2025-12-31-accounts

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

CHURCH COUNCIL

for the year ended 31 December 2025

Agendas for the meetings to be held on 26th April 2026

Annual Report

Also

Minutes of the Meetings held on 27th April 2025

Church of St. Peter, Belgrave Road, East Blatchington, Seaford

Rector:

Revd. Simon Earnshaw, The Rectory, 86 Belgrave Road Seaford, BN25 2HE

Registered Charity number 1173506

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON

Meeting of Parishioners to elect Churchwardens and Annual Parochial Church Meeting in St. Peter’s Chapel Rooms, Belgrave Road, Seaford on Sunday 26th April 2026 at 11.15am

AGENDAS

Meeting of Parishioners to elect Churchwardens

Apologies
Minutes of the 2025 Meeting (provided on page 15) 3. Nomination and election of Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Apologies
Minutes of the 2025 Meeting (provided on page 15)
Matters arising from those Minutes
To receive from the Parochial Church Council and be free to discuss: -
4a) A report on the numbers entered on the Electoral Roll
4b) An Annual Report on the proceedings of the Parochial Church Council and
- the activities of the Parish in general, including the report from the Chair of the PCC
4c) The independently examined Financial Statements of the Parochial Church
- Council for the year ended 31st December 2025 and the Treasurer’s report.
4d) A report from the Churchwardens including a report on the building and fabric of the Church of the Parish.
4e) A report on Health and Safety
4f) A report on Safeguarding
4g) A report on the proceedings of the Lewes and Seaford Deanery Synod

To receive a report from/on: The Outreach, Learning, Pastoral and Safeguarding Team

 - The Choir

 - Children, Young People and Families

 - The Fundraising, Charity and Social Life Team

To elect up to 4 representatives to the Deanery Synod
To elect up to 6 representatives of the Laity to the Parochial Church Council.
To appoint an independent examiner for the accounts
To consider any other matters of Parochial or general church interest

Christine Cooke, PCC Secretary

Administration Information

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a charity and is registered with the Charity Commission. Registered Charity Number 1173506.

During the relevant period the following served as members of the PCC: Rector Revd. Simon Earnshaw Associate Vicar Revd. Elizabeth Jinks Churchwardens: Mr Neville Chalkley (Vice-chair) Mrs Anne Collison Treasurer: Mr Chris Reynolds Deanery Synod Reps: Ms Juliet Mitton Mrs Linda Stratford Mrs Kay Blackburn Mr Keith Blackburn Lay Representatives: Elected Members: Mrs Christine Cooke ( Secretary) Mrs Daphne Dempster Ms Eleanor Ferguson Mrs Jacqueline Head (Joint Health and Safety Officer) Mrs Christa Lindner (Building Projects Officer) Mrs Zena Maher (Safeguarding Officer) Ms Aileen Rickard Mrs Pip Spicer Ms Angela Wiley Co-opted Members: Mr Andrew Clark

Structure, Governance and Management

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. It operates under the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956 as amended. Membership of the PCC is determined under the Church Representation Rules (contained in Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969 as amended) and consists of certain ex-officio members namely the Rector, the Churchwardens, members of the Deanery, Diocesan or General Synods, and such Licensed Readers as the Annual Meeting may decide: and of the 12 lay members of the church who are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). The PCC also has the power to co-opt members not exceeding one fifth of the total number of elected members of the council or two persons, whichever is greater. Members of the Electoral Roll are warmly encouraged to stand for election to the PCC, and we try to ensure a balance of skills and experience where possible.

Objectives and Activities

The primary objective of St. Peter’s PCC is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. Under the terms of the Parochial Church (Powers) Measure 1956, as amended by the Synodical Government Measure 1969, the PCC has the duty to co-operate with the Rector “in promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical”. In planning its activities, the PCC has given due regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance as is shown in the following reports.

