2024-12-31-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 2024

CONTENTS

Page 1-7 Trustees annual report Statement of financial receipts and 8 payments 9 Statement of assets and liabilities 10-13 Notes to the accounts 14 Report of the independent examiner

Website: www.stpeterswestblatchington.org.uk

Incumbent: The Rev Tim Gage The Rectory, 23 Windmill Close, Hove, BN3 7LJ

Independent examMr Michael Evans iner: 11 Windsor Close, Hove, BN3 6WQ Bankers:[CAF (Charities Aid Foundation) Bank] 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, ME19 4JQ

St Peter’s Church West Blatchington Trustees Annual Report for 2024

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 sum - marised 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.

Our intention for 2024 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 commu-

nity

• 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 con-

• straints 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 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 at ude 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. We are hugely grateful for the role that Gill Evans continues to play as our music director while we search for someone to undertake that role permanently 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.

Page 2

The average regular weekly attendance on Sunday mornings during 2024 was 57 adults and children. Of note are the numbers of people who attended our services on Easter Sunday (114) and the Christingle/Crib Service (140).

Teaching, baptising and nurturing new and existing believers

• Somewhat unusually, no people from St Peter’s were confirmed in 2024.

• In 2024 there were 3 church funerals, 3 burials of ashes, 3 weddings and 2 baptisms.

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

• each group regularly attracts about 10 people. Discussion is encouraged and those participating always feel it is rewarding and time well spent.

• There was no Lent Course as such in 2024; instead we held an Alpha Course which also attracted

• about 10 people in both groups.

• 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 op-

• portunity 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, with between 5 and 13 children taking part, while the Sunday

• service is taking place. The children and adult helpers then join the congregation for the administration of Holy Communion.

• Choir: There are currently 7 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, thus enabling the choir and congregation to sing with their usual gusto! We are hoping to resurrect our junior choir.

• 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.

• A separate “Women on WhatApp” group has also recently started, aiming to attract women who

• are still working and cannot attend the main women’s group that meets during the day.

• Men’s Group: This group comprises some 20 men who are connected with the life of St Peter’s. It is

• still in its formative stage to some extent but had a very successful lawn bowling session one sunny afternoon in the summer. Further activities are planned for 2025.

• St Anthony’s Pre-school: This is a nursery facility based in our Community Centre, adding to the out-

• reach effort and success we achieve at St Peter’s. Rev Tim has visited the pre-school on several occasions.

Page 3

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

• Social Events: The Summer and Christmas fairs took place and 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 2024 and both were trustees of a local charity known as Hove Trinity Trust, a revolving financial resource for Hove Deanery churches.

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

• Blatchington Food Bank which is a joint venture run by our parish and the neighbouring St George’s Roman Catholic Church. The Food Bank 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 2024 was donated to the Food Bank.

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

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

Page 4

• 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 or-

• ganisations offering relief. For 2024 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. Among others, during 2024 we were able to fund donations to The Sri Lankan Prison Ministry, Whoopsadaisy, Off the Fence, The Hangleton and West Blatchington Food Bank and The Martlets Hospice.

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

• ages 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 2024 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 £100,311 and are detailed in the Financial Report. This is an increase of 7% on the previous year.

Our Summer and Christmas Fair raised a record breaking £6,123 this year. Many thanks to everyone’s hard work in making both these events so successful. Other fundraising events raised a further £2,259.

The planned giving though envelopes, bankers orders and Parish Giving Scheme was £43,111.

It was good to see the use of Gift Aid which gave us a total of £12,551 in income tax recovered.

The Pre-School Nursery, St Anthony’s continued to rent our Community Centre throughout 2024 and is thriving. Total income for the year was £15,649 and includes money from private hires and regular groups that use the centre.

Our Payaz donation station has been a real asset and it took an amazing £5,955 in donations.

Our year end deficit was £18,791. Although this is disappointing and unsustainable, with the journey of generosity which has increased giving over the last 2 years and the number of congregation growing, we are confident that our deficit will decrease each year.

Transfers totalling £11,000 were made from the investment to the bank account to cover the Church running at a deficit.

Page 5

Sharing the ministry costs of the Diocese of Chichester

The largest expenditure of the PCC was the sum of £79,816 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 98% 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 £3,338 and Southern Water £718.

Mrs M Gander, who is also a Trustee, received £6,683 for her duties as parish administrator.

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

One Trustee received £1,286 back for expenses incurred.

