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2021-12-31-accounts

CHARITY COMMISSION

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period

1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name: The ecclesiastical parish of Kirkleatham in the Diocese of York Other name Kirkleatham Parish Registered charity number 1171557

Charity’s principal address

The Vicarage 130 Mersey Road Redcar TS10 4DF

Names of the charity trustees

Ex officio members:

Incumbent Revd Matt Strand Chairman

.

Revd Peter King from 26/07/21

Wardens

Mr. Keith Simpson

Mr. Bruce Williams

Mrs. Cynthia Watson up to 09/05/21

Mr. Robert Nightingale from 09/05/21

Mrs. Susan Garner

Treasurer Mrs. Sue Nicholson

Secretary Mrs. Ruth Barnes

Elected members

Mrs. Jan Heslop until 09/05/21

Mrs. Jill Richmond

Mrs. Carole Simpson

Mr. Les Taylor resigned 27/09/21

Mr. Malcolm Foster

Miss Hannah Garner

Mr. Craig Cartwright elected 09/05/21

Mrs. Mary Ovens elected 09/05/21

Section B Structure, Governance and Management

The Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 as amended defines the principal function, or purpose, of the PCC

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church of England’s Church Representation Rules. In Kirkleatham parish the PCC consists of the incumbent, parish assistant, churchwardens and members elected by persons on the church electoral roll. All those who regularly attend our services are encouraged to register for inclusion on the electoral roll.

Electoral Roll Ofcer’s Report 2022

During revision of the roll, the following names have been removed:

Mrs. B. Lambert – lives outside the parish and now worships elsewhere.

Mrs. A. Peverley – lives outside the parish and no longer worships in Kirkleatham Parish.

Mrs. C. Watson – moved to County Durham.

The following names have been added:

Mrs. C.R. Barnett; Mrs. M.J. Gibbin; Mrs. L.J. King; Mrs. C.A. Petit; Mr. D.J. Petit; Mr. P. Russell; Miss E.F. Ryers.

The number on the Electoral Roll for 2022 is: 95

Margaret Nightingale,

Electoral Roll Officer.

Parochial Church Council (PCC)

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish. This includes deciding how the parish funds are to be spent. Since the parish became a registered charity in February 2017 the PCC members serve as trustees of this charity. This involves a little more paperwork but no changes in procedure.

The full PCC met 7 times during 2021, one of them being the brief meeting after the APCM. The attendance rate has been 90% with a combination of face to face and online meetings according to the prevailing Covid-19 government guidelines.

Safeguarding 2021

Safeguarding representatives: Ruth Barnes and Sue Nicholson

The Church of England, its archbishops, bishops, clergy and leaders are committed to safeguarding as an integral part of the life and ministry of the church. The Church of England affirms the ‘Whole Church’ approach which encompasses a commitment to consistent policy and practice across all church bodies. Following that approach this Parish has adopted the updated

safeguarding policy on the Church of England Website and this policy is reviewed and approved annually by the Parochial Church Council (PCC).

The DBS process continues with any new PCC members (Trustees) or children’s leaders completing a check using the on-line system.

Trustees attend training at levels dependant on their role. All PCC members are asked to take the first two on-line courses that are available.

The National Archbishop’s Council has made it a mandatory expectation that each Diocese will regularly undertake safeguarding audits. This will assist those who are responsible for safeguarding at a diocesan level to better understand the status of safeguarding practice, and consequently consider additional advice and resources which would help to improve safeguarding procedure and response for everybody in the Diocese.

In 2021 there were no reported safeguarding concerns and there are currently no Safeguarding Agreements in place in the parish.

Mary Ovens stood down as Safeguarding Representative and the role was taken over by Ruth Barnes. Ruth has completed all the required checks and training.

If you have any safeguarding issues that you would like to discuss, please speak to Ruth Barnes or Sue Nicholson.

Aim and purposes

The Parish Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, Revd Matt Strand, in promoting across the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church: pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

The parish has two churches: St Cuthbert’s, an 18[th] Century grade 1 listed Georgian church building and St Hilda’s, a church completed on 7[th] May 2021.

Section C Objectives and Activities

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship in our churches and to become part of the parish community.

When planning our activities, we have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and in particular, the guidance on charities for the advancement of religion.

We try to enable people to live out their faith as part of the parish community through:

To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of St Cuthbert’s Church and open out St. Hilda’s Church to the local community.

