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2024-12-31-accounts

The PCC of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Heworth York

Report and Accounts Year ended 31 December 2024

1 Lamb's Passage, London EC1Y 8AB www.stewardship.org.uk

THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HEWORTH YORK

LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

ADDRESS FOR CORRESPONDENCE Heworth Vicarage
Melrosegate
York
YO31 0RP
GOVERNING DOCUMENTS PCC Powers Measure 1956 and
the Church Representation Rules 2011
CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1167059
MEMBERS OF THE PCC Ex Officio members:
Michael Perkins (incumbent)
Rachel Poulton (appointed May 2024, resigned May 2025) (church warden)
Edith Mansfield
Elected members
Sarah Barwick (resigned September 2024)
Martin Bloomfield
Ruth Carter-Smye
Benjamin Gibb-Reid (appointed May 2025)
Bethan Gibb-Reid (appointed May 2025)
Judith Gill
Matthew Jenkins
Jeremy Muldowney (until August 2024)
Tony Nicholson (appointed May 2025)
Liz Nimmo (appointed May 2025)
Nigel Poulton (resigned May 2025)
Sheila Robson
Oleksandr Solontsov (appointed May 2025)
Alys Tarr
Zoe Uney
Sue Waller (resigned January 2025)
BANKERS HSBC UK Bank plc
CCLA Investment Management Limited
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER Jaimée Young
Stewardship
1 Lamb's Passage
LONDON
EC1Y 8AB
INDEX
Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details
Pages 2-3 Trustees' Report
Page 4 Independent Examiner's Report
Page 5 Receipts and Payments Account
Page 6 Statement of Assets & Liabilities
Pages 7-9 Notes to the Accounts
Appendix APCM report

Page 1

THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HEWORTH YORK

REPORT OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Objects of the charity

The charity is responsible for co-operating with the incumbent, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church be it pastoral, evangelistic, social or ecumenical. The PCC is also responsible for maintaining certain church property situated within the parish, namely Holy Trinity church building and the Church Hall.

Summary of the charity's main activities and achievements

See appendix for APCM report.

In planning the activities the PCC has applied the guidance on public benefit issued by the Charity Commission.

Financial review

During the year income decreased by £11,600, to £187,120, and expenditure increased by £57,860, to £140,100. As a result the cash held by the charity increased by £47,020, to £323,150, of which all unrestricted and can be used for any charitable purpose.

Reserves policy

The PCC has determined that the charity should aim to hold unrestricted cash of no less than £20,000 (which equates to about 3 months of unrestricted expenditure) so that the charity could continue to operate should income and / or expenditure vary adversely. At the year end, the charity held unrestricted cash of £323,150. The charity is holding excess funds for the purpose of repairs and maintenance expected as a result of the quinquennial report in 2024.

Governance

The charity is registered with the Charity Commission and operates under the Charities Act 2011. The governing documents for the charity are the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 (as amended) and the Church Representation Rules 2011.

The appointment of PCC members is governed by, and set out in, the Church Representation Rules. The PCC comprises ex-officio members (which includes clergy and churchwardens), elected members and co-opted members. The PCC organises elections annually before the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) to fill vacancies. The members of the PCC are the charity's trustees for the purposes of charity law.

Responsibility for setting policy and for making operating decisions rests with the PCC which meets regularly to monitor the activities of the charity. Responsibility for the day to day operation of the charity has been delegated to a management team led by the incumbent.

Other matters

With regard to the PCC’s obligations to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, the members of the PCC confirm that they have complied with their duties under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016.

The PCC offered £36,000 as Parish Share for the year to 31 December 2024; and this was paid in full. The quinquennial inspection was held in 2024; while some work is needed to the roof and guttering, as well as some other building fabrics, no significant immediate work is required.

Page 2

Responsibilities of trustees

Charity law requires the PCC to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the receipts and payments of the charity for the year.

The PCC is responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable us to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011.

We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.

Approval

This report was approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

MPerkins

MPerkins (Jul 22, 2026 10:30:40 GMT+1)

______ Michael Perkins Jul 22, 2026 Date: _______

Page 3

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT

TO THE TRUSTEES OF

THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HEWORTH YORK

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The PCC of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Heworth York ('the charity') for the year ended 31 December 2024 on pages 5 to 9 following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the trustees of the charity, the members of the PCC are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; or

  2. the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.

