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2020-12-31-accounts

ST MARY WITH ST LEONARD , BROOMFIELD ANNUAL REVIEW 2020

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting is scheduled to take place on Sunday 7[th] March 2021.

It is planned that the meeting will take place following the 10.30am service. The Vestry Meeting (for the election of Wardens) will be followed by the APCM.

Whether these can go ahead as planned will depend upon COVID guidelines in place at the time.

CONTENTS:

Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council Financial Review Vicar’s Report Church Fabric Report Electoral Roll Report NCMMP Report Deanery Synod Report Worship & Ministry Reports Supporting Worship Reports The Wider Church Reports

Whereas every effort has been made to include all the activities in the life of St. Mary’s Church within this Annual Review, there may be some omissions. We apologise for these and they are in no way deliberate. However, we hope that you will agree that this review gives a flavour of the many diverse groups that are active within the parish to promote our worship of God and to proclaim the Good News in the wider community.

Carol Knott (PCC Secretary) 

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Contents
Page Number
1 PCC report 3
2 Financial report 12
3 Independent Examiner's report 19
4 Vicar's report 20
5 Churchwarden’s report 22
6 Electoral Roll report 23
7 NCMMP report 24
8 Deanery Synod report 25
9 Associate Priest's report 26
10 Curate’s report 26
11 Servers 27
12 Intercessions Group 27
13 Pastoral Care and Visiting Team 28
14 Wednesday Bible Group (1) 28
15 Wednesday Bible Group (2) 28
16 Friends with Faith 29
17 Sidespersons 29
18 Church Music 30
19 St. Mary's Bell Ringers 30
20 Bible Reading Fellowship 31
21 Church Website 31
22 Safeguarding 31
23 Film and Lunch Club 32
24 Lunch and Laughter
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25 Beetle Drive 33
26 Tuesday Churchyard Working Party 33
27 St. Mary's Ladies Group 35
28 Children's Society 35
29 Christian Aid 35
30 Flower Arrangers 36
31 Round Tower 36
32 Monthly Coffee Morning 37 
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St. Mary with St. Leonard

Church Green, Broomfield, Chelmsford

Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2020

1. Administrative Information

St. Mary with St. Leonard is part of the Diocese of Chelmsford, within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Vicarage, 10 Butlers Close, Chelmsford, CM1 7BE.

As from 23[rd] May 2017 St. Mary’s PCC became a charity in its own right under the title “The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Mary with St. Leonard, Broomfield” with the charity number of 1173143.

PCC members who have served from 1 January 2020 are:

Incumbent: Rev’d. Carolyn Tibbott (Chair) Associate Priests: Rev’d. Anne Harvey (Until August 2020) Rev’d. Diana Garfield (Curate until Licensed as Associate Priest on 20[th] December 2020) Curates: Rev’d. Julie Hardy (Until March 2020) Wardens: Peter Baker (Until March 2020) Susan Garwood (Elected March 2020) (Vice Chair) Mike Harvey (Until March 2020) Michael Jones (Assistant Warden until March 2020) Representatives on the Ros Mercer Deanery Synod: Kathy Rouse (NCMMP Representative) Jill Readings ( Lay Co-Chair from December 2020 ) Other PCC members: Sue Browning Rachel Butterworth Sarah Clark (Press Officer) Lis Hardy (Parish Safeguarding Representative) Carol Knott (Hon. Secretary) Alun Powell (Hon. Treasurer) Trudy Stevens (Minutes Secretary) Jim Tibbott Geof Garwood (Elected March 2020) Karen Paxton (Elected March 2020) Yvonne Heaver (Elected March 2020) Andy Mussell (Co-opted onto PCC September 2020) 

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2. Structure, governance and management

The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and may stand for election to the PCC. St. Mary with St. Leonard's Church gained independent Charity Status in 2017 resulting in all PCC members becoming Trustees. Charity Status in 2017: Charity No.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including deciding how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.

The PCC has a Standing Committee to progress decisions agreed by the PCC. There is a funding group responsible for reporting back to the PCC and referring to it for any decisions that need to be approved: the Funding Group is a small group of people that focuses on fund raising and applying for grants for repairs to the organ and spire composed of Rev’d. Diana Garfield, Alun Powell, Sue Browning, Rachel Butterworth and Trudy Stevens.

The date for the organ to be fully re-leathered and cleaned is now booked in for Jan-March 2022 and will require over £30,000. So far we have raised nearly £18,000.

The spire needs to be re-shingled with woodpecker-proof hardwood shingles and the weather vane repaired and replaced. This work is yet to be scheduled and will cost in the region of £180,000. We were able to allow a specialist into the tower in May to examine the Rosemary Rutherford fresco and they have provided an in-depth report. It notes that the fresco is of considerable significance and has many distinguishing features including: a) the technical quality of the fresco (given the technique used rarely proved successful elsewhere); and b) it is a good example of the post-war art movement and experimental art. The report states that whilst the fresco is in good condition, there is evidence of damage from moisture due to: the state of the roof and lack of guttering; the condition of the pointing on the tower walls; and repairs required to the drainage. The fresco needs cleaning and the fee proposal for this is more than £6,000+VAT. The report will be included in the application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funds towards the repairs needed to the tower and maintenance of the fresco. Our spire fund now stands at nearly £70,000, boosted by £50,000 allocated to the fund from a significant bequest received in 2020. Although we have not been able to have any more People & Stone talks, we have sold a few booklets from past talks by advertising both within and beyond the Church community. We applied for and were granted funds from the Essex Heritage Trust to pay for maps to be drawn to complete the volume on the Saxon Princely Burial and to add ISBN numbers to the series so that they can be sold by other outlets. Having run out of copies, 'Church Materials - A Deep History in Walls' is being reprinted, now with an ISBN. All proceeds of sales go to the Spire Fund. An update from the Funding Group is included within the Financial Report.

The full PCC met six times during the year, the meetings between June and December 2020 were held via Zoom, as we were unable to meet in person due to Covid restrictions, with an average level of attendance of 87%; an increase of 24% on 2019. The Standing Committee met on four occasions, again via Zoom between June and November 2020.

During 2020 the majority of PCC time was spent discussing and making decisions on: how we could continue to serve the community whilst adhering to Church of England guidelines and Government legislation and guidance on Covid-19 restrictions and ensuring that St Mary’s remained Covid-safe; finances; ensuring compliance with regulations and guidance from the Diocese; making decisions on repairs and maintenance of the church building and grounds; and funding for the works required to the organ and spire. 

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3. Aims and purposes

St. Mary with St. Leonard's PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Rev’d. Carolyn Tibbott, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of St. Mary's Church; St. Leonard’s Hall attached to the Church; and Broomfield Churchyard.

4. Objectives and activities

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St. Mary’s. The PCC maintains an overview of worship and contributes to discussions on how our services, groups and activities can involve and meet the needs of the diverse groups of people that live within our parish. We are always looking for new opportunities to worship God and build fellowship in this Church.

In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the church of St. Mary’s and its associated buildings and land.

The groups and activities usually undertaken at St Mary’s were all affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, innovative ways were sought to continue offering worship, prayer, pastoral support and to maintain our church fellowship despite the challenges. This Annual Review is a little shorter than in previous years, as some of our groups have not been able to be as active. However, the following reports demonstrate what was achieved.

5. Achievements and performance

Worship and prayer

Up until the first lockdown in March 2020 St. Mary’s offered a range of services on a Sunday: early morning service at 8am for Holy Communion; and then a 10.30am service which included Holy Eucharist, with the first Sunday of the month being a Family Service; and Evening Prayer at 5.30pm. If any member of the congregation wished to speak to a member of the clergy for personal prayer, this was offered in the Lady Chapel immediately following the 10.30am service.

Because of the restrictions imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, new ways to worship, share faith and support one another were developed and we discovered new ways of being church, by phone, by email and online video. During the first lockdown, when the church building was closed, Rev’d. Carolyn, Rev’d. Anne and Rev’d. Diana got to grips with live-streaming via Facebook from their homes and the videos were made available on St Mary’s website. The ministry team provided online spiritual communion, daily morning prayer and the Book of Common Prayer for evening prayer. Throughout the pandemic Rev’d. Carolyn sent a weekly email to all those on the Electoral Roll and encouraged people to forward the email or pass the information on to anyone else they thought might find it useful. The email included updates and information about when the church would be open for private prayer or public services; details of what was being added to our Facebook page and website; and colouring sheets for families. In her emails she encouraged anybody in need of prayer, or just a friendly chat over the phone, to get in touch. Church opening times were also published in the Broomfield Times and the Round Tower parish magazine. 

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At the start of the outbreak Rev’d. Carolyn and Rev’d. Diana pulled together a list of those in need of pastoral care, those who live alone, and those without internet access and Diana set up a cascade telephone support group to keep in touch with them. We have some wonderful Pastoral Assistants who offered to be part of this group and others who offered help with shopping or collection of prescriptions etc.

Rev’d. Carolyn also started a WhatsApp group for daily prayer needs which people could sign up to either by emailing or sending a text to the duty phone. For others who only use text messaging on their phones, Carolyn sent messages regularly. For anybody needing the Ministry to pray for them, or someone else, they could just send an email to Rev’d. Carolyn or send a text message to the duty phone.

