# **Annual Report for the APCM Sunday 11 May 2025 (11.30am)**
# **ANNUAL MEETING** _**Combining the 2 Meetings below:**_
## _**AGENDA**_
## **ANNUAL MEETING OF PARISHIONERS**
## 1) Election of Church Wardens 2025-26
## **ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING**
## 1) Elections 2025/26
- a) Deanery Synod
- b) Parochial Church Council
- c) Appointment of the Independent Examiner
## 2) Minutes of last Annual Meeting: approval of minutes.
## 3) Reports
- 4) Approval of Annual Report and Accounts 2024.
- 5) Receive the Electoral Roll.
- _6)_ Chairman’s Report
## **CLOSING PRAYERS**
## **FOLLOWED BY A BRIEF MEETING OF THE NEW PCC**
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**REPORTS**
## **VICAR’S REPORT**
As we come to reflect on another year, I would like to express my thanks to our PCC and Wardens, who share with me in the mantle of leadership. Likewise, I would like to formally express my thanks to every volunteer and parishioner who makes Holy Trinity such a warm and welcoming community.
As I reflect on the last parochial year, there are several highlights which spring to mind. We give thanks for our renewed involvement with the May Fair. In 2024 we opened our doors to offer refreshments to those on the green. It was a great success. The additional use of the north porch to access the church led to a number of impromptu tours and opportunities to pray with visitors. In preparation for this event, a great flurry of activity was expended searching for the May Fair banner. I am pleased to report it was discovered the week after the event.
In the summer months, it was wonderful to gather for a number of social events in the vicarage garden. The summer BBQ was a joyous occasion, and our thanks go to the Archdeacon Cambridge PTA for use of their large grill. At the PCC social, a few weeks later, a near miss involving Anna McPherson, helped us realise that gathering under the apple tree in late summer is a perilous endeavour.
The autumn term marks the start of the academic year, and over at the school we spent the term exploring the great biblical epic of Moses. The autumn mood, however, was darkened by a report from the gas engineer who confirmed that our boiler was on its last legs. A great deal of time has been spent exploring how best to replace the boiler, within the constraints of the central Church of England’s Net 0 commitments. My thanks go to those who continue to pursue this with great patience. At Christmas we rejoiced at larger number than the previous year at our advent and carol services. Although it was only my second Christmas in post, I was delighted to discover the vicar’s Christmas poem had already become an anticipated tradition.
The Spring marked the welcome return of an old favourite, as well as experimenting with a few new ideas. Our thanks go to Giles and Vicki for hosting our first in-person quiz since the pandemic. I was delighted to see how thrilled people were with its return. In terms of new ventures, we hosted an after-school family film club and I was pleased that over 30 people joined us for drinks, nibbles, and Disney’s Luca. This is something that can be easily repeated in the coming autumn and winter. We also hosted our first theology event, which took place in Holy Week. This was well received, and I am encouraged that the feedback was for more opportunities to go deeper. I envision such teaching opportunities will feature in our calendar twice a year, in the Spring and Autumn term.
In this past year, my own role has been shaped by two new responsibilities. Part of the ministry of a parish priest is to be a point of contact with the wider life of the Church. This year, I have been appointed a curacy tutor in our region, the episcopal area of Kensington. This means I pastorally support a cohort of curates currently training in our part of the diocese. I have also joined the diocesan synod, the governing body for the Diocese of London. This, on top of my continuing studies at Oxford, means I am now at capacity for “extra-curricular” activities. My broader vision for these roles is to help be a point of contact for the academic and synodical life of the Church of England. What happens at Holy Trinity is important for our diocese and denomination, and likewise, what happens in the diocese is important for us here in Twickenham.
