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2021-12-31-accounts

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF WINSCOMBE AND SANDFORD

Church of England

Benefice of Winscombe and Sandford

St James the Great,Winscombe

15[th] May 2022

Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2022 Agenda, Minutes of 2021APCM & Reports for St James the Great and All Saints for the year ended 31st December 2021

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The Church of England Benefice of Winscombe and Sandford

Annual Parishioners Meeting 2022

Election of Churchwardens

To be held at the Church Centre, Winscombe, BS25 1BA

on Sunday 15[th] May at 3.00 pm

AGENDA

  1. Welcome and Opening Prayer (Revd Andrew Hiscox)

  2. Apologies for Absence

  3. Minutes of 2021 Annual Parishioners Meeting

  4. Matters arising from the2021 Annual Parishioners Meeting

  5. Election of the Churchwardens to serve at St James’s

  6. Election of the Churchwardens to serve at All Saints

  7. Close of Meeting

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The Church of England Benefice of Winscombe and Sandford

Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2022

To be held at The Church Centre, Winscombe, BS25 1BA

on Sunday 15[th] May at 3.00 pm

AGENDA

  1. Welcome (Andrew Hiscox)

  2. Apologies for Absence

  3. Minutes of the APCM 2021 (with respect to 2020)

  4. Matters arising from the Minutes of the APCM 2021 not covered by the Agenda

  5. Reports

  6. 5.1 The Churchwardens will present the Annual Report to the meeting which includes

    • Report on the fabric of St James’s and All Saints Churches in 2020 (written report from Churchwardens in APCM pack)

    • Financial Statement of the PCC for the year ending 31[st] December 2020 (Presentation by Hugh Gunn)

    • Report on proceedings of the Deanery Synod in 2020 (written report from Deanery Synod Representative, Dorothy Baldwin, in APCM Pack)

    • Safeguarding Report (written report from Safeguarding Officer, Jo Claridge, in APCM pack)

  7. Electoral Roll (Sarah Gunn)

7. Elections and Appointments

10. Platinum Jubilee Celebrations (William Du Croz)

  1. Closing Remarks and Prayer (Andrew Hiscox)

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Benefice of Winscombe and Sandford Annual Parishioners’ Meeting Monday 24[th] May 2021 at 19.00 hrs The Church Centre, Winscombe

Draft Minutes

Draft Minutes
Item Action
1. Welcome and
Opening Prayer
by the
Chairman		 The Revd. Andrew Hiscox welcomed everyone to the
meeting with a prayer
2. Attended by: Please see list at Annex 1.
2.a. Apologies for
Absence		 The following had given their apologies before the
meeting: Margaret Parker, Alison Butcher, Margaret
Aske, Jo Claridge, Ben and Hazel Dimond, John and
Lesley Matthews, John Jenkins, Steve Reed, Liz Elvins
and Joan White
3. Minutes of the
previous Annual
Parishioners
Meeting held on
11th October
2020		 The approval of the minutes was
Proposed by: Sarah Gunn
Seconded by: Hugh Gunn
and this was endorsed by all those present. Accordingly,
the Chairman signed the minutes.
4. Matters Arising There were no matters arising.
5. Election of
Churchwardens		 Nomination for St James’s
1. Derrick Claridge
Proposed by: Sarah Gunn
Seconded by: William Du Croz
There were no nominations for the second Warden
Nomination for All Saints
1. Diana Williams
Proposed by: Douglas Ogram
Seconded by: William Du Croz
The meeting endorsed this nomination unanimously.
2. There were no nominations for the second Warden.		 Results
of
Election
Form to
be
displayed
(WDC)
6. Thank you to the
retiring
Churchwardens		 The Chairman expressed his sincere thanks to Tony
Callow, Beth Cutmore and Douglas Ogram for all that
they had done as Churchwardens over the last three years.
Derrick Claridge then spoke on behalf of the wider
Church community and thanked them for the brilliant
work that they had done. They were each presented with a
rose and garden gift tokens as an appreciation of all that
they had done.
The Meeting closed at 19.15 hrs

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Benefice of Winscombe and Sandford Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) Monday 24[th] May 2021 at 19.00 hrs The Church Centre, Winscombe

Draft Minutes

Draft Minutes
Item Action
1. Welcome The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting and
opened with aprayer.
2. Attendees Please see the list at Annex 1.
3. Apologies for
Absence		 The following had given their apologies before the
meeting: Margaret Parker, Alison Butcher, Margaret
Aske, Jo Claridge, Ben and Hazel Dimond, John and Lesley
Matthews, John Jenkins, Steve Reed, Liz Elvins and Joan
White
4. Minutes of the
APCM held on
11th October
2020		 The approval of the minutes of the 2020 APCM was
Proposed by: Derrick Claridge
Seconded by: Beth Cutmore
and these were endorsed unanimously. Accordingly, the
Chairman signed the minutes.
5. Matters
Arising from
the Minutes
and not
covered
elsewhere on
the Agenda		 No Matters were raised
6. Reports 6.1.Annual Report
The comprehensive report by the Churchwardens was
noted. The Chairman took the opportunity to thank the
Friends of St James’s Church who have helped
significantly with repairs to the West Doors, and currently
are carrying out repairs to the SW Door.
Finance
Hugh Gunn spoke to his Report noting that at the end of
2020 our finances were in a reasonable position thanks to
careful stewardship.
The Chairman expressed his thanks to Hugh and Sarah
Gunn, and David Ashton-Hilton, for all their work in
looking after the Churches finances.
Deanery Synod
The Chairman thanked Angela Morris and Dorothy
Baldwin for their excellent work representing the
Benefice on the Deanery Synod.
Safeguarding Report
The Chairman thanked Jo Claridge for her excellent work

