2021-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of Saint John The Baptist, Holland Road, Diocese Of Kensington

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Annual Report 2021

St John the Baptist, Holland Road

St John the Baptist Holland Road Annual Report for the Year Ended 31 December 2021

Administrative Information

St John’s Church is situated on Holland Road in Kensington and is part of the Church of England in the Diocese of London. It forms part of the United Benefice of Holland Park. The correspondence address is St George’s Church, Aubrey Walk, London W8 7JG. The Parochial Church Council constitutes a charity and this year is registered as a UK charity (no. 1169173). The PCC members who have served from October 2020 until the date this report was approved are:

The Rev’d Dr James Heard Chair The Rev’d Neil Traynor Associate Priest The Rev’d Peter Wolton Associate Priest The Rev’d Dana English Associate Priest Clare Heard LLM Ms Lindsay Fulcher Churchwarden and LLM Ms Kate Cullinan Churchwarden Ms Stephanie de Mel Hon. Treasurer Mrs Jenny Davenport Vice-Chair, Deanery Synod Rep. Ms Kristin Corbet-Milward Safeguarding Officer Mrs Jill Traynor Deanery Synod Rep. Mr George Pasteur Mr Jamie Priestley Ms Jessica Leslie Ms Marina Abel Smith Ms Anita Kouassigan Ms Panagiota Kotoula

Structure, governance and management

The appointment of the churchwardens conforms to the Churchwardens Measure 2001. They are ex officio members of the PCC. The PCC members are elected as set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the electoral roll and stand for election to the PCC.

Public benefit statement

The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit, “Charities and Public Benefit”.

Objectives and Activities

The PCC is responsible for promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC also has maintenance responsibilities for St John’s Church, and the surrounding land.

Worship and Sacramental Care

The Parish Eucharist is the principal act of worship offered by the parish. It is celebrated week by week in accordance with the apostles’ teaching and fellowship in the breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:42). The PCC is grateful to the sidespeople, readers and to all who contribute in many other ways to the life and worship offered to God by this parish.

Pastoral and social care

Pastoral and social care of the parish continues to be shared by the ministry team and several pastoral visitors. Pastoral care is also exercised through such activities as the lunch club. This team make regular ’phone calls and visits in the parish.

Evangelisation

The United Benefice is committed to the Gospel imperative to ‘make disciples of all the nations; baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit’ (Matthew 28:19), and to rising in future to the challenge of engagement in active evangelisation amongst all the peoples of the parish it serves. The Exploring Faith evenings continue with a variety of courses discovering together the richness of the Christian faith, welcoming others who are new to faith and also some non-churchgoers.

Ecumenical links

As a catholic parish of the Church of England, St John the Baptist Church honours our Lord's High Priestly prayer that all Christians may be one as He and the Father are one (John 17:21), and seeks to foster its local relationship with Christians of the great communions of East and West in furtherance of the full and organic unity of the Church. To this end we play our part in the membership of the Kensington Council of Churches.

Review of the year

The PCC met four times during the year on Zoom. A revised electoral roll was drawn up in advance of this Annual Parochial Church Meeting. There are currently 67 people on the electoral roll.

Vicar’s Report, by James Heard

Reflecting upon 2021, I had thought we would be well past the Covid pandemic. That certainly wasn’t the case. But it was good to have made a gradual move to in-person worship for Holy Week and Easter, whilst keeping necessary restrictions in place. One of the effects of these was that, because local schools were unable to host polling stations for the local elections, both St George’s and St John’s were able to accommodate these.

Two Exploring Faith courses were held in 2021, both online. I am grateful to Lindsay Fulcher for organising the Lenten course, which included talks on five colourful miniatures, from a 12th-century manuscript entitled Vita Christi (Life of Christ). The next course included five sessions reflecting on the Nicene Creed.

It was wonderful to join Lindsay becoming a Licensed Lay Minister, with a special service at St John’s Ealing, following the two-year St Edmund’s Course for Christian Studies.

Following a year of planning and getting permissions, Faculty was granted, and we launched the St George’s Community Appeal to raise £167,000 to renovate the church and community space. Both church and local community were incredibly generous, including a £14,000 donation from RBKC City Living Local Life fund. Thank you all for your generosity. The works started at the end of 2021 and are almost complete, making such a difference.

In October and November, we revisited our Mission Action Plan, put on hold because of Covid. The Revd Jonathan Rust, the Kensington Area Director of Mission Development, helped us think about who we are, what we could celebrate, what might be missing; and what we aspired to be.

In addition, the London Diocese launched Capital Vision 2030 which focuses on three areas: to be Confident Disciples , Compassionate Communities and to seek Creative Growth . We considered how we might relate this diocesan vision to our specific local context and found many links. Instead of the Diocesan pyramid representation, which was rather top-down and hierarchical, I am grateful to St John’s Notting Hill for the design (to left). As you will see, it is focussed on the love of God in Christ and surrounded by prayer and worship.

During these discussions, we had a strong sense for the need to focus on four particular areas:

Growing in spiritual depth
Growing in service
Growing younger
Growing in resources

We were reminded that vision without action is simply daydreaming! So as I commend this MAP to you, please prayerfully consider playing your part in making it a reality. We will be revisiting the MAP at each PCC meeting in the coming years.

