2023-12-31-accounts

Trustees Annual Report and Financial Report of

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington, Hangleton Road, Hove, East Sussex, BN3 7LQ

Registered Charity no. 1166661

For the year ended 31st December 2023

CONTENTS

Page

1-7	Trustees annual report
8	Statement of financial receipts and payments
9	Statement of assets and liabilities
10-13	Notes to the accounts
14	Report of the independent examiner
Website:	www.stpeterswestblatchington.org.uk

The Rev Tim Gage Incumbent: The Rectory, 23 Windmill Close, Hove, BN3 7LJ Independent Mr Michael Evans examiner: 11 Windsor Close, Hove, BN3 6WQ CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) Bank Bankers: 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, ME19 4JQ

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St Peter’s Church West Blatchington Trustees Annual Re ort for 2023 p

Our aims and purposes as a charity

The PCC had the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Rev Timothy Gage, in:

• The promotion of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England;

• Promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, social, evangelistic, and ecumenical;

• Encouraging us to know Jesus better and make Him better known;

• Practical support and care for people in the parish, from the youngest to the eldest;

• Providing financial support to those in need and to other organisations with similar objectives.

St Peter’s represents a Christian presence in our parish of West Blatchington. Our aim, as a charity, is to support and strengthen the faith of churchgoers and to attract, and maintain in the Christian faith by our cheerful and generous example, those in our parish and beyond who do not regularly, or ever, attend church. We aim to spend our financial resources to achieve our purpose, to conserve our Grade 2* listed church building, and to support charities, local and worldwide, as democratically selected annually by our parishioners.

Our MISSION ACTION PLAN is designed to help us focus and prioritise our objectives so that our Church will continue to grow and develop now and in the years to come. This Plan, known as “The Four Mores”, may be summarised as follows:

• MORE OPEN This is about making sure that we can clearly communicate the vision of who we are as a church family, and how we can demonstrate both our purpose in the parish and the hope of the Gospel. We want to ensure that all people feel welcome at St Peter’s and that worship is meaningful and accessible for all.

• MORE CONVERTED This is about how we encourage commitment in the journey of the Christian faith and encourage disciples to go deeper, through training and further devotion.

• MORE GENEROUS We want to foster a culture of joyful givers, where we eagerly support the needs of others through generosity with our time, energy and finances, where we work together and all play our part.

MORE ENGAGED This means we are looking to build upon existing networks and community groups, alongside new ones, to bless our parish and beyond.

What we planned to do to achieve our charitable objectives

When planning our activities for the year, our incumbent and the PCC considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on ‘charities for the advancement of religion’.

The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, fully recognising its duty to have due regard to House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

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Our intention for 2023 was to continue with the following objectives and activities to fulfil our aims:

• Enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church, either in person on online

• Enabling as many people as possible to become part of our parish community

• Teaching, baptising and nurturing new and existing believers

• Maintaining an overview of worship throughout the parish

• Considering how services can involve the many groups that live within the parish

• Putting faith into practice, through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament

• Offering worship and prayer, learning about the Gospel, in small group situations or

• online

• Assisting people from all walks of life to develop their knowledge of, and trust in, Jesus

• Christ

• Providing pastoral care for people living in the parish

• Providing assistance to the poor and needy of the parish

• Reaching out to the unchurched through provision of the Church Fairs and other social

• events

• Maintaining the fabric of the church building as an historic centre and focus of life in the

• community

• Supporting local charitable organisations with events and initiatives to raise funds

• Offering help with transport to church for people with mobility problems, subject to the

• constraints of social distancing

• Offering a range of church services, at different times to suit different tastes and life styles. Services of Holy Communion are held every Sunday morning (using Common Worship), and we have begun the practice of holding a monthly, said, service of Holy Communion in the evening of the third Wednesday of each month, with a prayer meeting combined with a service of Compline being held on the first Wednesday evening of the month. Additional services marking Christian festivals throughout the year are held on the appropriate days of the week. The Sunday service is streamed live online and is recorded on You Tube for those who wish to see it at a later time. The practice of holding non-eucharistic services for younger worshippers on the first Sunday afternoon of each month continued throughout 2023 but has been suspended for the time being; it may be reinstated later in 2024, depending on the perceived level of demand for this.