Location and Historical Background

The ecclesiastical parish of East Blatchington - St. Peter - in the County of East Sussex, lies within the Diocese and Jurisdiction of the Lord Bishop of Chichester, the Archdeaconry of Brighton and Lewes and the Deanery of Lewes and Seaford.

The parish serves the western side of the town of Seaford. In 2008 the parish became a United Benefice with the adjacent parish of St. Andrew, Bishopstone.

The parish church of St. Peter, East Blatchington, dates from the twelfth century, and is situated centrally within the area defined by the parish boundaries. From this centre of worship is carried out a ministry of spiritual, sacramental, pastoral and missionary work in accordance with the statutory obligations laid upon the Church of England as the church established by law in this realm. The parish church is subject to the faculty jurisdiction of the Consistory Court of the Diocese of Chichester, and the inspecting architect appointed by the Parochial Church Council is Mr. Tim Wells of John D Clark and Partners, Eastbourne.

Apart from the burial of cremated remains, the churchyard is closed, and Lewes District Council is responsible for maintaining the ground.

All correspondence should be sent in the first instance to The Rectory, 86 Belgrave Road, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 2HE. Email: simonjearnshaw@outlook.com

Adjacent to the church is a flint and brick building known as the Chapel Rooms, a fully equipped hall and upstairs meeting room, refurbished in 2023, used socially by both the church and community. It also houses the benefice office. This building does not come under faculty jurisdiction; however, it has been inspected by the appointed architect.

The Parish Clergy

The Reverend Simon Earnshaw was licenced as Rector on 3rd March 2025. He was previously Assistant Curate at Clayton and Keymer. The Rector is housed in the Rectory, 86 Belgrave Road, Seaford, East Sussex BN25 2HE. The freehold of the property is vested in the Chichester Diocesan Board of Finance who are also responsible for maintaining the property on the incumbent’s behalf. The internal decorations continue to be the responsibility of the PCC.

The parish benefits from the ministry of the Revd. Eric Pollard, Revd. John Harrington and Revd. Chris Collison, retired priests holding the bishop’s permission to officiate. Our Reader Emeritus, Mrs. Kay Blackburn, took on the role of Pastoral Care Co-ordinator until her death on 1[st] January 2026 We are grateful to Mr George Rix and Mrs Kay Blackburn for leading Evening Prayer on several occasions during the year. We enjoy the support of an excellent pastoral team from within the congregation. The parish value all their work and thank them warmly for their goodwill and willingness to volunteer for duties. We are richly blessed to benefit from their commitment and gifts.

Under the Pastoral Scheme, the two parishes in the United Benefice remain distinct. The post of House for Duty Priest at St. Andrew’s Bishopstone, was filled when the Reverend Elizabeth Jinks was appointed in November 2022. Her induction as Associate Vicar took place on 18[th] April 2023. The coming together of both parishes continues, providing opportunities for adults, children and young people and their parents to come together to learn about and grow in faith and in employing a Benefice Administrator.

4a) Electoral Roll

The electoral roll currently stands at 102 names. At the time of this report the revision is due to start on the 8[th] March. Following the renewal in 2025 there have been no additions and five removals. This means that under the Church Representation Rules the number of representatives who can stand for election for the PCC remains at 12 people.

If anyone has not completed a form but wishes to be on the Electoral Roll, or who knows someone who would like to be included there are forms at the back of the church and names can be added throughout the year until the Revision Period. If there are any questions that cannot be answered at the meeting, then please contact me and I will respond as soon as possible.

Mrs Debbie Phipps Electoral Roll Office

4b) Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council

Since the Annual Meeting on 27th April 2025 the PCC has met on six occasions in the Upper Room. The Standing Committee has also met on six occasions.