We usually have two bible classes weekly, one held in house and the other in St. Leonard’s Committee Room, both on Wednesdays. The Wednesday group run by Rev’d. Diana moved online using Zoom. Rev’d. Carolyn led Bible Study for parents with children on a Tuesday morning once a fortnight also via Zoom.

We usually include in this report statistics on average Sunday attendance during the year and numbers attending Advent services. These kinds of statistics cannot really be applied to the situation during 2020 when so much of our worship took place online and, when public worship could take place, the number of attendees had to be restricted. However, when public services have been allowed to run they have been well attended and, on occasion, we have had to tell people bookings were full and given them priority to book on the following week’s Sunday service. Our online services have been well used.

The estimated number of people in our ‘worshipping community’ as at the end of 2020 was as follows (the numbers in brackets show the figures as at 2019, for comparison): Total 172 (203); Children age 0-10 yrs: 22 (28); young people age 11-17 yrs: 4 (5); Adults aged 18-69 yrs: 55 (71); and adults age 70+: 92 (99).

Ecumenical relationships

St. Mary’s is one of 11 churches in the North Chelmsford Mission & Ministry Partnership (NCMMP). The aim of the MMP is to enable churches within the unit to work together, share resources and support one another and there are a number of networking groups. More about the NCMMP is contained in the North Chelmsford Mission & Ministry Report included later in this Annual Review.

St. Mary’s also has a Covenant with Broomfield Methodist Church with whom it would usually share some ministry and meet with about three times a year to plan our work together. The Lutheran Church usually would hold some worship at St. Mary’s.

The Chelmsford Diocese have a Youth Synod and Gracie who attends our church continues to represent the churches in this area on it. Gracie, along with 13 other young people from across the Bradwell Diocese, took part in a meeting with the prime ministers’ Advisors of Bishops to help decide the new Bishop of Chelmsford. She said of it “The meeting was very enjoyable and I felt that our opinions were valued…”. Gracie also attended another Zoom meeting where they talked about the Covid-19 response and what churches could be offering children. 

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Mission and evangelism

Our aim as a Christian Church in this community is to make Christ’s love known to everyone. We enable this through teaching, worship, bible study and discipleship groups; through baptisms; services and groups for parents with babies and young children; and through groups that give opportunities for fellowship for young and older people alike.

Our fellowship groups were severely affected by the restrictions on people meeting in groups during 2020. However, groups that usually regularly meet at St. Mary’s, and who hope to again once restrictions are lifted, are: St. Mary’s Ladies Group which was meeting on the third Thursday of the month at 7.30pm; the Film & Lunch Club on the first Monday of the month; Lunch & Laughter on the third Monday in the month; and Beetle Drives. All the meetings, when they are running, are listed in the Round Tower magazine and on the church website. Reports on the activities of some of these groups and how they have responded to the challenges this year are contained later in this Annual Review.

Two Lent Bible Study series were offered again in 2020, an afternoon and an evening one. The Lent film-based evening course was planned to run over a course of 6 weeks, co-led by Rev’d. Anne and Trudy Stevens. It was entitled “From Now On” and took the film The Greatest Showman as its starting point. They managed to hold three sessions, the first to watch the film and eat popcorn then two to consider some of the issues raised, before lockdown set in. Similarly, only the first two weeks of the lent course undertaken by the Wednesday morning Bible Study Group could be completed.

With respect to St. Mary’s work with children, families and young people, when there were no Covid restrictions a child-friendly area was available at the front of the church so that children could play while attending church with their family; and on the first Sunday of the month the 10:30am service was a family service. On the second or third Sunday of the month ‘Sunday Specials’ were being run: an afternoon family service in the hall aimed at 5-11 year olds and based on a ‘Messy Church’ style. During the pandemic Fun Faith worksheets and colouring sheets were provided in Rev’d. Carolyn’s weekly ‘Epistles’ email. Our Friends with Faith group caters for parents and carers of children of all ages and a report from this group is included later in this review. The Little Lambs group, which was being run in the hall every Thursday morning, hopes to welcome back babies and toddlers with their parents, grandparents or carers, for play and friendship as soon as permission is given. Margaret Deacon who organises the group has spoken to a few parents through the past months and they look forward to joining us as soon as possible. The Puppet Crew were meeting on Wednesday evenings at 7pm and performing at Sunday Specials and other selected services. Since Christingle 2020 the puppets have had no chance to perform. They were all prepared for Mothering Sunday but unfortunately that is when the first lockdown was put in place. Let’s hope they can perform for Mothering Sunday 2022. Eve and Rhian have now gone on to further their education at University but keep in contact and still hope to help out if available and when the Puppets are able to return. It is a joy to have children worshipping with us and we aim to find ways to teach our children the Christian Faith.

Review of the year

In terms of variety of services and social events, 2020 was a most unusual year.

Worship :

On 5[th] January the Epiphany Family Service was a joyous occasion with hymns, stories, prayers and puppets; as was the Christingle Family Service held on 2[nd] February.

Little did we know at the time, but 15[th] March saw the last public services performed before all public worship was suspended at the start of the first lockdown. This was also Rev’d. Julie’s last service with us before she left us to take up her first post of responsibility. Fortunately, as it turned out, this also was the day our APCM was held; 47 people attended, a decrease of 1 compared to the previous year. 

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On 17[th] March we received the news from the Church of England website that in light of the Government guidance around non-essential contact, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York had issued advice that public worship be suspended until further notice. So, on 18[th] March a poster was put on the church door giving notice of the suspension of services; it provided details of St Mary’s website, our Facebook Page, a telephone number and email address and encouraged people to get in touch if they needed any support. It also gave assurance that we would continue to pray for those who are afraid, those who are unwell, those who are self- isolating and our NHS and frontline staff caring for them.

The clergy and PCC were busy working out how we could safely continue to open the church for private prayer when on Sunday evening, March 22[nd] , Bishop Stephen sent a letter to all Chelmsford churches advising not to open the church for private prayer.

Whilst the church was closed, the ministry team said the Eucharist from their homes on Sunday mornings, and uploaded a video to our website and Facebook page with a hymn, a Gospel reading, a homily, intercessions and the virtual Eucharist. Rev’d. Carolyn uploaded videos of Morning and Evening Prayer daily and was able to live-stream them a few days a week too. In weekly emails (Epistles) sent to all those on the Electoral Roll, Rev’d. Carolyn encouraged people to continue to join us in worship through our website and Facebook page and provided links to these and to other opportunities to join in online worship with others around the Diocese. Bags were delivered to all those who did not have access to the internet, which included a hymn book, Book of Common Prayer and Seasonal Orders of Service which would usually be used on Sundays.

Holy week and Easter worship was provided online: at 10.30am on Palm Sunday; Holy Week Reflections at 7.30pm Monday-Thursday and 2pm on Good Friday; and at 10.30am on Easter Day. Printed material was made available for anyone without online access. In her weekly E-pistle, Rev’d. Carolyn encouraged all to stand on their doorsteps at 10am on Easter Sunday morning and sing one of the great anthems of Easter – links to two hymns were provided. A basket of Easter eggs was also put under the cross by the front door of the church for children and others to take one if they were passing through the churchyard on their daily exercise.

During Christian Aid week in May, there were no door-to-door collections, however there was an opportunity to donate via a JustGiving page and details were included in Rev’d. Carolyn’s weekly email and a link on our Facebook page.

From 15[th] June places of worship were allowed to open for private, individual prayer. The advice from the Church of England and the Bishop of Chelmsford was that churches could only open when able to provide a clean and safe environment for people to come into church. Plans and challenges were discussed with the PCC. It was decided that we could not safely open immediately: there were not enough volunteers who were not shielding or in a vulnerable group for us to be able to comply with the insurance policy requirement of ensuring there are two people in the building when it is open; the church needed to be deep cleaned and aired; and risk assessments would have to be completed in accordance with legislation and the guidelines issued by the Church of England. Online worship and prayer continued.

Risk assessments were completed and seating marked out to ensure a 2m distance between people and the floor marked out with a one-way system. A booking system was devised as the maximum number of people allowed to be present was restricted to 29, in order to be Covid-safe; face coverings and hand sanitiser were purchased. So, from 8[th] July the church was opened for private prayer once a week, by appointment only in order that contact details of all who attended could be kept (for 21 days) for test and trace purposes. A privacy notice was provided and permission sought to keep these records. 

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A Songs of Praise service on the Green was due to be held in July but sadly could not take place.

On 12[th] July the first public morning worship service in church since lockdown began was held at 9am, the service was also live-streamed. Again, attendees were asked to book in advance in order to manage capacity. No bellringing, no singing and no choir were permissible. However, our organ could be played. Doors remained open to allow ventilation, hand sanitiser and face coverings were provided, cushions and kneelers removed. No refreshments could be provided. At this time it was felt that offering Eucharist was not wise as moving people around the building and distributing bread might be problematic. Therefore, Spiritual Communion continued to be offered online. Services continued to be live-streamed via Facebook and videos added to the website along with morning and evening prayer.

26[th] July was the last service led by Rev’d. Anne Harvey before she and Mike moved to Scotland in August.

On 30[th] August, Bishop John presided at the first Eucharist service since lock down in our church. During the service Andy and Maxine were Confirmed and Christine Received into the Church of England.