Typically, St Cuthbert’s Church and its Mausoleum are open each Wednesday from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm and a few people visit each week. From time to time, groups of people [history clubs or architecture buffs] have asked for a guided tour. We hope that they see the church as a functioning place of worship. We are very grateful to those members of our congregation who welcome visitors to the Church and act as guides.

The Hall and Meeting Room at St. Hilda’s are used for community activities and private lettings so that the those living locally are able to experience the 3 fundamental objectives listed with *. Activities such as church services, shop/café, table-top fairs and knit and natter group together with lettings for yoga, fitness, dance, Taekwon-do and parties help deliver these objectives. Again, thanks go to all who make these activities function well.

Section D Achievements and Performance Worship and Prayer

During 2021, regular Sunday worship recommenced at Easter after another lockdown. Until Sunday, 23[rd] May all services were conducted as joint services in St. Cuthbert’s.

From late May 2021, services began to take place at 9.30am in St. Hilda’s and 11.15am in St. Cuthbert’s. An All-age service was begun again on the first Sunday of the month in St. Hilda’s.

Baptisms - 15; Weddings - 4; Funerals and burial of ashes – 14, of which 2 were held in St. Cuthbert's Church.

All Baptisms and Weddings were held in St. Cuthbert's, except one Baptism which was held in St. Hilda’s.

The pattern of a weekly Holy Communion service on a Thursday morning at 10.00am was begun again.

A special thanks to everyone who has helped to maintain our worship this year – to those who set up each week, choose, sing and play the hymns, create the notice sheet, welcome and give out hymn books, preach, preside, read, lead our prayers and serve tea and coffee and clear up afterwards.

Other activities

With the re-opening of St. Hilda’s and the lifting of some Covid regulations, new and old activities began.

The Festival of Thrift in Kirkleatham Village and our first Christmas Market in the new building were very successful for footfall, community involvement and fundraising.

Fundraising Group

Activity 202 2021 1 Actu Esti al mat

----- Start of picture text -----
e
Grand £74 £490
Draw/Ra 0
ffles
100 Club £0 £204
Trading £40 £969
Post 0
Coffee £40 £0
Mornings 0
Craft/Tab £3 £2
le Top 200 214
Fayres
Talents £20 £67
0
Everyon £15 £0
e A 0
Winner
Festival £50 £1
of Thrift 0 749
Christma £1 £1
s Market 000 648
Other £56 £0
0
TOTAL £ 7 £ 7
150 341
----- End of picture text -----

Fund Raising still presented a problem in 2021 due to both Covid restrictions and

a later opening of St. Hilda’s than expected.

Thanks to all who have helped to make this possible

The Fundraising Group has produced an ambitious, but achievable list of targets for 2022.

Please note that lettings and shop sales are not mentioned above as they are used to offset the loan repayments.

ST. HILDA’S CHURCHWARDENS’ REPORT 2021

The beginning of 2021 saw the external structure being completed and work going at a pace inside the new building. However, there was a major hold up as we awaited the fixing of the gas meter. It was finally sited in mid-April, having been requested in late January. Wharton Construction left the site for 3 weeks during this period to save on costs. The building was finally handed over on 7[th] May 2021.

During the two weeks following the handover, furniture and equipment from various storage places were placed in the new building. Finally, on Tuesday, 18[th] May the NEW St. Hilda’s was licensed by the Bishop of Whitby – the end of a 22 year wait!!

The final cost of the project was not established during 2020, but there was much amicable discussion between Wharton Construction and our Quantity Surveyor over a claim from the construction company for compensation for site costs caused by some delays and some extra work. It is still expected to be within the constraints established by the PCC (a maximum of £270 000 in loans).

During 7 months of opening in 2021, we have had teething problems with maglocks, the heating system, skylight blind and window openings and heat sensors. They were all resolved. Outstanding minor safety features were gradually put in place. External planting, an external noticeboard and a marked disabled bay were still to be completed. Extra shelving was placed in the store areas and a cross was placed on the East wall.

Covid restrictions were in place for a good part of 2021 however, we decided to open the building for lettings and Parish activities. Although income was a major concern, we also wanted to fully engage with local community after an absence of nearly 4 years from the site. The first few months have been successful on both counts.

A learning process has been in operation to ensure that AV equipment, kitchen appliances, the heating system and other requirements in a hi-tec building are fully understood.