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As we have been able to see, a lot has happened over this past year, and as we move forward, it is important that all our ministries and activities are joined together under a unifying vision. One of the dangers, for any parish, is that it’s various events and regular ministries become siloed projects, whereby they run independently of one another. Church should not feel like a random or disparate collection of activities arranged around the goodwill or interests of its volunteers, but there should be a sense that all things come together to achieve a common goal. There should be a sense of unity in its diversity.
For the last 20 years, our strap line has been _Loving God, Loving people_ , and we would be unwise to move away from this fundamental vision of church. But we do need a bit more detail as to what that means in practice, as we try to live the Christian life here in Twickenham. Since the pandemic, the most extraordinary social phenomenon has been unfolding in our society. Bible sales among 20 somethings has spiked, and the hunger for something more than just the experiential is palpable. To respond to renewed, or even first-time interest in the Christian faith, we must have a clear and unapologetic sense of who we are. That is why, this year, all that we do as a church will fall under the vision of the “Three W’s:” Welcome, Witness, Worship. The Church exists to welcome all, to witness the resurrection life of Jesus Christ, and to worship God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Everything we do as a church must be driven by one or more of these fundamental cornerstones of church life: Welcome, Witness, and Worship.
This has financial implications too. Rather than funnel money into disparate channels to support isolated branches of church life, the three W’s offer a set criteria by which we justify all major church expenditure. If an activity, ministry, or project does not help us further our mission as a place of welcome, witness, or worship, we do not fund it. This is the vision I will set before the PCC next month, as we seek to make significant improvements to our church premises and facilities in the coming parochial year.
Friends, this coming year, is a year of joy and hope.
_May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope._
(Romans 15:13)
_Rev. Simon_
## **ELECTORAL ROLL AND CHURCH ATTENDANCE**
Each parish creates an Electoral Roll, and membership of it gives you voting rights at the APCM. But it is also a statement that you belong to the Holy Trintiy church family.
2025 is an important year for the Church of England, as every parish is required to compile a new Electoral Roll. This happens every six years. This means that any person who wishes to have his or her name entered on the new roll (whether it is entered on the present roll or not) is required to reapply. Our official figure for those on the new Electoral Roll and eligible to vote at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting is 103. Membership on this new Electoral Roll this year, is a much more accurate reflection of our regular worshipping community numbers than in previous years.
By the end of 2024, we saw an encouraging increase in our worshipping community for both adults and children, with significant growth in our youth group. We look forward to building on this in 2025.
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_Number of Worshippers at Holy Trinity Twickenham by age category_
_Children in our worshipping community and attending Sunday services_
## **CHARITABLE GIVING**
Our Harvest Festival in October was in support of Spear, A Rocha and the Richmond Foodbank based at the Vineyard Church/Community Centre. Our church and Archdeacon Cambridge’s C of E Primary School donated non-perishable food stuffs to which coins were taped. The cash donation of £536 was shared between Spear and A Rocha, while the Richmond Foodbank received the food.
The Gift Service before Christmas was again in support of a local refuge for women and children escaping domestic violence. The refuge were grateful to receive the gifts and toiletries for women they received, and we hope to support them again this Christmas. We also extended our collection this year and requested special Christmas foods and children’s toys for the Richmond Foodbank within this service.
A further £130 was raised during the year for other charities, as well as the annual collection for the Children’s Society at the Noisy Christingle service.
The aim of charitable giving at Holy Trinity is to enable us to come together as a church family to support charities working with those in need, and which operate at each of three levels: local, national and international. For 2025 we have agreed to support the following charities:
- Local – Spear
- National – A Rocha
- International - Tearfund
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Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our charitable giving over the last year. Your generosity, in terms of your time and your donations, were very much appreciated. We are always looking for more people to get involved - so if you have ideas about new events and/or new charities to support, or would like to help in any other way, talk to a member of the PCC or email events@httchurch.org .
_Lucy James_
## **CHURCH WARDENS**
During 2024, it has been very pleasing to see our church and our Church make progress on a number of fronts.
