now in place for late bookings; this is primarily there to act as a deterrent for families booking at the last minute because our numbers were fluctuating significantly and too often, within the last 24 hours and that created problems for efficiently managing our resources (namely craft and snacks). We seek to be a fully inclusive playgroup and welcome everyone from the community, regardless of creed or culture and we are also pleased to include children with Special Educational Needs (SEN). I sporadically advertise the playgroup on local Facebook sites, so that new parents and carers can be made aware of the group. We are also advertised on site on the noticeboard and also on the Oxted Community Hall internet site. During 2023, we attracted 107 new members to St Mary’s Monkeys playgroup and at the time of writing, we have 379 members of the Facebook page. This figure is down versus 2022 because I now conduct regular maintenance and remove members who are not utilising the playgroup, for additional safeguarding, parents are always welcome to rejoin if they wish. Safeguarding our playgroup is paramount and this area is led by our professional, Katharine Nockles. All our helpers working alongside the children running our arts and craft table are DBS checked. We updated our risk assessment document in 2021 and all new helpers are required to read and understand this document. We have our own playgroup First Aid kit which is regularly reviewed and this includes an ice pack which is put in the freezer before the start of each session. For the joyous and inevitable vomiting mornings, we also have disposable sick bowls to assist parents/carers in getting home. Cleaning our mats and toys is key to running a healthy and appealing playgroup. This workload is assigned across our team of volunteers as part of the monthly rota drafted and we try and wash as many toys as we can onsite to avoid additional effort. These tasks are completed in rotation. Our sessions continue to be capped at 45 adult guests. This is to ensure the enjoyment and safety of all our patrons and to ensure that this runs smoothly and we are not turning parents away at the door, this is why places for playgroup have to be booked and paid for in advance online. We are full most weeks but it is clear from our regular parent/carer guests, if you book in, you get in. Whilst only a quarter of our volunteer helpers (currently a team of 12) attend St Mary’s Church, we have two strong supporters who ARE members of our Church community. Whether Chris Phillips-Jones attends with one or two of his children, he always comes early to help set up and stays until we have finished at clear away. Chris has created the highpoint of playgroup for many of the children….running up and down the hall with him at the end, when you will always find Chris holding the broom! Alice Dalziel has also been a huge blessing to us this year; Alice is the brain power behind our craft table; Alice’s imagination and creativity are boundless. I often suggest a theme and Alice will just rustle up the most varied and unique activities which are both age appropriate and she also works hard to protect our budget as well as our environment by using recyclable materials. The children adore their “What shall we make today?” experience and we are very fortunate that Alice gives her time for us in this way. We lost 3 helpers over the course of 2023 due to business and grandparent commitments and we are always looking to boost our small team and welcome new friends (hint, hint!). We were delighted to welcome Isla Drake to playgroup during 2023, who gave us time both at Easter and throughout the summer holidays, despite her busy GCSE year, not to check a box for “voluntary experience” but simply because she wanted too. Isla was key to us being able to keep playgroup open during the holidays and I hope other youngsters might consider being so generous with their time. We have continued to purchase a gift for newborns joining us as a “Welcome to Monkeys” which families have very much appreciated receiving and the gift comes with a card signed by the team. The gift remains consistent for all and is a Beatrix Potter ceramic figure from the first letter of the baby’s name. We also set up our “Ratatouille” club this year. Both members of our team and parents and carers volunteered to cook a meal for a ‘Monkeys family’ and the ingredients for the meal itself are funded from our receipts. This is available to any playgroup