The pattern of opening once mid-week for private prayer; holding a public morning worship service on Sunday mornings (allowing 72 hours between openings); plus a 10.30am Eucharist and Homily online; and 5.30pm Evening Prayer online on a Sunday, was continued from mid-July through to the end of September.

At the end of September, the PCC met and it was felt the time was right to return to Eucharistic worship. A Risk Assessment was undertaken for safely conducting Eucharistic worship, with participants receiving the bread only. Thus, from 4[th] October, a said Eucharist service was offered at 9.30am on Sundays in church and, because numbers were still limited to a maximum of 29 people, a Eucharist each Wednesday at 10am in church. Our Sunday morning service continued to be live-streamed via Facebook and 5.30pm Evening Prayer online. The church was opened for private prayer twice during October.

This year’s Harvest Festival service was live-streamed and the church porch left open for food donations on several occasions. The week produced a huge collection of items which were taken to the Foodbank.

The Bereavement service was, by necessity, different this year. Details were advertised in the Broomfield Times, online and in our own parish magazine, asking people to send in the names of loved ones they wished to be remembered, especially those who had died during the pandemic. Then, livestreamed from church on 1[st] November, Rev’d. Carolyn and Rev’d. Diana attended church on their own to read out the names and light a candle in memory of each one.

From 5[th] November, public services were again not permissible during a further period of lockdown and the church could only open for private prayer. Live-streaming from church had to be curtailed and Rev’d. Carolyn and Rev’d. Diana were back to videoing worship from their homes. So, sadly our Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day services were not possible this year. However, Rev’d. Carolyn live-streamed a short memorial, including a 2-minute silence, from the church on Remembrance Sunday and people were able to lay wreaths throughout the day. She was also present at the war memorial on Church Green on Armistice Day, including playing a recording of the Last Post and a 2- minute silence. Unfortunately, no formal invitations for others to attend could be issued.

Advent Reflections using Zoom meetings were offered every Monday evening from 30[th] November to 21[st] December for a quiet hour of led prayer and reflection, however, there were an insufficient number of people expressing an interest for these to go ahead. 

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On 6[th] December, we were able to hold public worship in church once again and returned to our pattern of a 9.30am Sunday and a 10am Wednesday Eucharist services. And, following the success of the first Zoom coffee morning, these were continued at 10.30am after the Sunday services.

Rev’d. Carolyn was asked if she could provide a Holy Communion Service by Zoom, which she was happy to do and the first of these was held on Thursday10[th] December at 7pm.

Then the announcement came on Saturday 19[th] December that Essex was going into Tier 4 restrictions due to a virulent new strain of the Coronavirus and we were advised by the Diocese to take all worship on-line with immediate effect. This meant contacting everyone who had booked to attend the planned Village Christmas Services “Story, Poetry and Music” that were going to be held over that weekend. Rev’d. Carolyn uploaded our Carol Service to the Website for a 2pm start on Saturday the 19[th] for people to sing along at home and the Order of Service made available to download. Archdeacon Elizabeth still came to St. Mary’s to License Diana as Associate Priest on the 20[th] of December, although no congregation could attend, so the service was live-streamed via Facebook.

The Nativity window at St. Mary’s was lit from 3pm on Christmas Eve for people to enjoy from the footpath as they passed by. The First Communion of Christmas was made available online from 6pm and Rev’d Carolyn put a link on our website and Facebook page to Chelmsford Cathedral’s Midnight Mass service online. On 23[rd] and 24[th] December Rev’d. Carolyn spent time telephoning 48 members of our congregation. On Christmas Morning at 9.30am there was a Zoom Family service with nativity story and prayers and time to chat and show one another gifts; people could also join by phone.

Social events:

The year started well for social events, with a ladies sing along film night on 18[th] January. There was a festival music concert held on 29[th] February. Then of course things got tricky!

We had already decided not to hold the May Fayre on the Green this year, just as well in hindsight as it would not have been able to go ahead.

In November Rev’d. Carolyn managed to get some Holy Pumpkins ready, thanks to Heidi for her amazing handiwork, to put in the churchyard as part of the Broomfield Pumpkin Trail.

After the success of the first Zoom coffee morning following the service on Sunday 29[th] November, these continued to be held at 10.30am giving a people a chance to join in after the 9.30am Sunday morning services.

Our Broomfield Village Advent Window Trail was launched on Tuesday 1[st] December. 23 homes and businesses volunteered to decorate and light a window, on a nativity theme, so every day until Christmas Eve a new window opened. The address of each window was put up on our website each day and on Facebook. Each window was lit in time for children coming home from school and continued to be lit every evening throughout Advent. The idea was that anyone could walk the trail either as December progressed, or wait until they were all open and follow the complete trail all in one go. The Nativity Window in church, which can be seen from the path in the churchyard, was lit up on Christmas Eve as the final stop. It had been planned that between 4pm and 6pm in the Churchyard there would be Christmas Carols playing and children could receive a gift at the end of the trail. Unfortunately, following the Tier 4 announcement, we were advised not do anything that might encourage a crowd. Therefore, the Nativity window was still lit from 3pm to 9pm on Christmas Eve, but we could not play carols or give out gifts. Feedback shows that the Advent Window Trail was an immense success and well received. 

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St. Mary's continued to support various charities: collection of empty crisp packets, printer cartridges and other items for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association continued with items being dropped off at Glynis’ door instead of at church; at least 28 shoebox donations (those we know about) were made online for Operation Christmas Child; £200 in total sent to Little Haven Hospice for Children; and a cheque for £130 was sent to the Angel Tree project for them to purchase and send gifts to the families of those in prison in Chelmsford. Regular deliveries of food donations were being made to St. Andrew’s for the Foodbank prior to the pandemic and we shall alert people with an advert in the parish magazine when we are able to resume; thanks go to Sheila Hasler and Margaret Pinkerton for taking on this work.

As a PCC we are very pleased to be able to support the Clergy. We thank all the Ministry team for their hard work and dedication in providing worship and support during what has been a very difficult year; we appreciate it involved a lot of learning, getting to grips with technology and much creative thinking! And we thank the Pastoral Assistants who continued to support people, especially those living alone, or without internet access, to help alleviate isolation.

The PCC is very grateful to all the committed volunteers who continue to work tirelessly in the background. The Churchyard Working Party continued to maintain our churchyard to a high standard throughout, even using their one hour of outdoor exercise allowed during the first lockdown to mow and weed and trim. The churchyard is an outdoor space much valued by the community, even more so during times of lockdown. We thank David Marcus and all the working party, which consists of members of the congregation and the wider community, for all their hard work.

We thank our Church Wardens and Treasurer for all their consistent hard work. Peter Baker, who served as Church Warden for many, many years and Michael Jones who served as Assistant Church Warden both stepped down in March. Peter’s retirement from office was recognised officially at the Vestry Meeting and APCM in 2020 and most sincere thanks go to him for all his support and hard work over the years. Mike Harvey left us in August when he and Anne moved to Scotland and, although his time as Church Warden was brief, he achieved a lot and will be much missed as a Church Warden. Thanks also go to Susan Garwood our incoming Church Warden; we continue to seek another Church Warden to share the work and we pray someone steps forward. We thank all our Ministry team and particularly Rev’d. Carolyn Tibbott for all her support and guidance throughout a remarkable and tiring year and for her unending optimistic outlook!

Carol Knott

Hon. Secretary to the PCC 

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Financial Report

Summary

Although the Parish posted a very healthy surplus of £91,346.85 in 2020, well ahead of the 2019 surplus of £28,093.26, this was entirely the result of the second tranche of the bequest which was made to St. Mary’s in 2019. Without that £140,000 gift in 2020 the Parish would have been in a substantial deficit with income badly affected by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Overall, the pandemic meant that revenue in 2020, other than the bequest, was £33,000 lower than in 2019.

Unrestricted funds

Income

Planned giving via both standing order and the envelope scheme held up well during the year in spite of the succession of lockdowns. For the latter, a significant number of our congregation made a conscious effort to send cheques or transfer funds directly to our bank account. We are most grateful to all our planned givers who ensured that their regular giving was maintained in very trying circumstances. In the event, planned giving raised £38,103.50 in 2020 only marginally lower than the £40,325.73 recorded in 2019.

Inevitably, however, loose collections at services fell sharply. Our income from this source stood at just £925.46 in 2020 compared with £6,518.67 the previous year. Net fee income at £8,032.99 was also much weaker. Income from this source stood at £13,150.25 in 2019. We had agreed to not having a May Fayre in 2020 but as it turned out there was no opportunity to run any fund raising at all. Money raising for the general fund amounted to £5,102.35 in 2019 but just £546.59 in 2020, some of which was a carryover from 2019. Similarly, donations to the general fund were weak, amounting to £2,078.44 compared with £8,270.66 in 2019. Investment income totalled £351.26 in 2020 down from £480.75 as interest rates on investments weakened. The level of tax recovered on planned giving, donations and small gifts reflected the lower income stream, dropping to £10,174.23 from £12,308.09 in 2019.

The PCC decided that the £140,000 bequest payment be split with £90,000 going to the general fund and £50,000 allocated to the Spire Fund. As a result, even after the weakness in income referred to above, overall unrestricted income for the year stood at £154,008.87 up from £114,767.29 in 2019.