So let's start with the small 'c' - our lovely Victorian building. Keeping the building in good shape and offering a warm welcome is a constant effort and challenge. There are a lot of people who contribute in so many ways, whether it's clean-up days, ongoing maintenance, arranging flowers, gardening or just doing the odd little job that needs doing. We've started updating the paint scheme on the exterior and kept the focus on keeping our grounds neat, with some very attractive colour in the borders. We've also got more TV screens in the church, meaning everyone can see them, including in the choir stalls. We had a very positive inspection (or 'visitation') from the Archdeacon and were complimented on how well-organised we are. A huge thank you to everyone who has done anything in 2024 - big or small, it really does all help.
Secondly, our most important big 'C' - our church family and how we move forward together. It's been great to have several series of sermons that develop different themes and cover different periods from scripture, with some of these covered by the preaching team. We've been able to increase the use of our technology to run the services, which also means we can incorporate artwork, maps and other visual materials into the services. We continue to seek to offer something across the spectrum of our conversation - whether it's our 9am services, at 10.30am, the Sunday School, noisy (or sometimes messy) church and the youth group. Very recently there have been new initiatives, including a lecture based on four paintings, additional Easter services and now an alpha course. And we were able to enjoy a quiz evening together, which was great to have back in the calendar.
We hope we can continue to be there for our community, whether it's in times of celebration, or as people deal with life's challenges. Thank you to everyone who contributes to the warm welcome and all of our activities at Holy Trinity, including of course, Simon and Anna, Anna and all those involved in leading our teams and services.
_Robert French Fleur Beeson_ **Churchwarden Churchwarden**
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## **CRECHE**
Our numbers in creche for 2024 have been between 1 and 5 babies and toddlers each week. We have continued to love looking after the small group and having fun with them with stories, songs, small world play, dressing up and other age appropriate activities. We have a committed group who continue to volunteer each month but we are always on the look out to grow our team.
## _Georgina Marchant_
## **DEANERY SYNOD**
Holy Trinity Church is in the Hampton Deanery, a group of 15 local Anglican parishes from Hampton, Teddington, Twickenham and Whitton. Hampton Deanery is part of the wider Diocese of Kensington, within the overall Diocese of London. A deanery synod ('synod' means 'council') consists of all licensed clergy and a certain number of elected lay representatives from each parish in the deanery. Holy Trinity's lay representatives are Anna McPherson, Sue Morris and Adam Smith. The regular Deanery Synod meetings provide Holy Trinity with an important link to neighbouring parishes and the wider structure of the Church of England.
Deanery meetings are convened by the Area Dean, currently the Reverend Ben Lovell, who took over the rôle in April 2024. The Hampton Deanery Synod held three meetings during 2024, hosted by different churches:
- The February meeting was held at St Mary's Church, Thames Street, Hampton and the main topic was the role of the Diocesan Secretary and the Diocese group discussions. The guest speaker was Oliver Home, the (London) Diocese General Secretary.
- The May meeting was held at St Augustine of Canterbury Church, Hounslow and the main topic was 'Passionate Communities', one of the 3 principal aims of the London Diocese 2030 Vision. The guest speaker was Alison Tsang, Diocesan Head of the Passionate Communities Team.
- The November meeting was held at the Church of St Mary with St Alban, Teddington and the main topic was 'Love Matters - the Archbishops' Commission on families and households', which aimed to explore what families and households in all their diversity need in order to flourish. The speaker was the Reverend Mary Hawes from St Mary with St Albans, who had been part of the third commission.
_Anna McPherson_
## **ECO CHURCH**
The Eco Church team at Holy Trinity is a small one and we meet about three times a year. In late autumn we invited all members of the congregation to complete a survey so we could gauge the appetite for environmental change and improvement. We circulated the results a few weeks ago. It was very encouraging that 11 people offered their services to help us in our Eco Church quest. We also contacted all 17 churches in the Hampton Deanery. The purpose was to find out who was where on the Eco journey and to see if would be interested in joining an informal group to share ideas and good practice. So far 8 churches have said yes.