Amongst the items considered and discussed were:

Revising our Mission Action Plan which remains at the forefront of our decisions and activities.
Membership in 2025/6 of the three PCC sub-committees set up in 2022: (OLPS) Outreach, Learning, Pastoral and Safeguarding, (BHS) Buildings, Health and Safety, and (FCSL) Fundraising, Charity and Social Life which have continued to work very successfully.
Reports from the PCC sub-committees.
Regular budget forecast reports showing monthly income and expenditure throughout 2025.
Approval of the Financial Statements for 2025.
Ideas on ways to increase our income.
Approval and discussion of six safeguarding matters; namely the review our Safeguarding Action Plan and Church Activities document and discussion and approval of the Recruitment of ExOffenders Policy, Responding to Safeguarding Allegations, A Statement on Responding well to Victims and Survivors of Abuse and a Safeguarding Worksheet. Doing this has brought our safeguarding compliance on the Parish Dashboard to 100%.
The appointment of 18 sidespeople (previously called sidesmen).
Resolutions to 1) accept a quote from Tilleys, Brighton stonemasons, to replace some broken floor tiles in the nave, 2) accept a quote from Artistic Metalworks for the work to install new boiler room railings, including replacement railings for the vestry steps and putting a handrail on the steps from the rear door of the Chapel Rooms to the churchyard and 3) approving a quote from Handy Kate for repair and repainting work on the upstairs exterior woodwork (windows, soffits and facia on the front of the Chapel Rooms.
Strategies to reduce our energy bills.

The names of 107 parishioners were recorded on the electoral roll for the parish that was presented to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2025.

We are an inclusive church, and all are welcome to attend services in St. Peter’s. Our main services continue to be live streamed to our online congregation.

Christine Cooke Secretary to the PCC

Report from the Chair of the PCC, Revd. Simon Earnshaw

It is with a real sense of gratitude and thankfulness that I write this Rector’s Report looking back over the past year at St. Peter’s East Blatchington. As we look back, we are reminded of God’s faithfulness, and our shared commitment to love God and neighbour. This report seeks to summarise the key developments, challenges, and blessings of the past year, and to look ahead with hope to the future.

Our worship at St. Peter’s continues to rightly be at the core of parish life. Sunday services and the midweek Mass, draw together faithful congregations who value both the tradition and the warmth of our liturgical worship. None of this would be possible without the help and support of many others, not least our organist Coryn Roberts, Senior Chorister, Eleanor Ferguson, and the choir as a whole,

as well as our committed teams of sides people, servers and flower arrangers who make the church look so beautiful whatever the season. I continue to be grateful to George Rix and Linda Stratford for the many things they do in the parish, often behind the scenes. The rhythm of prayer and meditation also continues with morning and evening prayer, as well as Compline and Breathing Space, my thanks go to those who keep this rhythm going in the life of the parish.

Very recently we walked the Stations of the Cross and journeyed through Holy Week preparing to celebrate the Easter joy. The Stations of the Cross were well attended including those in the evening, as were the Lent course and the Advent course earlier in the year. In these courses we have sought to deepen our spiritual lives and draw closer to God through reflection on scripture and thoughtful discussion on what it means to live out our faith in today’s world. I am grateful to all who have participated and assisted me in delivering these courses as well as those who run the Bible Group, the weekly bible study that runs for the rest of the year.

The “For All” services at Easter and Christmas have continued to increase in popularity, as well as the Crib Service and Carols by Candlelight, along with other special services such as our Patronal Festival. I am hoping in the coming year to have more Evensongs and potentially some extra “For All” services.

It also brings me great joy that our children’s and young people’s provision continued with some key changes. We continue to strengthen our existing link with Seaford Primary School, Lighthouse continues and the new ministries of our Xplore Together Mass on Sundays, and Treasure Hunters and Xplore on Sunday afternoons, all of these now happening bi-monthly go from strength to strength. We now have a core group of families who come regularly, and my grateful thanks go to Anne Collison and the team she is building for their help with this ministry of fundamental importance in the life of the church.