Expenditure

The major item of expenditure was the Parish Share. Before the Diocese changed to measuring parish share in terms of the ‘ministry costs’ which each parish is estimated to incur, St. Mary’s always (certainly over the last thirty years) paid what we were asked for in full and took pride in doing so. Since the system changed a few years ago, however, (arguably a fairer way of allocating costs) we had consistently failed to do so. For Broomfield, the new method of calculation meant a substantially higher target payment.

Paying less than our estimated cost of ministry means that we have been subsidised by other parishes. Within the North Chelmsford Mission and Ministry Partnership that subsidy has notably been provided by All Saints Springfield which has paid well above its share. For a relatively wealthy parish like ours it cannot be right that we rely on others to subsidise us and our aim as a PCC has been to pay our share in full. The proposed reduction in clergy numbers within the Diocese raises a second reason for paying our share in full. If we want to retain a full-time priest in Broomfield, we need to show that we are a viable parish not only spiritually but also financially.

The initial aim was to move closer to that higher figure over time by increasing our payments faster than the increase in the target. The bequest, however, allowed us to pay our full share of £77,269.50 in 2020. 

12

Elsewhere, the closure of the church building through much of 2020 meant that the cost of utilities fell to £3,221.70, from £3,617.85 in 2019. The cost of insurance for the building and hall amounted to £3,184.28 marginally lower than the £3,269.66 recorded in 2019.

Spending on the maintenance of the churchyard amounted to £6,410.79 for the year well up on the £1,689.34 spent in 2019. Within the total, work on a number of trees amounted to £1,938, maintenance of the churchyard extension cost £1,380, spending on the main churchyard was £609.36 and the installation of the water catchment system £1,750. In addition, the general fund contributed towards the new signage in the extension.

Repairs to, and maintenance of, the building amounted to £9,346.20, up from £4,513.85. Expenditure included £3,700 on decorating the hall complex and vestry, £2,350 on new chairs and nearly £2,000 on a report on the tower fresco. Other church running costs totalled £3,870.98 compared with £2,658.04 in 2019.

In total, expenditure out of the general fund amounted to £109,724.47 leaving a surplus of £44,284.40.

Restricted funds

Organ Fund

At the beginning of 2020, the organ fund totalled £17,127.88. Donations during the year added £827.04 leaving the fund in surplus at the end of the year by £17,954.92. A further £5,000 grant has been promised from the Walter Farthing Trust. Preparation of a faculty for the renovation which is pencilled in for early 2022 is now underway and should pave the way for grant applications to be made in 2021.

Spire Fund

At the beginning of 2020 the spire fund stood at £20,041.52. Donations to the fund during the year amounted to £2,153.42, money raising schemes raised £444.05 and a further £50,000 was allocated to the fund from the £140,000 bequest received towards the end of the year. Expenditure out of the fund to our architect and a structural engineer totalled £5,635.92. At end year there was a total of £67,003.07 in the spire fund. A further £10,000 has been promised from a local charitable fund for the construction phase of the work. A budget guide quotation has been received which estimates that the work needed will be of the order of £150,000 plus VAT. The pandemic was instrumental in some grant making bodies closing their books to normal applicants to favour applicants suffering from the pandemic, but it is hoped that 2021 will be more favourable.

Churchyard Extension Fund

There was £2,108.17 in this fund at the beginning of the year. Expenditure on the new extension totalled £2,841.60, with new signage costing £822.00 and fencing costing £2,019.60, the overspend of £733.43 being met out of general funds.

Other Funds

During the year, it was agreed that, for the foreseeable future, Broomfield would hold the North Chelmsford Ministry and Mission Partnership’s Coordinator Fund which currently amounts to £1,467.99. There was no movement in the stained glass window fund; the cremated remains area fund; and the sound system fund. Payments totalling £45 were made out of the North Chelmsford Mission and Ministry Partnership Fund. The amalgamation of the Chelmsford Deaneries mean that the Deanery Synod Fund monies will be transferred to the newly formed Chelmsford Deanery in 2021. Details of the charities supported in 2020 can be found below. As with everything else in the past year, the pandemic has left its mark. Door-to-door collections, coffee mornings, box collections, collections during church services all suffered. It is to be hoped that, in the circumstances, individuals made their own arrangements for charitable donations. 

13

Outlook

The pandemic will continue to affect the parish’s finances in 2021. Although the vaccination process is now in place and progressing well, it is unlikely that anything approaching normality will be seen until the second half of the year. For St. Mary’s that will mean further pressure on income for at least the first six months. A third tranche of the bequest announced in 2019 is expected in early 2021 but will be unlikely to be more than £10,000 and certainly not enough to offset the expected weakness elsewhere.

To the extent that there were a number of one-off outlays in 2020 such as the re-decoration of the vestry and the St. Leonard’s hall complex and a new set of chairs, overall general expenditure should be lower in 2021 than in 2020 (with the proviso, of course, that there are no unexpected bills to meet). It will not, however, see a sufficient fall to allow us to balance the books and my estimate is that, unless we make a concerted effort to improve our income flow, we will record a deficit in 2021 of £8-12,000.

We are extremely grateful to all our parishioners who supported the church in Broomfield financially during a very difficult year, especially through maintaining their planned giving. As a congregation we are generous. This year, however, will be financially as difficult as the last one. Please maintain your generosity.

Alun Powell Honorary Treasurer

14

Parochial Church Council of St. Mary with St. Leonard, Broomfield

Financial Statements for the Year ended 31 December 2020

Receipts and Payments Account

Receipts and Payments Account
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Note Funds Funds 2020 2019
£ £ £ £
RECEIPTS
Voluntary receipts
Planned giving 38,103.50 38,103.50 40,325.73
Collections at services 925.46 925.46 6,518.67
All other voluntary giving 4a 92,078.44 52,975.46 145,053.90 58,887.90
Gift Aid recovered 10,174.23 10,174.23 12,308.09
Activities for generating funds 4b 1,296.59 449.05 1,745.64 11,195.25
Investment income 4c 351.26 351.26 480.75
Church activities 4d 11,079.39 11,079.39 15,711.04
Charitable income 509.04 509.04 4,102.62
Deanery Synod & NCMMP 1,467.99 1,467.99 0.00
Total receipts 154,008.87 55,401.54 209,410.41 149,530.05
PAYMENTS
Church activities
Diocesan parish contribution 77,269.50 77,269.50 71,315.00
Clergy and staffing costs 1,391.62 1,391.62 2,627.98
Church running expenses 4e 31,063.35 7,744.09 38,807.44 41,712.93
Charitable giving 4f 550.00 550.00 4,139.29
Costs of generating funds 1,506.59
Deanery Synod & NCMMP 45.00 45.00 135.00
Total payments 109,724.47 8,339.09 118,063.56 121,436.79
Excess of receipts over payments 44,284.40 47,062.45 91,346.85 28,093.26
Cash at bank and in hand at 1 January 82,533.80 52,216.17 134,749.97 106,656.71
Cash at bank and in hand at 31 December 126,818.20 99,278.62 226,096.82 134,749.97 
15

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

Cash funds
Bank current account
CCLA deposits
Other cash and deposits
Investment assets
Tithe Chancel Fund
J Gyne Foundation
Total monetary assets		 Unrestricted
funds
£
67,321.50
58,811.42
685.28
126,818.20
126,818.20		 Restricted
funds
£
99,278.62
99,278.62
8,879.81
1,823.37
10,703.18
109,981.80		 Total
2020
£
67,321.50
158,090.04
685.28
226,096.82
8,879.81
1,823.37
10,703.18
236,800.00		 Total
2019
£
76,688.34
57,789.86
271.77
134,749.97
8,066.74
1,706.05
9,772.79
144,522.76
Balance
b/fwd		 Receipts Transfer Payments
Balance
c/fwd
Organ Fund 17,127.88 827.04 17,954.92
Spire Fund 20,041.52 2,597.47 50,000.00 5,635.92 67,003.07
Stained Glass
Window Fund		 12,500.00 12,500.00
Churchyard
Extension Fund		 2,108.17 2,108.17
Cremated Remains
Area Fund		 24.74 24.74
Sound System Fund 58.37 58.37
Charity Fund 48.16 509.04 550.00 7.20
Deanery Fund 200.41 200.41
North Chelmsford MMP
Coordinator Fund		 1,467.99 1,467.99
North Chelmsford MMP 106.92 45.00 61.92

52,216.17 5,401.54 **50,000.00 ** 8,339.09 99,278.62 
16

(4) Further Analysis of Receipt and Payments Accounts

Receipts
a) All other voluntary giving
Donations
Legacies
b) Activities for generating funds
Parish Magazine - advertising
May Fayre
Christmas
Other
c) Investment income
Dividends
Interest
d) Church activities
Fees for weddings, funerals etc
Parish Magazine - sales
Other
Payments
e) Church running expenses
Music
Cost of services (utilities)
Cost of services (insurance)
Printing & stationery
Church building running expenses
Parish Magazine - printing costs
Church repairs & maintenance
Churchyard
Other
f) Charitable giving
Children's Society
Christian Aid
CHESS
Angel Trees
Little Haven
RBL Poppy Appeal
Kids Inspire
Sanctus
Expenses		 Unrestricted
Funds
£
2,078.44
90,000.00
92,078.44
750.00
17.52
529.07
1,296.59
351.26
351.26
8,032.99
995.40
2,051.00
11,079.39
1,651.84
3,221.70
3,184.28
205.33
3,870.98
1,189.23
9,346.20
6,410.79
1,983.00
31,063.75		 Restricted
Funds
£
2,980.46
50,000.00
52,975.46
449.05
449.05
5,635.92
2,108.17
7,744.09
200.00
20.00
130.00
200.00
550.00		 Total
2020
£
5,058.90
140,000.00
145,053.90
750.00
17.52
978.12
1,745.64
351.26
351.26
8,032.99
995.40
2,051.00
11,079.39
1,651.84
3,221.70
3,184.28
205.33
3,870.98
1,189.23
14,982.12
8,518.96
1,983.00
38,807.44
200.00
20.00
130.00
200.00
550.0		 Total
2019
£
13,887.90
45,000.00
58,887.90
1,050.00
2,940.28
871.03
6,333.94
11,195.25
480.75
480.75
13,150.25
1,121.25
1,439.54
15,711.04
2,409.24
3,617.85
3,269.66
110.70
2,658.04
1,597.28
10,657.49
15,937.17
1,455.50
41,712.93
767.94
2,277.88
500.00
273.23
185.30
105.10
29.84
4,139.29 
17

Approved by the PCC on 4th February 2021.