Sue Garner

Rob Nightingale

St. Cuthbert’s Churchwardens’ Report to APCM 9[th] May 2021

Worship has begun to return to normal as pandemic restrictions have lifted. We have welcomed some old congregation members back as well as some new ones. We have also been able to welcome visitors during regular Wednesday opening and at the Festival of Thrift. We are very grateful for all the volunteers who have given so freely of their time for the maintenance and improvement of the open churchyard. It is looking wonderful. The old tap has been reinstated to provide water for tending graves. Trees continue to be a concern both to users of the open churchyard and to the fabric of the church with heavy deposits of leaves quickly blocking gutters each year. The local council removed and pruned some trees closest to the church, but not the tallest ones responsible for most of the leaves. We are also very grateful to those who maintain and clean the church. They continue to cope with falling salts, plaster and paint flakes, following previous water ingress. The deteriorating heating system remains a problem. The revised tender resulted in a lower cost bid, however the cost is still much higher than available funds. Most grants do not allow for heating works, but the criteria are constantly changing, so we will keep looking. The bell chamber was cleaned and sanitised after pigeons gained access. Unfortunately, they also gained access to the mausoleum through a vandalised window. This has also been cleaned and sanitised but will need further specialist cleaning of the monuments. We still await the repairs to the boundary walls and gates of the closed churchyard (the main area around the church) to be completed by the local authority.

Bruce Williams

Keith Simpson

Mission and Outreach

Mission is at the heart of everything that Kirkleatham Parish does. We are always seeking to share the love of God with our parish from things such as our weekly Sunday worship to one off events.

Through the opening of the new church at St. Hilda’s and the return to regular worship, a number of new people have begun to worship in the two churches. Sadly, as a result of lockdowns etc., some of our regular members have not returned.

It is hoped that, through the work of St Cuthbert’s and the new St Hilda’s, more people in our community will come to know the hope and joy in a living faith in Jesus Christ.

Schools

During 2021, school visits, including the opportunity to take ‘Open the Book’ into schools, were very limited.

It is hoped that 2022 will provide renewed opportunities for visits to schools and visits from schools to our two churches.

Care Homes

Visits to care homes had to cease due to the Covid-19 regulations but we aim to restart as soon as practically possible.

Wider Church

Deanery Synod Report 2021

Kirkleatham Parish is part of the Guisborough Deanery. Revd. David Tembey, Vicar of St Mark’s Church, Marske, is Area Dean, Ed Evans is Area Lay Dean and Bruce Williams is Deanery Secretary. Kirkleatham's Deanery Synod reps are Sue Nicholson and Bruce Williams.

Normally there would be three meetings per year which are held in different churches across the deanery. This year the pandemic resulted in only two full meetings being held.

There is also a Deanery Leadership Team (DLT) which would normally meet

regularly to set agendas and co-ordinate initiatives. Bruce Williams is a member of DLT.

The main focus of the year has been considering our Deanery response to the Diocesan Vision, “Living Christ’s Story”, which commits us to

Ecumenical relationships

During 2021, there were very few opportunities to join with other churches in Redcar, although members of Newcomen Methodist Church joined us for the Patronal Festivals in our two churches.

Treasurer’s Financial Report 2021

Thankfully 2021 improved as the year went on. After a slow start fundraising wise due to covid restrictions, we were more or less up and running by July. We had still been able to continue with rag bag, trading post and had even managed an online raffle but we were now able to make the most of our new building. Our new building needs to pay for itself, and we are delighted to say that the response to lettings and hire for parties has been amazing. The shop on a Tuesday morning continues to raise funds but it has also become a regular coffee spot and drop in for several regulars. The lettings from the use of the building and the shop takings cover the loan repayments, while all other fundraising such as tabletops, craft fairs, raffles, markets etc all contribute to the running of the Parish.

We have an amazing team of volunteers to help run these events and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who is involved in any way at all. You are truly a very dedicated bunch. I am not naming names in case I miss anyone out, but you all know who you are. We are always willing to listen to new ideas or accept offers of help so please don’t be shy, if you think you can be of help in any way, please speak to a church warden.

On a personal note, I will name one name that needs to be mentioned and that is the person who keeps me on the right track. Rob Nightingale is my right-hand man when it comes to finance matters, and I really couldn’t do this job without him. I am truly grateful for all his help and the time that he puts in working for the Parish.