Pastoral care remains an important part of our ministry. We have appointed Geraldine Hedgecock as our Pastoral Care Contact, a new online reporting system is up and running and new guidelines for pastoral visiting, and care are in the process of being approved. My grateful thanks go to those involved in this important ministry offering comfort and companionship to those who are housebound, unwell, or bereaved. The challenges of loneliness and isolation, particularly among our elderly parishioners, have been met with kindness and practical support. Forget-Me-Not Café has now come under the umbrella of St. Peter’s in terms of leadership and governance, and I am incredibly grateful for all who continue this important ministry, that I know is greatly appreciated by all who take part. We continue to support local, national, and international charities through both financial giving and practical action. Stewardship continues to be a priority, and I want to thank all who give so generously of their time, talents, and resources. Your contributions enable us not only to maintain our historic church building but also to resource our ministry and outreach.

The church building is both a blessing and a responsibility. Thanks to the hard work of Christa Lindner and the wider buildings team and the generosity of the congregation past and present, we have been able to undertake essential maintenance and improvement of the church and churchyard. The long-awaited railings are now in situ and the important repairing and painting of the exterior woodwork on upstairs of the Chapel Rooms is underway.

We continue to face the challenges of rising costs and the need for ongoing fundraising. I am grateful to our treasurer Christopher Reynolds and the PCC for their diligent stewardship and prudent management of funds.

As we look forward, we are mindful of both the challenges and opportunities ahead. In terms of challenges, finances continue to be a concern with the parish still running a high annual deficit as well as the fact that we are currently and have been for nearly a year, looking for a treasurer to take over from Chris after his many years of diligent service.

Our priorities will include continuing the existing pattern of worship with some small adjustments as required, continuing to develop our ministry with children, young people and families and exploring new ways to engage with those on the fringes of church life, as well as continuing to care for our historic building.

We also hope to strengthen our links with neighbouring parishes and to play an active role in the wider deanery and diocese and continue to be involved in Churches Together.

None of this would be possible without the prayer, commitment, and enthusiasm of so many people. I want to thank Reverend Elizabeth our associate Priest, Fr Chris Collison, Fr Eric Pollard and Fr John Harrington, our churchwardens, Neville Chalkley and Anne Collison, our Benefice Administrator, Natasha Tansley, our Secretary to the PCC, Christine Cooke who also edits and distributes Cross Keys magazine, the PCC members, volunteers, and all who contribute to the life of St. Peter’s in so many ways. Above all, I give thanks to God for His guidance and for the privilege of serving as your Rector.

Fr Simon

Rector, United Benefice of East Blatchington and Bishopstone.

4c) The independently examined Financial Statements of the Parochial Church ’ Council for the year ended 31st December 2025 and the Treasurer s report.

The gradual fall of income over the past few years is making it very difficult to meet our ministerial objectives and aspirations within our financial constraints. This year we have incurred a deficit on our day to day activities of £27,057 and the value of our stock market investments has fallen by £12,183 so we have recorded a loss of £39,240 which has been met by drawing down on our reserves.

Income

Receipts are down 8% to £104,224 (£113,499) The mainstay of our funding is the Parish Giving Scheme which amounted to £40,163 (£41,190) but sadly this source is also showing signs of decline. Collections and Donations remained much the same as the previous year as did our Fund-Raising events. Hall letting income was down £16,442 (£17,919) as was Income Tax Reclaimed £9,261 (11,025)

Expenditure

There was no Capital expenditure during the year and so total expenditure fell to £131,281 (£155,062) but it does include £4,413 for Rectory carpeting. The largest element of expenditure is Ministry costs £60,171. Church running expenses were lower at £24,726 (£27,446) as were Church Hall running costs £9,836 (£13,425) Energy costs which have been a considerable problem in the past were down to £9,562 (£19,040)

Reserves

We have £14,199 on deposit with CCLA

Longer Term Investments

These are stock market investments managed on our behalf by CCLA from which we receive quarterly interest payments. Their value varies dependant on international market conditions. Their value at 31[st] December 2025 was £313,800 (£325,983)

Reserves Policy

One year’s income to be held by way of reserve, this to equate to £100,000 at the present time

Conclusion

The expenditure performance demonstrates that we have an acceptable level of control over our outgoings, but income has not only not kept pace with inflation, it has also considerably declined. We have so far been able to fund the difference from reserves. I am confident that we remain a going concern because of our level of reserves, but if there is not a considerable uplift in receipts in 2026 our activities/expenditure may need to be curtailed as it is not prudent to rely on funding shortfalls from reserves.