Office costs

A total of £3,277 was spent on printing costs. This is for the cost of each copy as well as a quarterly fee for hiring the photocopier.

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 investment fund, return - ing 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.

Page 6

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 £18,791 for the year is a huge concern.

We started a ‘Journey of Generosity’ campaign in September 2023 which increased our planned giving by 36% and was repeated again this year with a further 6% increase. We must continue with this journey 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 £178,507 on the 31st December 2024. 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.

Page 7

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:	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 Buter
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 ex-officio 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 (109). 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 mem - bers 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 2024

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

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington

registered charity number 1166661

Summary of Financial Receipts and Payments

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

	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2024	Total All Funds 2023	Notes 3 5 A&L
	General Designated Fund Funds
Income and endowments from: Donatons and legacies Charitable actvites Other trading actvites Investments Other receipts	£ 68,063 1,874 25,282 5,092 0	£ - - - - -		£ - - - - -		£ - - - - -	£ 68,063 1,874 25,282 5,092 0	£ 63,714 1,419 22,725 5,957 0
Total received	100,311	-		-		-	100,311	93,815
Expenditure on: Cost of raising funds Charitable costs Trading costs Other payments	553 114,683 3,866 -	- - - -		- - - -		- - - -	- 553 114,683 3,866 -	273 144,045 3,646 -
Total paid	119,102	-		-		-	119,102	147,964
Reconciliation of funds:
Net income or (net expenditure)	-18,791	-		-		-	-18,791	-54,149
Transfers between funds Bank account at 1 January	11,000 13,077	- -		- -		- -	11,000 13,077	55,000 12,735
Bank account at 31 December	4,221	-		-		-	4,221	12,735

Page 8

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington registered charity number 1166661 Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Our financial position at the year end was

	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2024	Total All Funds 2023	Notes R&P 9 8
	General Designated Fund Funds
Assets: Bank current account Cash in hand		£ 4,221 400	£		£		£	£ 4,221 400	£ 12,735 400
PCC-owned bank balance		4,621						4,621	13,135
Total bank and deposit accounts		4,621						4,621	13,135
Gif Aid Recoverable		1,057						1,057	2,523
Debtors 7,720.0028 CBF Investment Fund shares	1,057 178,507							1,057 178,507	2,523 185,128
Investment assets at market value	178,507							178,507	185,128
Freehold and building, Community Centre, Hangleton Road, Hove built in 1962 at estmated building cost	3,000							3,000	3,000
Total assets Liabilites: Choir Fund Women’s Social Group December printng costs Gas/Electricity used since last bill	187,185 1,919 1,169 161 355							187,185 1,919 1,169 161 355	203,786 1,631 2,179 274 387
Total liabilites	3,604							3,604	4,471

This Financial Report for the year ended 31st December 2024, including the notes following, was approved by the PCC and signed on its behalf by Revd Tim Gage, Rector:

Date ………………………………………………

……………………………………….………………………..

Page 9

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington registered charity num-

ber 1166661

Notes to the Financial Report

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

	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2024	Total All Funds 2023	Notes 4
	General Designated Fund Funds
Planned giving (excl. tax refunds) Planned giving (no tax refunds) Collectons and other giving Gif Aid recovered Legacies Sundry Donatons/Donaton Sta- ton	£ 39,284 3,828 1,442 12,552 5,000 5,956	£ - - - - - -		£ - - - - - -		£ - - - - - -	£ 39,284 3,828 1,442 12,552 5,000 5,956	£ 35,359 3,230 1,162 9.980 1,000 12,982
Donatons and legacies	68,062	-				-	68,062	63,714
Fees for weddings & funerals	1,874	-		-		-	1,874	1,419
Charitable actvites	1,874	-		-		-	1,874	1,419
Summer/Christmas fairs Other Fund Raising Keynotes sales/adverts Temporary letng of property	6,124 2,259 1,251 15,649	- - - -		- - - -		- - - -	6,124 2,259 1,251 15,649	2,952 4,317 1,464 13,992
Other trading actvites CBF investment fund dividend CAF Bank interest	25,283 5,071 21	- -		-		- -	25,283 5,071 21	22,725 5,929 28
Investments	5,092	-		-		-	5,092	5,957
Total received on all funds	100,311	-		-		-	100,311	93,815

4 We received one legacy in 2024 for a total of £5,000 from the late Marjorie Alabone which we were very grateful to receive. Marjorie was a part of St Peter’s for many years until she became housebound in her later years and will be greatly missed.