family, at any time, who might need some extra support for any number of reasons. Thanks to strong support from St Mary's Church, as well as playgroup parents and carers, the playgroup continued to make a number of generous monetary contributions during 2023 to various charities. We made a £200 donation to Children in Need in November 2023; this is the only Friday in the year when we ask families to give a donation for their drinks and snacks. After the success of our playgroup game, “What’s in the box?” in 2021 and 2022, we ran the game at both Easter and Christmas 2023. The game costs £5 to play and parents/carers win free playgroup sessions. Easter 2023 raised £350 and Christmas 2023 raised £195 for our local Hygiene Bank. I can’t help but feel that the enormous support at Easter 2023 was because the hostess (me!) was sitting in a wheelchair with a broken ankle…I might need to try that again! At Christmas, we also supported local families falling under the Barnardo’s umbrella with over £150 worth of Christmas shopping. This was in addition to the £200 we spent on babygrows and Pyjamas for charity, Children’s Hospital pyjamas. Throughout 2023, I have continued to source baby equipment from our local charity shops to direct to local charities, Stripey Stork (based in Reigate) and Their Voice (based in Caterham). This means that for each £1 we donate, we benefit TWO charities. The charity shop who receives the funds AND the local charity who receives the equipment. We have also bought many gifts for our local charities, items which second-hand are very often not to standard or we would struggle to source. Examples – baby changing mats, baby hooded towels, baby blankets, baby bottles, mattress protectors, bedding, hair clippers, toiletries. In addition to these gifts, we support Stripey Stork, Their Voice, The Hygiene Bank and Ukraine by receiving pre-loved donations at playgroup and redirecting them to the charities. This helps boost donations of goods received for these charities but also helps parents who can simply bring their donations to playgroup and drop them off, without the struggle of car seats, buggies and finding parking, simply to struggle into a High Street charity shop. We also support Great Ormond Street Hospital with our ongoing collection of milk bottle tops. In March 2023, we made a donation to The Brains Trust. A donation made primarily to support two of our playgroup families suffering bereavements, in friendship and with love. We have continued to support Ukraine at playgroup this year, using receipts to buy food, toiletries and nappies and these gifts have been transported to Ukraine via registered charity, British Humanitarian Aid. Thanks to the long standing success of St Mary’s Monkeys playgroup, set up over 15 years ago (a clear testament to the commitment shown by Mary Cook, Natasha Copp, and Shelley Miller who have been on the team since the very beginning), we are able to make these donations to so many different charities, whilst covering our running costs and whilst still providing a small income for St Mary’s Church. I believe that this approach is essential to retain and attract volunteers to our team, who are outside the Church community. Both the playgroup families we support, as well as our team of helpers, are always interested in understanding how our funds are being directed. I am continually grateful to both James and Natasha for their ongoing support with my direction of funds from playgroup in order to target real need. I also think it is wholly appropriate that whilst we play, laugh, drink tea and eat Shelley’s endless supply of cakes, that we extend our hand in friendship and support to those less fortunate because as we all know, the only time we should look down on anyone is when we are helping them up. ## **Penny Kirk** ## **Junior Church** Junior Church at St Mary's continued to go from strength to strength in 2023. We regularly welcomed children aged from around 2 to 13 years old, as well as some parents. The older children have been encouraged to help as much as possible with the sessions, which has provided them with the confidence to grow in their faith. We have been blessed with an enthusiastic and committed group of leaders and helpers. At Junior Church we have talked about miracles, acted out stories, had endless craft sessions and regularly discussed how we can see God in all aspects of our lives. We have made the most of our beautiful surroundings by playing games in the