I am into the second year of being Area Dean, and this brings wider responsibilities that can be rather time consuming. It includes organising Deanery Synods, Clergy Chapter meetings, visitations to parishes, interviewing for new vicars, attendance at Kensington Area Leadership meetings and Kensington Area Council, amongst other things.

My sincere thanks to my clergy colleagues with whom it is just a joy to minister. And for the support and encouragement of the churchwardens: Guy Ranawake and Bill James at St George’s, and Lindsay Fulcher and Kate Cullinan at St John’s. As well as to Victoria O’Neill, our Office Manager, who does so much of the important but unseen work of the parish.

Churchwardens’ Report, by Lindsay Fulcher and Kate Cullinan

Over the last year, St John’s has seen some minor changes which have had a major positive impact on the church.

COVID19 has continued to be a challenge with services only starting on Lent 4, and continued restrictions on singing which have had an impact on our services. Despite this, St John’s has weathered the storm remarkably well, and our reported ‘October average’ attendance figures were 59, or if we include all five Sundays in October, 83. We have continued to Zoom our Sunday services, and upload them to our YouTube account where we are still getting respectable viewing figures.

Highlights of the year include not only the Museum of the Moon (for which see elsewhere), but also our All Souls service and our United Benefice Carol Service. We were delighted to welcome back the St John’s Singers in September (for which particular thanks go to Mark Denza, Marina Abel Smith and Toby Ward); their singing not only enhances our worship, but has been a significant part of our growth and rejuvenation.

In terms of the building, St John’s suffered from flooding by the storm in July, and work continued through Ecclesiastical Insurance throughout the autumn to make the necessary repairs. An additional drain was installed to help alleviate any future heavy rainfall, and much further work was undertaken to clean drains and ensure all gutters are running freely.

With the support of the Council, we finally installed our planters outside, which have made the front of the church much more welcoming, as well as being environmentally friendly.

Thanks to a Lottery COVID grant, the emergency exit in the Community Room was refurbished, and now works smoothly. The second part of this grant is still to be spent as further work is needed in the Flower Room before the door there can be replaced.

We were delighted to have been used as a Polling Station in the elections in May, enabling many local residents to see St John’s for the first time. Our plate, which had been taken to the Tower of London for safekeeping during lockdown, was returned in time for Christmas. Work on the restoration of the Calvary has also been delayed by COVID restrictions, and will begin in early 2022.

There is much work still to be done, not least the roof to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, the windows to the south of the chancel and the steps to the choir, including heating and repair of the organ. However we remain confident that these will be addressed in the near future.

Assistant Priests’ Annual Report

Fr Peter Wolton

As I write this in Lent 2022, looking back on the last year of 2021 is something of a blur. When did lockdown start and finish and restart again? In spite of the difficulties created by the pandemic, Fr James and Neil have kept the life of the Benefice moving forward and new ways of doing things have been found.

One innovation has been to hold a 10 o’clock morning service on

both Christmas and Easter Days at St John’s, partly to ensure that St George’s was not overcrowded at a time of social distancing. It has also cemented the programme of breathing new life into St John’s without taking away from St George’s.

We were unable to run a full series of “Why me?” talks in 2021 but we did ask our beloved parishioner Mick May whether he would do one on Zoom as he had been meant to in 2020. This can be found on YouTube at our service on 21 February 2021.

The lifting of restrictions at the end of June allowed full-scale weddings to go ahead once again. I was privileged to take a wedding in Norfolk in early July and also my first wedding at St George’s in August of Robin Kelly and Louise Gunhouse who live in the parish. I find these occasions such a joy to officiate and the Pre-marriage Course which is the creation of Nicky and Sila Lee from Holy Trinity Brompton a real blessing. As part of the preparation for the big day it enables me and the couple to get to know one other ahead of the ceremony, creating a bond between celebrant and those getting married. The course is full of wisdom and in many respects could be called a relationship course as what it teaches has such relevance to life in general and how we relate to others.

During 2021 I have also participated in a review of the role of Self-Supporting Ministers in the Diocese of London. Our work has identified that the term “self-supporting minister” or SSM is poorly understood. Dana and I are SSMs which means we are both voluntary and fully qualified ministers. I think it is fair to say are very happy with our assistant roles, being there to support our stipendiary full time clergy, James and Neil.

Bishop Sarah of London herself originally was ordained as an SSM before becoming a fulltime member of the clergy and she is very keen that more people come forward to be SSMs. I find it a wonderfully rewarding role. I very much hope some of our congregation might one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, consider whether they too are being called to be SSMs.

Can I finish by saying how grateful I am to James and Neil for their leadership. It is a joy to be part of the ministry team at the Benefice, a team that includes my colleagues Dana and Clare and now we have been joined by Lindsay who was appointed a Licensed Lay Minister in the summer of 2021. Our congregations are a source of constant encouragement, and my sense is this enables the work of the Holy Spirit to advance in Holland Park.

Fr Neil Traynor

It has once more been a great joy and privilege to be in the United Benefice, and to be mostly focussed at St John’s. Colleagues are very generous in going along with the liturgy, and, although we’ve not been fully back to normal in 2021, our services are feeling more like they used to, and numbers at both churches are stable or rising: a change from many other parishes around the country. As will be seen in other reports, St John’s is continuing to thrive. Opening up to the community, encouraging music and welcoming visitors into the church are all paying benefits. Whilst there have

been some challenges: flooding in the crypt, continued loss of income, the positives have far outweighed the negatives. Music has been at the heart of our growth, and particular thanks are due to Mark Denza, Marina Abel Smith and Toby Ward for their hard work.