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as our Safeguarding Officer. It was noted that there had
been no serious incidents that required a report to the
Charity Commission in 2020.
After this discussion, the Chairman asked the meeting to
approve the Report and this was agreed unanimously.
7. Electoral Roll Sarah Gunn reported that there were now 123 people on
the Electoral Roll - 92 at St James’s and 31 at All Saints.
8.1Election of Members to the PCC
8.1.1All Saints
There was one new nomination:
• Meryl Leach
Proposed by: Douglas Ogram
Seconded by: Carol Taylor
Jan Welling was willing to continue as a co-opted
member.
8.1.2St James’s
It was noted that Jo Claridge, John Hayter and William Du
Croz have completed their 3 year terms. However, Jo
Claridge and William Du Croz are willing to continue as
PCC Members for a further term, and Douglas Ogram, in
stepping down as Churchwarden, is willing to continue as
a member of the PCC. In addition, there are 2 new
nominations for new members of the PCC.
• Jo Claridge
Proposed by: Derrick Claridge
Seconded by: William Du Croz
• Douglas Ogram
Proposed by: Beth Cutmore
Seconded by: Sarah Gunn
• William Du Croz
Proposed by: Beth Cutmore
Seconded by: Denys Cutmore
• Hilary Hagen
Proposed by: William Du Croz
Seconded by: Sue Reed
• Sue Reed
Proposed by: William Du Croz
Seconded by: Beth Cutmore
Sarah Gunn proposed and Geoff Norton seconded that all
the above be elected to the PCC. This was approved
unanimously.
In addition, Hilary Bebb who has recently moved to
Winscombe would like tojoin the PCC. As she has notyet		 Parish
Return to
Diocese
(WDC)
Update info
for Charity
Commission
(WDC)

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been on the Electoral roll for 6 months, she will be co-
opted at the next meeting of the PCC.
8.2PCC Treasurer
There were no nominations for the post of Treasurer.
8.4.Appointment of Stewards
The meeting agreed unanimously the appointment of the
Stewards as listed in Annex 2.
8.5.Appointment of Independent Examiner to the PCC
The appointment of Dick Beath as the Independent
Examiner was endorsed, and Hugh Gunn will seek
confirmation of this.
9. Introducing
the new
Vision		 It was with a sense of joy, excitement and privilege that
the Chairman shared the new vision for our Church
Community. He explained that the PCC has been praying
together, and listening for the Holy Spirit to lead
them. He highlighted the opportunity to work in
fellowship with St Johns. Quite simply, we want to put the
love of Christ in the heart of the community. This is what
we believe the Lord is saying to us at this time, as three
churches that have the potential to become one
community of faith, three buildings, one church centre,
one body of Christ. A copy of the Chairman’s address is
shown at Annex 3.
10. Presentation
by the Church
Centre
Development
Group		 Derrick Claridge gave a presentation on how we might
improve and develop the Church Centre. This is an
excellent example of how the community can witness the
delivery of the Vision.
11. Invitation to
Volunteers		 At the end of the meeting, Douglas Ogram and Beth
Cutmore spoke about the need for people to step forward
and volunteer to help the PCC deliver the Vision. All
attendees were given a ‘volunteer’ form and a ‘Vision’
Badge as theyleft the meeting.
The meetingclosed with aprayer at 20.45 hrs.

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Annexe 1 - List of Attendees

Andrew Hiscox William Du Croz Beth Cutmore Douglas Ogram Ann Ogram Denys Cutmore Tony Callow Derrick Claridge Mike Bravery Richard Noy Bridget Andrews Chris Andrews Dorothy Baldwin Sarah Gunn Hugh Gunn Angela Morris Barbara Cook Paul Matthews Geoff Norton Ann Norton Jane Fancott Hilary Hagen Martin Hagen Chris Hayter John Hayter Celia Hine Ian Hine Rosemary Mann Robin Mann Helen McPherson Paul Matthews Pauline Nixon Shaun Darley Sue Reed David Smith Edith Thompson Peter Thompson Diana Williams Jan Welling Tony Callow Meryl Leach Robin Leach Angela Morris Hilary Bebb*

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Annex 2

St James’s: Stewards

May 2021

Senior Stewards (List A)
Niel Aked
Beth Cutmore
Hugh Gunn
Sarah Gunn
Martin Hagen
Paul Matthews
David Smith
Senior Stewards (List B - unwilling to serve
during the pandemic)
Celia Hine
David Lister
Geoff Norton		 Stewards (List A)
Margaret Aske
Dorothy Baldwin
Derrick Claridge
Jo Claridge
Barbara Cook
William Du Croz
Chris Hayter
John Hayter
Douglas Ogram
Edith Thompson
Peter Thompson
Stewards (List B - unwilling to serve during the
pandemic)
Ross Allen
Liz Elvins
Ian Hine
Margaret Lister

All Saints: Stewards - May 2021

Tony Callow Jan Welling Angela Morris

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Annex 3

APCM Vicar’s address and our new Church Vision (24[th] May 2021)

But now, this is what the Lord says, he who created you, Jacob,

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you: I have summoned you by name: you are mine.[2 ] When you pass through the waters, I will be with you: and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you: when you walk through the fire you will not be burned.[3 ] For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour. See, I am doing a new thing!

Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43)

We’ve spent some time this afternoon considering what has happened in the past. Rightly we have given thanks to God and given thanks to his servants for all they have done in his service. I wanted to turn our attention towards the future. The last 12 months have been for us a time of unprecedented change and challenge - with the COVID pandemic, social distancing and a plethora of restrictions which we’ve had to navigate like Columbus navigating his way to the new world. Loved ones have died, and we have mourned their passing. Our churches have closed and reopened and closed again. At times it has felt like a roller coaster. Now, as we hopefully begin to turn to the corner on the pandemic, we can also turn our thoughts to the future.

The Bible reading is from the book of the prophet Isaiah, who prophesied at a time when Israel was in exile. They were unable to return to the ways of the past and a return to familiar territory wasn’t certain. They would have been nervous and tentative about where the Lord was leading them. But the Lord speaks to them clearly: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. (Isaiah 43 v3, v9). We recognise even amidst the pandemic there are things to be thankful for. The time lockdowns gave to Richard with Jill before she died. A greater sense of community and looking after one’s neighbour. A revaluing of who are our key workers, who help keep us all going. In our church life, we’ve become more flexible and creative with our Services, embracing technology in new ways and this has helped us reach those isolating or vulnerable, allowing them to continue to worship with us and remain part of us even though they might be physically separated. A new church has been added to our number and looking back we’ve felt truly blessed by the addition of St John’s. There’s been a real sense of supporting each other, looking after each other, recognising we’re all in it together. And it is this sense of togetherness that will be key to our future, for I truly believe united we will stand, or divided we will fall.

As that passage from Isaiah reminds us, God has walked with us when we passed through the fire, and He continues to draw us forward, now calling each of us individually and corporately together to play our part in his plan. Many times, over the past year, I’ve called us all to prayer, together we’ve asked for the Holy Spirit’s leading for our future. As a PCC we’ve been praying together too, and listening out for the Holy Spirit’s leading. And so, your PCC and I feel a sense of joy, excitement and privilege as we share today our new vision for our Church Community. It is a vision that turns our attention outwards towards our community. It is a vision that turns our attention towards the future where we believe the Lord is leading us:

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Quite simply, we want to put the love of Christ in the heart of the Community. That is what we believe the Lord is saying to us at this time, as three churches that have the potential to become one community of faith, three buildings, one church centre, one body of Christ. It is a time for us to begin reaching out more to our community to understand and engage them, and to be bold and courageous as we do so. We have two major new housing estates that we’d like to reach out to and offer welcome packs to residents, and give them a warm welcome to our church community and our wider community. We have strong ecumenical links, working with the Quakers, the Lynch Chapel, the Catholics and most recently the Methodists in Churchill. There are opportunities to benefit from the gifts God has given our brothers and sisters in these denominations to work together for the glory of God. We want to take welcoming further, recognising that we have 5 schools in our benefice and to that end we want to make sure our buildings look inviting to young families and we also want to have people who are willing to help minister in our schools, helping the young hear about the good news of Jesus.

We want to be caring , thinking especially of our 5 care homes, with whom we can start to reengage as restrictions ease. We want to care for all folk in our community, serving them in practical ways like meeting their needs through coffee mornings, home communions, community cafes, Café Church, Messy Church and Family Communions - our caring actions speaking of Christ’s love. We remember Christ’s command to make disciples, by giving Bible based teaching through our regular services and study courses and home groups.

But we need people to help make this vision a reality. That’s where you come in. Consider what we are and who God is calling us to minister to. We are three churches - to each of you God has given you gifts for use in his service, whether that’s an upfront or behind the scenes role. Now is the time to get involved. So, ‘ Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland’. (v3, v9)

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ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING REPORTS FOR ST JAMES THE GREAT, WINSCOMBE AND

ALL SAINTS, SANDFORD FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[ST] DECEMBER 2021

1. OUR SHARED VISION

2 CHURCHWARDENS’ FABRIC REPORTS FOR 2021

St James’s Church

Some necessary work has been carried out in the Church this year.

7 out of 10 led lights in the main body of the Church had failed over a period and whilst new light fittings had been purchased, they had never been fitted.

2 of the 4 light fittings in the Choir stalls also failed as well as 3 light fittings in the side aisles and font area.

Andrew’s licensing was an excellent reason to undertake the work in the main Church and Chancel. This took place in October once scaffolding had been installed.

While the scaffolding was erected, a brilliant cleaning team went in and cleaned our beloved angels and other difficult to reach high areas.

The fittings in the side aisles and font area were not able to be replaced at this time because they were outside the area covered by the scaffolding.

3 working fittings in the main church were saved to replace failed units in the side aisles. Whilst the scaffolding was being installed a scaffold pole hit the Corona in the chancel. The fitting was made safe to use whilst compensation from the Scaffold Company was sought.

Once the compensation was paid, we were able to obtain the replacement pieces to repair the Corona. At the beginning of February, a tower scaffold was hired to enable the Corona to be reached and the side aisle and font area repairs to take place. Repairs were made and the faulty lights replaced. The cost of the tower, replacement parts and electrician’s costs were covered by the compensation money received from the Scaffolding Company.

Annual PAT testing of mobile electrical equipment in the Church, Tower and Churchyard Room took place at the same time as the lighting repairs took place.

The Tower floodlight has not been working for some time so while the electrician was on site this was investigated and found to be a failed lamp in the fitting. A decision has been taken to replace this with a LED fitting which will happen by the end of March.