Chris Reynolds, Treasurer

4d) Churchwardens’ Report including report on Buildings, Fabric and Grounds of the Church and Chapel Rooms

1. People

We were delighted to welcome Fr Simon as our new Rector back in March last year – just in time to help us observe Lent! He was licensed as Rector of the United Benefice by the Bishop of Lewes on 3 March 2025: since then, Fr. Simon and his family have become happily settled as key members of our church community, and it is a joy to have them here. The renovation work on the rectory, including painting and carpeting throughout, was our welcome gift to the family. Many folk have subsequently enjoyed hospitality in the rectory including coffee and pastries after the sunrise service on Easter morning and a tea and mince pies open afternoon in December.
Three key members of our parish team have sadly passed away in the last year: Angela Chalkley, the leader of our choir died on 2 March, Kay Blackburn, Reader Emeritus, died on 1 January 2026, and Elizabeth Pay, who had filled many important roles over the years, died on 18 January 2026. Each leaves a massive gap in our Parish team, and we miss them dreadfully.
Anne Collison, Churchwarden, Chris Reynolds, Treasurer, and Christine Cooke, PCC Secretary are all stepping back from their PCC roles, and Zena Maher has resigned from her post as Parish Safeguarding Officer.
We still need to appoint a Health and Safety officer either as a job share with Jacqueline Head, who is holding the fort at the moment, or solo.
Nick Linsell retired from his post as custodian of the churchyard in the course of last year, but he continues to look after the churchyard on a voluntary basis, and for that we are immensely grateful.

2. Buildings

Christa Lindner has had a year’s break from her job as Buildings Projects Manager but is planning to return this year.
The ramp in church was removed as it had become unsafe. Servers now stand at the chancel step to assist when needed and communion is regularly brought down to people in the pews.
An automatic security light has been fitted to the fire exit door of the Chapel Rooms.
Grab rails have been attached to the gateway between the car park and the church path.
The long running saga of railings to the boiler room, required on health and safety grounds, has finally been addressed and will be completed in 2026. The handrails outside the north door of the church, at the back of the vestry, are being replaced with something less austere and more in keeping with the surroundings; the railings by the boiler room steps will be similar, as will those by the steps outside the Chapel Rooms fire exit.
The rectory had to have a major makeover before Fr Simon and family could move in. We are immensely grateful to Christa Lindner for co-ordinating everything, to Coryn for the internal decorations and to the amazing team who helped with a lot of the preparation work, tip runs, cleaning the house and tidying the garden.
‘Save Seaford Swifts’ approached us about the possibility of installing swift boxes on the church site, and two nesting boxes have now been installed high on the wall of the rectory, overlooking the car park. There are no residents as yet!

3. Summer Festival

Our Petertide summer festival was a great success. We had a wonderful response to the postcard challenge: more than 520 postcards were displayed with a wide variety of styles and mediums around the theme of ‘Celebrating Community’. It was so good to have Seaford Primary School embrace the challenge with every child in the school providing a contribution. There was a real community feel to the day with dancers and musicians performing, beautiful flowers, stalls and refreshments. The Total raised was £1728

4. Administration

GDPR – ‘General Data Protection Regulation – is a law that sets strict rules for how organizations collect, process and store the personal data of individuals. It grants people greater control over their data, such as the right to access, correct, or delete it. We are managing this as a benefice, rather than a parish operation. One of the issues we have had to address is the need to create a register of what data is held, by whom, where it is held and for what purpose. This has been completed.