• The Rector being available, in conjunction with the Curate, the Churchwardens and other members of the church community, for any aspect of ministry such as preparing for baptism, confirmation, marriage, celebration of vows, ministry at the time of death, officiating at funerals, or helping with appropriate personal situations.

• Encouraging church attendance by publicising all that is on offer, weekly in church service sheets, monthly in our magazine, Keynotes, through our website, and half-yearly in a newsletter delivered to every household in the parish.

What we achieved and how we affected peoples’ lives

Attendance at worship

It is our pleasure and our calling to welcome people from inside and outside of the parish and from all walks of life and stages of faith to join us in the worship of Almighty God. We seek to be true to our Anglican-liturgical roots while maintaining an attitude of warmth and inclusion. We embrace modern technology through a digital projector, for readings, sermons, talks, liturgy, hymn words and videos. We acknowledge the hugely important role that our website and Facebook page play.

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We continue to be hugely grateful for the role of Gill Evans as our temporary music director and for the diversity of musical gifts which she and the choir bring. Our curate, Rev Jan, provides to support to Rev Tim in the conduct of services by leading the Holy Eucharist as well as preaching and leading other acts of worship.

The average regular weekly attendance on Sunday mornings during 2023 was 58 adults and children. Of note are the numbers of people who attended our services on Easter Sunday (119), Remembrance Day (72) and the combined Christingle & Crib Service (160). Five of the “St Peter’s at 4” services were held, intended primarily to cater for young families and children, when the average attendance was 12 adults and 13 children.

Teaching, baptising and nurturing new and existing believers

• No baptisms or confirmations took place in 2023.

• In 2023 there were 6 church funerals, 3 burials of ashes and 3 weddings.

• Bible Study groups met regularly on Wednesdays, one in the morning and one in the

• evening. Each group attracted about 10 people. Discussion was encouraged and those participating always felt it was rewarding and time well spent.

• There was no Lent Course in 2023; instead we held an Alpha Course, designed to teach the principles of Christianity, intended both for churchgoers of long-standing and for anyone who has little or no experience of the faith but who wishes to learn more. The course was wellattended and attracted approximately 30 people.

• We are delighted that the installation of a new audio-visual system in 2023 has greatly increased our on-line capability, enabling our Sunday services to be viewed live online as well as on You Tube. We have a pro-active PCC, including younger members with digital skills. Our intention is to keep much more closely in touch, digitally, with people who wish to use our church facilities. This especially includes families presenting children for baptism or those getting married in church. These families obviously value the church but have difficulty maintaining contact in the very mobile and changing modern world.

• We provide tea, coffee and other refreshments after Sunday morning service which

• provides an opportunity for parishioners to socialise.

• We continue to plan for the recruitment of a part time youth worker for our parish, as

• recognition of the importance of attracting and keeping young people interested in the Church.

Evangelism and outreach

St Peter’s is very active and successful in reaching outwards from the church community and involving as many people as possible. Examples are:

• Sunday School: Attendance varies considerably, but typically some 12 children take part, sometimes accompanied by their parents, while the Sunday morning service is taking place and who then join the congregation for the administration of Holy Communion.

• Choir: There are currently 8 members of the adult choir. We continue to seek a candidate to appoint as our Director of Music/Organist. In the meantime, we are very blessed with the services of Gill Evans, one of the existing members of the choir who has proved herself to be more than competent in playing the organ and piano, thus enabling the choir and congregation to sing with their usual gusto! We are also grateful to Jane Glineur for stepping in to play the piano when Gill has been unable to do so.

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• Women’s Social Group: This is an active group of some 27 ladies, affiliated to St Peter’s for over 60 years, in normal conditions enjoying themselves with coffee mornings and outings of all sorts and raising money for a chosen charity each year.

• Men’s Group: This new group was formed in November 2022. During 2023 two events for

• the men of the parish took place and further events are planned for 2024.