During December there was a failure of one of the electrical circuits which was quickly diagnosed and repaired by our electrician. At the same time investigation was carried out re the failure of the

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main post lights by the Churchyard Room and car park. This was diagnosed as a circuit in the Churchyard Room being switched off. This lighting is now working.

The Tower light fitting failed during the year. A new LED fitting was fitted and is now functional. This work now means that the Church is well on the way to be as carbon neutral as possible. The aspiration of the church of England is for all its buildings to be carbon neutral by 2030. Many thanks to Douglas, Alison, Paul and the cleaning team for all the above work. We are still experiencing problems with water ingress in the roof. At various times a very interesting pattern of buckets adorn the floor. Some repairs have been carried out, unfortunately as soon as we manage to cure the original it travels to another point. Problem still being investigated. The Cross, which was knocked off by a tree branch during high winds, has been repaired and returned to the roof and the lightning conductor reconnected. The tree has had the offending bough removed.

The work on the West doors has been completed and repainted.

The ancient yew is showing signs of damage and we await an Arborist report on the condition before taking any corrective action.

All Saints

The fire extinguishers and the lightning conductor were checked.The church yard is the responsibility of North Somerset council. Concerns about dead wood in the large beech trees and the need for pruning have been raised with them, as it could be a health and safety issue

The NSC tree officer has said that the trees will be surveyed and if necessary pruned in the near future.

The pathway to the church room door and all round the west end of the church to the porch has been retarmacked by local firm CJL, free of charge. This has raised the level of the pathway to the floor of the porch. This has greatly improved access for wheelchair users and mobility scooters. The Quinquennial report of January 2021 mentions works which have to be done urgently, within 12 months and within 5 years.

They include repairs and renovations of the vestry, church room and porch. We are starting with the vestry as heavy items such as the safes and some furniture which are normally stored in the vestry have been moved to the church room. This is because of the poor state of the vestry floor. The church room therefore can not be refurbished until after the vestry. The church architect recommended Ellis and Co to do the vestry repairs as their quote was more reasonable. The vestry floor, window, external door and celling will be repaired and the walls replastered and decorated. The external wall will be repointed. The original list of repairs had to be reduced so that the money we had in the building fund (£21,000) would cover it.

Work should begin in June. After this it is hoped that renovation of the church room can begin.

The church room kitchen needs refurbishing and updating. It is used significantly in the monthly community cafes and for refreshments after services. The church room also needs redecorating and the damp proofing renewed.

Diana Williams,Churchwarden

Churchyard Rooms

The Churchyard Rooms have not been in full use for some time and at the end of last year it was decided to see if they could be let and provide a much-needed boost to our income. The rooms have been stripped of all unnecessary equipment and everything of use moved down to the Church Centre.

During this work it was found that the gas water heater was not working, was faulty and no longer safe to be used and one of the wall mounted convector heaters failed. Both pieces of equipment have been removed.

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A new electric wall mounted hot water unit has now been fitted, repairs and redecoration carried out as necessary.

The toilets now have hot water working again.

The two light fittings in this room have been changed for LED units

From the beginning of March 2022 we now have a tenant. This is a pre school playgroup which fits in very well with our Christian ethos.

We can now expect an income of £3900 per annum less agents’ fees.

Many thanks to Denys, Beth and Douglas for their work on this endeavour.

Church Centre

As you will have seen over the last year gradual progress has been made in trying to make this building more inviting and suitable for our use. Our original plans for the development of the centre had to be modified and the idea of making use of the alcove area as a meeting area abandoned. The proposed electric shutters, on further investigation, proved to be unsuitable.

The curtains for the upper windows are nearly finished and it is hoped they will be fitted by the end of March.

The Youth Cupboard has been tidied up and made into a versatile storage space used by the Church and Scramblers as well as the Badminton Club.

The garage has been cleared of much old, stored equipment and is also used as a storage space for Scramblers.

It was decided to reconfigure the back room to make a small meeting room which involved some of the cupboards being removed on the long wall and putting the cupboards along the shorter wall. A good useful space.

Completion of this task has been put on hold because cracks in the wall, up till now hidden by cupboards, became apparent. Our insurance company were called in and a damage survey was carried out.

The basic report says: -

The investigation has confirmed that the cause of the movement to the Centre is root induced clay shrinkage subsidence. There is no evidence of any influence from any other source such as leaking drains.

In order to alleviate the issue, the local vegetation to the area of movement should be removed. Once the vegetation is removed the clays should rehydrate and swell, this should close many of the cracks and then stabilise at which point simple cosmetic repairs can be carried out.

The roots retrieved from the trial pits were identified as emanating from Cupressaceae include for example; Hinoki Cypress and Lawson Cypress (Chamaecyparis spp.), Leyland Cypress (X Cuprocyparis leylandii), Monterey Cypress, Italian Cypress, Mexican Cypress, Smooth Arizona Cypress and Rough-barked Arizona Cypress (Cupressus spp.), Junipers and Pencil Cedar (Juniperus spp.), Western Red Cedar (Thuja spp.), the generic hybrid X Cupressocyparis, Swamp-cypress (Taxodium distichum), Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Japanese Red Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and Wellingtonia (Sequoiadendron giganteum).

The clays were found to be desiccated (dry).

As you are aware, there is no subsidence cover provided by your Policy and therefore, unfortunately on this occasion your Insurer will be unable to be of assistance with costs relating to this matter on this occasion.

The offending trees are not on our land but in our neighbour’s garden. We have taken legal advice and as a result a solicitor’s letter has been sent to the owner asking that they take action to remove the offending leylandii hedge.