St John’s is starting to become known as a good concert venue, and we’re slowly building up the number of concerts and other events we host. This is starting to have a positive effect on our finances, but it’s still a challenging environment for actors and musicians, and many venues are still seeing smaller audience figures. In this context, we’re doing particularly well.

The outstanding event was, of course, the Museum of the Moon, for which see Kate’s full report elsewhere. This has been key to raising our profile in the local community and around the world, and it was a pleasure to work so closely with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The event couldn’t have worked without the hundreds of volunteer hours, and the success of the event was due as much to their welcoming attitude as to anything else.

2021 also saw the establishment of the St John’s Holland Road Trust to enable legacies (including property) and donations to go directly towards the work and ministry of St John’s. The trust has been arranged in such a way as it can receive restricted donations for St George’s also. During the year Jamie Priestley expended much energy in getting our direct giving machine into St John’s. It felt much more difficult than it should, but from 2022 it is already showing a positive effect on giving.

Thank you to everyone, and particularly James, Peter, Dana and Victoria, Lindsay and Kate, without whose support St John’s would not be the thriving place it is today. The many people who volunteer during the week or in services all make St John’s the special place it is; thank you for all you have done and continue to do.

The Revd Dana English

I continue to be conscious of the privilege of participating in the leading of daily prayer as well as the leading of worship and preaching on Sundays, in rotation with the other three clergy. Occasionally I help to cover for other churches as needed.

The Weekly Bible Study A high point of my week is preparing for and leading the Wednesday study of the Bible in the company of about fourteen committed members of the parish: we began our study of Genesis two years ago and will finish our study of the Psalms in Holy Week. Diverting ourselves to Isaiah during the season of Advent, we will now pursue a more or less straightforward order through the Old Testament, as that was the consensus of the group: knowing much less about the Old than the New, that we would begin there!

The Young Adults’ Group The young adults’ group of the Benefice has grown to number eight persons who have made a commitment not only to dinners at Dana’s and picnics in Hyde Park (how we carried the group through the pandemic) but to regular study of the Bible. Meeting, usually, every other Tuesday evening on Zoom, the group has studied the books of I and II Thessalonians, Revelation, Hebrews, and Isaiah. A challenge to create such a group in a large and transient city, worship at St John’s has also been the meeting-place for deepening friendships. We have persons from China, Greece, Sri Lanka, the U. S., and Italy!

Annual Retreat at Launde Abbey, Leicestershire Our second congregational weekend at Launde Abbey was held November 12-14th. On the theme of Pondering the Mystery of the Incarnation as we prepared for the season of Advent, we had twenty people attend, a cross-section of the congregation, including two parishioners over 85 and two of age twenty-two! Having been to Launde for the first time the year before, we were much more familiar with the rhythms of the place and were able to make better use of all it had to offer. With a resident clergy staff for services in the chapel there, beautiful countryside surrounding us, and excellent food/well-appointed rooms, everyone was delighted with our experience there; most have already signed up for our third retreat, November 25-27th, 2022. I led the retreat using poetry, music and art from Jane Williams’s book, The Art of Advent , with time for breaking up into small and different groups each time to discuss our responses to the presentations. A local conservationist led the entire group on a walk in the woods nearby that Saturday afternoon. We added the two services of compline at 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday to end each day.

Lindsay Fulcher LLM

I made sure that St John the Baptist was open every Monday and Thursday afternoon throughout 2021, when Lockdown rules allowed it. My thoughts were: if people can go to Tesco’s for essential shopping or to the park for daily exercise, then they should also be given the chance to come inside a church for essential, if not daily, prayer. A rota of two people was maintained throughout and I thank all of those (Rose, Kristin, Jenny and Joy) who came, and continue to come and sit in the church, on those two days of the week. While Zoom has literally been a Godsend during our two years affected by the pandemic, with one, two or three daily services (which I have led when asked to do so) sustaining the congregation, there is nothing like a live service and it was wonderful when they finally started again on 14 March.

We also much appreciated the weekly Bible Study, led by Dana, and the Poetry Group, with readings from the sublime to the ridiculous, led by Neil. Both continue on Zoom. The Zoom Lent talks series on the Life of Christ focussing on illustrations from an illuminated manuscript. I gave the first of these on the Nativity followed by talks given by our four priests: Fr Neil on Baptism, Fr Peter on Temptation, Fr James on the Transfiguration and the Reverend Dana on Resurrection. In May we also studied the different Creeds which was most interesting. In December I organised a talk on the Annunciation as depicted in paintings, icons and frescoes entitled Divine Love and given by Sarah Drummond who has written a book on the subject. As well as other concerts and other blockbuster events, I think it is important to have talks on art, literature and other subjects of interest as these give the church a well-rounded focus as a cultural hub.

My visit to the HQ of the Victorian Society during the London Open House weekend in September paid off as I encouraged them to organise a trip to visit St John the Baptist, which they did a few months later. Their generous donations underlined how much they enjoyed their visit and appreciated our magnificent church.

On 24 June (which also happens to be the Patronal Festival of St John the Baptist) I was finally licensed as a Lay Minister at St John’s Ealing. This had taken a few years but as the call refused to go away it had to

happen! Preaching a sermon is a challenge, but one that I enjoy. I preached at St John the Baptist on Ash Wednesday and on Sunday 4 July, and at St James Norland and St Clement on 13 June, 27 June, 31 October, 28 November and on 12 December, as well as on the Feast of St Mary Magdalene at St John Notting Hill on 25 July. I have also assisted at five funerals but have yet to lead one myself.