• St Anthony’s Pre-school: This is a nursery facility based in our Community Centre, adding to the outreach effort and success we achieve at St Peter’s. Rev Tim has visited the pre-school on several occasions.

• Brownies, Guides and Rainbows: They use the Community Centre every week.

• Social Events: Most such activities took place as normal during 2023. The Summer Fair

• took place while our biennial Christmas Tree Festival took the place this year of the Christmas Fair. There were various other activities during the year, including a cricket match & picnic, a film night, a sponsored bike ride around Hove Park, a bingo/beetle drive, quiz evenings (both in person and online) and a Harvest Festival bring & share lunch.

• Our biannual Newsletter, detailing church news and events and delivered personally by members of the congregation to each of the roughly 2,500 households in the parish, is an effective outreach initiative which has resulted in new enquiries and contacts.

The church building

• St Peter’s is on an ancient church site with evidence of worship here in Saxon times. It has Norman, Victorian and modern features and is Grade 2* listed. The site is archaeologically significant and the PCC is determined to safeguard this heritage.

• The church and surrounds are well maintained for the enjoyment and safety of all by a cleaner, a team of flower ladies, brass cleaners and gardeners and by regular surveys of electrical, gas and fire safety systems. Volunteers regularly organise a church ‘spring clean’, and ‘blue jeans Saturdays’ for churchyard maintenance, normally twice a year in March and November.

• The customary Friday coffee mornings and occasional family film nights continue to take place.

• Although our churchyard is closed for burials we still have space for the burial of ashes. Friends and family are grateful for the intimate, quiet and local setting which the lawns of St Peter’s provide.

• Planning continued to bring St Peter’s up to ECO Church standards.

The wider community

• The PCC is confident that our relatively small parish of St Peter’s, with a population in the region of 6,250 souls, ‘punches well above its weight’. Our beautiful flint church occupies a prominent position in West Blatchington on a major route into West Hove. We are active in presenting and teaching the Gospel of Christ, but welcoming to people of all faiths and none. We are a diverse parish and in normal times have a wide range of social activities designed to raise money and bring people together. We continue to meet a large proportion of our Parish Share commitment to the Diocese.

• A member of our congregation was Lay Chair and another the Treasurer of Hove Deanery

• Synod during 2023 and both were trustees of a local charity known as Hove Trinity Trust, a revolving financial resource for Hove Deanery churches. One was also a mentor on the Living Faith Course run by the Diocese.

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• Several members of our congregation actively participate in running the Hangleton and

• West Blatchington Foodbank which is a joint venture run by our parish and the neighbouring St George’s Roman Catholic Church. The Foodbank is a valuable contact with many people normally outside of the church communities. St Peter’s people contribute much, including money, foodstuffs and time and effort in providing this multi-faceted service. Our harvest food collection in 2023 was donated to the Foodbank.

• We have strong and active links with the two Church schools that are located within the

• parish, being Aldrington and King’s, with the Rector and other members of our congregation on both of the boards of governors.

• The proposed major new housing development at Toad’s Hole Valley falls within our

• parish, though it continues to be subject to planning delays. The PCC will be actively examining ways in which we can make the presence of the Church known to the new residents there once the development takes place.

• Charitable planning and action is a large part of our activity and includes local and

• worldwide organisations offering relief. For 2023 we selected six charities and details of the amounts donated were published in Keynotes. The PCC regularly adds from church funds to the amounts donated by parishioners.

• We have an active Pastoral Care Group of 7 members, including the Rector and Curate,

• which manages and supplies pastoral care such as home visits, transport help, home Holy Communion, telephone chats, and bereavement visits. Sometimes, church members find themselves in care homes outside of the parish but remain under our pastoral care, as desired.

This part of our Trustees’ Annual Report demonstrates what we did in many differing ways during 2023 to justify, achieve and maintain our charitable status as a major influence for good throughout our parish and beyond.

Financial Review

Incoming and outgoing resources

The total receipts on general unrestricted funds received were £93,815 and are detailed in the Financial Report. This is an increase of 16% on the previous year.