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The lighting in the office, back room, entrance hall, kitchen and alcove has been upgraded to LED. This supports our aspiration to be as carbon neutral as possible.

The gas heater by the kitchen hatch was condemned in the summer as it was incorrectly installed with no external vent. This heater was removed and the gas piping to it safely capped off. One of the double electric sockets in the alcove was constantly being damaged by the chairs being stacked in front of it and has been moved to a height above the chairs.

A leak was found in the ceiling in the kitchen by the skylight. The flat roof above has been repaired and the leak cured

Thanks to Denys, Douglas, Tony, Steve and all who have worked on this project so far.

Birch Cottage

We carried out a refit which included removal of the non-functioning night storage heaters, refitting of a new kitchen, new electric convector heaters, removal of the redundant emergency lighting and repainting all through. This was a considerable investment but enabled us to re let the cottage after the departure of the previous tenant.

The Cottage has now been occupied for a year and the tenant is very comfortable and happy. The cottage is now bringing in an income.

Many thanks to Chris Andrews for his gardening tidy-ups and repairs carried out during the year. Derrick Claridge. Churchwarden

3 OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEERS

Pastoral Team

Pastoral work was very limited during much of 2021 because of Covid-19 restrictions. However, the team continued to keep in touch with the sick or bereaved by telephone or with cards, whilst Revd. Andrew Hiscox and Revd.Ann Ogram visited when restrictions allowed. Throughout much of the year It was not possible to visit the 5 Care Homes we have in our parish. It is dearly hoped that in 2022 things will return to normal and we are delighted to welcome Pauline Nixon to the team.

Safeguarding Officer

Jo Claridge continued as our Safeguarding Officer throughout the year. She ensured that those that needed DBS checks and the appropriate training, were up to date. See her separate report.

Signpost (Parish Magazine)

‘Signpost’ was launched in September 2021 as a monthly parish magazine covering Winscombe, Sandford and Churchill.

A team of five, Beth and Denys Cutmore, Ann and Douglas Ogram and Jo Claridge form the editorial team. It takes a considerable amount of time to produce the magazine each month in terms of compiling and editing, printing and distribution but this is manageable within the current team. The format is similar to the Parish Magazine that was produced until April 2020 but ceased during the pandemic. There is currently no advertising and therefore no revenue from production. We have received a few donations from people who are grateful to see the magazine back in production.

All former contributors were contacted and the majority continue to send us notices and articles on a monthly basis. We also have several new contributors and always welcome new ideas for the magazine. It was decided to print the new magazine ‘in house’ as we now have a copier that can produce stapled A5 booklets at a reasonable cost.

The first edition was delivered to every household on the old distribution list as a ‘one off’ with an explanation that in future limited printed copies would be available from the three churches, Church Centre and various outlets in the villages. People were encouraged to receive the magazine by email

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or to download it from the church website. In addition we offered to deliver the magazine to households who could not access it online or get to one of the outlets to pick one up.

It was not possible to resume the former delivery service to subscribers as a number of those who used to distribute and deliver the magazine are no longer able to do so. Distribution is as follows:

Advertising

All the former advertisers were contacted and offered a refund of 75% of their 2020 fee to compensate for lost advertising during the pandemic.

A total of £756 (out of a possible £2457) was refunded. Many advertisers chose not to request the refund.

At the same time advertisers who had not paid for their 2020 advertising were contacted and asked to pay 25% of their fee for the January to March 2020 issues. £73.50 out of a possible £262.50 was received.

The editorial team would like to re-commence advertising in the magazine. This would provide revenue which would offset the cost of printing and allow us to use some colour in the printed copies.

However, in order for this to happen we need to recruit an advertising manager. This need not be an onerous task as the majority of adverts are already set up. It would involve updating adverts and requesting the advertising fees every 6 months.

Please contact Jo Claridge on 01934 843014 if you think you could help.

Refresh-men-t

Refresh-men-t is the name given to the Men’s Breakfast Group of our churches and meets on the third Saturday of each month except in August and December. The aim of the group is to enjoy a cooked breakfast in the company of like-minded men who can enjoy male camaraderie as well as an inspirational thought or two.

In the post-pandemic world Refresh-men-t was delighted to welcome its members back on September 18th in 2021. This was the first time they could meet since February 15th, 2020, 19 months previously and our own Vicar, Andrew, welcomed everyone back with a short inspirational talk; the smiles on everyone’s faces said it all – a freedom of sorts had been reinstated!

In October our own Chris Greenwood gave us a talk about his slightly unusual take on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela; instead of approaching conventionally from the East across the “top” of Spain, Chris and wife, Yvonne, journeyed from the South, up from Porto in Portugal through Vigo and thereon into Santiago, a route that it is supposed to have been taken by St James’s remains centuries ago, on their own way to the city.

In November we received a truly inspiring talk by the Rev Craig Sinclair, curate at St Paul’s, Weston-super-Mare; Educated at Eton and Cambridge, offered a lead role in the running of the Chelsea Flower Show at the tender age of 19 (and refused it!) we heard how God gradually moulded him into someone prepared for the ministry through some traumatic brushes with death.

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Music and Choir

The Organ at St James

We benefit from having a good quality organ in our Church - considered to be one of the best in the Mendip area. It has required no major work to be done on it over the past year but we are very fortunate that it is maintained regularly by Brian Hooper and Liam Davies. They, very generously, do not charge for their work. Our new Organist, Robert Anderson has certainly enjoyed playing it! In the longer term, there will likely be a need for some expenditure as it is a long time since major repair work has been carried out.