churchyard and talking about our local community. The children have enjoyed reporting back to the congregation on our activities each week, and of course showing off their craft creations! ## **Rosie Davies** ## **Youth Work** It has been great to see youth come together and feel comfortable to ask questions about faith. We started to meet together with youth in November 22. In the first year we have been meeting every 2 weeks with the youth group at St Johns Evangelist in Hurst Green. In the second year we have been meeting every Sunday and the youth enjoy being together. We have started to build friendship and learn more about our God and our Creator. Through games we share more about ourselves and learn more from each other. We also create a free environment to share and discuss who God is. Some of our spiritual discussions in these meetings are: 1. Who God is and who we are and who made us from Psalm 139. 2. We also talked more about friendship and what the Bible says about this. Can we choose friends? Also how to love everyone but we can choose friends that pull us up and help our faith and not people that draw us down . 3. We have been talking more about Beatitudes. We talked about how to be humble and to be close to God. We had a little reflection about being independent and being dependent. How this relates to ones relationship with God . 4. Creator (this was based from Genesis 1:1-5), 5. Just like God (Genesis 1:26-31) 6. Rest 'Genesis :1-4, When we rest we need to remember and enjoy being with God. 7. Are you sure'' Genesis 3;1-6 We discussed more about doubt or confusion that we might have sometimes about who God really is. 8. Not my fault'' Genesis 3:8-13 We were sharing more on how easy it is for us to find excuses and not tell the truth. It was a good conversation and they felt comfortable sharing their feelings etc.... We have also spent time talking about social media and thinking about how to invest in the inner person rather than putting on an outer show. This has also helped raise awareness about the dangers of social media. We always try to make our meetings fun and lots of parents have commented on how much their children enjoy being part of the group, and some children have brought their friends and siblings along. We continue to develop a culture of hospitality, by enjoying healthy (mostly!) snacks and hot chocolate. It is great to see how the young people enjoy helping prepare this, building a sense of ownership. My desire is to build a safe place where youth can come together and share their friendship and where we all can be stronger in Faith. ## **Valmira Xhelili** ## **Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting** **For St. Mary’s Church Oxted Held on Sunday 23[rd] April 2023** **Present:** The Revd James Ashton chaired the meeting attended by 38 parishioners present in the church. Revd. James Ashton welcomed everyone to the APCM and opened the meeting with a prayer . ## 1. Approval of Minutes from the 2022 APCM The minutes from the 2022 meeting were approved and signed by JA. Proposed by Martin Fisher Seconded by Andrea Muir ## 2. Election of Churchwardens The current Churchwarden Austin Copp was re-elected. The Revd James Ashton gave thanks to Austin Copp particularly as currently we only have one Churchwarden. ## **Annual Parochial Church Meeting** ## **Sunday 23[rd] April 2023 at St. Mary’s Church Oxted** ## **1. Elections** Parochial Church Council All the current representatives on the PCC were coming to the end of their three year term. The following were re-elected/elected: Richard Adamson Natasha Copp Katy Aspinwall Alison Murden Caroline Horsford Martin Fisher Emma Church Len (Jock) Muir Xavier Copp ## Synod Representatives The four Deanery Synod representatives came to the end of their three year term. Re-elected Valerie Adamson Sue Mallinson Elected Edward Kyte ## 1.1 Sidespeople (Welcomers) The current list of Sidespeople is available on Church Suite and was read out to those present. Approved Proposed by Sue Mallinson Seconded by Richard Adamson ## 2. **Vicar’s Comments** James Ashton said that we gathered today to renew our commitment to our common values and shared priorities. Looking back, 2022 saw us get used to life without the Anderson family who moved to Winchester. We also welcomed the Rev Liz Lane who moved to Oxted with her husband Richard. Alison Murden finished working as our Administrative Assistant and we are thankful for her work. We also lost other