We only had a Summer Fair this year which raised a total of £2,952. In place of the Christmas Fair, we held a Christmas Tree Festival which raised a further £2,625. Many thanks to everyone’s hard work in making both these events so successful.

The planned giving though envelopes, bankers orders and Parish Giving Scheme was £38,589.

It was good to see the use of Gift Aid which gave us a total of £9,980 in income tax recovered.

The Pre-School Nursery, St Anthony’s continued to rent our Community Centre throughout 2023 and is thriving. Total income for the year was £13,992 and includes money from private hires and regular groups that use the centre.

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Our Payaz station has been in place now for just over a year and has taken an amazing £4,637 in donations.

Our year end deficit was £54,149. However, £33,813 was spent on installing our new Video Live Streaming system which has enhanced our Sunday services and allows those unable to attend on Sunday to be part of the service from their own home.

Transfers totalling £55,000 were made from the investment to the bank account to cover general Church runnings costs as well as the large outlay for the video live streaming system.

Sharing the ministry costs of the Diocese of Chichester

The largest expenditure of the PCC was the sum of £75,644 paid to the diocese for our share of all churches’ Parish Ministry Costs. This amount relates directly to the housing, stipend and pension costs of the clergy of this Parish, training of new ordinands, a contribution to national church funds, clergy training, shared costs of the Christian family throughout the whole diocese, including assistance towards the upkeep of churches less able to manage than ourselves.

Currently, we are meeting 100% of the net costs allocated to this church.

Staff costs

The PCC pays for a Parish Administrator and cleaner. We do not have a paid organist at the present time but are extremely fortunate to have Gill Evans, a member of our choir, and on some occasions Jane Glineur, a member of our congregation, play each week for us in a voluntary capacity.

Further details are provided in the notes to the accounts.

Trustee payments and expenses

The PCC supported the rector by paying Council Tax of £3,179, Southern Water £712 and a new patio £500, plus various expenses totalling £2,100.

Mrs M Gander, who is also a Trustee, received £6,531 for her duties as parish administrator.

There were no payments to persons related to or connected to the Trustees.

Five Trustees received £2,463 back for expenses incurred.

Office costs

A total of £3,174 was spent on printing costs. This is for the cost of each copy as well as a quarterly fee for hiring the photocopier.

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Why we hold some money in reserve

It is PCC policy to maintain a balance on the general unrestricted funds (excluding property) which equates to at least 6 months’ worth of unrestricted payments as contingency against unforeseen situations. Also, at the present time our planned giving each month does not cover the cost of our Parish Ministry and therefore these funds are vital to call upon to ensure we continue to pay them in full. The closing balance this year covered this contingency.

It is PCC policy to invest temporary surplus general funds with the CBF Church of England deposit fund and investment fund, returning proportionately these funds to our current account, as they are needed, to pay day-to-day bills.

As well as holding the above general reserves, from time to time the PCC receives restricted legacies for expenditure on particular purposes, defined by the donor. We aim to expend such money as soon as possible after receiving the legacy, depending on the specific objectives of the donor.

M anagement of risks and their mitigation

The PCC has an ongoing task of reviewing the major risks which impact on the work of the church in the parish. The usual fire extinguisher checks have been carried out.

The PCC consider that the principal risks and uncertainties are:

• The health and safety within the church building and Community Centre.

• The need to fund unexpected costs associated with the church's listed buildings .

• An unexpected fall in income, particularly given the dependence of the church on a limited number of major regular donors and one main regular Community Centre hirer.

• The requirement to find volunteers with the appropriate skills, time and commitment to support the ministry of the congregation.

The PCC seeks to manage these risks and uncertainties by regularly reviewing its Mission Action Plan and its plans for the use of the church buildings. We aim to maintain our properties to a high standard and carry out the priority items of a quinquennial review in a timely manner.

Stewardship Sundays take place to emphasise God's generosity to the congregation and encourage the congregation to respond to that generosity in their giving through time, talents and money, as they are able.