I have no concerns and 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.

J. Young

J. Young (Jul 23, 2026 08:51:30 GMT+1)

Jaimée Young Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage LONDON EC1Y 8AB

Date: Jul 23, 2026

Page 4

THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HEWORTH YORK

RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

Notes
Income receipts
Voluntary receipts
2(a)
Fundraising income
2(b)
Church activities
2(c)
Investment income
2(d)
Total receipts
Payments
Church activities
Parish share
Clergy and staffing costs
3(a)
3(b)
4
5
Total payments
Transfers between funds
8
Net movement in funds
Cash funds as at last year end
Cash funds at this year end
A
Net of receipts / (payments) before transfers
Mission giving and donations
Church running expenses
Fundraising expenses		 General
Designated
Funds
Funds
£
£
169,141
-
1,181
-
3,102
-
13,297
-
186,721
-
36,000
-
25,885
17,266
52,953
-
114,838
17,266
-
-
7,593
-
122,431
17,266
64,290
(17,266)
-
-
64,290
(17,266)
201,294
74,831
265,584
57,565
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
400
-
-
-
400
-
-
400
400
-
-
400
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
2024
£
169,541
1,181
3,102
13,297
187,121
36,000
43,151
53,353
132,504
-
7,593
140,097
47,024
-
47,024
276,125
323,149		 Total
2023
£
183,837
822
4,027
10,036
198,722
24,328
7,049
44,359
75,736
271
6,226
82,233
116,490
-
116,490
159,635
276,125

The notes on pages 7 - 9 form part of these accounts.

Page 5

THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HEWORTH YORK

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

A
Cash funds
Cash at bank with immediate access
Notice deposits
B
Other monetary assets
Gift aid due to charity
C
Liabilities
Falling due within one year
Fee for Independent Examination
Unpaid agency funds
Note 7		 General
Designated
funds
funds
£
£
183,406
57,565
82,178
-
265,584
57,565
4,979
-
4,979
-
3,360
-
351
-
3,711
-
Unrestricted Funds		 Restricted
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
2024
£
240,971
82,178
323,149
4,979
4,979
3,360
351
3,711		 Total
2023
£
195,519
80,605
276,125
5,912
5,912
1,680
-
1,680

D Assets retained for charity's own use

Current values of equipment have not been estimated by the members of the PCC because reliable valuations are not available (and disclosure is not mandatory).

Consecrated property, beneficed property and moveable church furnishings which require a special faculty for disposal are excluded from the above list of charity assets.

E Investment assets

CBF Church of England Investment Fund Fund to
which asset
belongs
Unrestricted		 Bid market
Value
2024
£
16,918
16,918		 Bid market
Value
2023
£
16,540
16,540

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

MPerkins

MPerkins (Jul 22, 2026 10:30:40 GMT+1) _____Michael Perkins

Jul 22, 2026 Date: __

The notes on pages 7 - 9 form part of these accounts.

Page 6

THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HEWORTH YORK

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

1 Accounting policies

The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis and comprise a statement that shows the charity's receipts and payments, a statement that summarises the charity's assets and liabilities and related notes. The accountancy profession have determined that only accounts prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards present a 'true and fair' view and, as these receipts and payments accounts have not (and cannot) be prepared in accordance with accounting standards, these accounts do not present (and are not intended to present) a 'true and fair' view of the charity's financial activities and state of affairs.

General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the PCC in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity. Designated funds comprise unrestricted funds that have been set aside by the PCC for particular purposes. Restricted funds are donations which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors; they include donations received from appeals for specific activities or projects.