significant members of our church as they moved away from the area, but these changes should not dissuade us from finding creative ways to grow together. The church marked the royal occasions of 2022, the Platinum Jubilee and then sadly the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Through our commitment to Knowing Jesus, the church runs Alpha courses, has regular prayer breakfasts and has a continued presence in local schools. We continue to Grow Community through events in The_Space, and in the church with, Holiday At Home and Get Involved. The church’s commitment to Renewing our Heritage continues by maintaining the fabric of the building and as well as the ongoing building projects, there are fundraising events and maintenance days for the building and church grounds. JA thanked all those involved with the choir and music at St. Marys, the Bellringing Team and flower arrangers. Looking forward - JA felt hopeful for the church but pointed out that in a local community of over 11,000 people only around 500-1,000 were in churches. The Big Help Out needs to go beyond the Coronation weekend, we need to be continually focused on our children and youth and not least there is the ongoing issue of finance. JA also drew everyone’s attention to the fact that we only have one churchwarden and this is far from ideal. ## 3. **Reports** - 3.1 Electoral Roll Report Paul Shillito reported that there are currently 115 on the Electoral Roll. In 2019 there were 141. Revd. James Ashton thanked Paul Shillito for his work on the Electoral Roll and PS said he was happy to continue. - 3.2 Treasurer’s Report Martin Fisher said he was pleased to present the accounts for the year to December 2022 which have been reviewed by the PCC and the church’s Independent Examiner. A copy of the Annual Accounts was available to everyone present and had been emailed out to church members. MF drew attention to the ongoing loss in the accounts which he said was unsustainable and the church would run out of cash in three years if nothing changed. In answer to what could be done, MF said that there was a small finance team meeting every three months to review the accounts. Along with increased photocopier charges, banking charges were of great concern. Therefore MF feels it is essential for the church’s donations to go digital especially as local bank branches are being closed. He thanked those who give regularly and generously. MF went on to introduce the new digital machine at the entrance to the church which replaces the collection plate. The congregation was informed that it costs £2,250 per week to run the church. Questions/discussions/Comments from the congregation included: - The possible use of the new _Space to save on heating in the winter. Austin Copp said he was keeping the heating down as much as possible and James Ashton said he was definitely considering this as an option. - Standing Orders – Yes these were Gift Aided - Thanks to MF for choosing a simple to operate machine - Do we subsidise poorer parishes? Our giving with St.Peter’s covers our clergy costs and accommodation and we do give about £20,000 over what we need to to keep our clergy. - Giving to charities – This may need to go down and it was noted that individuals can give to the charity of their choice themselves. - Our 5 charities under Missions and Charities have not changed for 4 years, If anyone has any suggestions, please speak to David Cook or Valerie Adamson. ## AOB It was asked who owns the church car park? - It is part of the Community Hall and security cameras are in place which can be viewed by the hall manager and Martin Fisher. Fundraising Committee - Valerie Adamson is looking for new members. The meeting closed with a prayer. Parochial Church Council of SL Mary's, Oxt Flnanclal Revlew For the year 1•t January- 31•1 Doc•mb•r 2023 St. Mary'5 Financial Review Ioefldt) on the Unfestrlcted Fund 2023 £111.1551 2022 £120.7351 Th• gen•ral (unr•8tricted) fund incurred a loss of £11,155 which Is an improvement on last year which was an unstainable level. The accounts have been reformatted this year to align more closety wrth the Diocesan standard fonnat. Voluntary income at £78,237 is up 6.1Vo on last year wilh d￿rtaI colleclions and Income from St Marys Space more than offseth'ng a dedine in planned giving. Huge thanks are due to Ihose 61 members who grve regulaty by standing order or through Stewardship UK which averages at £70 monthly per member. Income from fundrai￿n9 events