Future Uncertainties

The deficit of £54,149 for the year is a huge concern, however a large proportion of that is associated with the new video live streaming system that was installed.

We started a ‘Journey of Generosity’ campaign in September which increased our planned giving by 36% and we will repeat this at the same time every year to ensure we are in a stronger position to meet regular commitments. It is important to ensure that as the day-to-day costs rise, the growth in income is sustained through renewed giving pledges, to strengthen our underlying financial position. This will enable further improvements to be made to the fabric of our Church.

We are in a fortunate position of having a large investment with the Central Board of Finance, left over from previous legacies, which was valued at £185,128 on the 31st December 2023. There are plans to spend some of these funds on employing a Children’s/Youth Worker and we are very grateful to have these reserves to call upon in emergencies.

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Structure, governance and management of the charity

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is registered with the Charity Commission as required by the Charities Act 2011. Its governing document is the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956.

During the year the following served as members of the Parochial Church Council:

Ex Officio members
Rector	The Revd Tim Gage	Chairman
Curate	The Revd Jan Butter
Wardens:	Mr Jonathan Cooke
	(also member of the Deanery Synod and Deanery Treasurer)
	Mr David Keeling
Elected Members
	Mr Peter Blakeney	Mr Roger Yates
	Mrs Emma Delacour	Mrs Erica Casula
	Mrs Anna Samuelsson	Mrs Susan Turner
	Mrs Paula Light (Secretary)	Mrs Carol Gander
	Mrs Zanita Thaxter	Mr William Holden
Deanery Synod	Mrs Sarah Rogers (Deanery Lay Chair)
	Mrs Mandy Gander (also PCC Treasurer and Parish
	Administrator)

Membership of the PCC is determined under the Church Representation Rules and consists of certain exofficio members, the Rector, the churchwarden and members of the Diocesan Synod. The number of members of the PCC is determined by the number of people on the Electoral Roll (106). This entitles us to 12 members. Currently there are 10 members of the Church who were elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). Members are elected for three years and it is our practice for one third of the members to retire annually. Deanery Synod members are elected for three years. A Diocesan Synod member can be an Ex-officio member. Members are warmly encouraged to stand for election to the PCC and we try to ensure a balance of skills and experience where possible. All members of the PCC are also trustees.

The Rector and PCC strive to fulfil the precepts set out in the Diocesan Strategy for 2020 – 2025.

This Trustees’ Annual Report was approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf by Revd Tim Gage

………………………………………………………………………………

Date…………………………………………………

Annual Financial Report

of

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington, Hangleton Road, Hove, BN3 7LQ Registered Charity no. 1166661

For the year ended 31st December 2023

CONTENTS
Page
8	Statement of financial receipts and payments
9	Statement of assets and liabilities
11-13	Notes to the accounts
14	Report of the independent examiner

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington registered charity number 1166661 Summar of Financial Recei ts and Pa ments y p y

The financial effect of our activities during the year can be summarised as follows

	Unr	estricted	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2023	Total All Funds 2022	Notes 3 5 A&L
	General Fund	Designated Funds
Income and endowments from: Donations and legacies Charitable activities Other trading activities Investments Other receipts	£ 63,714 1,419 22,725 5,957 0	£ - - - - -	£ - - - - -	£ - - - - -	£ 63,714 1,419 22,725 5,957 0	£ 48,517 1,458 23,089 7,047 250
Total received	93,815	-	-	-	93,815	80,361
Expenditure on: Cost of raising funds Charitable costs Trading costs Other payments	273 144,045 3,646 -	- - - -	- - - -	- - - -	- 273 144,045 3,646 -	255 102,589 3,678 -
Total paid	147,964	-	-	-	147,964	104,678
Reconciliation of funds:
Net income or (net expenditure)	-54,149	-	-	-	-54,149	-26,161
Transfers between funds Bank account at 1 January	55,000 11,736	- -	- -	- -	55,000 11,736	20,000 15,109
Bank account at 31 December	12,735	-	-	-	12,735	11,736

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St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington

registered charity number 1166661

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Our financial position at the year end was