2
a)
Voluntary income
Planned giving
Collections at services
Legacies
Other grants
Other income
Gift aid recovered
b)
Fundraising income
Fundraising events
c)
Church activities
Fees for weddings and funerals
d)
Investment income
Church hall lettings
Interest from cash deposits
Dividends from CBF investment funds		 General
funds
£
36,714
3,387
-
120,000
599
8,441
169,141
1,181
1,181
3,102
3,102
11,265
1,573
459
13,297
Unrestrict		 Unrestrict Designated
funds
£
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
ed Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
400
-
-
400
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
2024
£
36,714
3,387
-
120,400
599
8,441
169,541
1,181
1,181
3,102
3,102
11,265
1,573
459
13,297		 Total
2023
£
36,417
1,553
1,025
120,000
13,417
11,425
183,837
822
822
4,027
4,027
8,342
1,580
114
10,036

Page 7

THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HEWORTH YORK

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

3
a)
Clergy and staffing costs
Cost of payroll
Running costs for clergy accommodation
Clergy expenses
Cost of training		 General
funds
£
22,811
-
2,522
552
25,885
Unrestrict		 Designated
funds
£
17,266
-
-
-
17,266
ed Funds		 Restricted
Funds
£
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
2024
£
40,077
-
2,522
552
43,151		 Total
2023
£
4,169
241
2,110
529
7,049

Michael Perkins (who is a clergy member of the PCC) received a stipend from the Diocese; however it should be noted that some of the Parish share is used to help pay the stipends. He was provided with accommodation (which is customary for clergy) and incurred expenses whilst serving as clergy and these costs are also disclosed in the above note.

b)
Church and hall running costs
Repairs, maintenance and equipment
Utilities
Insurance
Governance
Church activities and ministries
Administration and support
Other
4
Fundraising expenses
Costs of fetes & other events
5
Mission giving and donations
Organisations:
Restore York Ltd
Tearfund
YoYo
CMS
Trussel Trust
Home for Good
Organisations < £1,000
Individuals		 20,608
12,929
5,038
2,640
6,370
4,500
867
52,953
-
-
1,000
1,060
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
937
596
7,593		 -
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 400
-
-
-
-
-
-
400
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 21,008
12,929
5,038
2,640
6,370
4,500
867
53,353
-
-
1,000
1,060
1,000
1,000
1,000
1,000
937
596
7,593		 17,420
14,728
4,554
-
3,424
4,194
39
44,359
271
271
800
800
800
800
800
800
1,426
-
6,226

6 Transactions with related parties

Edith Mansfield and Jeremy Muldowney occasionally served as vergers for funerals and were paid £35 and £nil [2023: £205 and £70] respectively for serving in that capacity, not for serving as trustees. Trustee Zoe Uney was paid £50 [2023: nil] for serving at a funeral. These payments are permitted by the charity's governing document.

The spouse of trustee Michael Perkins was paid £16,796 [2023: £2,628] plus £470 [2023: nil] employer pension contributions for her role as Youth & Children's worker.

Page 8

THE PCC OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF HEWORTH YORK

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024

7 Acting as agent

On occasion the charity receives money on behalf of other charities, which it banks and then pays out to these charities. This income is received as agent for these other charities and the income, and the related payments, are excluded from the Receipts and Payments account; any money that has not been distributed by the year end is recognised as a creditor and excluded from the bank figure.

During the year the charity acted as agent for charities as a result of funeral collections and, in that capacity received £880 and paid out £529 [2023: £1,790]. The remaining balance was paid out after the year end. £351 has been added to the statement of assets and liabilities and the bank closing figure adjusted accordingly.

8 Movement on designated and restricted funds

General funds
Designated funds
Employment costs
Restricted funds
Organ appeal
Total funds		 Opening
balance
£
201,294
74,831
74,831
-
-
276,125		 Receipts
£
186,721
-
-
400
400
187,121		 Payments
£
(122,431)
(17,266)
(17,266)
(400)
(400)
(140,097)		 Transfers
£
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Closing
balance
£
265,584
57,565
57,565
-
-
323,149

The funds raised for the organ appeal were spent in full during the year.

Page 9

HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, HEWORTH

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING

Photo courtesy of Kieran Delaney Visuals

18TH MAY 2025

CELEBRATING THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH IN 2024

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING

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1 VICAR'S REPORT

2 SERVICES &

DISCIPLESHIP

3 MISSION & OUTREACH 4 WARDEN'S REPORT

5 DEANERY SYNOD

6 ECO CHURCH

7 FINANCE & TECH

8 WORSHIP

8 CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES

9 SAFEGUARDING

VICAR'S REPORT

Welcome to the review of the year for 2024!