You can read the minutes of our last Eco Church meeting by clicking the link. It has some of our plans for the future, one of which is to achieve Silver accreditation this year. bit.ly/4iGV8eB
_Tim Little_
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## **FABRIC**
The Fabric Team continues to monitor the condition of the church and take remedial action when necessary. WE have a schedule for planned maintenance for work such as fire extinguisher testing, lightning conductor, gutter cleaning, gas safe certificates etc. We have bought two new cupboards for storage and have moved all tables and chairs into one of the small meeting rooms. The high level lights in the Green Room are showing their age and we are in the middle of changing all of the bulbs [not easy as it is very high]. The column light bulbs have also been changed. Our biggest priority is to resolve the problem of what to do about the main heating boilers in the basement. An energy audit was carried out late last year and we are working through the recommendations.
## _Rob French_
## **GARDENING TEAM**
The gardening team has been very busy over the last twelve months and we have enjoyed a strong attendance as we have worked methodically around the grounds focussing on different sections. Last summer we also experimented with a gardening evening which worked well. We have introduced a new border in the front of church and are currently working on adding some economical planting in our front border. We hope to introduce water harvesting and a tidier, but biodiverse, area at the back of church soon.
Thank you everyone for creating a fun and sociable atmosphere - new team members always welcome!
## _Paul Butler_
## **THE GREEN POP-UP CAFÉ**
The Friendship Café , which is a community outreach project, was launched at the end of January 2024, and was renamed The Green Pop up café during 2025. We aim to provide a warm, welcoming community space in the Green Room on a weekly basis for anyone to come along and enjoy tea, coffee, cakes and chat. We have now got both a core group of people attending and a core team of volunteers to run things, and attendance can be up to ten people at the moment.
We publicised the café on social media, in doctors surgeries, dentists, local shops and various charities. Unfortunately this has not substantially increased numbers coming along. Our next move is to ask some speakers to come and share their passions with us. We trialled one so far which went really well, and we now have a couple more lined up, including a set from a Jazz group who practice at HT, and a volunteer from an animal rescue charity. We know that it will take time and patience to grow the café to be a well recognised community resource, but we are committed to the long term and hope that we can fulfil a local need for friendship and support.
_Liz Rogers_
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## **MUSIC**
Giles and I help organise the hymns at Holy Trinity. Music is such an important part of our worship and we endeavour to choose music that is relevant to the readings and uplifting. We have the wonderful Pat playing the organ for us in week 2 and the girl band play on week 4 with Simon on piano, Beth on flute, Ellie on violin and Vicki on vocals. On the remaining weeks we have recorded music. We would love to have live music every week and are always on the lookout for musicians who would like to join us.
_Vicki Rogers & Giles Norman_
## **PCC**
The PCC or Parochial Church Council has 17 members made up as follows. Vicar, two Churchwardens, three Deanery Synod Reps, one Licenced Lay Minister all of whom are automatically members of the PCC. There are also 11 elected members from the laity. The two officers of Treasurer and Secretary are voted for by the PCC after the APCM. The PCC meets every two months in person with an MS Teams option if people can't travel. The agendas and minutes are available on our web site. The number of elected positions available depends on the size of our Electoral Roll. Two new members joined the PCC in 2024. Anyone who would like to be considered for membership of Holy Trinity's leadership team should approach Revd. Simon
Safeguarding is a standing item on every agenda and all members of the PCC have undertaken safeguarding training to guide them in taking action to ensure children, young people and vulnerable adults do not come to any harm in our church and the activities it delivers. The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, in relation to having due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. Lucy James, our Church Safeguarding Officer, and Tim Little (Recruiter) work together to ensure our safeguarding responsibilities are met.