The Choir

Since the Covid-19 restrictions were lifted and services were resumed in Church, the Choir has been leading the singing at the 2[nd] and 4[th] Sunday of the month services as well as additional festival services. Claire Blythe continues to lead us with the help of our new Organist, Robert Anderson, and when all are present we total 12 voices or more. As we gain more members, we are able to extend our repertoire of traditional Anglican church music which is challenging yet fun. The highlight of 2021 was the delayed Service of Installation of Revd. Andrew Hiscox in November. We would welcome new members – particularly Sopranos - so if you are interested please contact Claire or Robert.

Weekly Church Centre Coffee Mornings

In August 2021 the weekly Tuesday Morning Coffee Mornings were re-instated in the Church Centre. Organised by Iris Bridges, Chris Hayter and Beth Cutmore and with a team of wonderful volunteers, the Coffee Mornings are extremely well supported. Over 30 people regularly come for a cup of coffee and chat including residents of St Michaels Axbridge, new residents from the Redrow development and from the wider village community.

Technical Advisory Group (TAG)

TAG had a very interesting year and we achieved, in our opinion, quite a lot.

TAG itself is currently resting awaiting further calls for technical aid. Thanks to Chris Greenwood and David Hurst for their endeavours. Jo and Derrick Claridge

Cleaning

Cleaning of St James’s has been done nobly by our Churchwardens and spouses over the past two years but a Rota of Cleaners will be restarted in 2022.

Flower Arranging

After many years of service, Rosalind Symons ceased organizing the Flower Arranging

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Rota during 2021. We are very grateful to her for all her hard work and organizational skills. Margaret Aske kindly took on this task. Once Services resumed in St James’s

after the various Covid-19 restrictions, the Teams provided flowers in the church on a regular basis which were much appreciated by the congregation. Over the past two eventful years, several of the longstanding team members decided to retire from the task so if anyone would like to join the band of arrangers please contact Margaret Aske.

Bellringers

During the Covid restrictions the bells were not rung. Throughout this period the bells and the inside of the tower were regularly inspected, usually at the same time as the clock was wound. Records were kept of each inspection. When the Covid rules allowed, 4 of the refurbished ropes (purchased in 2020) were fitted.

Before ringing recommenced at the end of May, as the bells had not been rung for a considerable time, they were checked and were found to be in good repair. At a further inspection at the end of 2021 the bells remained in good repair. Despite our normal ‘spring clean’ not being able to be carried out, the tower is in reasonable condition.

Since returning to ringing we have struggled to have enough ringers for service rings. On a number of occasions, we have had to abandon practice night due to lack of ringers. We have been cooperating with the ringers from St John’s at Churchill to support each other to make up the numbers. This has enabled us to ring for more services at both towers.

During 2021, we have rung at 2 weddings and a funeral. We also rang, half muffled, for Armistice Day and the Remembrance Day service and chimed the tenor as a mark of respect after the death of both Captain Tom and Prince Phillip. This, and most service rings during this difficult period, was only possible with the help of ringers from local towers who gave up their time (and continue to do so) to ring with us and to whom our thanks must be recoded. Without their continued in help our bells would rarely be heard.

John Mathews.

4 THE PCC

Report from the Secretary

During 2021, the PCC met 11 times and amongst the topics discussed the following were some of the important topics:

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At the Annual Parishioners’ Meeting held on 24[th] May:

The meeting thanked Tony Callow, Beth Cutmore and Douglas Ogram for their brilliant work as

Churchwardens which had been far from normal as they had to cope the a Vacancy and a pandemic.

At the Annual Parochial Church Meeting also held on 24[th] May 2021, John Hayter stepped down as a member and the following were elected to the PCC:

At the meeting in July, the PCC agreed to co-opt Jan Welling, Hilary Bebb and Pauline Nixon on to the PCC.

Finally, I thank all those who have helped me over the last year.

William Du Croz, PCC Secretary

5 DEANERY SYNOD 2021

2021 started the year with the Festival of Light, which was held on Zoom. In fact most of the meetings for the year were held on Zoom. Not ideal but it kept people in touch.

The Deanery is responsible for 27 Churches. There are:

13 Benefices/Parishes 16.5 stipendiary clergy

3 self-supporting clergy

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3 curates 3 Pioneer ministers

1 externally funded clergy.

27[th] January, the Bishop gave permission to hold APCM meetings on Zoom.

Much of the year was focused on the areas around Weston-super-Mare and Worle.

10th February Deanery Synod meeting was held on Zoom. Most notable was that there was a 15% shortfall in payments to the Diocese of Parish Share.

17[th] February Mike Tedstone, the Lay Chair had a meeting with relevant people to discuss the future of the Parish of Churchill and Langford. It was agreed that the oversight of the two churches should be separated with St John’s Churchill being aligned to the Parish of Winscombe and Sandford, and that St Mary’s. Langford become under the oversight of the Parish of Wrington et al. It was also recognised that the Parish boundaries would have to be altered, so that the Parish of St. John’s Churchill would become one Parish and Langford would become part of Wrington et al. The Deanery Pastoral and Mission Group are very keen to keep the funding previously provided by the Diocese for Revd Tim Jessimen’s position to be ring-fenced for the provision of a youth worker to work with Andrew linked with Churchill Academy.

The restrictions mandated by the Covid pandemic has caused a rethink of the use of THE COMMON CUP. When it was sought to be debated at General Synod level in the summer, it was ignored. By October a proposal was put to Diocesan Synod that “This deanery would welcome a discussion at Diocesan Synod around the use of the Common Cup.”