A year in which we continued to build links with our local schools Heworth Primary and Tang Hall Primary by leading regular collective worship sessions, hosting and conducting school services in our church building and going in to lead sessions for their RE days. It was also a great joy to start to go into Archbishop Holgate’s School to give a 5 minute thought for the day to the staff on a Friday every now and then.

We conducted quite few occasional offices, including funerals, weddings and baptisms, building relationships with members of our local community at key moments in their lives.

Of course we once again sought to bless our community during our outreach week ‘Love Heworth’, and while the weather interfered with a few of the planned activities(!), it was still a wonderful week with a fantastic fun filled Summer Fair to cap it off!

We had the earliest of Easter days, as on the day the clocks went forward, but still we celebrated the Risen Lord with gusto! We ended the year with a fantastic time celebrating Advent and Christmas, with numerous different services and a Riding Lights Christmas Show that we were able to offer to the community for free once again, as well as our popular Christmas fair.

We also entered into conversations with the charity Growing Hope and the PCC agreed to a partnership with the intention of creating ‘Growing Hope York’, a clinic offering free therapy for children with additional needs based out of Holy Trinity’s church building.

2024 may seem like a dim and distant memory, but I hope as you read through the following reports that you will give thanks to God for all he has done for and in our church and our wider community and that you will continue to pray that our church will thrive as we seek to continuously ‘serve Jesus and serve Heworth’.

As always it’s worth saying that none of what we do could be done without the efforts of the many, many people who give their time, energy and expertise to the work of the church and I could not be more grateful to those of you who volunteer in any capacity, big or small! It is a joy to be part of this church family, working together to build God’s Kingdom with you.

Thank you for all that you do,

Mike

SERVICES & DISCIPLESHIP (PART 1)

We have a regular 10am service in church on a Sunday, a monthly midweek Communion Service, our Ecumenical Service with the East of York Churches (I’m still sad that ’ - - Hew Tang Wick didn t catch on!) and as of September 2024 we have our new accessible service HT Plus+ in the afternoon of the first Sunday of every month - more about that below.

This year we have looked at themes such as encounters with Jesus, what we can learn about discipleship through the book of Acts, we looked at the story of Joseph over the summer, in the autumn we looked at the book of Ephesians

and finally in advent we explored how the book of Ruth points towards the coming of the Messiah. It has been a great joy to look in depth at different books of the bible

this year, exploring how we can deepen our own discipleship or being reminded afresh just how amazing God’s great plan of redemption was and is!

good measure! A lot of work goes into making these and our regular services work and I’m very grateful to those who preach, lead, pray and read as well as those who welcome, serve refreshments, lead us in sung worship services and help on tech every week; thank you for helping us all to worship and engage with God.

As mentioned above we also launched HT Plus+, our accessible service for families with additional needs, in September of this year. This was the result of much prayer and seeking God’s wisdom after realising what a wealth of experience lies within our church in this area and just how many people in our parish and wider area struggle with feelings of not feeling able to cross the threshold of a ’ church because of their children s additional needs.

SERVICES & DISCIPLESHIP (PART 2)

never have before have been so heart-warming and show the amazing things that God is doing through this service. We have a fantastic team of people who help with this service and it wouldn’t be possible without them - so a huge thanks must go to them as well.

Our homegroups have continued to meet this year, studying, praying and worshipping together and we also had a new homegroup start this year bringing our total back to three groups after the one led by Dave and Beth Kelsall ceased to meet when they moved away. The PCC

recognised the importance of these groups in our discipleship and desire to grow as prayerful and servant hearted followers of Christ and so set a target of growing to five groups by October 2025, so let’s keep praying for growth in this area!

Prayer is absolutely vital to us as Christians and as a way of speaking to God and deepening our relationship with

Him and our Monthly prayer meeting is a real joy to attend. We spend time hearing and giving thanks for the good things that God has done, as well as praying for our world, our church and each other. These gatherings are often fairly small - it would be great to pray for an increase in this area - but I always leave them feeling uplifted and thankful.