_Tim Little, PCC Secretary_
## **SOCIALS**
The Men's and Women's social evenings were re-established in 2024 and have been really well received, with up to 20 members of the congregation joining the evenings out. We have visited local restaurants such as Arthur's Pizza, Greek Unique, Thai at The Albert, Sumac and Taste of Raj and it's been great to enjoy good food and get to know each other a little better. After a break at the beginning of 2025 we now have the next evenings planned for June and would love to welcome you, so please see the newsletter for further details, speak to one of us or contact socialsteam@httchurch.org for further information.
## _Fleur & Jon Beeson_
## **SUNDAY SCHOOL**
I lead the children's Sunday School groups and have been doing so for about 16 years. We currently cater for children aged from 3 years up to 11+ years that are grouped into 3 age groups arranged around School year groups. We have a steady base attendance with varying numbers from occasional attendees.
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Each week there are approximately:
- 2 - 6 - Nursery, Reception and Year 1 children
- 5 - 9 - Year 2 and Year 3 children
- 4 - 7 - Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 children
The leaders and helpers all work on a volunteer basis and at the present time there are 5 leaders and 7 helpers. During the Spring term we have also been supported by one of our past Sunday school members as part of their Bronze D of E Award. We have unfortunately lost a leader and a helper this year and have found it difficult to replace them. Sunday school sessions are held on week 1, 2 and 4 of each month and do not operate during the school holidays.
We have continued to use the 3-year Curriculum for the Sunday School that was implemented several years ago by myself and Vicki Rogers. However, I have also added new topics to this curriculum. I try to adapt our topics to link into events happening in the Christian calendar and in our Church. During the last year we have looked at the story of Daniel, the story of Jonah, life of Moses and the calling of Samuel from the Old Testament. We have followed the topic of 'Jesus begins work', which outlines the main stories of Jesus' ministry, and the festivals of Christmas and Easter from the New Testament. During the Summer Term we will be looking at the events following on from Easter and how the disciples helped to establish the early church.
The leaders and helpers continue to inspire me with their tireless enthusiasm and loyalty. I am proud and delighted to lead such a wonderful team.
We are always happy to welcome new team members, and you can contact me on sslead@httchurch.org if you are interested in joining the team or speak to me after a Sunday service.
_Katy Patterson_
## **TECH TEAM**
The Holy Trinity Tech Team look after much of the IT infrastructure at Holy Trinity. This ranges from supporting our worship at services running and maintaining the sound and vision aspects from the Tech Desk, which we broadcast on YouTube every week – you'll see one or two of us at the desk for most services – to building the hymns and recorded music for the screens; installing and maintaining the Church and Guest Wi-Fi and providing and supporting infrastructure such as the smart heating control and security cameras.
The original crew of Rob, Nathan and Brian and I, have been joined over the last couple of years by Rory, Alex and Miles, as part of their Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme volunteer programme. The three of them have built up some great skills running the Tech Desk and, in particular, "Nine o'Clockers" will have seen Alex running the desk on his own.
Recent projects have included installing ambiance microphones to pick up the congregation, which will provide a much more inclusive sound for our online community. Our plans for the rest of the year include building a new secure desk at the back to house all the equipment and introducing new remote-controlled cameras which will give more flexibility in the view that our online community sees.
We are always looking for new people to join our team, so please come and chat if you are interested - all training provided!
_Giles Norman_
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## **TRINITY TODDLERS**
Trinity Toddlers has continued to offer fellowship and play to toddlers and their parents/carers, with numbers averaging 25 toddlers and babies with their parents/carers every Monday morning during term time. The singing and dancing, as well as hearing a Bible story, each week is well received by all who attend. The 'Wiggle' dance is a particular favourite. The positive relations built in the Trinity Toddlers sessions extend into the community, with regular chats with the toddlers on the Green on my way to and from work.