Safeguarding Officer’s Report, by Kristin Corbet-Milward

We have been slightly less restricted in our activities this year (2021) as Covid-19 restrictions were lifted intermittently, however very few activities involving vulnerable people have been able to take place during this last year. During the periods when the church has been open safeguarding our vulnerable members of the congregation has taken place again by way of hand sanitising, mask wearing and following all relevant government guidance. Our usual safeguarding

audit and report has been undertaken, and more of our regular activities have started in the current year (2022).

No safeguarding issues arose during or following any activities in the last year.

Deanery Synod Report, by Sarah Tett, Deanery Lay Chair

As restrictions from the Covid-19 pandemic eased, meetings of the Synod alternated between Zoom and in person events:

February’s meeting was on zoom and the Revd Jim Walters, chaplain to the London School of Economics, joined Synod to help members reflect theologically on the Covid-19 pandemic.
In June the Revd Emma Dinwiddy Smith kindly hosted Synod members for a summer garden party in the grounds of the St Mary Abbots Vicarage.
The normal Spring Common Fund meeting had once again been postponed to the autumn. This was to allow parishes to consider the impact of the pandemic on their parish finances before making their Common Fund offers for 2022. The Archdeacon led the meeting with Mary Spredbury, the Area Finance Adviser. Representatives from each parish shared how the pandemic had impacted their churches.
In November the Synod met in person at St John’s, Holland Road. A new standing committee of the Synod was elected and then the Revd Neil Traynor and Mark Cazalet, an artist and churchwarden at St Clement and St James, gave a presentation and chaired a discussion under the title ‘O Worship the Lord in the Beauty of Holiness: Towards an aesthetic of worship’.
Looking forward, meetings for 2022 will follow a theme from the Diocese’s Vision 2030 at each meeting.

Music report, Mark Denza

COVID restrictions in the first part of 2021 continued to have an impact upon music at St John’s. We are grateful to our core group of singers: Jenny Thorn, Marina Abel Smith, and Jill Traynor, who provided so much excellent music during lockdown, supported by many others. Our sung Requiem for the Duke of Edinburgh was especially noteworthy.

Thanks to generous donations, we were able to fund professional singers for Easter Day, as restrictions only allowed for three voices. This exceptional trio comprised one of the King’s Singers, and two members of Stile Antico: the cream of the London choral scene. At the end of August, St John’s welcomed hordes of visitors to the Museum of the Moon, greatly assisted by Neil's tireless endeavours as curator. A particular highlight of that extraordinary lunar cycle was the choral evensong held beneath our celestial visitor's twilight glow.

St John’s Singers resumed singing in September for Michaelmas, and, under the able leadership of Toby Ward have continued from strength to strength. As ever, the All Souls service moved some of our congregation very deeply, and the Herbert Howells Take him earth for cherishing at the Remembrance Sunday service was of the highest quality. The Carol Service seems to get better each year, with our largest congregation (350) for many years.

In October, Jenny Thorn and I donned alternative musical hats on viola and cello respectively to perform a string quartet arrangement of the Bach Double Concerto during communion. We were joined by two violinists: Frances Barlow, Clare Heard’s mother, and Regan Crowley: both veterans of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Regan has been a frequent guest player at SJB, and her soaring obbligato in Fauré’s Sanctus was a wonderful adornment to the All Souls’ Day Requiem. Another prodigiously talented violinist, Sydney Mariano, gave glorious performances of The Swan and The Lark Ascending at our annual pet-blessing service, delighting the assembled menagerie, and their owners.

St John’s has also seen a significant rise in its use as a concert venue. Cardinal Vaughan School performed the Verdi Requiem in July: their first public performance after lockdown. The KOFMA (Kensington Olympia Festival of Music and Arts) in October was a delight, and our Christmas Concert of Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols by Ensemble Pro Victoria was one that many will remember for a long time. Too many concerts to mention individually took place, but each has helped to introduce a new group of people to SJB.

The incremental deterioration of our splendacious Gern organ continues to cause concern, despite the heroic efforts of Eric and John Shepherd. A handful of notes on both Swell and Great are now completely silent, making it very difficult to use either manual uncoupled. Nevertheless, the instrument’s sonorous impact eclipses these handicaps, whilst restoration plans slowly work their way to the top of SJB’s shopping list. Thank you to all those who have joined in our music making at St John’s: music has been central to our continued growth and success.

Museum of the Moon by Kate Cullinan

Having been appointed a Church Warden in the summer of 2021, a warm welcome extended by my fellow Church Warden, Lindsay, and Neil safely dispatched on his summer holiday, a quiet August, from a St John’s point of view, was anticipated. Wrong! Neil was approached at extremely short notice in by the RBKC Festival to host the Museum of the Moon installation by the artist Luke Jerram. By some miracle, all the necessary rabbits, including the necessary faculty, were somehow produced out of the right hats, with Neil directing complex operations entirely on his mobile phone from the family holiday (sorry, Jill).