	Unrest	ricted	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2023	Total All Funds 2022	Notes R&P 9 8
	General Fund	Designated Funds
Assets: Bank current account CBF Deposit Fund Cash in hand	£ 12,735 0 400	£	£	£	£ 12,735 0 400	£ 11,736 449 400
PCC-owned bank balance	13,135				13,135	12,585
Total bank and deposit accounts	13,135				13,135	12,585
Gift Aid Recoverable	2,523				2,523	514
Legacy due but not yet received	5,000				5,000	0
Debtors 8,189.58 CBF Investment Fund shares	7,523 185,128				7,523 185,128	514 222,149
Investment assets at market value	185,128				185,128	222,149
Freehold and building, Community Centre, Hangleton Road, Hove built in 1962 at estimated building cost	3,000				3,000	3,000
Total assets Liabilities: Choir Fund Women’s Social Group December printing costs Gas/Electricity used since last bill	208,786 1,631 2,179 274 387				208,786 1,631 2,179 274 387	238,248 1,546 2,160 180 140
Total liabilities	4,471				4,471	4,026

This Financial Report for the year ended 31st December 2023, including the notes following, was approved by the PCC and signed on its behalf by Revd Tim Gage, Rector:

……………………………………….……………………….. Date ………………………………………………

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St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington registered charity number 1166661 Notes to the Financial Re ort p

1 The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and current Church Accounting Regulations, using the Receipts and Payments basis.

2 The following assets are recognised but not valued in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities: Movable church furnishings held by the churchwardens on special trust for the PCC, which require a faculty for disposal.

3 Analysis of total received

	Unrest	ricted	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2023	Total All Funds 2022	Notes 4
	General Fund	Designated Funds
Planned giving (excl. tax refunds) Planned giving (no tax refunds) Collections and other giving Gift Aid recovered Legacies Sundry Donations/Donation Station Grants	£ 35,359 3,230 1,162 9.980 1,000 12,983 0	£ - - - - - -	£ - - - - - -	£ - - - - - -	£ 35,359 3,230 1,162 9.980 1,000 12,983 0	£ 33,978 3,085 1,670 8,771 0 1,013 250
Donations and legacies	63,714	-		-	63,714	48,767
Fees for weddings & funerals	1,419	-	-	-	1,419	1,458
Charitable activities	1,419	-	-	-	1,419	1,458
Summer fair Other Fund Raising Keynotes sales/adverts Temporary letting of property	2,952 4,317 1,464 13,992	- - - -	- - - -	- - - -	2,952 4,317 1,464 13,992	5,364 1,916 1,582 14,227
Other trading activities	22,725	-	-	-	22,725	23,089
CBF deposit interest CBF investment fund dividend CAF Bank interest	0 5,929 28	- -	-	- -	0 5,929 28	3 7,044 0
Investments	5,957	-	-	-	5,957	7,047
Total received on all funds	93,815	-	-	-	93,815	80,361

4 We received one legacy in 2023 for a total of £1,000 from the late John Lockyer which we were very grateful to receive. John was a part of St Peter’s for many years and will be greatly missed.

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St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington registered charity number 1166661 Notes to the Financial Re ort p

5 Analysis of total paid

Analysis of total paid
	Unr		estricted	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2023	Total All Funds 2022	Notes 6 7 10 11
	General Fund		Designated Funds
Fundraising expenses Sum Up charges		£ 167 106	£ -	£ -	£ -	£ 167 106	£ 244 11
Cost of raising funds		273	-	-	-	273	255
Charitable donations Parish share to Chichester Diocese Salaries and honoraria incl NI Clergy and other people's expenses Water, Gas, Electricity, and Oil Printing & photocopying Other regular church running costs Church maintenance/repairs Upkeep of Services/Chuchyard Rectory Church Insurance	1,730 75,644 9,253 4,563 2,390 3,174 4,525 34,345 1,518 4,413 2,490		- - - - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - - - -	- - - - - - - - - -	1,730 75,644 9,253 4,563 2,390 3,174 4,525 34,345 1,518 4,413 2,490	1,885 72,500 8,504 2,520 1,069 2,644 3,568 507 1,863 4,518 3,011
Charitable costs Community Centre Improvements Community Centre running costs Keynotes/parish newsletter costs Bank charges	144,045 340 3,146 48 112		- - - -	- - - -	- - - -	144,045 340 3,146 48 112	102,589 244 3,267 47 120
Trading costs	3,646		-	-	-	3,646	3,678
Total paid on all funds	147,964		-	-	-	147,964	106,522