Our thanks go to T H Sanders Funeral Directors in Twickenham, who kindly donated a new indoor slide for the toddler group, and put it together – when I returned from story time in the church, I was reliably informed that the putting together of the slide involved blood, sweat and no doubt some tears from our friendly funeral director.
A heartfelt thank you to Jo Butler and Christine Elderfield for their loyal support in helping with the set up, clearing, tea duties, holding of babies and most importantly in making everyone feel very welcome and cared for. Their help and support of the group is invaluable in making Trinity Toddlers the success it is.
We are always happy to welcome extra helpers to this fun and vibrant group so please email me at ttlead@httchurh.org if you can help with craft or hospitality at any of our sessions.
_Lucy James_
## **VOLUNTEER LEADS TEAM**
We have around 18 different teams that help to keep Holy Trinity running smoothly. Whether it is Sunday School, flowers, welcomers, creche, or fabric each team makes an important contribution to our church family. Each team has a leader who organises the rotas and offers encouragement to join a particular team. Some of our teams are quite short of helpers and we are keen to bolster the numbers in the following teams: Flowers, Creche, Trinity Toddlers, Sunday School, Welcomers, and Eco Church.
_Sue Morris_
## **YOUTH GROUP**
Over the past year, our youth group has settled into the regular routine of meeting on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month during term-time. Although the group is still advertised in church as a "youth social", the afternoon does now include a "God-slot." We have introduced a short reflection during which the group read a short passage of scripture and consider a contemporary issue. We also ask the members of the youth group if they have any prayer requests, and as you might imagine, exams feature significantly on that list.
In the past year, I completed the Launchpad course, a youthwork resource designed by Youthscape and delivered by the diocese of London. It was good to gather with other clergy in the area seeking to start or renew youthwork in the parish setting.
We have two goals for the coming year: 1. To secure a few more volunteers to help grow what has become an established ministry. 2. To book something in the calendar the young people can look forward to, such as a weekend away or a youth camp.
In all our work with young people, I am indebted to Lucy Butler, and Nathan Grusin, who faithfully support this group every month. My thanks also to Lucy and Francesca James, who covered a youth social when I was on annual leave. Indeed, without the support of these volunteers the group simply could not happen.
_Rev. Simon_
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## **Annual Report and Accounts**
## **For the year ended 31 December 2024**
|**CONTENTS**|**PAGE(S)**|
|---|---|
|Annual Report|13|
|Financial Review|15|
|Independent Examiner’s Report|16|
|Receipts and Payments Account; Statement of Assets and Liabilities|17|
|Notes to the Accounts|18|
|Receipts and Payments Analysis|19|
|Incumbent|The Revd Simon Couper|
|---|---|
||Holy Trinity Vicarage|
||1 Vicarage Road|
||Twickenham TW2 5TS|
|Bank|HSBC plc|
||2 London Road|
||Twickenham TW1 3RY|
|Independent Examiner|Mr D Loftus|
||11 Kew Gardens|
||Farington|
||Leyland PR25 4QN|
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## **ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**
## **Administrative Information**
Holy Trinity Church is situated on The Green, in the Strawberry Hill area of Twickenham. It is part of the Diocese of London and the Kensington Episcopal Area within the Church of England. The correspondence address is c/o the Vicarage, 1 Vicarage Rd, Twickenham TW2 5TS.
Members of the PCC are either ex officio, or elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM), in accordance with the Church Representation Rules, or co-opted. At present the APCM has chosen to elect the PCC annually, rather than a 3 year rolling membership.