Signed

Rev’d. C A Tibbott PCC Chairman

Mrs C Knott PCC Secretary 

18

Independent examiner’s report to the Trustees of the Parochial Church Council of St. Mary with St. Leonard, Broomfield

I report on the accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2020, which are set out on pages 12 to 18.

Respective Responsibilities of the Trustees and Examiner

The Church’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for the 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 Statement.

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 trustees 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 statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(Signed) 

19

VICAR'S REPORT

What a strange year 2020 turned out to be! I am sure that throughout the long history of Broomfield Parish Church, there has been many such times, when the work and the worship of the people of faith in Broomfield had to find creative ways to make God known to the people here. This won’t be the first time the body of Christ in this place will have faced a plague, as the churchyard history attests to! However, living through a pandemic in an age of highly functioning technology has brought with it many challenges, as well as opportunities. As always, whether our buildings are closed or open, the work of bringing people the good news of the Gospel, pastoral care, and sharing the love of God continues unabated. We just all needed to adapt.

We were one of the fortunate churches locally, who had planned an early APCM, so we had our officers in place and our PCC was settled, fresh and ready to get cracking. After more than 30 years in office, Peter Baker had stepped down as our Church Warden and Susan Garwood was appointed to the role. The first lockdown was imposed upon us within a week of our APCM, but our PCC responded well and I must say that I have been very well supported throughout, with the many changes and challenges which we faced. Since March we have functioned via email in the first instance, then with meetings using Zoom as a platform for our meetings.

Of course, one of the first changes we experienced was that Rev’d. Julie Hardy left the parish to take up her first post of responsibility as Priest in Charge of St. Paul’s Bentley Common, St. Nicholas’ Kelvedon Hatch and St. Thomas Navestock. Of course, we had to cancel the farewell lunch we had planned for her, and although a coach was booked for us to attend her licensing on the 30[th] of March, that had to be cancelled too. Rev’d. Julie’s licensing did go ahead with Bishop John in an empty church. I am in touch with Rev’d. Julie and, as you would expect, she has rolled up her sleeves and is doing a fantastic job in her new role. We are still awaiting a time when we can see her in her new parish and celebrate her time with us and the Incumbent priest that she has become.

Then in August Rev’d. Anne Harvey and Mike Harvey moved to Scotland to begin their retirement in a new phase of their life, in that new place. Both Anne as Associate Priest and Mike as Church Warden, had been constants during my time in ministry here and I miss their company and their guidance, especially during these most difficult of times. We are in touch though, and I know they are enjoying their new life in Scotland.

Almost as soon as the first Lockdown was announced in March Rev’d. Diana set up a cascade telephone support group, encouraging those who usually held a ministry of pastoral care to work in a different way. All of our pastoral carers now have a list of people who they call regularly and I thank Diana for her foresight in setting this system up so quickly and in supporting those who undertake this work. Throughout Diana has continued in leading worship, getting to grips with the technology required all whilst completing her final Curate’s year. On the 20[th] of December, in an empty church, she was licensed, by Archdeacon Elizabeth, as Associate Priest to Broomfield. Rev’d. Diana and I continue to work together to ensure that the Kingdom of God is made known by whatever means available amongst the people here. I am delighted to be working with her as Associate Priest and grateful for her compassionate support through a trying year.

So, as always, the ministry team is changed and transformed as we continue our work amongst you all. We have not only had to bear with these changes, but also the various other challenges of taking all of our worship online at certain times of the year, then adjusting to Covid-19 safe ways of worshipping in church, at others. As we entered the first lock down the North Chelmsford Mission and Ministry Partnership came into its own. Some of the ministers were in the ‘Shielded’ category (myself included) 

20

and so we pulled together and set up a scheme to ensure that all funerals for people across the NCMMP would be covered by one of the ministers from the group. We also set up various support groups for officers and ministers.

As you will remember my Dad died in April, whilst we were in the midst of that first lockdown and the pastoral care I received from members of our church congregation and the ministers from the MMP was profound and helped me to continue in ministry through what was an extremely difficult time personally.

Although most projects this year have been on hold, there has been some background work continuing. In the autumn the Water Catchment Feature at the end of the churchyard was completed. People no longer need to carry heavy watering cans the full length of the churchyard. God is good and as soon as the water butts were attached to the structure, we had a full week of rain, which means that they are now full and ready to use. Malcolm Taylor, once again, sourced more hedging to be planted around the new meadow, this is safely stored for the time being, until such time as the Scouts are able to meet to plant it. The new benches and posts for the natural burial of ashes area are to be installed in January 2021. These had been on order for a while, but the various lockdowns caused delays in getting them installed. We have also been able to have full structural reports on the round tower, the fresco and the organ undertaken during the year.

Due to the various lockdowns, most 2020 occasional offices were postponed. Therefore, there were only 2 infant and 1 adult baptism here in the church and we only conducted 1 wedding service, others were rearranged, only to be cancelled yet again. Our hearts go out to those whose plans have been changed. I am in touch with those who are in this situation and am offering them support in rearranging their baptisms and weddings as soon as we are able. At the end of August two of our members were Confirmed by Bishop John when he came to lead us in worship. Members of the ministry team and NCMMP officiated at 29 funerals of which 13 were held in church or, during the early lockdown at the graveside, all the others were conducted at the Crematorium. We also conducted 8 interment of ashes services in the churchyard. Pastoral care has been offered to families by telephone calls and emails. I am grateful to David Marcus and those who have helped to keep the Tuesday morning working party going throughout this year, keeping our churchyard looking wonderful as usual.

Throughout the many challenges we have faced this year Rev’d. Canon Tim Ball, our Area Dean has provided information and support. We continued our Chapters and Deanery Synod meetings via Zoom. In November we had confirmation that the North Chelmsford Deanery and South Chelmsford Deanery had been amalgamated and we are now known as the Chelmsford Deanery. I am delighted to report that Jill Readings put her name forward to be the Lay Chair of the Deanery and was appointed as such at the first meeting of the new Deanery Synod.

So 2020 has been a year full of disruption, lockdown, disappointment and loss. Yet alongside those things, we have seen a flourishing of neighbourliness and an outpouring of love and support. Our usual programmes of worship and outreach, fundraising and celebrations have had to be curtailed, yet we have experienced many different and creative ways of working, worshipping and celebrating. People have adapted and have had the opportunity to reflect on how things were, and I doubt that any of us now think that we will ever go back to what was the ‘old normal’. Out of this year of the Covid-19 pandemic, we will see God work in new and different ways. I am certain that He will continue to provide for us what we need.

Throughout this most difficult of years, both personally, and for the church, I have been comforted and encouraged by these words from the Gospel of John: 

21

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

No matter how deep our darkness, no matter what situations we are facing, no matter what ways Government decisions play havoc with our lives and ministry… we, the people of God, know that ‘the word became flesh’, Jesus, God Incarnate, lived amongst us, teaches us, guides us, heals us. We are his representatives on earth today and everything we are and do and say reminds us and those with whom we work and for whom we pray, will see that Christ’s light is one which will never be extinguished. We have to hold on to this deeply held belief that the darkness will not overcome the light which Christ’s love and joy bring to our lives.

So even now, as the uncertainty we are living through continues, always be ready my friends to shine that light, through those individual acts of loving kindness, into a world of darkness and despair. Rest on Jesus, let him transform you, let the grace of God fill you and let the power of the Holy Spirit encourage you. Most of all be people through whom the light of Christ shines every day.

with every blessing Carolyn

’ THE CHURCH WARDENS FABRIC REPORT

Buildings :

The fabric of the Church is in good order. The gutters require cleaning and those by the vestry require inspection but unfortunately it has been impossible to engage the services of a contractor owing to the periods of lockdown over the last twelve months.

Whilst we have been unable to enjoy coffee mornings and other activities in the Church Hall, it has been completely redecorated and the old chairs have been replaced with folding chairs which should prove to be more comfortable than their predecessors!

We are still suffering from invasions of bees and wasps; it has been impossible to trace their nests and points of entry.