A mere 10 days from the first email, the cherry-picker, along with a technical team: the “moon handlers”, arrived to set everything up. Measuring seven metres in diameter, the moon installation features 120dpi detailed NASA imagery of the lunar surface at an approximate scale of 1:500,000 and is accompanied by a 27-minute sound installation. In English, this means that the moon is exceptionally large and incredibly realistic, and its amazing accompanying soundtrack, in the vast nave of St John’s, is VERY loud.

The exhibition ran continuously from 19[th] – 30[th] August and was open 4–9pm daily, 10am – 10 pm on the final day. Tickets were free, but visitors needed to pre-book online. It quickly became clear that the 200 visiting slots we had allocated per half hour were not going to be enough and we rapidly increased this to 250. In total, 30,000 people pre- booked, and of these, 18,000 actually came, a very high proportion for a free event. We managed this daily visitor onslaught via a hugely willing and dedicated rota of volunteers who came from the congregation, from the RBK & C Festival volunteer team, and from the student population in the local community, to all of whom we owe a huge debt of thanks. The number of volunteer hours exceeded 600 during the period of the installation.

Some other interesting statistics: during the period of the Moon, 88,721 people searched for the church by name, and 57,000 then went on to look at our website. We had 159,000 searches on google maps, 10,900 people asked

for directions, and 73 people called us from google maps (yes, this is possible, but our average is 2 per month). The diversity of the visitor body was extraordinary with a broad range of languages in evidence. Identified faiths were Christian (many visitors said so), Muslims, Jews,

Sikhs, and Hindus, a group of whom attended compline with Dana. The age range of the visitor body was also striking: teenagers and the under 30s generally were very much in evidence, as were large extended family groups. The church’s accessibility was a huge positive with a good number of wheelchair users; at least three deaf groups also attended (we would love to have known how they found us). Special openings were made available for autistic children who needed a quiet environment. It was clear that we were felt to be a safe space, not only for people with disabilities, but for the groups of teenaged girls attending together, the transgender visitors who were also in evidence, and the self-identified (in discussions with volunteers) gay visitors. As a family-friendly and pet-friendly space, our colour-it-yourself SJB guides for children and photo opportunities for moon-loving dogs were equally popular.

We received hugely positive comments about the church, with many people saying they had passed it for years and never been inside it, or “thought it was closed” or “had no idea what was inside the building” or “can’t believe how amazing it is”. People treated the church with enormous respect: there was no damage or theft, and many compliments about St John’s were posted online.

In terms of the church’s own activities around the moon, we held a Moon Sung Eucharist on 22[nd] August attended by approximately 91 people with a reception and viewing of the moon afterwards for the congregation and residents. We hosted a concert by Konstantin Lapshin (piano) and Joaquin Sofredini (counter tenor) on the evening of Friday, 29[th] August which was standing room only with an entirely new audience being introduced to classical music, to rapturous applause and hugely positive feedback. As it was, many late-night visitors stayed for Neil and Jill’s, and also Dana’s, beautiful singing during the compline services we held at around 10 pm most evenings. We also had a Sung Evensong on 29[th] August attended by approximately 150 people in total and, in addition, we held a special reception for Bishops Sarah and Graham and other invited clergy.

Funds raised via donations exceeded £4,000 with Gift Aid in addition, there was the musicians’ share of the concert takings (£400).

As far as press, media and social media went, Instagram, Tik-Tok and Snapchat went wild (one Tik-Tok video had 40,000 views!) and we featured on “Top 10 things to do in London” online media listings all over town, including those produced by Time Out and The Evening Standard. The jewel in the crown, however, had surely to be the US press network “Celebrating England” coming to do a live interview with Neil on the architecture and history of St John’s after the event. As a US network, an online recording doesn’t unfortunately seem to be available, but to those members of the congregation who witnessed his TV presenting debut live, the words “duck” and “water” immediately occurred.

We all felt we learnt a huge amount from hosting such a large-scale event and we are already seeing the heightened name awareness of St John’s feeding through into general enquiries and activity levels. As one example of this, I have been asked to talk about St John’s experiences to the Historic Religious Building Alliance, a sub-group of the Heritage Alliance, at their AGM in April 2022: a terrific opportunity to introduce St John’s to an informed audience from across the UK and beyond.

Treasurer’s Report by Stephanie de Mel

2021 was a difficult year for St John’s financially. As in 2020, the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic were significant, and included a shortfall in rent from the crypt, income from church lettings, and collections. Flooding in the crypt during a storm in the summer exacerbated a challenging financial position, notably through further loss of crypt rental income. Further, voluntary income (grants, planned giving, collections, and online donations) fell significantly compared to the previous year.

By contrast, overall expenditure in 2021 was lower than in 2020; with the exception of oneoff costs incurred for church maintenance and lighting, it consisted largely of planned and recurrent expenses. Nonetheless, St John’s ended the year with total cash deposits that were lower than the PCC’s policy of two months’ running costs. While the church’s financial position has begun to recover in the first quarter of 2022, we continue to monitor the situation closely, and seek, in particular, to bolster regular income through church lettings and planned giving.

General Fund

In 2021, the general fund generated a deficit of £6,446 (2020: £12,723). Our gross incoming resources decreased to £89,404 (2020: 124,881). Of this, voluntary income, including grants and tax refunds (principally £10,500 from the DCMS VAT refund scheme), totalled £48,796 (2020: £91,243). The year-on-year reduction in voluntary income came not only from lower grants but also from lower giving: the non-grant and tax refund component of voluntary income in 2021 was £35,896 (2020: £56,209).