Churchwardens are elected at the Annual Meeting of Parishioners, which is held immediately before the APCM. During 2024, the following served as members of the PCC:
|Incumbent:
|Revd. Simon Couper|(Chair)|
|---|---|---|
|Churchwardens:|Robert French||
||Fleur Beeson|(Vice-Chair)|
|Licenced Reader &|||
|Deanery Synod:|Anna McPherson||
|Deanery Synod:|Adam Smith||
||Sue Morris||
|Elected Members:|Jon Beeson|(Treasurer)|
||Tim Little|(PCC Secretary)|
||Giles Norman||
||Katy Patterson||
||Liz Rogers||
||Vicki Rogers|(Children’s Champion)|
||Geoff Mussett||
||Tamsin Turner||
||Gordon Nockles||
||Marc Lee||
||Louise Pickard||
|Regularly in Attendance:|Lucy James|(Safeguarding Officer)|
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## **Structure, Governance and Management**
The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The church [PCC] is required to register with the Charity Commission because our income is more than £100,000 per annum. All regular church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and to consider election to the PCC.
## **Objectives and Activities**
The PCC of Holy Trinity Church works with the incumbent to promote the mission of the Church within the parish of Holy Trinity, Twickenham (traditionally known as the parish of Twickenham Common). This Mission is outlined in the church’s Mission Action Plan. It is also responsible for the maintenance of the church fabric. Close links are maintained with Archdeacon Cambridge's Primary School, situated within the parish. Cooperation with other local churches is actively encouraged.
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## **Parochial Church Council of Holy Trinity Church, Twickenham Green**
## **ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024**
## **Financial Review**
_The church reports its financial results on the same basis as most company accounts - the "accruals" basis. This attempts to reflect the activity that happened in the year, rather than simply what flowed through the bank account between 1[st] January and 31[st] December._
In 2024, our income was £19,700 higher than in 2023. This increased figure was mainly due to the higher income from room hire (7k higher), one-off donations (9k higher) and receipt of the deposit from the previous curate’s accommodation (2.7k). Planned giving and service collections were slightly lower than in 2023.
Expenditure was £14,640 lower than in 2023. This decrease was due to the lower utilities costs (4k lower) and reduced expenditure on building maintenance (16k lower). General running costs increased in 2024.
The church paid its full parish share to the Diocese of London, and this remains the biggest item of expenditure at £95,000. This is the amount we pay to the Diocese of London to cover the cost of a vicar, accommodation, training and support, plus continued investment and training in the wider Anglican church. In 2024 the church will be paying its full parish share.
As a result of the reduced expenditure and increased income, the church made a surplus of £14,103 for the year.
At the end of December 2024, we had £287,525 in our bank and investment accounts. This was higher than the £280,920 figure at the same time in 2023. This increase is due to the surplus made throughout 2024.
Many thanks for your continued support to the church.
_Jon Beeson, Honorary Treasurer._
## **Reserves Policy**
It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on the general fund (if possible) which equates to approximately six months’ unrestricted payments, to cover emergency situations that may arise from time to time. The balance of £287,525 exceeds this level.
It is our policy to invest our funds mainly with the Church of England Deposit Fund, with a working level maintained in our current account.
## **Approved by the PCC on 5[th] March 2025 and signed on their behalf by Reverend Simon Couper (PCC Chairman) and Mr Jon Beeson (PCC Treasurer).**
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## **Independent examiner’s report to the PCC of Holy Trinity Church, Twickenham**
## **Independent Examiner's Report to the Members/Trustees of Holy Trinity Church, Twickenham, Parochial Church Council.**
I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31[st] December 2024, which are set out on the two pages Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2024 and the one page Notes to the statements.
