## **Discover DeCrypt, Gloucester Annual Report for 2020** Discover DeCrypt is a charity based in the Church of St Mary de Crypt and the adjacent old schoolroom in Southgate Street in the centre of Gloucester. Our £2.1 million restoration project completed in 2019 was made possible through a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and donations from other trusts, organisations and individuals. We aim to share our faith in Jesus Christ, to promote the story of our history and heritage and to enhance the life of our city. ## **January – March 2020** During the first three months of the year, we maintained the exciting programme of regular faith and community activities, which had been established during our initial year of opening. We continued to welcome visitors to both the church and schoolroom and were able to support a range of regular activities and bookings. Using the headings of ‘Faith’, ‘Story’ and ‘Life’, the events held and the groups supported were designed to meet the four-fold objectives that lie at the heart of the Discover DeCrypt charity: ## **Objective 1 – To offer people a sacred space to engage with and explore spirituality** - As a consecrated church, we continued to hold our weekly service of Prayers for the City and a monthly Eucharist - Coffee, Cake and Conversation sessions each week provided local folk with an informal meeting place and support for those in need of a listening ear - We hosted a service on the theme of ‘Acts of Unusual Kindness’ to mark the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity; whilst the format of this was written by Christian churches in Malta, it showcased local charities such as the Haven Project, Gloucester City Mission and Garas DISCOVER DECRYPT ANNUAL REPORT 2020 - A city-wide ‘Conversations over Brexit’ event was held over morning coffee on 31[st] January, marking the day when the UK officially left the EU and providing an opportunity to listen to one another, committing the future to God. ## **Objective 2 – To put our resources to work for the common good, so people can learn new skills and access support** - Groups who had begun to use our premises during our first year of operations – including community choirs, adult education life skills classes and an adult Tai Chi group – continued to meet - Cuddesdon Gloucester & Hereford continued to make weekly use of the building for its ordinand training - A ‘Creative Crafty Club’ for 7–12 year olds met during February half term, including activities such as painting to music, exploring watercolours and thinking about spring. ## **Objective 3 – To preserve our heritage, keeping the buildings in good repair and making our history accessible to all, so that people can enjoy and learn from it** - The church and schoolroom remained open five days each week and, although this was not the tourist season, up until closure in mid-March we had received 2,958 visitors. - Visitors were welcomed by our team of volunteers, who are always keen to share their passion for the heritage of the church and city - Interpretation roundels and other signage guide visitors around the site. **Objective 4 – To promote a community space that is affordable, accessible and welcoming, so that people can build relationships and engage with the community** - We continued to provide an inspiring venue for community groups to meet. - One new event organised during February was a ‘Valentine Funtastic’ community cake and craft fair by Love Viva Cakes and Crafts. DISCOVER DECRYPT ANNUAL REPORT 2020 ## **April – December 2020** 2020 began very successfully and looked like it would shape up to become a year in which events would build on the strong foundations laid in 2019 during the first nine months since Discover DeCrypt’s opening. Following government and Church of England advice, we then closed our doors between 18[th] March and 3[rd] July and again between 4[th] November and 2[nd] December to reduce the spread of Covid-19. We have attempted to fulfil our four main objectives during each of these periods and in the intervening summer and early autumn, when a limited range of activities was permitted. Throughout the pandemic, Discover DeCrypt has worked alongside the parish pastoral team to support people in the community both practically and emotionally. During the first lockdown, we supported the Diocese of Gloucester’s Feeding the 5000 initiative to provide home-cooked meals. We signposted free school meals for families during October half-term and distributed 97 Christmas meals cooked by the Long Table at Stroud, bringing Comfort and Joy throughout the parish. ## **Online Activities** During the two periods of lockdown, we worked on furthering Discover DeCrypt’s work by improving our online presence in the community: - Using social media to stay in touch with friends and supporters through our website, Facebook and the monthly publication of e-News - Launching our own Discover DeCrypt YouTube channel - Posting weekly homilies and prayers on the website - Regularly recording Prayers for the City and uploading them to the website - Recording a service for Remembrance Sunday available on the YouTube channel - Filming a First World War story for Remembrance in the style of Godly Play - Broadcasting a Comfort and Joy Carols for Christmas service from the church - Providing a weekly downloadable Family Activity Pack to bring our Creative Crafty Club directly into people’s homes - Creating downloadable resources for schools based on local heritage - Working with Civic Trust members and others to improve our social media skills, purchasing our own filming equipment and improving our technology for livestreaming future concerts, lectures or dramatic productions. ## **The Churchyard** When the buildings were closed, a team of enthusiastic and enterprising socially-distanced volunteers came together to tidy up the churchyard and undertake regular gardening sessions. The result has been to make the space much more naturefriendly and to turn it into a place capable of hosting events in its own right. As part of the transformation the churchyard has already provided a home for a large Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust sculpture and bee hotel. DISCOVER DECRYPT ANNUAL REPORT 2020 The churchyard also became one of the sites across the city that hosted an installation of large sculptured lettering displaying the rather apt slogan ‘Miss you, mate’. This was part of Luke Jerram’s ‘Of Earth and Sky’ project, which was designed to spread hope across the community. ## **‘In Person’ Activities