Receipts from fund-generating activities (church and crypt lettings) amounted to £13,163 (2020: £15,665). After adjusting for insurance recoveries, other income was £21,384 (2020: £14,987), although this increase compared to the previous year was driven by a delayed payment of 2020 rents from church property.

Total expenditure from the general fund in 2021 was £95,850 (2020: £137,604). The largest expenses were common fund and clergy costs (36%), lighting (16%), insurance (12%), and church maintenance (9%), which collectively make up approximately 73% of overall costs.

Restricted Funds

Two restricted funds were carried over at the end of 2021: the Organ Restoration fund, which has a balance of £10,000, and a balance of £5,136 from the £17,000 award made by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2020 for covid-19 recovery.

Balance Sheet

Total cash deposits at the end of 2021 were £55,061 (2020: £71,347). After adjusting for restricted funds, however, total cash deposits fall to £11,175, which is both significantly below the equivalent 2020 figure (£27,461) and below the PCC’s policy figure for minimum cash balances (approx. £16,000 in 2021).

The PCC would like to thank all those who supported St John’s financially during the year.

St John the Baptist, Holland Road Registered Charity number 1169173 office@hollandparkbenefice.org hollandparkbenefice.org 020 3602 9873

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

Charity number 1169173

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

Statement of financial activities for 12 months ended 31 December 2021

Note Incoming resources Voluntary income 2(a) Activities for generating funds 2(b) Investment income 2(c) Income from church activities 2(d) Other income 2(e) Total Incoming Resources Resources expended Church activities 3(a) Goverance Costs 3(b) Total Resources Expended Net movement in funds 10 Transfers to / (from) Balances b/fwd 1 Jan Balances c/fwd 31 Dec	Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ 44,977 14,595 14 - 20,356 79,942 (75,658) (750) (76,408) 3,534 - 13,695 17,229	Restricted Funds 2021 £ 6,244 - - - - 6,244 (10,286) - (10,286) (4,042) - 15,136 11,094	Total 2021 £ 51,221 14,595 14 - 20,356 86,186 (85,944) (750) (86,694) (508) - 28,831 28,323	Unrestricted Funds 2020 £ 40,704 15,665 - 886 17,087 74,342 (83,451) (750) (84,201) (9,859) - 23,554 13,695	Restricted Funds 2020 £ 50,539 - - - - 50,539 (53,403) - (53,403) (2,864) - 18,000 15,136	Total 2020 £ 91,243 15,665 - 886 17,087
						124,881
						(136,854) (750)
						(137,604)
						(12,723) - 41,554
						28,831

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

Balance sheet as at 31 December 2021

Note Current assets Debtors 4 Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 5 Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due after one year 6 Total net assets Parish funds 9,10 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds	Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ 8,383 43,966 52,349 (15,120) 37,229 37,229 (20,000) 17,229 17,229 17,229 - 17,229	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - 11,094 11,094 - 11,094 11,094 - 11,094 11,094 - 11,094 11,094	Total 2021 £ 8,383 55,060 63,443 (15,120) 48,323 48,323 (20,000) 28,323 28,323 17,229 11,094 28,323	Unrestricted Funds 2020 £ 12,313 47,604 59,917 (26,222) 33,695 33,695 (20,000) 13,695 13,695 13,695 - 13,695	Restricted Funds 2020 £ 914 14,222 15,136 - 15,136 15,136 - 15,136 15,136 - 15,136 15,136	Total 2020 £ 13,227 61,826
						75,053 (26,222)
						48,831
						48,831 (20,000)
						28,831
						28,831
						13,695 15,136
						28,831

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 23rd September 2022 and signed on its behalf by:

Incumbent Reverend Dr James Heard

Treasurer Stephanie de Mel

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of St John the Baptist Church, Holland Road, Parochial Church Council

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of St John the Baptist PCC (the Trust) for the year ended 31st December 2021 comprising the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, and the accompanying notes to the accounts.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner and basis of report

The charity’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. As the charity’s trustees of the Trust 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 charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

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:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning 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 fair 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.

Peter Cranenburgh Cranenburgh Limited Chartered Accountants 76-80 College Road Harrow Middlesex HA1 1BQ

23/09/2022

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

1) Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. The financial statetments have been prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention and in accordance with the Charities Act 2011 and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) "Accounting and Reporting by Charities" (FRS 102).

Fund accounting

Restricted funds can only be used for particular purposes specified by or agreed with the donors. General funds may be used for any purpose within the charity’s objects.

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Expenditure recognition

Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

2) Incoming resources a) Voluntary income Planned giving Collections, online giving, & other donations Grants Tax refunds b) Activities for generating funds Rent from church letting Rent from crypt letting c) Investment income Bank and deposit interest d) Income from church activities Fees for weddings Fees for funerals e) Other income Insurance recoveries Rent from church property Area Dean expenses allowance Total Incoming Resources	Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ 17,118 11,876 12,900 3,083 44,977 6,520 8,075 14,595 14 14 - - - 6,060 14,296 - 20,356 79,942	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - 5,150 - 1,094 6,244 - - - - - - - - - - - - 6,244	Total 2021 £ 17,118 17,026 12,900 4,177 51,221 6,520 8,075 14,595 14 14 - - - 6,060 14,296 - 20,356 86,186	Unrestricted Funds 2020 £ 15,012 15,477 - 10,215 40,704 2,905 12,760 15,665 - - 691 195 886 2,100 14,387 600 17,087 74,342	Restricted Funds 2020 £ - 25,720 17,000 7,819 50,539 - - - - - - - - - - - - 50,539	Total 2020 £ 15,012 41,197 17,000 18,034
						91,243
						2,905 12,760
						15,665
						-
						-
						691 195
						886
						2,100 14,387 600
						17,087