raised £3.502 compared to £1,059 last year excluding the St Mary's School May Fay￿ share of £3,320, Investment income of £5,￿0 is the ground rent from the Oxled Community Hall. PCC income from weddings. baptisms and funerals was £5,566 cornpared to £3,948 lasl year. St Pete¢s PCC contributes 27.8% flast year 280AI to shared administration costs. This ￿ based on the relatN6 Parish Support Fund payments. The Parish Support Fund payment remained ai £65,000 which logeiher with St Peter's paymenl of £25,000 ensures that the United BenefI￿'S combined contribution of £90,(X)O exceeds the Southwark DI0￿Se requirement for funding a stipendiary minister. Mission giving was redU￿d this year to £8.CKIO which represents 7.40/0 of income. [The reslncted fund finan￿d £3,267 and the general fund £2.733J The restricted fund a p&n￿l (th as £9B,040 VAS SF* cm tth￿. Swtsit grant rnc￿ ailrthl kNOFcI K1enIrf￿ Approve(I by the Parochial Church Council on 13 March 2024 and signed on its behalf by James Ashton (Rector) Martin Fisher (PCC Treasurer) PCC Acc¢urts 2023 Pag81of8 25.03.2024 Parochial Church C￿n¢51 ol SL Mary's. Oxt•d STATEMEKf OF FINANCIAL ACTMTIES For the year ended 31 Decwnber 2023 T(tsl Fundo Fund8 Fundl 2023 2022 Incoming re$ourc•8 Planned Collections In chur¢h Col*lions In The_sp Dlgrtal coll¢¢tw AJI other gimg Aid rec(N•fabl• 51,163 5.278 1.953 4.319 1.550 13.974 8.23 51 163 5.278 1.9S3 4,319 4,817 13.974 56,274 6.702 3267 688 12,305 85.725 85,725 3,502 5.OCrf) 99,584 4.379 5.000 3.948 Fundialsln9 events Investrnent irKcffie PCC Fees Church gr¢MJp8 St Pete¢s PC 3,502 5.000 5.568 1.708 3.245 97,258 1.708 3.245 186.250 5.295 195.036 88.992 R¢gourc•8 •xp0￿d aCtiV￿leS FUndrai￿r￿a ¢o$ts Misslon givlng Parish Support F￿j Sglarie3. fees, honoraria CWY exp￿$*$ 934 2,733 934 6.000 65,000 11.142 4,029 3,lJQ3 11,431 65,000 14,831 5,336 3,267 11.142 4,Q29 3,8 Church •xp•nses Evan9elisn, Si Mwys_spxe Insurance frAwntenarK• & rnin￿ r•pairs ProvisK>n of ser¥ice$ Church offic L¥Jht, heat & watsf Ckntch WOL*PS 5.308 4.632 1,232 2.665 6.786 3.179 773 5.6 4.632 3.232 5,658 5.329 3.733 6.329 2,182 3,845 2.000 6.786 3,179 773 P41aJor expenorture Church blwld1r￿ Tewis St Mary's_space Youth work fkprec*tson 98.040 5.631 589 14.652 1.080 S.306 5,631 589 14.652 13.852 Totsl Resourua eX￿NIed 124.567 141,91 Nel (Outgolngllln¢ome re•ouvc Tignslef bethen lunds (11,1551 (8.005) 119,160) 83.393 44.233 (JS,57 8.005 146,7XII 48121 127.6701 517.940 4W.370 14(370 581.333 534.8A)3 48.121 533212 581,333 8•lanc4s brought Icmward 1 January 8alarKas caffiod for*ATd 31 The noknson pa98$ 510 7 form part 01th￿ accr￿ PCC ACC￿nts 2023 Page2018 25.Q3,2024 Parochial Church Council of SL Mary's. Oxt•d BALANCE SHEET at31 DECEMBER 2023 T¢)tsl Fund• Fund• Fund• 2023 2022 487,617 467,617 474.26S Current ••wl• 3214 42,28EI 3214 66.872 8,821 104,567 C4sh at t• 24,603 Curr•nt Il*blllll•• C￿d￿tr)r 11.2501 11.850) 13.1(NJl 14,3201 Net ¢uTh¢nt •¥¥•t• 44234 22,7S3 Total n•1 442 581,3 Parl•h lund• unc0s1￿ed Restncted - Chwch R•str￿tsd - Youlh Rostr￿1￿ . CM•d Com 8 44,233 44233 22 753 63.393 42 700 22,7S3 467.817 467.817 474 26é Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 13 M a rch 2024 and s￿ned on rts behalf by.. James Ashton (Rector) Martin Fisher (Treasurer) Chanty Numbw: 1164439 Parish Offitx 53 Church Lane. Oxted. Surrey RH8 9LU The r*otes on pages S to 7 fomi part of these accounts PCC Ac¢oL#*g 2023 Pa9e3018 25.03.2cr24 Parochlal Church Councll of SL Mary'•. Oxt•d ACCOUNTING PWCIES Basi8 of w•paratk•n ol acc￿￿￿8 financial gtatement$ h•v¢ prewred in ac¢(Kdance wth the Church Acownts"n9 Regulatsons 2006 ￿gether th applicable 4Kcountsw standards and the FRS 102 ISORP). Tho financlal stalen￿115 have l)effi wepared ￿der the htytoncal cost corwenbon an¢J IrKI￿je all Iransadions. asse15. and lialy'lil*s for Ihe PCC is resp¥￿ible in law They do not inchjde the accounis of St. Mary's Oxted Plènlagè Trust (t￿ HeThtagè Trustl as IN$ ts a stpafate r•gistwed charty. RestrKl•d ftYKls r•wewt dor4tlon$ ¢Y grants feceived lor a speclhc obiect or in￿ted by the PCC for speufie obiecl. The fufyJ$ may onty be expended on the specbfic object for which they were given Any balance ￿maIn￿ irnper*t at the errfl of each Y￿ rnust be carried forward as a balance on Ihat thJrKI Unr•sEr￿ed l￿d5 are genernl lund$ ¢•n be for PCC pwp[¥￿9, Inc(Ynlng r•sourc pIarrt￿d glvlng colleclion$ and eJonaty￿$ are recOgn￿ed vknen fecer¥ed Tax refiffNls are recognned when the ir*coming ￿soUrCe to vthith they ￿18￿ 1$ rtteive