My counting team has sadly diminished, but I know I can always rely on Mary Tough to be there on a Sunday night to help sort the cash for banking. So, my thanks also go to Mary.

Once again, my thanks also go to Neil Sellstrom for his help and for auditing the accounts ready for publication.

Despite only being able to fundraise for half of the year we managed to end 2021 in a very good position. I appreciate the format which the accounts are presented in is quite complicated so below are simplified tables showing the headline figures.

The table below shows the balances on our general account at the beginning and at the end of 2021. More detail is shown in the year end statement below.

1 January 2021 Barclays Current Account (Number 1 A/C)

----- Start of picture text -----
£4,455.37
31 December Barclays Current
2021 Account
(Number 1 A/C)
£12,528.22
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
The table below shows the high- level activity with the St. Hilda’s A/C for 2021:
St Hilda’s Building Account (Number 2 A/C)
Opening Balance £93,519.81
Income:
Grants £145,889.28
Donations £6,531.20
Fundraising £780.00 £154,395.48
Tax Refund £1,195.00
Expenditure:
Architect £755.22
Other expenses (Builder £237,814.04
etc) £3,001.70 £242,053.50
Loan repayments £482.54
Fundraising costs
Closing Balance £5,861.79
----- End of picture text -----

The St. Cuthbert’s A/C has had very little activity but that is shown below:

----- Start of picture text -----
St Cuthbert’s Restoration Account (Number 3 A/C)
Opening Balance £9,704.96
Income:
Interest 0.96p
£0.96
Expenditure:
Organ £195 £195
Closing Balance £9,510.92,510.92510.92
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Expenditure:
Organ £195 £195
Closing Balance £9,510.92,510.92510.92
----- End of picture text -----

Balances b/fwd @ 1/1/2021:
Barclays Account: £4,455.37
31-Dec- 31-Dec-
21 20
Income
Regular Giving SO £34,225.68
) £34,810.36
)
Regular Giving Envelopes - St C £2,899.55
) £2,651.40
)
Regular Giving Envelopes - St H £1,533.90
) £2,493.95
)
Open Plate Giving - St C £684.84
) £849.83
)
Open Plate Giving - St H £551.42
) £173.96
)
Tax Refunds £12,884.23 £53,778.08 £11,932.87
£54,108.79
Plate Weddings Funerals etc £998.46
) £1,196.42
)
Fees - PCC £3,629.00 £3,285.00
Fees - 3rd Party £3,254.00 £3,558.00
Expenses Received £0.00 £0.00
Lettings £7,959.25 £5.00
Donations £2,076.10 £2,957.49
Smiles £384.00 £360.00
After service teas & Cofees £0.00 £100.00
Fund Raising - Shop/Café £5,441.69 £0.00
Fund Raising - General £7,505.59 £1,593.18
Fund Raising - 3rd Party £222.40 £0.00
Parish Mag Sales £146.90 £380.77
Parish Mag Advertising £210.00 £300.00
Dividends & Interest £55.00 £53.93
Transfers £0.00 £0.00
Other Income £1,604.20 £515.20
Total £86,266.21 £67,217.36
Expenditure
Freewill Ofering £50,000.00 £50,000.00
Diocesan Fees £2,527.00 £2,416.00
Clergy Fees £134.00 £151.00
Clergy Expenses Incumbent £208.46 £597.28
Clergy Expenses Other £480.26 £0.00
Organ Fees £284.00 £118.00
Verger Fees £279.00 £0.00
Church Maintenance - St H £50.00 £0.00
Church Maintenance - St C £2,136.80 £539.00
Ch Maintenance - major projects £0.00 £0.00
Church new build costs £0.00 £0.00
Parsonage Maintenance £0.00 £0.00
Heating & Lighting Utilities £3,980.01 £2,372.04
Insurance £3,829.83 £3,103.94
Flowers £137.00 £69.00
Choir Fees £0.00 £72.00
Smiles £360.00 £360.00
Charitable Giving £4,790.15 £5,306.80
Consumables £106.98 £128.65
Printing £354.42 £280.48
Transfers £1,195.00 £2,047.31
Miscellaneous £930.00 £723.62
Loan Repayment £6,410.45 £68,285.12
Total Expenditure £78,193.36
Balance on Accounts @ 31.12.21
Barclays Current Account £12,528.22
Barclays St Cuthbert's Account £9,510.92
Barclays St Hilda's Account £5,861.79
£27,900.93
Money held in Tees Heritage Fund for St
Cuthbert's £12,747.00
Young Person's Fund £523.25
Disadvantaged Fund £1,053.37
Ladies Group £1,604.20
(Held within current a/c) £3,180.82