6 Charitable donations were £1000 to Aldrington School, £205 to Hangleton and West Blatchington Foodbank, £140 to A Cry in the Dark, £80 to the Chestnut Tree House, £125 to the Tear Fund and £180 to The Martlets

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• 7 The Parish share to the Chichester Diocese is for the payment of Clergy and other central costs.

• 8 The freehold property (Community Centre) was purchased by the PCC in 1962 with the estimated rebuilding cost of £3000.

• 9 Gift Aid is recoverable on donations received up to year end, since the last claim was submitted in January 2024, gift aid is due from donations between September and December 2023.

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington registered charity number 1166661 Notes to the Financial Re ort p

• 10 Payments to PCC employees:

Wages, salaries and honoraria Employer pension contributions	2023	2022
	£ 9,252 0	£ 8,504 0
	9,252	8,504

11 Payments to PCC members:

• Mrs M Gander received £6,531 as parish administrator

• Mrs S Taylor received £2,721 for cleaning the church and community centre

• Other payments were made to PCC members in the year for reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of the PCC

• a) Revd Tim £2,100 for telephone expenses, craft materials, items for Sunday School and Tea & Tots, wifi booster, VLS laptops, IPAD and cables, Proclaim software, various items for the St Peter’s @ 4 services, books, Alpha course banners, Rectory garden hedge cutting, external Church lights, thank you gifts as well as food and drink for the various events held throughout the year

• b) 5 members received reimbursement for printing and computer related products, new defibrillator pads, printing of the Parish Newsletters, new Community Centre toilet roll holder, thank you flowers, storage bags, new tea pot, stamps, tea towels, sign magnets, food and drink for various events throughout the year, Church gutter brackets, raffle prizes, Sunday School items, new keys and safe repair, new banners for the Christmas Tree Festival, plasters, new laptop for the Treasurer role totalling £2,463

12 Statement of funds:

Endowed funds are required by the donors to be invested and the income spent on specific objectives - we do not currently have any endowed funds.

Restricted funds are not invested permanently but are to be spent within reasonable timescales - we do not currently have any restricted funds.

Unrestricted funds are not subject to any donor restrictions and can be spent as the PCC decides

The summary of all funds appears on the next page

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St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington

registered charity number 1166661

Notes to the Financial Re ort p

12 Summary of funds

Fund income and expenditure and final balances are as follows:

	Balances b/fwd 1 Jan 2023	Income	Expenditure	Transfers, other gains and losses	Balances c/fwd 31 Dec 2023
	£	£	£	£	£
Total of all endowed funds	0	0	0	0	0
Total of all restricted funds	0	0	0	0	0
General fund	231,323	93,815	147,964	55,000	197,863
Total of all unrestricted funds	231,323	93,815	147,964	55,000	197,863
Total funds	231,323	93,815	147,964	55,000	197,863

Page 13

Independent Examiner’s Report to the PCC of St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington for the Year Ended 31[st] December, 2023

This is my report to the Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish (PCC) of St Peter, West Blatchington, on the annual report for the year ended 31[st] December 2023 set out on pages 1 to 13

Respective responsibilities of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) and that an independent trustees and examination is needed. examiner

It is my responsibility to:

1. examine the accounts under section 145 of the Charities Act, 2. to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and

2. to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given Basis of independent by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the examiner’s statement 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 the 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 material matters have come to my attention which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:

• accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act or

• the accounts do not accord with the accounting records

I have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Examiner’s signature

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Examiner’s name CAPITALS …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Date …………………………………. Relevant professional …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… qualification(s) or body if any Examiner’s address ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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