30[th] June meeting was also held on Zoom.

As well as the discussions on the Common Cup there was a presentation of the Course being recommended by the Bishops’ “Living in Faith and Love”. This course is already being used in this parish. It would be advantageous for all members to attend one of the courses.

Also the issue of becoming Carbon Neutral by 2030 was presented by Hayden. He indicated how this could be achieved in our parishes.

6[th] October Synod also held on Zoom.

The focus at this meeting was on FOCAL MINISTRY or ENABLING MINISTRY. This should not be seen as a way of reducing clergy posts,but enabling local lay people and clergy to have a greater oversight in the running of their churches. Burrington has already appointed a couple to be Focal Ministers there.

6[th] November – DPMG Away day in Clevedon

The main conclusion after debate was that Covid has given churches and church members the opportunity to re-imagine church. Church buildings being closed had enabled us to move from the “islands of Christianity” in the community model, to being a Christian presence throughout the wider community. Thus there are opportunities to influence others and be influenced by others in aspects of the community. The preparations for the Platinum Jubilee are an excellent example of this.

Revd. Andrew Hemming and I were asked to sketch out a new boundary between Churchill and Langford, acknowledging the new and proposed housing developments in those areas. The Bishop gave permission for clergy to not hold Services on 26[th] December. Dorothy Baldwin, Deanery Representative

6 FAITH IN ACTION REPORT

Support for charities in 2021

During the year, the FIA team met regularly to consider priorities and also to review the work of the charities we have regularly supported. In particular we have focused St James giving on Christian charities, but have been pleased that some of the charities, such as Elizabeth Ann Charity and Spring

20

of Hope, the Bristol based charity supporting abused women, reach out to all, with Christian love, where they see great need.

We have been careful to look at the accounts of charities we support, to make certain we are not funding what we consider to be high administrative expenses. The Elizabeth Ann charity, which works in an Indian village, is a wonderful example of a charity that spends nothing on UK admin costs, relying on trustees’ generosity to provide administrative services free of charge. Their newsletters are heart-warming, showing all at St James, the difference our gifts make to the lives of the very poor in the village of Burlavaripalem, India.

Other charities supported this year, are listed on the attached sheet, together with the funding amounts allocated to each. Barnabas Fund has been one of the main charities we have supported in 2021, providing a wonderful variety of support programmes to persecuted and marginalized Christians across the world. Some of their stories have been harrowing during Covid, as certain countries have prevented poor Christians obtaining basic rations from food aid allocations. Thanks are due once again to donors of goods and money to the For All Healthy Living Centre in Weston and to Denys and team, for their tireless logistical efforts in taking food each week to the Food Bank.

In addition to the £1000 allocated to charity giving by the PCC in 2021, charitable funding was raised through an appeal in January which raised almost £4000. In addition, a special appeal was made in the Autumn for the sudden crisis in Afghanistan. The generosity of St James donors, with special thanks due to a small number of very generous donors, resulted in over £12000 plus Gift Aid. This was allocated to charities we knew were directly supporting Christians, and to the British Red Cross, who were able to operate freely in that country during the initial crisis period. The decision by the PCC not to include charitable giving in the 2022 St James budget has resulted in disbandment of FIA but the PCC has other plans in mind for charitable giving this year.

STATEMENT OF CHARITABLE GIVING BY ST. JAMES CHURCH IN 2021

Total sum raised for allocation by FIA was nearly £17,000, with another £4000 Gift Aid due from HMRC for the Afghanistan appeal in early 2022.

The funds were distributed as follows: Somewhere To Go (Weston) £485 For All Healthy Living Centre (Weston) £375 plus donations of food. Church Mission Society £835 Elizabeth-Ann Charity £1040 Spring of Hope (Bristol) £375 Barnabas Fund £4985 Bible Society £225 Missionary Aviation Fellowship £419 Samaritans (Weston) £200 Christian Aid £4000 British Red Cross £4000

Note: St James’ Church also has support groups which raise funds for The Children’s Society and for Christian Aid.

Peter Thompson and John Hayter, for FiA Team

7 SAFEGUARDING REPORT 2021

The PCC has continued to comply with the duty to have “due regard” to the House of Bishops’ Safeguarding Policy and Practice Guidance.

This means that we are committed to:

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• Promoting a safer environment and culture

• Responding promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation

• Caring pastorally for victims/survivors of abuse or other affected persons

The PCC has received regular Safeguarding Reports at its meetings over the past year.

No safeguarding concerns were reported during the year within the Parishes.

54 people currently hold up to date DBS certificates (including 6 clergy) many of whom are actively volunteering with adult or children’s activities.

These certificates have been reviewed after 5 years, however, this has changed to every 3 years from January 2022.

All new volunteers have completed basic safeguarding training (C0).

The Church Wardens at St James’s and All Saints have refreshed their Safeguarding Training (C1)since being appointed to their new roles.

It is now 3 years since we last ran Safeguarding Training in the Parish so this will need to be planned for later this year. It will be a requirement for all volunteers to attend and it is likely that a number of sessions will be run.

The Parish Safeguarding Policy has been reviewed and approved by the PCC. The policy is reviewed annually.

In June 2021 the Church of England published its ‘Safer Recruitment and People Management Guidance.’ The PCC were briefed about this. The guidance applies to both voluntary and paid positions within the church.

The PSO has been working on updating the Benefice’s existing paperwork in relation to Safer Recruitment and creating a Safer Recruitment Policy to be used within the parishes.