Sue Nicholson Parish Treasurer

PARISH OF KIRKLEATHAM, ST CUTHBERT & ST HILDA

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2021

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

4
year were:
Fund Balance Receipts Payment
s		 Transfers Balance
b/f c/f
Restricted Funds: 105,489.5
4		 153,537.
44		 242,608.
50		 1,171.00 17,589.
48
105,489.5
4		 153,537.
44		 242,608.
50		 1,171.00 17,589.
48
Designated Funds
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00
5
Receipts and Payment
Analysis		 Unrestricte
d		 Designat
ed		 Restricte
d		 Total Total
Fund Fund Fund 2021 2020
£ £ £ £ £
a
Other voluntary receipts
Legacy (7)
Recurring grants (8)
Non-recurring grants (8a) 1,604.20 145,889.
28		 147,493.4
8		 147,56
8
1,604.20 0.00 145,889.
28		 147,493.4
8		 147,56
8
b
Activities for generating
funds - receipts		 0.00 0
Fund raising (9) 12,947.28 7,263.20 20,210.48 11,319
12,947.28 0.00 7,263.20 20,210.48 11,319
c
Receipts from investments
Dividends and interest (10) 55.00 0.96 55.96 54
Rent from PCC owned
property (10)
55.00 0.00 0.96 55.96 54
d
Receipts from church
activities
Fees retained by the PCC
(11)		 3,629.00 3,629.00 3,285
Bookstall (12)
Letting of hall (12) 7,959.25 7,959.25 5
Magazine (12) 356.90 356.90 681
11,945.15 0.00 0.00 11,945.15 3,971
e
Other incoming resources
Insurance claims (13) 0.00 0.00 0
Loans (13) 0.00 0
Donations received as
endowments (13)		 0.00 0
Contributions to clergy
expenses		 0.00 0.00 0
0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0
26,551.63
0.00
153,153.
44
179,705.0
7
162,91
2
Unrestricte
d
Designat
ed
Restricte
d
Total
Total
Fund Fund Fund 2021 2020
£ £ £ £ £
f
Church activities - payments
Costs of generating funds
Fund raising costs (17) 40.00 360.00 400.00 411
Donations (grants) to
charities
Overseas missions (18) 600.00 360.00 960.00 1,145
Home missions (18) 2,767.75 2,767.75 1,567
Secular charities (18) 1,422.40 1,422.40 796
Activities directly related to
the work of the church
Salaries, wages &
honorarium (20)
Working expenses of the
incumbent (21)		 208.46 208.46 597
Working expenses of
assistant staf (21)		 480.26 480.26 151
Parsonage house
expenditure (21)		 0.00 0.00 95
Mission & evangelism
costs (22)		 79.20 79.20 72
Church insurance (23) 3,829.83 3,829.83 3,103
Church cleaning (23)
Church admin costs (23) 810.80 810.80 642
Church maintenance costs
(23)		 2,186.80 2,186.80 539
Upkeep of services (23) 213.98 213.98 168
Upkeep of churchyard (23)
Other PCC property
upkeep (23)
Support costs (23) 0.00 0.00 0
Loan interest paid (23) 6,410.45 6,410.45 0
Church administration and
administrator (23)
Gas costs (24)
Electricity costs (24) 3,980.01 3,980.01 2,372
Water costs (24)
Oil costs (24)
Costs of trading
Bookstall costs (25)
Letting direct costs(25)
Parish magazine costs (25) 354.42 354.42 280
Governance costs (26) 0.00 0
Major expenditure
Major repairs to church
buildings (27)		 195.00 195.00 0
Major repairs to church hall
(28)
New building or major
works (29)		 241,693.
50		 241,693.5
0		 450,72
5
23,384.36 0.00 242,608.
50		 265,992.8
6		 462,66
3

The expenses paid to clergy may include a small immaterial proportion, which relates to 6 their function as PCC members.

No payments were made to PCC members

£4.th4S Ix. ¢141.￿7 i153 tZX.I 512 t £￿3￿-.] /?