During a recent bat inspection by the Bat Conservation Trust, Rev’d. Diana bravely climbed up inside the tower and reported that it is evident that bats still nest there. It is hoped that once the Spire is repaired the problem may be somewhat alleviated.

A report on the fresco on the wall of the ringing chamber of the tower was commissioned and applications for grants to carry out renovation are being made. 

22

Grounds :

A new Notice Board was erected at the North End of the Churchyard beside the public footpath. Fencing to the right of the path, and installation of a gate were also completed.

New benches and oak posts were installed in the new burial of ashes section of the extended churchyard area in January 2021. The erection of the new water catchment feature at the end of the churchyard has now been completed.

New saplings for the hedgerow alongside the meadow area, to replace those that withered in the heat of the summer of 2020, have been set in a trench until such time as it will be safe to have them planted by a team of volunteers. The meadow and extended churchyard area consecrated in 2019, are being maintained by a contractor.

Works were carried out to some of the trees which were causing health and safety concerns, including removal of the large Western limb of the cedar in front of the church. Such large works to trees under a TPO (Tree Preservation Order) are undertaken by qualified tree surgeons and only after inspection by a Diocesan Tree Officer, advice from tree specialists and approval from Chelmsford City Council. It is essential that such works are carried out in order to protect the graves, the families who tend them and for the safety of people walking through the churchyard.

The lych gate requires urgent repair and estimates and a schedule of works are being obtained for this work. Regrettably this may be extremely expensive but it needs to be done without delay in order to avoid further deterioration.

Profuse and grateful thanks go to the Churchyard working party for the sterling work they carry out to keep it neat and tidy. I am sure that they will welcome more volunteers to join them on a Tuesday morning.

Susan Garwood

ELECTORAL ROLL

This has been a sad and difficult year for St. Mary’s Church, in that 2 older members of the congregation who were on the Electoral Roll have died and their names have been removed, leaving a total of 129 people. Towards the end of the year two people were added to the list so the total is now 131 compared to 134 at the end of 2019.

Kathy Rouse (Electoral Roll Officer) 

23

NCMMP

St. Mary with St. Leonard Church is a member of the North Chelmsford Mission and Ministry Partnership (NCMMP) which also includes: St. Mary’s - Great Leighs; St. John’s - Little Leighs; St. John the Evangelist - Ford End; The Chignals with Mashbury; St. Mary with St. Lawrence - Great Waltham; St. Martin’s - Little Waltham; St. Augustine’s – Springfield; All Saints – Springfield; Holy Trinity – Pleshey; St. Andrew’s – Boreham; and St. Francis – Beaulieu.

The NCMMP council, comprising both Clergy and Lay members, met 3 times during 2020: In February at St. Mary’s Broomfield and twice via Zoom. In addition, a Think, Pray and Plan together day was held via zoom on 29[th] June. During all of the meetings overall principles were established for the future of the NCMMP.

Keeping these principles in mind during the meetings, the main areas discussed were: -

Clergy Cover for a benefice in vacancy - Clergy have been covering and working collaboratively with Churches who are in vacancy and examining ways in which services could avoid being duplicated across the NCMMP. Many innovative ways of providing services and Ministry have been used during the Pandemic.

Parish Share - It has been agreed by the Diocese that, due to the pandemic, the Parish share for 2021 will be the same as for 2020 with mutual support fund help.

Deanery Plan - A plan has been put forward by the NCMMP to inform the Deanery plan. The plan is defining the number of clergy who are required within parishes for the next 5 years. Owing to dwindling numbers of clergy and increasing costs, the number of stipend clergy in the NCMMP will be reduced.

It was acknowledged that anyone who helps the Church in any way is doing ‘ministry’. People should be encouraged to undertake the Course in Christian Studies, and/or the shape course, and that lay people should be encouraged and nurtured to become Lay Preachers, Readers and Pastoral assistants.

During the ‘Think, Pray and Plan’ day a discussion took place on the results of an exercise in which PCC’s were asked to rate clergy and church buildings either as a blessing or a liability. St. Mary’s PCC rated both the Clergy and the buildings as a definite and a very much needed blessing. Once all results are collated these will be fed back to the Diocese.

During this year, several network groups i.e. treasures, lay ministers, youth and young people and safeguarding have continued via virtual meetings, sharing and supporting each other.

The role of the NCMMP has been acknowledged to have been successful in forging collaboration between the member churches. This model is now being rolled out among other Churches within the Chelmsford Deanery.

Kathy Rouse Lay NCMMP Representative for the PCC

24

DEANERY SYNOD

Meetings of the Deanery were disrupted by the restrictions of the Covid pandemic, but despite this, much progress was made.

The latest iteration of the Deanery plan was agreed at the Synod held at St Marys, Broomfield on 25[th] February. It was also agreed that the Chelmsford North and Chelmsford South Deaneries would recombine into a single Chelmsford Deanery now that clergy numbers were much reduced. There was a re-commitment to actively raising local ministers of all types, Ordained, Licensed and Authorised, to serve the local churches and an acknowledgement of the need to support local churches where there are areas of social deprivation by offering expertise and experience in developing plans and making applications. It was the final meeting of this Synod, each Synod lasting 3 years. The Synod heard an informative presentation by the organisers of ‘Church at Car Boot Sale’, Boreham.

Following elections at APCMs, the new Synod was convened and met for the first time by Zoom on 16[th] July. This was an informal meeting jointly of the North and South Deaneries as the formal uniting process had not been completed. There were group sessions to help get to know each other and to share lockdown experiences.

The first official Synod of the Chelmsford Deanery took place by Zoom on 2[nd] December. At this session, officers and Standing Committee members were elected from both houses, laity and clergy. The new lay chair is our own Jill Readings with Rev’d. Tim Ball, who steered the re-uniting process, as Rural Dean. I was elected a member of the Standing Committee. The role of the Deanery was outlined – informing, steering Mission and Ministry Units and charity support. The Deanery Synod also elects representatives to the Diocesan Synod and the General Synod. The Synod heard a presentation by Rev’d. James Gilder on ‘Our Church and the Environment’. He described the ‘Greener Church’ scheme and urged all churches to address their ‘Green’ status and to audit their achievements so far which would lead to awards at various levels. This was fed back to our PCC and a member volunteered to take this forward for our church.

Deanery Synod representatives are laity – Jill Readings, Ros Mercer and Kathy Rouse - plus our clergy team.

Ros Mercer

25

WORSHIP & MINISTRY

ASSOCIATE PRIEST'S REPORT

It seems a strange thing to be writing this report from 400 miles away; but then it has been a strange year in every respect.

Last APCM I was in France having organised a retreat for the ministry team: at the end of that week I became ill with Covid and then the nation locked down.

Along with Carolyn and Diana I joined in leading services and continuing pastoral care from my home as well as leading a relatively large number of funerals. Bereavement ministry in lockdown was a challenge as the role included explaining and at times enforcing restrictions which were necessary but hard for grieving families to bear.

As Mike and I had plans to move to Scotland, I resigned from my role as Associate Priest on February 29th and was granted permission to officiate in the Diocese for 3 years. Thus, I continued to serve the parish as far as Covid limitations allowed till we moved in mid-August.

It is a source of great regret that we were not able to express our thanks to everyone before we moved; I would have liked to have an open garden and invited everyone. But like so many hopes and plans this year, that was not to be. Nevertheless, my last service was a lovely occasion and the pictures and the very generous gift was much appreciated.

As I write, England is in a second lockdown and Scotland in various restrictive tiers, but a vaccine is on the horizon. And you will have a new and wonderful Associate Priest in Diana.

Psalm 30 verse 5b seems apposite for us all in this time of trial “weeping may linger for the night but joy comes with the morning”. And we trust it will.

Rev’d. Anne Harvey

’ THE CURATE S REPORT

It has been a year of change in more ways than one.

Firstly, we moved from being a 4-clergy team to a 2-clergy team which inevitably changed the balance of work somewhat. Both Rev’d Julie. and Rev’d. Anne left Broomfield in the Spring and early Summer, moving to pastures new, and Rev’d. Carolyn and I had to get accustomed to different rotas and ways of doing things. That was the first challenge.

On top of this, we also found ourselves in lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For a while the church was closed, as it is again now (January 2021), and all of our worship had to move online. Very quickly I had to learn how to upload things to our Facebook page and website, and learn how to make 

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videos and upload them on to YouTube. Celebrating communion in my own home became the norm, and that was a challenge too, because the eucharist is based on a community responding together and when you are alone, it’s difficult to have the same sense of belonging and togetherness. Making videos of oneself all the time gets a bit trying – I find I get really fed up with the sight of my own face on screen!

So, the final part of my 3-year curacy turned out to be a strange and challenging time all round. Pastoral work became difficult because visiting was not possible and phone calls, whilst helpful, are not quite the same as a face-to-face visit. I continued my tutoring on the Course in Christian Studies via Zoom (another challenge) and since September 2020 the Wednesday Bible Study group has also been meeting via Zoom. When we did get back into church in the summer, our services were different as only limited numbers of people could attend and everyone had to be carefully socially distanced. This caused its own problems again, and whilst we were thankful to see some of our friends, we were very aware that many of our usual congregations were not able to attend. We may have gained some new members online but we also seem to have lost touch with some of our former members and this is an ongoing challenge.