5. Thanks

We are very grateful to the team of sidespeople who meet, greet and care for everyone who attends our services in such a friendly way, and to Geraldine who continues to organise them for extra services. St. Peter’s continues to be an Open Church, allowing people to access its sacred space during daylight hours. We are so grateful to the people who open and lock up the church each day.

We are blessed to have a strong PCC working for St. Peter’s and our thanks go to all its members, but particularly to Christine Cooke (PCC Secretary), Chris Reynolds (Treasurer), Kay (Pastoral care co-ordinator), Jacqueline Head (Health and Safety), and Zena Maher (Safeguarding Officer).

The Chapel Rooms continue to be well used by multiple groups in the community. We are so grateful to Sylvie Aston who manages the online booking system and to Penny Reynolds who keeps an eye on things as the Chapel Rooms Pixie.

Our thanks also go to all the people who enable our services to run smoothly week in week out, from Coryn and the choir to those who beautify the church, from the readers, intercessors, serving team and altar party to those who bless our fellowship by providing coffee afterwards. We are thankful to Natasha Tansley for all her administration work including enabling the live streamed services for our ‘at home’ congregation.

Anne Collison Neville Chalkley Churchwardens

4e) Health & Safety

There is a vacancy for a Health and Safety Office, meanwhile I have acted as temporary officer.

Accident reporting.

Both accident books (church and chapel rooms) have been inspected and there are no ongoing issues.

Risk Assessments.

A new template has been agreed and sent to all Chapel Rooms users, clients and church users need to complete a risk assessment form and return it to the office. The completed forms will be filed on the computer, it is essential that a hard copy is kept in a marked drawer in the office, for anyone who does not have access to the computer files, should the need arise.

3. PAT testing.

It is necessary every three years to have all electrical appliances tested and recorded. This is due in 2026.

4. Fire Appliances.

All appliances were tested and labelled by a qualified inspector in September 2025. This is an annual requirement for insurance purposes.

5. Hazardous liquids.

All are appropriately stored and the door to the store secured by a bolt out of reach for children.

6. Churchyard safety.

The grounds are checked for any loose headstones, and slippery pathways. There are no reported issues outstanding.

There are no other H and S issues arising, of which I am aware.

The church wardens have covered the railings outside and the safety of the Boiler room steps, in their report and the broken and uneven church floor tiles have been replaced. There is significant damp from water ingress on the north wall inside the church, so far this does not appear to have caused a problem to health. Regulating the heating inside the church seems to be somewhat erratic still.

Jacqueline Head Health and Safety Officer

4f) Safeguarding

During the last year there have been two minor safeguarding concerns that were resolved, one with the assistance of the Diocese Safeguarding Director & Diocesan Safeguarding Officer, Colin Perkins.

DBS certificates have been renewed where appropriate and requested for new volunteers. Safeguarding training has been reviewed to ensure that everyone on the PCC, the lay ministers, the pastoral visitors and other volunteers, all have the appropriate level of training. My thanks to Tash for her help with both of these and to everyone who has submitted their DBS paperwork promptly and completed their training.

We have also been busy working on the Parish Dashboard, a system set up by the Diocese to ensure parish churches are Safeguarding compliant. We have worked through three levels; some items have been taken to the OLPS sub-committee for review, and others to the full PCC for review and approval. I am pleased to confirm that we have now reached 100% safeguarding compliance and will now use the dashboard to confirm we are reviewing items as required on an annual or triennial basis. I would like to thank everyone on the OLPS sub-committee, the PCC, and Father Simon for their support with achieving this.

If you would like any information about Safeguarding or might perhaps even like to undertake the Basic Safeguarding course, please do contact Father Simon or Tash.

Zena Maher, Parish Safeguarding Officer (resigned February 2026)

4g) The Deanery Synod

We are members of the Lewes and Seaford Deanery Synod.

The Deanery Synod met four times over the last twelve months.