Independent exawdnerfs report to the twstees of firkle•th•m Parlsh l ￿POrt to the tTUStees on my examlnation of the accounts of the Kirkleatham Parisn (thè Trusri the year ended 31 Decem.ber 2021. Resp(Thslbllltles d basis ol report As the charity trustees of the Tru5: you arp responsible for the preparauon of the 3ccounts in accordance with the requ1remen￿ of the Charltles Act 20111'the ACYI. I report in respect of my examiriation ol the Trusvs actOL'nts carried out vnder section 145 of th, 2011 Act and In carying out my examination I have followed all the appllcable Dirertions given t the Charity Commission under section 1451511bl of the Act. Indepèndent èxamlnerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no materlal matter5 ￿.8Ve CQTne to my att￿lIor onnectTron wittr, the examinatTron glving me cause to believe that in any Triaterial respect.. accounting records were not kept in respect of ihe Trust as required by Section 130 of the A or the accounts do not accord wth those records,. or 3. the account5 do not comply wit the applicable requirements concèrning thè form and cont of accounts set out in the Charilies (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2CQ8 other than anv requirement that the accounES a 'true aftd fair view whlch Is not a matter considered as part of an Independent examinatTW.. I have no concerns arKI have tome across no other matters In connectior) wlth the examlnation I which èttention shoul¢ be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understancling of thp accounts to be Teached. Signed.. Narne: cl L £iLLgil'('Il Relevant professional ouaFlllcallon or membershlp of professional bodies lif any).. Address: 3b, Qilik., Ltwi , Date: L"L' 1£ i)L.'IL'v.Crt( Ibl+(.LP

APCM Vicar’s Report 2021

Last year, we had our APCM in November 2020 looking back at 2019. This year, we have had the time to adjust to the Covid-impacted life we have all lived through. Our annual meeting is therefore being held in its usual timeslot in the year, and so today we are looking back on 2020, the year that we will never forget.

If we have learnt anything from 2020, it is that we cannot take anything for granted. We have lived through a pandemic that, as we know, typically comes about once every 100 years.

As our lives have changed so much, it is perhaps difficult to remember what life was like in early 2020. There didn’t seem to be very much warning as to what was about to happen. I think back to the last Sunday we worshipped in The Dunes and how we didn’t know it was going to be our last Sunday. Suddenly the doors to The Dunes were closed, as were the doors to just about everything else as a church – and the rest of our lives.

If I were to look back in my diary from January to March 2020, I would see meetings with wedding couples and baptism families, weekly worship and Bible studies with other people, meetings about the running of the parish in other people’s homes, regular activities such as the shop and social events. We even managed to start building a new church!

The final event before the first lockdown was the Diocesan mission weekend where the Diocese welcomed lots of Bishops and their teams from across the northern province. As a parish, we worked with some of the team allocated to our deanery from 12[th] – 15[th] March. Then, on the evening of the 16[th] March, the Prime Minister said “now is the time for everyone to stop non-essential contact and travel”.

As with everything else in our lives, the usual activity of the church reduced significantly from that point. Consequently, we only conducted 4 baptisms and 1

wedding, but of course funerals continued with 16 funerals and burial of ashes, of which 7 were held in St. Cuthbert's Church.

The most prominent activity within the parish in 2020 was of course the construction of St Hilda’s. Despite construction being paused for 6 weeks during the first lockdown, it gradually restarted over the subsequent weeks. As was to be expected, some materials became very difficult to acquire and so there were some delays along the way. The fundraising effort didn’t stop, and a number of grant applications were submitted, and a significant amount of money was received during 2020. This included donations from individuals, grant funds towards the construction and grant funds towards the running costs once opened. It has not been an easy process, with monthly site meetings having to mainly be virtual and I cannot overstate the number of decisions that were made. In the end, I believe we have a magnificent building that will be a wonderful place to worship in and will be a blessing to our community. As I write this (looking beyond 2020) I am extremely grateful that we are to have our opening service on 18[th] May. A special thanks to Rob for all of his hard work – it really has been a lot of hard work to get to this point.

When the restrictions have allowed, it has been wonderful to see those who have been able to attend worship in St Cuthbert’s. A special thanks for those who have been involved in keeping worship going and ensuring the church was safe for everyone. For those who haven’t been able to attend and for when the church has been closed, online worship and video sermons have maintained our connection with God and parish worship. Thank you to everyone involved in the preparation and delivery of weekly worship and making sure it has been prepared early enough to ensure everyone has had access to it on Sunday mornings in its various forms.