It has been a real source of encouragement to see the number of people attending our services on a Sunday broadly increase, let’s pray that the number of people at our services keep increasing and that our love for the Lord and our discipleship continue to grow deeper and richer so that we, in turn, can better serve Jesus and serve Heworth.

MISSION & OUTREACH (PART 1)

Reaching out to our parish and to those in our wider communities to show and tell them about the love of Jesus is something which is absolutely core to who we are as disciples and followers of Jesus. We have continued to increase our giving to the Diocese and have continued in our commitment to our six mission partners - CMS (Church Mission Society), Tearfund, Home for Good, Trussell Trust,

YOYO and Restore York. We have had occasional visits and updates from some of them in our services, and we are pleased to know that our donations are well received and put to good use, building God’s Kingdom in different ways.

In addition to supporting our mission partners, we also sought to

live out our vision of ‘Serving Jesus and Serving Heworth’ by reaching out into our local community, too. By interacting with our local Primary Schools - Tang Hall and Heworth Primary - we are able to build positive relationships, going in regularly for collective worship, leading RS lessons and services at Christmas, Easter, - - Harvest and the end of year leavers service.

We also reach out to families in our local area through our toddler group and seasonal drop-ins - all of which are fantastic opportunities to bless our local families and share the Gospel.

We also took part in this year’s local scarecrow trail in partnership with Glen Gardens, with an Eric Liddell inspired entry, as well as again inviting our whole community to our seasonal Summer and Christmas fairs - both of which were truly fantastic events! A huge thanks to all the people who made those possible through, - - planning, preparation and on the day hands!

I had hoped that we might be able to run a seekers course (Alpha or something like it) this year with Rachel Gavin taking a lead role as

our curate, however with her feeling that she was unable to continue to serve in ordained ministry for the time being, these

plans were sadly shelved. It may be that we are able to run a course this coming year, perhaps through our homegroups - or maybe God will provide a willing and passionate volunteer to take ’ the lead on this - let s be praying expectantly for this to happen!

MISSION & OUTREACH (PART 2)

so popular we actually had to close bookings as we had reached the hall’s capacity! We welcomed almost 100 visitors and team, and served up around 200 pancakes!

We also again ran our outreach and evangelism week; Love Heworth. As I mentioned in my ‘vicars report’ sadly some of the events such as the litter pick and ‘Glen Gardening’ were rained off, but it was great to partner with some of the East of

York Churches in things like giving out the ‘hearts of hope’, creating hampers for Besom in York, as well as supporting other local organisations in helping with things like Your Cafe.

And, as mentioned, of course, what better way to cap the week off than with our Summer Fair! Despite damp conditions, a fabulous team of volunteers came together to put on a party that the whole community could come to, showing the Love of Jesus to all who passed by and raising money for our local schools in the process.

As I said at the beginning of this report, showing and telling people about the love of Jesus is fundamental to who we are as disciples and who we are as a church family and I’m so grateful to all of those who have stepped up in this area, many of whom find this to be an area outside of their comfort zone! ’ - so let s keep sowing seeds in the prayerful hope that they will produce a crop thirty, sixty or a hundred times what has been planted!

WARDENS' REPORT

We were all deeply saddened by the sudden and untimely death of Jeremy Muldowney on 4th August 2024. Jeremy was a faithful servant of God and poured himself out in his work over many years as a Warden at Holy Trinity. We greatly miss his gentle spirit and thank God for his life and particularly the service he gave to our church family. A tree will soon be planted in Jeremy’s memory in a prominent

position in the church grounds, accompanied by a simple plaque.

We awaited the report from the Quinquennial inspection with some dread but were hugely relieved to hear that the church building is basically sound, and that the roof does not need replacing . However, quite extensive work is needed in ensuring the roof and guttering are fit for purpose, along with various smallish jobs around the building to prevent leaks, particularly in the vestry.

The heating continues to function well ensuring that the Church and Church Hall are always warm and welcoming. Regular maintenance has been carried out throughout the year.

We needed to replace the water boiler in church. Thanks to Allan Wear for organising this .We applied for a faculty to enable us to install the bike racks at the back of Church. This took rather longer than we had hoped partly due to the sad loss, as mentioned, of Jeremy, who was spearheading this project on behalf of the Eco Team. The organ underwent extensive repairs in November, it was in use again just in time for our January recital. We applied for a grant for this work and were also given a generous donation.