Page 10

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington registered charity num-

ber 1166661

Notes to the Financial Report

• 5 Analysis of total paid

	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Restricted Fund/s	Restricted Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Endowed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2024	Total All Funds 2023	Notes 6 7 10 11
	General Designated Fund Funds
Fundraising expenses Sum Up charges		£ 485 69	£ -		£ -		£ -	£ 485 69	£ 167 106
Cost of raising funds		554	-		-		-	554	273
Charitable donatons Parish share to Chichester Diocese Salaries and honoraria incl NI Clergy and other people's expenses Water, Gas, Electricity, and Oil Printng & photocopying Other regular church running costs Church maintenance/repairs Upkeep of Services/Chuchyard Rectory Church Insurance	1,750 79,816 9,673 2,142 2,482 3,277 2,408 1,449 5.077 4,056 2,548		- - - - - - - - - -		- - - - - - - - - -		- - - - - - - - - -	1,750 79,816 9,673 2,142 2,482 3,277 2,408 1,449 5,077 4,056 2,548	1,730 75,644 9,253 4,563 2,390 3,174 4,525 34,345 1,518 4,413 2,490
Charitable costs Community Centre Improvements Community Centre running costs Keynotes/parish newsleter costs Bank charges	114,678 46 3,665 52 107		- - - -		- - - -		- - - -	114,678 46 3,665 52 107	144,045 340 3,146 48 112
Trading costs	3,870		-		-		-	3,870	3,646
Total paid on all funds	119.102		-		-		-	119,102	147,964

6 Charitable donations were £1000 to Aldrington School, £175 to Off the Fence, £92 to The Martlets, £40 the The Mission of Seafarers, £90 to Whoopsadaisy, £110 to the Sri Lankan Prison Ministry, £58 to the Diocese Overseas Mission charity Harvest Appeal, £90 to Hangleton and West Blatchington Foodbank and £95.50 to the Children’s Society.

Page 11

• 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 2025, gift aid is due from donations between September and December 2024.

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington registered charity number 1166661

Notes to the Financial Report

• 10 Payments to PCC employees:

ayments to PCC employees:
Wages, salaries and honoraria Employer pension contributons	2024	2023
	£ 9.672 234	£ 9,252 0
	9,252	8,504

11 Payments to PCC members:

• Mrs M Gander received £6,683 in wages as parish administrator

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

• a) Revd Tim £857 for telephone expenses, tv cable, Sunday School materials, table for Tea and Tots, software annual subscription, Rectory hedge cutting, funeral music, extension lead, signage, shelves and brackets for Tea and Tots, chocolates for the Easter Egg hunt, sweets for the welcome packs, plant pots for the Easter service, church music backing tracks and a dual instrument direct box.

• b) 1 member received reimbursement for printing and computer related products, thank you flowers, new cupboard lock for the office, Epiphany chalk, glue and sticky labels for Sunday and Tea and Tots, oranges and glow sticks for the christingles, end of year accounts folder, new toilet seat for the Community Centre, quiz and raffle prizes, collection boxes, printing of the Easter and Christmas newsletters, stamps for sending Keynotes, envelopes, new donation station cable, St Peter’s church pens, logo paper bags and a cash donation box which totalled £1,286.

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

Page 12

St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington

registered charity number 1166661

Notes to the Financial Report

12 Summary of funds

Fund income and expenditure and final balances are as follows:

	Balances b/fwd 1 Jan 2024	Income	Expenditure	Transfers, other gains and losses	Balances c/fwd 31 Dec 2024
	£	£	£	£	£
Total of all endowed funds	0	0	0	0	0
Total of all restricted funds	0	0	0	0	0
General fund	199,315	100,311	119,102	11,000	183,581
Total of all unrestricted funds	199,315	100,311	119.102	11,000	183,581
Total funds	199,315	100,311	119,102	11,000	183,581

Page 13

Independent Examiner’s Report to the PCC of St Peter’s Church, West Blatchington for the Year Ended 31[st] December, 2024

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 2024 set out on pages 1 to 13

Respective responsibilities of trustees and ex-

aminer

the Charities Act 2011 (“the Charities Act”) and that an independent examination is needed.

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 Basis of independent ex- Charity Commission (under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act, and aminer’s statement 3. to state whether particular matters have come to my attention.

My examination was carried out in accordance with 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 the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and Independent ex- consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair’ aminer's statement view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

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 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Page 14