In September I had my final interview with Bishop John and it was agreed that I should become an Associate Priest at St Mary’s Broomfield. I was licensed by Archdeacon Elizabeth on December 20[th] in a very low-key but moving service with only Rev’d. Carolyn, the Archdeacon and myself present. It feels good to be here as an Associate and I look forward to working with all of you to proclaim the love of God in Jesus Christ in this place. We hope and pray that 2021 will be a time when we can rebuild our physical community as well as continue our online presence. There is certainly plenty to do and I am very thankful for your prayerful support as we go forward together.

Rev’d. Diana Garfield

Servers

Due to the Pandemic and lockdown this year, Servers were only able to serve at the Altar for 12 weeks.

Margaret Ginn, Margaret Clarke, Sue Browning, and Kathy Rouse.

INTERCESSIONS GROUP

Our last Group Prayer Meeting took place on Friday February 13[th] 2020, a week before the first official lockdown for coronavirus.

Needless to say we have been able to pray as individuals for those who had requested prayer at that particular time.

We continue to thank Alun Powell for updating the prayer request list over the years. Although 2020 has given him a break, we hope and pray that life will gradually return to normal during 2021. I am compiling this brief report in November 2020, so we must live in hope.

Mavis Tebby 

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THE PASTORAL CARE AND VISITING TEAM

This year has been a very different one as far as our pastoral care in the parish is concerned. At the beginning of the first lockdown we put together a list of those whom we felt needed support and organised a telephone system. Each Pastoral Team member was given two or three people to phone regularly and keep an eye on, and this seems to have worked well. I am very grateful to the Team members who have spent so much time on the phone over the past months.

Sadly, the pandemic has meant that we have been unable to continue our regular services in Madelayne Court and Ayletts. We hope and pray that later in 2021 we will be able to get back to face-to-face visiting and our work in the Care Homes.

Rev’d. Diana Garfield

WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY GROUP (1)

Our Wednesday Bible Study Group held their last meeting on 4[th] March 2020. We had just started the York Lent Course, which most of us finished at home. We greatly miss our Group meetings and hope, at some time, to meet and discuss what the future may hold for us.

Mavis Tebby and Christine Watson

WEDNESDAY BIBLE STUDY GROUP (2)

We managed to complete two weeks of our Lent Bible Study course in March 2020 before our studies were paused by the national lockdown. We did not meet over the summer but in September we finally got ourselves organised and began to meet via Zoom. This has proved quite successful and we have managed to study Amos and Hosea from the Old Testament, part of John’s Gospel in the New Testament and an Advent Course on Hope. Zoom is very simple to use and we do invite any other members of the congregation to join us on Wednesdays at 1.45pm. Contact Rev’d. Diana for details.

Rev’d. Diana Garfield

FRIENDS WITH FAITH

This group meets every alternate Tuesday during term time from 9.30am for an hour, and is run by the Rev'd Carolyn Tibbott. It is a group for parents and carers of children of all ages to meet for mutual Christian support and discussion. If parents and carers have pre-school children, they are able to play whilst we chat. 

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The year started normally with meetings being held in the church hall. With the start of the pandemic we moved to on-line zoom meetings, which have worked really well. We have even welcomed a new member and had a previous member re-join during this time. This means we now have a group of 8 regular attendees.

We all enjoy open and relaxed spiritual discussions. It continues to be a group valued by its members providing shared support, a great opportunity to talk about issues beyond day-to-day childcare and also explore member's Christianity. This year's discussions, as previously, have been based around Bible passages but also we have had more open chat to give support to each other during this unprecedented time. All discussions have enabled us to deepen our Christian understanding and faith and also find the support we all needed during this difficult year. We also chat, share prayers and support each other regularly through our WhatsApp group.

We are looking forward to continuing our spiritual discussions on-line for now but can't wait to be back to face-to-face meetings when it is allowed. All new members are still welcomed, especially those with little ones who are not at school and can play while we chat.

Rachel Butterworth

SUPPORTING WORSHIP

SIDESPERSONS

8.00am Communion Service

Lis Hardy Sheila Hasler

Sue Browning Christine Watson

10.30am Morning Service

Margaret Ginn & Doris Baker Yvonne Heaver Susan Garwood & Jill Readings Jennifer & Brian Whymark Karen Paxton & Sylvia Edey

Rosalie Ritson & Charlotte Tew Marie & Ted Williams Sean Casey & Peter Baker

Keith Rouse & David Ellingford

Relief Sidesperson - Mavis Tebby

5.30pm Evening Prayer

Trudy Stevens Michael Jones

Vic Barker

The above is the Sidespersons list as at March 2020. Sidespersons were stood down at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 and remain stood down at present.

Rev’d. Carolyn Tibbott

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CHURCH MUSIC

Well, what a year! It started off in much the same way as every year – the choir continued to meet and help with the weekly worship; Jane and myself continued to share the playing of the organ and we had a lovely Christingle service at the beginning of February. But then, on 22[nd] March, we celebrated our last communion in church for, what would turn out to be, a very long time.

The saddest of all things for me, during the whole of the time since this dreadful virus took hold, is that we couldn’t sing. Considering that singing has been proven to uplift the spirits and is such an integral and vital part of worship, this has been a very cruel blow for the church.

I continued as much as possible to send hymns via our Church Family WhatsApp Group and hope that this enabled people to sing along in their own homes.

It was a joy therefore to be told in the summer that we could once more open the doors and our worship resumed with a hymn being played (not sung). This continued up until November, when Lockown 2 hit and all sorts of innovative ways of providing worship for all have been found. Huge congratulations to Carolyn and the team for all they have done.

Just as we were planning for Christmas we went into Tier 4, although fortunately not before the lovely Ladies Group Carol Service. We recorded all the carols for our village Carol service just in time, and we hope you enjoyed the diverse set of readings, poems and carols.

The Organ

As a result of not being played regularly and in latter months the lack of heating in church, the organ is not getting any better. It still soldiers on and we very much look forward to 2022 when work will begin on its restoration.

Wishing you all good health, happiness and fond regards.

Jill Parkin

’ ST. MARY S BELL RINGERS

St Mary’s campanologists usually ring our Tower bells for Sunday morning services and for weddings as required. I’m sure you have noticed our absence however.

Like many things, Covid has put paid to most of our ringing plans. It’s been a year of cancellations and broken promises, sometimes feeling like a rollercoaster of emotions: at one moment hopeful and believing that we might get nearer normality, the next back into restrictions and lockdown. Sadly, we have not been able to ring since March and we know you must miss hearing the sound of the bells as much as we miss ringing. Unfortunately, given the little available space in the tower, it is not possible for us to return to ringing at this time. We hope to be back soon. 

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The bell chamber and spire was surveyed by Bat experts in early December as part of the requirements associated with the planning and financing of the refurbishment works to the Tower. They found evidence of bats and a report is to be provided.

The chamber is now in a terrible state with much bird nesting debris including sticks which possibly indicates some larger birds are now getting into the area. This is additional to the droppings from the bats and the birds on the beams, bells, frame and floor. Before any ringing restarts we will be faced with the difficult and unsavoury task of a thorough cleaning and then will need to check the condition of the bells and frame, tightening the bolts and fixings where necessary.

For further information please contact Chris Marcus (Tower Captain) by email at broomfield@eacr.org.uk or by telephone 07730 796 422.

Chris Marcus

BIBLE READING FELLOWSHIP BRF ( )

There are currently 20 people reading the notes and feedback has been good. Anyone interested in daily bible readings are more than welcome to contact me. I have a few back copies, which I am more than happy to pass on, which will give you some idea of content. The cost is approximately £15 a year and a little more for large print.

Margaret Ginn

CHURCH WEBSITE

The church website is still being well used, since Rev’d. Carolyn and Rev’d. Diana have been uploading morning and evening services live, plus midweek links to the Church of England website for prayers and hymns. Because of the situation I have not been doing my usual work on the website but I still check the website every day for prayers that may come in, and I still upload the weekly verse. I have also had time to clean up the website somewhat – deleting well over a thousand hidden prayers that were years out of date. I have also deleted the mid-week links to the C of E website. I very much look forward to resuming my usual website work in the near future…

Joan Vine

SAFEGUARDING

The Parochial Church Council agreed and adopted the Church of England Safeguarding Policy - Promoting a Safer Church on the 3[rd] December 2019. This is required to be adopted by the PCC on an annual basis so will be put forward to the PCC members at the next meeting on 7[th] February 2021. 

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In accordance with this policy our church is committed to:

Despite this unusual year two members of the congregation have come forward to become members of the pastoral team and we have been able to ensure the Safer Recruitment process has been completed.

The Church of England has commissioned a Second Past Case Review of any historic or current safeguarding issues.

In the Autumn of 2020, a team of independent reviewers started looking at all case reports, and state that any issues that arise and require action will be dealt with. Every Parish was notified in October 2020 and encouraged to publicise this review. In accordance with this request an article was placed in the November Parish Magazine, on the website and a poster displayed in church.

Safeguarding telephone numbers are displayed in the church, church hall and on the website.

Lisbeth Hardy

THE WIDER CHURCH

FILM AND LUNCH CLUB

January 2020 began with great promise, a New Year and a New Decade. The films for our Picture House had been selected for the months ahead, and we were looking forward to the future.

Due to the Covid virus however we only managed to screen three films. The remainder we can enjoy at a later date.