						124,881

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ (14,750) (19,770) (1,440) (12,000) - (8,157) (2,174) (150) (583) (260) - (1,052) (4,525) (1,233) (905) (405) (242) (162) (1,514) (6,096) - (240) (75,658) (750) (750) (76,408)	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - - - - - - - - (8,336) - - - - (1,950) - - - - - - - - (10,286) - - (10,286)	Total 2020 £ (8,247) (19,950) (1,440) (10,224) (170) (12,941) (4,063) (150) (4,264) (734) (140) (1,439) (4,585) (2,379) (545) (468) (725) (141) (58,074) (3,275) (720) (2,180)
		(136,854)
		(750)
		(750)

		(137,604)
		Total 2020 £ 7,075 2,993 3,159
Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ - 1,047 7,336 8,383	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - - - -
		13,227

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020

Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ (960) (5,410) (8,750) (15,120)	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - - - -	Total 2020 £ (14,162) (3,310) (8,750)
		(26,222)
		Total 2020 £ (20,000)
Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ (20,000) (20,000)	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - -
		(20,000)

7) Commitments

No financial commitments other than those already provided for in the financial statements have been recognised.

8) Related party transactions

Trustees were reimbursed a total of £333 for expenses that they incurred on behalf of the PCC (2020: £2,147).

The trustees identified no other related party transactions, or balances arising as a result of such transactions, during the financial year.

9) Allocation of Net Assets by Funds

The Unrestricted Funds comprise General General Fund Designated Tenant Rent Deposit Total The Restricted Funds comprise COVID19 Recovery Other Donations Organ Restoration Total Total Funds	Balance b/f 1 Jan 2021 £ 4,945 8,750 13,695 5,136 - 10,000 15,136 28,831	Income £ 79,942 - 79,942 - 6,244 - 6,244 86,186	Expenses £ (76,408) - (76,408) (5,136) (5,150) - (10,286) (86,694)	Transfers - - - - - - - -	Revaluation - - - - - - - -	Balance c/f 31 Dec 2021 £ 8,479 8,750
						17,229
						- 1,094 10,000
						11,094

						28,323

The COVID19 Recovery fund comprised emergency funding granted by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in response to the COVID pandemic. During the financial year, the remaining balance of £5,136 was spent on urgent repairs and conservation works and the fund was closed.

Other Donations were in relation to specific works on the drains and boiler, as well as support for musical events. The closing balance relates to the accrued giftaid on those gifts that has not yet been reclaimed.

The Organ Restoration fund comprises funding received from Ecclesiastical Insurance to pay for the conservation of the organ following damage caused by the chancel fire in February 2017.

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

10) Reconciliation of Funds

Reconciliation of Funds
Current year Unrestricted Restricted Prior year Unrestricted Restricted	B/f 1 Jan 2021 £ 13,695 15,136 28,831	Net movement in funds £ 3,534 (4,042) (508)	Transfers between funds £ - - -	C/f 31 Dec 2021 £ 17,229 11,094
				28,323
	B/f 1 Jan 2020 £ 23,554 18,000 41,554	Net movement in funds £ (9,859) (2,864) (12,723)	Transfers between funds £ - - -	C/f 31 Dec 2020 £ 13,695 15,136
				28,831

X X X

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

Charity number 1169173

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

Statement of financial activities for 12 months ended 31 December 2021

Note Incoming resources Voluntary income 2(a) Activities for generating funds 2(b) Investment income 2(c) Income from church activities 2(d) Other income 2(e) Total Incoming Resources Resources expended Church activities 3(a) Goverance Costs 3(b) Total Resources Expended Net movement in funds 10 Transfers to / (from) Balances b/fwd 1 Jan Balances c/fwd 31 Dec	Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ 44,977 14,595 14 - 20,356 79,942 (75,658) (750) (76,408) 3,534 - 13,695 17,229	Restricted Funds 2021 £ 6,244 - - - - 6,244 (10,286) - (10,286) (4,042) - 15,136 11,094	Total 2021 £ 51,221 14,595 14 - 20,356 86,186 (85,944) (750) (86,694) (508) - 28,831 28,323	Unrestricted Funds 2020 £ 40,704 15,665 - 886 17,087 74,342 (83,451) (750) (84,201) (9,859) - 23,554 13,695	Restricted Funds 2020 £ 50,539 - - - - 50,539 (53,403) - (53,403) (2,864) - 18,000 15,136	Total 2020 £ 91,243 15,665 - 886 17,087
						124,881
						(136,854) (750)
						(137,604)
						(12,723) - 41,554
						28,831

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

Balance sheet as at 31 December 2021

Note Current assets Debtors 4 Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 5 Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due after one year 6 Total net assets Parish funds 9,10 Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Total funds	Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ 8,383 43,966 52,349 (15,120) 37,229 37,229 (20,000) 17,229 17,229 17,229 - 17,229	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - 11,094 11,094 - 11,094 11,094 - 11,094 11,094 - 11,094 11,094	Total 2021 £ 8,383 55,060 63,443 (15,120) 48,323 48,323 (20,000) 28,323 28,323 17,229 11,094 28,323	Unrestricted Funds 2020 £ 12,313 47,604 59,917 (26,222) 33,695 33,695 (20,000) 13,695 13,695 13,695 - 13,695	Restricted Funds 2020 £ 914 14,222 15,136 - 15,136 15,136 - 15,136 15,136 - 15,136 15,136	Total 2020 £ 13,227 61,826
						75,053 (26,222)
						48,831
						48,831 (20,000)
						28,831
						28,831
						13,695 15,136
						28,831