The Guidance is accompanied by a ‘Safer Recruitment Training’ module which is a requirement for all those who may be involved in overseeing the recruitment of volunteers and paid employees.

To date it has been completed by the PSO and by 2 of the 3 church wardens. As some activities recommence leaders have been reminded of the correct process for recruiting volunteers.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding safeguarding.

Jo Claridge, Parish Safeguarding Officer

8 ELECTORAL ROLL REPORT 2021

The Electoral Roll was reviewed in April 2021. There were 92 on the St James’s Roll (an increase of one on 2020!) and 31 on the All Saints Roll, making a total of 123. A copy of the Electoral Roll was displayed on the notice boards of both churches.

Sarah Gunn, Electoral Roll Officer

9 CHURCH LOG BOOKS, INVENTORIES AND TERRIERS

St James’s Church

The Terrier, Inventory and Log Book are up to date. The documents are filed in the Church Office and are available for inspection if required.

All Saints

The Terrier, Inventory and Log Book are up to date, and they are kept in the safe in the Church Room.

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10 FRIENDS OF ST JAMES THE GREAT CHURCH

The small West Door was repaired during 2021 but no other projects were undertaken, in part due to continuing Covid-19 restrictions. The Friends continue to consider the outside lighting of the church and churchyard as a possible future project. The Friends also contributed to the purchase of the picture of the Bell Ringers painted by Ros Cuthbert in the 1980s. Their fundraising events were curtailed during 2021 with only their delayed 2021 AGM and Lecture taking place, in November 2021.

11 SERIOUS INCIDENTS REPORTED TO THE CHARITY COMMISSIONERS Our Charity Number is 1173106

All charities with an income over £25,000 have to report Serious Incidents to the Commission. A Serious Incident is:

An adverse event, actual or alleged which results in or risks significant:

There were no Serious Incidents to report in 2021.

12 STEWARDS in 2022

St James’s Senior Stewards Stewards Niel AKED - 8.00am only Margaret ASKE Beth CUTMORE Dorothy BALDWIN Hugh GUNN Jo CLARIDGE Sarah GUNN Barbara COOK Martin HAGEN William DU CROZ John HAYTER Hilary HAGEN David LISTER Chris HAYTER Paul MATTHEWS Ian HINE Douglas OGRAM Margaret LISTER

All Saints Stewards Tony CALLOW Angela MORRIS Jan WELLOW

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Winscombe & Sandford - St James the Great Winscombe's Receipts &

Payments Account

for the year ended 31 December 2021

Receipts
Donations and Legacies:
Planned giving
Collections, donations & other giving
Income tax recovered
Legacies
Other Trading activities
Magazine/Bookstall sales/Hall Lettings etc
Income from other Properties
Annual Fete/events
Receipts from Investments:
Interest & dividends
Receipts from Charitable activities:
Parochial fees
Other Receipts
Insurance claims
Sale proceeds from fixed assets
Loans received
Other
Notes		 General
fund
£		 Designated
fund
£		 Restricted
fund
£		 2021
£		 2020
£		 2020
£		 Accounts
List code
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
45,146 - - 45,146 42,037
22,128 - - 22,128 6,146
10,828 - - 10,828 15,037
40,500 - - 40,500 500
5,129 - - 5,129 10,126
5,623 - - 5,623 4,698
891 - - 891 -
807 - - 807 1,015
3,901 - - 3,901 3,248
-
-
-
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82,826
(1,050)
(85)
(47,000)
(1,463)
(6,193)
-
(10,504)
(363)
(13,690)
-
(4,366)
-
-
-
-
(84,714)
(1,888)
-
(1,888)
66,642
64,754		 10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
24
23
25
26
27
28
240 - - 240 -
50 - - 50 -
- - - - -
4,687 - - 4,687 19
Total Receipts 139,930
-
-
139,930
Payments
Charitable activities:
Donations/Grants to charities
Mission & Evangelism
Parish Share
Clergy expenses
Church running expenses
Churchyard maintenance
Cost of raising funds
Support costs
Administration costs (inc. staff costs)
Governance Costs
Other
Major expenditure
Repairs to church buildings
Repairs to other property
Capital purchases/additions
Loan repayments
(16,104) - - (16,104) (1,050)
(126) - - (126) (85)
(40,000) - - (40,000) (47,000)
(1,101) - - (1,101) (1,463)
(6,438) - - (6,438) (6,193)
(570) - - (570) -
(11,377) - - (11,377) (10,504)
(1,837) - - (1,837) (363)
(11,085) - - (11,085) (13,690)
- - - - -
(4,285) - - (4,285) (4,366)
(1,032) - - (1,032) -
- - - - -
- - - - -
- - - - -
Total payments (93,955)
-
-
(93,955)
Surplus/(Deficit) of Receipts over payments 45,975
-
-
45,975
Transfers between funds - - - - -
Cash at bank and in hand at 1 Jan 45,975 - - 45,975 (1,888)
64,754 - - 64,754 66,642
Cash at bank and in hand at 31 Dec 110,729 - - 110,729 64,754

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Independent examiner’s report to the Parochial Church Council of Winscombe & Sandford (“The PCC”)

I report on the accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2021 as set out in the Receipts and Payments and Financial Return reports.

Respective responsibilities of the PCC and examiner

The PCC are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The PCC 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.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as members of the PCC concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the next statement.

Independent examiner’s qualified statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements:

There are no other matters to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed Independent Examiner

Date: 2[nd] May 2022