## **Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner**
The church’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
- examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act);
- to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity
- Commissioners (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and
- to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
## **Basis of independent examiner's report**
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
- (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements
- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the
- accounting requirements of the 2011Act have not been met; or
- (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## Signed: David E Loftus
DAVID EDWARD LOFTUS MBE 25[th] April 2024 11 KEW GARDENS FARINGTON LEYLAND PR25 4QN
ASSOCIATE OF CHURCH ACCOUNTANTS AND TREASURERS MEMBER CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF FUNDRAISING MEMBER ASSOCIATION OF CHARITY INDEPENDENT EXAMINERS PAST VICE CHAIR OF LONDON DIOCESAN FUND
VICE CHAIR QUEEN’S OWN HIGHLANDERS REGIMENTAL TRUSTEES INVESTMENT SUB COMMITTEE
16
## **Holy Trinity Twickenham Green Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024**
|**Note**
Accruals Accounting Basis
Receipts
Regular Giving
Planned Giving
Loose collections
Income tax recovered
Other donations received
Grants
Activities for generating funds
5a
Income from church activities
5b
Investment income
5c
Other income
Total receipts
Payments
Diocesan parish share
Other payments
5d
Total Payments
**Excess of Receipts over Payments**
Bank and deposit accounts 1 January
Bank and deposit accounts 31 December
Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Cash Funds
Bank Current Accounts
CBF Deposit Account
Deferred Income
Tax reclaim outstanding
Green Room lettings accruals
Listed Place of Worship VAT reclaim
Other accrued income
Total Accrued Income
Accrued Expenditure
Accrued Capital Expenditure
Loan from Diocese (balance outstanding)
Total Accrued Expenditure|**General Piano**
**Fund**
**Fund**
56,117
-
6,102
-
15,244
-|**Total**
**Total**
**2024**
**2023**
56,117
57,626
6,102
7,037
15,244
15,669|
|---|---|---|
||77,463
-
13,440
-
-
-
47,752
-
3,481
-
13,307
-
2,748
-|77,463
80,332
13,440
4,067
47,752
40,914
3,481
1,273
13,307
11,905
2,748
-|
||158,192
-|158,192
138,491|
||95,000
-
49,088
-|95,000
92,000
49,088
66,728|
||144,088
-|144,088
158,728|
|||
|
||**14,103**
**-**|**14,103**
**-20,237**|
||
280,514
406|
280,920
300,121|
||287,119
406
24,437
406
262,682
-|287,525
280,920
24,843
18,426
262,682
262,494|
||287,119
406|287,525
280,920|
||-
-|-
-
2,333
957
1,198
1,344
-
1,317
8,270
25|
|||11,801
3,642
1,662
1,002
-
-
-
-|
|||1,662
1,002|
17
## **Notes to the statements**
1. The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Church
Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Accruals basis.
2. The "other income" line relates to the return of the curate accommodation deposit.
3. There were no movements in the restricted Piano Fund for the year.
4. "Other running costs" includes the costs for the Parish Manager, general supplies and small equipment purchases.
18
## **Holy Trinity Twickenham Green Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024**
|**Receipt and Payments Analysis**
5a. Activities for generating funds - receipts
Green room lettings
Events
Fairtrade stall sales
Other activities
Tax on campaigns
5b. Receipts from church activities
Fees
Trinity Toddlers
Other receipts
5c. Receipts from investments
CCLA deposit interest
Other investment income
5d. Church activities - payments
Donations to supported charities
A Rocha
Spear
Other
Total
Utilities and Insurance
Clergy expenses
Cost of Services
Buildings maintenance
Vision Projects
Cleaning of Parish Room
Repayment of loan
Youth
Fairtrade stall purchases|**R&P**
**R&P**
**General**
**Piano**
**Total**
**Total**
**Fund**
**Fund**
**2024**
**2023**
47,286
-
47,286
40,743
466
-
466
171|
|---|---|
||-
-
-|
||-
-
-
-
-
-
-
47,752
-
47,752
40,914|
||1,708
-
1,708
809|
||1,773
-
1,773
464
-
-
-
3,481
-
3,481
1,273|
|||
||13,307
-
13,307
11,905
-
-
-
-
13,307
-
13,307
11,905|
||268
-
268
302
268
-
268
302
-
-
130
535
-
535
734
16,936
-
16,936
20,977
454
-
454
183
312
-
312
126
3,587
-
3,587
19,451
-
-
-
-
5,499
-
5,499
4,256
-
-
-
-
-
-
-|
||-
-
-
48|
19