We have continued to pursue the sale of 8, Abbotsway and we expect this to be completed soon.

Another person who deserves a special mention in the smooth running of our church is our wonderful administrator, Lera.

A lot of work is carried out “behind the scenes” by too many folk to mention by name. Rachel and Ann are so grateful for all those who give of their time and support so willingly.

We cannot do everything ourselves So Bless you all –You know who you are! Thank you

DEANERY SYNOD REPORT

I attended a meeting of the deanery in February at St Chad’s church and mistakenly found myself waiting outside the wrong place with parents / adults waiting to do what looked like an exercise or Martial Arts class or maybe pick kids up from the classes.

This did make me chuckle but I managed to find the right place / entrance for the deanery synod meeting and it made me think about how we sometimes head off in the wrong direction but God brings us back on course and I am grateful he did this in my life.

The Deanery synod meets 3 times a year (sometimes 4!) and is comprised of people representing all the different churches in the diocese / around York and I have enjoyed meeting Christians from other churches. The aim of the deanery synod is to support church growth and currently they are keen for churches to be involved in social action and support within the communities the churches are situated in. We usually have a lovely time of gentle cheerful worship and often divide into groups to share what is happening in our church and for inspiration and new ideas.

I was proud to hear Holy Trinity getting a shout out for the accessibility service - HT plus- well done HT plus team, the synod love that this has happened as at the time we were only the second church to be doing this, but this ministry is growing now. We are being encouraged to look at other cohorts and groups of people who can be overlooked by churches - eg older people and single people and growing our churches is something we are being asked to prioritise.

I will continue to attend and hope that Liz (who has agreed to stand as our new Deanery Synod Rep) will find it interesting, we will endeavour to keep you all at HT updated with the latest initiatives the Deanery Synod would like us to get involved with. But I feel very encouraged that HT has forged ahead with the HT plus service and Growing Hope and now an occasional evening service.

ECO CHURCH REPORT (PART 1)

The focus for the Eco Group over the last year has been in trying to continue to build our initiatives, networks and organise events.

We were delighted to successfully achieve an A Rocha Bronze Eco Church award this year – this is recognition of the work of the Eco Group and wider congregation and church family, taking our first steps over the last two years in trying to have a positive impact on the environment around us. The group is committed to looking at how we can continue to build on this and stretch ourselves towards achieving a Silver award in the future.

The Eco Group has pursued a number of initiatives over the last year, most notably obtaining planter bike racks for the rear entrance to the Church, which it is hoped will be installed shortly. We also investigated the use of appropriate recyclable cups for - church events, took over co ordinating the recycling in Church and are currently discussing the potential to have a specific “Environment Sunday” sometime later in the year. We have also liaised with the City of York Council to promote their own energy efficiency advice programme for York residents in church.

In the past year the Eco Group has organised two notable events: firstly, a Green Safari trail, in collaboration with Heworth Methodist Church and St Aelred’s RC Church as part of York Environment Week, which saw people follow a guided route through local green spaces between the churches of Heworth, highlighting the environment within our local area. Secondly, we held a clothes swap in January, to encourage people to take an - environmentally friendly and socially conscious approach to refreshing their wardrobes for the New Year!

The Eco Group currently consists of Matthew Jenkins (Chair), Ian Anderson, Mary Marchant and Eric and Katherine Utley, with Mike Perkins (ex officio). Over the last year, we have also been joined by the Eco Church

lead from Christ Church Stockton Lane, Olga Bielby, supporting us and vice versa as she has been progressing initiatives in their church during a period of interregnum. We have also been reaching out to others within the East of York churches network, to try to develop links more widely in the area. We would love to have more members of our own congregation with a passion for the environment to join us.

ECO REPORT (PART 2)

We were very saddened by the sudden death of Jeremy Muldowney who had been ’ Chair of the Eco Group – the APCM shouldn t pass without mention of his service with respect to the environment and sustainability in the Church, and we all hope that the group can continue his legacy in our ongoing work.