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 23rd September 2022 and signed on its behalf by:

Incumbent Reverend Dr James Heard

Treasurer Stephanie de Mel

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of St John the Baptist Church, Holland Road, Parochial Church Council

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner and basis of report

The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

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:

accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning 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 fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

Peter Cranenburgh Cranenburgh Limited Chartered Accountants 76-80 College Road Harrow Middlesex HA1 1BQ

23/09/2022

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

1) Accounting policies

Basis of preparation

Fund accounting

Restricted funds can only be used for particular purposes specified by or agreed with the donors. General funds may be used for any purpose within the charity’s objects.

Incoming resources

All incoming resources are included on the Statement of Financial Activities when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Expenditure recognition

2) Incoming resources a) Voluntary income Planned giving Collections, online giving, & other donations Grants Tax refunds b) Activities for generating funds Rent from church letting Rent from crypt letting c) Investment income Bank and deposit interest d) Income from church activities Fees for weddings Fees for funerals e) Other income Insurance recoveries Rent from church property Area Dean expenses allowance Total Incoming Resources	Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ 17,118 11,876 12,900 3,083 44,977 6,520 8,075 14,595 14 14 - - - 6,060 14,296 - 20,356 79,942	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - 5,150 - 1,094 6,244 - - - - - - - - - - - - 6,244	Total 2021 £ 17,118 17,026 12,900 4,177 51,221 6,520 8,075 14,595 14 14 - - - 6,060 14,296 - 20,356 86,186	Unrestricted Funds 2020 £ 15,012 15,477 - 10,215 40,704 2,905 12,760 15,665 - - 691 195 886 2,100 14,387 600 17,087 74,342	Restricted Funds 2020 £ - 25,720 17,000 7,819 50,539 - - - - - - - - - - - - 50,539	Total 2020 £ 15,012 41,197 17,000 18,034
						91,243
						2,905 12,760
						15,665
						-
						-
						691 195
						886
						2,100 14,387 600
						17,087

						124,881

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ (14,750) (19,770) (1,440) (12,000) - (8,157) (2,174) (150) (583) (260) - (1,052) (4,525) (1,233) (905) (405) (242) (162) (1,514) (6,096) - (240) (75,658) (750) (750) (76,408)	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - - - - - - - - (8,336) - - - - (1,950) - - - - - - - - (10,286) - - (10,286)	Total 2020 £ (8,247) (19,950) (1,440) (10,224) (170) (12,941) (4,063) (150) (4,264) (734) (140) (1,439) (4,585) (2,379) (545) (468) (725) (141) (58,074) (3,275) (720) (2,180)
		(136,854)
		(750)
		(750)

		(137,604)
		Total 2020 £ 7,075 2,993 3,159
Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ - 1,047 7,336 8,383	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - - - -
		13,227

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2020

Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ (960) (5,410) (8,750) (15,120)	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - - - -	Total 2020 £ (14,162) (3,310) (8,750)
		(26,222)
		Total 2020 £ (20,000)
Unrestricted Funds 2021 £ (20,000) (20,000)	Restricted Funds 2021 £ - -
		(20,000)

7) Commitments

No financial commitments other than those already provided for in the financial statements have been recognised.

8) Related party transactions

Trustees were reimbursed a total of £333 for expenses that they incurred on behalf of the PCC (2020: £2,147).

The trustees identified no other related party transactions, or balances arising as a result of such transactions, during the financial year.

9) Allocation of Net Assets by Funds

The Unrestricted Funds comprise General General Fund Designated Tenant Rent Deposit Total The Restricted Funds comprise COVID19 Recovery Other Donations Organ Restoration Total Total Funds	Balance b/f 1 Jan 2021 £ 4,945 8,750 13,695 5,136 - 10,000 15,136 28,831	Income £ 79,942 - 79,942 - 6,244 - 6,244 86,186	Expenses £ (76,408) - (76,408) (5,136) (5,150) - (10,286) (86,694)	Transfers - - - - - - - -	Revaluation - - - - - - - -	Balance c/f 31 Dec 2021 £ 8,479 8,750
						17,229
						- 1,094 10,000
						11,094

						28,323

The Organ Restoration fund comprises funding received from Ecclesiastical Insurance to pay for the conservation of the organ following damage caused by the chancel fire in February 2017.

Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2021

10) Reconciliation of Funds

Reconciliation of Funds
Current year Unrestricted Restricted Prior year Unrestricted Restricted	B/f 1 Jan 2021 £ 13,695 15,136 28,831	Net movement in funds £ 3,534 (4,042) (508)	Transfers between funds £ - - -	C/f 31 Dec 2021 £ 17,229 11,094
				28,323
	B/f 1 Jan 2020 £ 23,554 18,000 41,554	Net movement in funds £ (9,859) (2,864) (12,723)	Transfers between funds £ - - -	C/f 31 Dec 2020 £ 13,695 15,136
				28,831

X X X