inside our Buildings** When Discover DeCrypt was allowed to open again to welcome people in person, careful risk mitigation measures were put in place and, although these limited the use of our facilities by groups, they enabled a number of valuable socially-distanced activities to take place: - Some of the groups who normally use our premises - Cuddesdon Gloucester & Hereford, Tai Chi, our Art Group and a branch of Slimmers’ World – all returned, albeit in some cases for a relatively short time - We received 3,616 visitors to the church and schoolroom between 4[th] July and 3[rd] November and there was a high level of interest - Prayers for the City resumed each Friday - The Raikes Chapel was maintained as a space for private prayer and contemplation - A display of prayer buntings was mounted created by Church of England schools across Gloucestershire, featuring each school’s logo, artwork or school prayer - During Gloucester History Festival, we hosted an exhibition – ‘It Takes One Woman’ – on the life of Florence Li Tim-Oi, celebrating her life of faith and telling her story as an Anglican priest during China’s Cultural Revolution - In conjunction with this, we also exhibited the work of local artist Eloise Hopkins, using her book ‘The God Who Gave You Birth’ - Although the Heritage Open Days were not as well attended as usual, some tours were provided for those who did visit - The church hosted a Remembrance Angel in November, beneath which visitors were invited to leave a name or message about a loved one - A vigil of private prayer and reflection was held to mark the Transgender Day of Remembrance - • In Advent an Angels of Light Family Trail was devised around the church, inviting children to spot all the many angels hidden away in our architecture and stained glass - A small Christmas service of festive music, entitled ‘Christmas @ DeCrypt’, was held in the Nave - Our shop remained open offering a wide range of local hand-made gifts, cards, books and calendars; our niche products enabled us to build on our retail following and this turned into one of the great successes of the year. DISCOVER DECRYPT ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Although 2020 was not the year we had planned or hoped for, there remains a strong sense that Discover DeCrypt is moving forward so that 2021 may bring renewed optimism. We give thanks for so much: our beautiful buildings and inspiring facilities; the generous giving of time and talent by staff, volunteers and trustees; the ongoing financial support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund; the buoyant number of visitors; the enthusiasm of the groups who use our premises; and the variety of services, concerts, plays, lectures and events that have in the past filled our spaces with energy and joy and will undoubtedly do so again in the future. ## **Charity Details** Registered Charity Number: 1167097 Address: St Mary de Crypt Church and School, Southgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 1TP The following have been trustees throughout the year: Rev Canon Nicola Arthy (Ex-Officio Chair); Mr Peter Gould (Treasurer & Vice-Chair); Mr David Evans (Secretary); Rev Dr Sandra Millar and Ms Ursula Corcoran. During the course of the year Rev Guy Treweek officially became a trustee in October 2020 and we were joined by Mr Richard Ryan in December. Trustees are either nominated by the PCC or appointed by the Chair following consultation with existing trustees. The full Board of Trustees has four meetings a year, whilst a smaller group referred to as the Operations Board meets each month. The charity employs an Operations Manager and a Community, Arts and Events Manager and others in duty manager and cleaning roles. We also rely extensively on a committed team of volunteers, who work hard to help make Discover Decrypt the lively and vibrant community it is. _David Evans on behalf of the Discover DeCrypt Trustees, January 2021_ DISCOVER DECRYPT ANNUAL REPORT 2020 Discover Decrypt 2020 Charity registration 1167097 SECTION A Receipts and payments Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total funds 2019 Al Receipts NHLF Delivery grants DCMS LPOW VAT Delivery NHLF Operations grants DCMS LPOW VAT Operations Covid recovery Other donations /grants/GA Insurance claim pcc School Trading or 23738 1913 23738 1913 73423 4353 73423 4353 21410 21410 2345 2724 5400 838 14156 150300 2345 2724 5400 838 14156 96162 ota ross Income 54137 A2 Investment sales Sub total Total Receipts 96162 54137 150300 A3 Payments Glos DBF Loan repayment Delivery fina I costs Fabric maintenance Window repair (Insurance) Energy/lnsurance/Water Website/Comms Legal/Accounting/Marketing Payroll/ Payroll admin Other Sub total A4 Asset & Investment purchases 15000 15000 43435 7089 3224 13901 4866 11820 43394 12294 155022 43435 7089 3224 13901 4866 11820 43394 12294 108363 46659 Sub total Total payments 108363 46659 155022 Net of receipts/(payments) 5 Transfer between funds 6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds thls year end -12201 7478 -4723 55639 43438 55639 7478 50916 Bank accounts Y/C balances: Cooperative Lloyds Total 55152 487 55639 55152 487 55639 Bank accounts Y E balances: Cooperative Lloyds Total 50831 85 50916 50831 85 50916 SEcfioN B Statement of assets and liabilities at YIE Details Unrestricted Restrirted Endowment Bl Cash funds 43438 7478 B2 Other monetary assets B31 rlvestment assets Assets retained for the charity's own use Liabilities Loan repayments (2 @ £15k pa 2022, 2023) 30000 ] CHARITY COMMISSION | FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of ETrsYYr On accounts for the year ended Charity no (if any) Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (Ihe Trust") for the year ended Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act.). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 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 Act. Independent trhe charity's gross income eeded £250,000 and l a ualified to examinefs-sfatament undertake the exami by being a qualified m er of[irisert name of applicable liste dy]]. Delete [ ] if not applic I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination ") which gives me cause to believe that in. any material respect: the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or the accounts did not acix)rd with the accounting records; or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fairf view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 06. lall Name: Relevant professional qualification(s) or body ,Q4 TbCL IER