If you would be interested in learning more about the Eco Group or would like to join us, please do speak to one of us to find out more. We generally meet once a month to ’ discuss how to press forward the Church s Eco agenda.

FINANCE REPORT

Income over the last year has increased, which is very encouraging to see. This has enabled us to employ a third person onto the team which is amazing for a church of our size.

It has also meant that we have been able to support other charities and organisations like our mission partner. This is something we want to continue to do and hopefully do even more of.

We are thankful for how God continues to provide for us financially through donations and regular givers. Thank you! Without you, we could not carry out our work of serving Jesus, serving Heworth.

The 2023 independent examiners report is complete and available to be viewed. Unfortunately, the 2024 examiners report isn't complete yet. please feel free to talk to me about this if you would like to.

I will be stepping down from being treasurer today. Thank you for being so patient with me while I learnt a whole new skill and navigated my way through some unforeseen

circumstances.

Zoe

WORSHIP & TECH REPORT (PART 1)

Looking back at 2024 concerning the worship at HTH I experience nothing but joy and excitement.

I'm starting this report on a more personal note as I entered

the community of HTH in this year. To speak about my experience, so you all may rejoice in the group of people you are a part of. I have been welcomed most graciously and in a

most friendly way. As an outsider who joined the church ' - through a job ad, I can t think of a time where I actually felt like an outsider.

When I started at HTH, I was there, welcomed, held, listened to and honoured even though it can be challenging to accept someone who suddenly carries a title within your worshipping community. This very reality of my joining, I have tried to replicate in my leadership and welcome any- and everyone to the team with the same spirit. Had I not had such a wonderful onboarding experience as an example, this intro would certainly read differently.

The heart of worship within HTH is present and strong! There are a lot of people with a passion to see more of God's presence, to experience this reality on a weekly basis.

The team grew tremendously in 2024. We have welcomed Roman on percussion, Shirley on Cello, Adele on Vocals and

Ben and Bethan to the team concerning the music and concerning the Tech we have welcomed Lauren and Sam to the vision and media.

A large portion of the focus was to extend an invite to HTH’s creative talents and interested folk, to foster a sense of team and community through developing diverse rotas, presenting a variety of people leading sung worship on Sunday . mornings

This was also in the hope that it would present a safe environment for HTH’s young people to join, and we continue to pray for more young people who might want to join this team.

WORSHIP REPORT (PART 2)

We attended to items both technically and electronically that needed fixing and improvement. We started using software that allows everyone to prepare the Sunday worship set from their device including the musical notation, making rehearsals easier

and allowing everyone to come prepared.

We built upon the road that was set in 2023, with the vision to enjoy a variety of worship leaders, to foster deeper collaboration within the team and bring a real mix of musicians to each sunday morning.

This is not only great for Sunday mornings as a congregation experience but furthermore the team learns about each other through communicating

musically and in a worshipping environment.

We started to take stock of the current resources, and

the needs to support the future vision, the various areas that needed specific attention and created a roadmap we could follow. We gathered the ideas that had been within the community since its conception and started to find ways to realize these, 2024 was a year of exploring new terrain and mapping this out, marvelling and learning.

There are a lot of beautiful things happening and my prayers are that this trajectory will carry on as new people join and as we move through the seasons of our lives. That we may truly become closer in connection with one another as we uncover who we are in the light ' of God s splendour.

Ruben

CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES (PART 1)

What a privilege it has been to have held this role over the last year, and what a joy to have passed the baton to Abby Cameron, as I headed into adoption leave.

HT KIDS

HT Kids (5-11s) continued to meet on the 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays, with regular attendance, and an average of 7 children per group across the year, which has helped us establish ongoing positive and strong relationships with several church families, as well as welcoming visitors.

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HT PLUS+
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October 2024 saw the launch of our new monthly accessible service, as we seek to serve and bless families with additional needs, who may find ‘traditional’ services more challenging to attend.

Together, we explore the service story and themes through games, craft, chat and prayer. We hope this group will grow, as we celebrate

The service has a familiar format, with songs, scavenger hunt, Carl the puppet, story, snack and spaces to respond to the story, as well as space for the grown ups to socialise over a cuppa.

faith for and in all ages.