St Cuthbert’s fabric has also had attention this year and various permissions have been granted for works to be completed in the near future. Thank you to Bruce, Keith and everyone involved in the upkeep of the church.

Amazingly, financially we have kept afloat thanks to the generosity of our congregation members. We even managed to maintain our giving to the Diocese

in what has been an extremely difficulty year for every charity, organisation and business. Thanks to Sue Nicholson and all involved in managing our finances in these very challenging times.

Overall, 2020 was a very tough year for everyone and so thank you to everyone for your patience, perseverance and maintaining contact and connection with other church members. It has been a year where we have looked out for each other in so many ways, quietly and behind the scenes.

We are looking forward with hope – hope of life post-covid, or at least the worst of its impact. We are looking forward to some form of return to normality, no doubt with some restrictions still in place. We are looking forward to St Hilda’s opening, becoming fully functional and starting new activities. We are looking forward to seeing our children and young people in church again. We are looking forward to maybe even being able to sing – I’m sure the choir will be very pleased to be able to get together again. We are looking forward to welcoming Peter King, our curate, and his family in late June.

As we look forward, it really is a new chapter beginning in just about every sense. Having reflected on all that we have been through and as we begin this new chapter, I wonder what it is that we want to be known for going forward? We receive a wonderful invitation from Jesus in today’s gospel: ‘This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you’ (John 15.12). May all that we are and do be a demonstration and proclamation of God’s love for all.

KIRKLEATHAM PARISH ANNUAL PARISH CHURCH MEETING (APCM) Held via Zoom

on Sunday 9[th] May 2021

The meeting was opened with prayer.

15 people were present.

Revd. Matt Strand, Rob Nightingale, Bruce Williams, Sue Nicholson, Ruth Barnes, Janet Williams, Cynthia Watson, George Featherstone, Margaret Nightingale, Jill Richmond, Craig Cartwright, Keith Simpson, Carole Simpson, Sue Garner, Mary Tough

Apologies were received from: Mary Ovens, Hannah Garner.

Part 1 Election of churchwardens

The following nominations had been duly received:

Nominee
Proposer

Sue Garner Margaret Nightingale
Nightingale
Rob Nightingale Sue Nicholson
Keith Simpson Bruce Williams
Bruce Williams Sue Nicholson
All four nominations were approved.		 Seconder
Rob
Sue Garner
Barbara lambert
Ruth Barnes

Part 2 APCM

1. Minutes of previous APCM (2020)

An amendment was to be made as Keith Simpson’s name appeared twice and Carole Simpson was missed off.

Proposer: Keith Simpson Seconder: Craig Cartwright

The minutes were then approved with 2 abstentions.

2. Matters arising

None were raised.

3. Election of PCC members

The following nominations had been duly received to fill the five vacancies:

Nominee
 Proposer
 Seconder
Craig Cartwright Bruce Williams Ruth Barnes
Mary Ovens Sue Nicholson Ruth Barnes
Jill Richmond Sue Garner Ruth Barnes
Hannah Garner Mary Tough Ruth Barnes
All four nominations were approved leaving one vacancy.

4. Trustees Annual Report for 2020.

The report was again in the format as designated by the Charity Commission. It was noted that Rainbows needed to be added into the uniformed services update.

The Vicar thanked all those who had contributed to parish life.

Proposed: George Featherston Seconded: Rob Nightingale

The report was approved.

5. Vicar’s Report

The Vicar’s report was available in print via the Worship at Home email that was sent out, as a spoken sermon available on YouTube and delivered in the sermon in church.

Proposed: Matt Strand Seconded: George Featherstone The report was approved.

6. Presentation of Accounts

The treasurer, Sue Nicholson, reported that we had ended the year having paid out everything and had a small surplus at the end of the year due to the generosity of the congregation. Sue gave thanks to Rob and Matt for their hard work with all the bids and for all the time they have spent on this and for the help that Mel Nightingale has given looking at potential funders. There were no questions.

Thanks to Sue were proposed: Keith Simpson Seconded: Rob Nightingale The report was approved.

7. Appointment of Auditor

Neil Sellstrom is willing to continue in the role.

Proposed: Sue Nicholson Seconded: Keith Simpson Approved by all.

8. Any Other Business

Rob Nightingale thanked the vicar for his leadership over the last year.

The APCM was followed immediately by a PCC meeting.