Our film for January was ‘The Stray’, a story of a stray dog who attached himself to a family. In spite of the parents’ various attempts to lose the stray elsewhere the determined fellow found his way back to them. He was able to prove himself as being a dog worth having around and became a faithful member of the family.

The film the following month was ‘The Guernsey Literary & Potato Pie Society’ based on the bestselling novel. It certainly gave an insight into how the Islanders suffered during the occupation in the 2[nd] World War. 

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Little did we realise that the March film would be our last until further notice. ‘A United Kingdom’ told the love story of Ruth Williams, a London office worker, and Seretse Khama, King of Bechuanaland (modern Botswana). Certainly a film well worth watching.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all The Film Club members for your support and help, and I hope you are all staying safe and keeping well. We will meet again.

Peter Baker

LUNCH AND LAUGHTER

We have been unable to meet this year due to the Covid-19 virus. I don’t know when we will be able to meet again, we will have to wait and see what the rules are. Hopefully we will meet soon. I would like to thank all the helpers who are on standby ready to start again to bring companionship to those living alone and in need of support.

God Bless you all.

Sue Browning

BEETLE DRIVE

Such is life! Just when the popularity of our Beetle Drives was on the up, like everything else in our lives, it all fell apart.

We had fifteen people, a record number, at our last meeting in January 2020. It was 2009 when I last recorded that number. We hit an all-time low in 2015 when sometimes we only had three or four stalwarts appear. I’m so pleased we kept on going through those difficult times and pray we will soon get together on the third Thursday in the month at 2pm for an afternoon of fun, tea, cake and, most importantly a good chat!

Margaret Powell, Margaret Deacon

TUESDAY CHURCHYARD WORKING PARTY

Covid-19 has placed additional restrictions on the operation of the Working Party this year but we managed to keep going until the new variant of Covid reared its head in December. We were thwarted with just 2 sessions to go to the end of the year.

March saw the imposition of the first lockdown and we put in place strict hygiene and social distancing requirements on all our volunteers. Apart from me nobody was allowed into our Churchyard garage and shed and gloves had to be worn at all times. All the equipment was regularly washed and disinfected. These Covid working practices were documented and distributed to all volunteers.

The lockdown rules allowed for outside exercise and we took the view that our activities equated to this. We cut short our working time to limit exposure. After the first lockdown came into force there were just 4 volunteers but as we became more used to the working practices more of our original group came back and we had 5 new volunteers join us during the year. 

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I have to say that the Vicar was initially very concerned about the Working Party continuing to work in the Churchyard, particularly at the start of the lockdowns, given the infection risks. She was quite right to be concerned but we were very careful and the work progressed. I dread to think of the state of the Churchyard if we had ceased work back in March.

We have missed the coffee, sausage rolls and a good natter, which used to enliven our time in the Churchyard on a Tuesday morning, but hopefully those days will eventually return.

For those who do not know of us we meet every Tuesday morning, usually from 9am to 1pm. But during the Covid restrictions we meet from 9.30 to 11am. We maintain the Churchyard and the car park and our tasks include cutting the grass; clearing leaves; tidying the graves and the cremated remains area; attending to the flower beds; sweeping the paths around the Church; clearing the surface water channels; maintaining the trees etc. The large variety of trees is a notable feature of our Churchyard.

The PCC have given us authority to ensure that the Churchyard is maintained in accordance with the rules and we remove items from graves that are deemed in contravention of those rules. This includes grave surrounds, plastic and artificial flowers, photographs, cards, balloons, wind-chimes, soft toys, ornaments, candles and personal belongings or memorabilia etc. A minority of visitors to the graves disregard the rules and one of the least pleasant aspects of our work is dealing with the removal of these inappropriate items. It is necessary to have rules to ensure common standards which respect other bereaved families.

Expenses are kept to a minimum as much as possible and during 2020 our total costs amounted to only about £175. This was mainly for petrol and oil for the mowers. It is estimated that over 1,000 manhours of work go into the maintenance of the Churchyard and car park every year. This is a very significant voluntary commitment by the members of the Working Party to the benefit of our Church.

An important part of our role is a presence in the Churchyard on Tuesday mornings when we are available to talk to visitors. We have many regulars with whom we enjoy a chat.

We continue to look after the Churchyard in a manner so that there is a balance between the need to make it attractive to local people and visitors, whilst also encouraging wild flowers, insects, birds and bats. Our Churchyard is at least as old in places as the Church Building and has been a refuge for plants and animals for generations.

Anybody who enjoys a socially distanced chat with a bit of gardening thrown in would be very welcome to join us. Call in and see us on a Tuesday morning anytime between 9.30 and 11am.

David Marcus

PS. We were very saddened to hear of the death of Eric Rowley on Thursday 14 January 2021. Together with his late wife Brenda he used to prepare our mid-morning coffee and sausage rolls and was always ready for a chat. He greatly missed his wife who died in February 2019 but he continued to look after us until March 2020 when we stopped the refreshments because of the pandemic. He will be missed by all who knew him and be remembered with affection. 

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’ ST. MARY S LADIES GROUP

Like many other church groups, the Ladies Group only met on three occasions in 2020. The first was our AGM in January with Rev’d. Julie and Rev’d. Diana presiding at the service of Holy Communion. Then, February saw us welcome Arthur Tear who gave us an entertaining talk called Fun and Fitness for all, together with some simple exercises. This was to prove most useful as 3 weeks later we were in lockdown and many of our members continued with his exercise programme during this time.

Finally, in December our committee, with the help of Carolyn, arranged a “somewhat different” Christmas Celebration in the church with some of our members present and others watching online or following the Order of Service at home.

We are all looking forward to a Thursday evening sometime in 2021 when we can all meet together again in St Leonards Hall.

Sue Cole

’ THE CHILDREN S SOCIETY

21 members of St Mary's congregation have a Children’s Society box where, during the year, they deposit their loose change. In December the boxes are brought to church, blessed and then the money is counted and sent off to the Children’s Society. During 2020 with Covid-19 restrictions the boxes could not be collected, and it will probably be well into 2021 before this can be achieved.

The Society has been much in the news during the Covid crisis supporting families, particularly with an increase in domestic violence in the home.

I would like to thank all those who continue to support the Children's Society and I do hope we will be able to send our contribution as soon as possible in order for the Society to continue carrying out their valuable work.

Sue Cole

CHRISTIAN AID

In recognition of the increasing reliance on technology and the diminishing use of cash in our society, last year we had decided to flood our parish with Christian Aid Week envelopes that invited people to donate on-line or drop their filled envelope into a local collection point. We were aiming to deliver an envelope to every household rather than have the stalwart few collect from only part of Broomfield. Although we knew this strategy would generate less ‘cash-in-hand’, and we would not know a total for on-line donations, we considered this would provide an important witness of Christian caring, demonstrating to the village that St Mary’s is an active, outward-looking church. 

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Sadly, Covid-19 and the subsequent lockdown thwarted our plans; walks were allowed but the delivery of envelopes prohibited. Despite this curtailment, Robin Stevens set up a Chelmsford on-line giving site from which more than £6,000 was generated by Chelmsford residents.

Like all other charities, Christian Aid’s fundraising has been badly affected by Covid-19. However, like me, you may have found that your purse is bulging a little more these days as restrictions mean we spend less outside our homes. Nevertheless, I do not find myself wanting in any material way. So maybe we can redirect some of these savings towards those who are in need?

Christian Aid week in 2021 will be May 9[th] – 15[th] . I doubt very much if we will be allowed to collect from others, but please remember this Christian charity and donate where you can.

Thank you, in hope. 01245 359079 Trudy Stevens@outlook.com

Trudy Stevens

FLOWER ARRANGERS

Owing to the pandemic we have not been able to provide flowers during the year. I had gladly accepted Carolyn’s request to do a pedestal for Christmas, which I planned to do on behalf of the 9 ladies of the Flower arranging team, but closure of the Church again has sadly put a stop to this. We are all looking forward to the time when we can decorate our Church once again. Let’s hope and pray that this can be for Easter.

Margaret Pinkerton

THE ROUND TOWER MAGAZINE

I’m proud to say that we managed to keep the Round Tower in circulation throughout 2020 although there were a few months when the Print Unit was closed and we had to make do with virtual copies. These were emailed to everyone we could think of as well as being added to the church’s website. The Round Tower, I believe, is, even in normal circumstances, an important way of sharing the church news with our parishioners. In times of lockdown, with people isolated at home, it became more important that we kept that link alive. Finding material to fill the pages was sometimes difficult but on several occasions there was so much that we had to add an extra four pages.

Now we are more or less back to normal with around 200 magazines being distributed each month. Many thanks to all our distributors who have done an incredible job in very trying circumstances. My thanks too to our editorial panel who sift through the copy every month looking for typos, grammatical errors and mistakes.

Alun Powell 

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MONTHLY COFFEE MORNING

£100 was sent to Little Haven Hospice in March. Ann Hurrell has stepped down from organising the monthly coffee mornings now and the remaining balance of monies held sent off - a further £100. We thank Ann for all that she did in organising this fellowship group and raising money for Little Haven Hospice for Children; during that time a total of almost £6,000 was raised. We shall be looking for someone to take on the organisation of the monthly coffee mornings when these can be resurrected. 

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