HT YOUTH

HT Youth (11-18s) - has continued to meet on the 2nd and 4th Sunday in the afternoon. There was an average attendance of 5-6 young people, with a high of 9!

We have seen 9 families across the services and are excited for more to come.

As part of our increased desire to make our church more accesible, we have also turned the Peg Swan suite into a

This is a welcoming, informal space for secondary school age, using a range of games, discussion and activities to engage in different stories and themes of faith.

welcoming, sensory space.

A huge thank you to this who have shared their vision, time, expertise and wisdom to make this service such an encouraging

We spent time a lot of our sessions exploring the Easter story through games, discussion - and the creation of an impressive stop

start!

motion animation.

We also shared a “God +” series, looking at identity, choices and worship, as well as enjoying socials together to continue to build relationships, before ending the year with some high stakes games of Sprout Boules!

CHILDREN, YOUTH & FAMILIES (PART 2)

OUTREACH EVENTS

HT TOTS

Each week, we welcome a wide number - of families for free play, a story, song time and space to meet others - both church family and our wider community!

These have all been fantastic events (with special thanks to Sue and Chelsea, who are

Through 2024 we increased to an average of 25-26 children, predominantly from families not yet part of our regular . worshipping community

the Craft Queens), that give us the opportunity to share God’s love and Good News, with activities, crafts, refreshments and - - spaces to play and chat, all free of charge.

HT Tots is a wonderful way to meet with families and build community, whilst sharing God’s love through the play, stories, craft and songs.

We also hosted a free Pancake Party on Shrove Tuesday for the whole community - which saw almost 100 people (including team)

JOIN THE TEAM

come and enjoy some tasty toppings!

I am ever grateful for the team of volunteers who make this ministry run, by offering their commitment and care. This ministry is integral to the life of the church and it’s thanks to our volunteers

We continue to enjoy positive relationships with the Brownies and Rainbows group, and with Heworth Primary School, where Mike and I helped lead seasonal services, as well as going into school for several collective worships across the year. It’s always a joy to connect with the staff and pupils!

that we have seen growth. None of our groups or events would be possible without those who faithfully serve our children, youth and families. If you would like to be a part of this fantastic ministry, please email abby.cameron@htheworth.org

SAFEGUARDING REPORT

I’m pleased to report that Safeguarding at Holy Trinity continues to be an important issue within our church and that it is widely accepted to be the responsibility of us all. It is important that we all remain up to date with our responsibilities and with that in mind I am grateful to all those who have so readily completed or renewed the necessary training courses. I would like, at this point, to thank Lera for keeping us all on track and reminding us promptly when our training needs renewing. This is greatly appreciated. DBS checks are also complete.

A small number of issues have been brought to my attention over the past year and appropriate advice has been given. We are very lucky at Holy Trinity to have the back up of a very competent Diocesan Safeguarding Officer who, when necessary, has provided sound advice and support. All advice received has been acted on promptly and with due concern for confidentiality and safety of all.

Safeguarding needs to be proactive rather than reactive and I am very thankful for the trust that people have placed in me throughout the year, and that meaningful

conversations have been able to be had. These haven’t always been in relation to anything specific, but rather people showing an interest in how to ensure we fulfil our safeguarding requirements and how they can be aware themselves of when to refer anything on to the appropriate person. I would like to mention here the wonderful work that is continuing to be done by Abby and her team in providing safe spaces for our young people to be able to be open and share in an appropriate way.

Awareness posters continue to be placed in both the church and the church hall, along with copies of our Parish Safeguarding Policy. Users of the Church Hall are required to either have their own appropriate safeguarding policy or acknowledge that they have read our safeguarding policy and confirm that they agree to abide by it. Our Parish policy is discussed yearly at the PCC and is either approved or updated accordingly.

I can confirm that Holy Trinity continues to comply with it’s duty in regard to the House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. Thankyou to all who have helped to safeguard our young people and vulnerable adults this year and I look forward to

continuing this work for another year.

I can be contacted by email at safeguarding@heworth.org

“May our Church be, for all who enter, a safe place and the doorway to a richer life in Christ”

Sheila Robson. Parish Safeguarding Officer