On the 3rd April 2025 the meeting was held at St Peter’s East Blatchington. The main topic was Modern Day Slavery and was given by the Rev Sue Foster who is a member of the Chichester Diocese Mothers’ Union. Her aim is to encourage awareness, and she talked about trafficking and exploitation and the Clewer Initiative where we can report a situation where we feel something is off. On the 19th June 2025 the meeting was held at the Church of Ascension, Peacehaven. The Revd. Buff Stone, the Diocesan Environment Officer talked about having Carbon Confidence which included an excellent slide show.

On the 6th October 2025 the meeting was held at St Leonard’s Seaford. Rev Sam Carter (assisting archdeacon) reminded us of some of the events of this year of faith of 950 years of the Diocese,

calling us to look to the future, to encourage vocations, so as to lay the next foundation for the next 950 years. John Preston spoke about the Diocesan strategy for growth. A big thank you was given to all the Treasurers, and they were told they do a fantastic job.

The fourth meeting was held on the 19th February 2026 at St Anne’s Lewes. The Rt Rev’d William Hazelwood, Bishop of Lewes addressed the meeting and answered several questions. His topics covered Revitalisation and Partnerships: to invest where there is high deprivation and high population. Children Youth and Families: supporting volunteers as well as vocations and new Youth workers. Focal Ministry: This is about keeping the faith in each ministry and developing excellent leaders. He then told us about Bishop Martin retiring at the end of May and he will become Acting Bishop of Chichester which includes going to the General Synod.

This was an interesting year of meetings arranged for the Deanery Synod with a variety of interesting topics and speakers.

Keith Blackburn Juliet Mitton Linda Stratford

5) Report on the Outreach, Learning, Pastoral and Safeguarding (OLPS) Sub-Committee

The Terms of Reference of the Outreach, Learning, Pastoral and Safeguarding (OLPS) sub-committee are:

This sub-committee will oversee the ministry of the church, its engagement with different age groups, partner organisations, outreach projects, young people, faith development and every activity that furthers the Mission of God in our wider world. At present this will include: Little Fishes, Lighthouse, Schools Ministry, Bible Study Group, Courses, Pastoral Team, Care Homes, Forget-me-Knot Café, Working Age Group, and The Art & Craft Group. The committee will also oversee effective safeguarding across the church’s ministry.

The sub-committee met on five occasions in 2025 and can report on progress in the following areas: Ministry to Children and Young People

While the OLPS sub-committee oversees St. Peter’s work with Treasure Hunters (previously Little Fishes) and Lighthouse, this area has been covered in Anne Collison’s report.

Schools Ministry

Fr. Simon and Anne Collison have continued their work with Seaford Primary School, starting the year by meeting with David Etherton the new Headteacher. David is on the PCC of his home church and is very keen to work in partnership with St. Peter’s. Fr. Simon has become a member of the governing body.

Fr. Simon and Anne have led some of the school assemblies, including the Harvest Assembly, and also took part in a team building activity with the children. Anne also led two advent assemblies with Reception and Year One children.

Following a request by the Head, St. Peter’s has also been able to purchase over 30 new bibles for the school thanks to donations from parishioners.

Pastoral Visiting and Home Communion

These have continued throughout the year. The sub-committee have discussed ways of monitoring the visits to ensure that no-one who would like a visit is missed and that visits that do take place are accurately recorded. A meeting is planned with the pastoral visitors from St. Peter’s and St. Andrew’s to discuss how this may best be achieved.

Care Home Ministry

We continue to offer regular ministry at the following care homes, both individually and in gathered worship. We continue to be grateful to our retired clergy for their support with these visits.

Abubdant Grace :- Fr Eric visits on the first Tuesday of the month at 11.15am. This is followed by room visits for around 8 to 10 rooms and includes Holy Communion service for a gentleman in his room. Short Holy Communion services may be held as required. Fr Eric’s visit takes about one and a half hours.

Beachlands :- Daphne Dempster and Juliet Mitton visit on the first Thursday of the month with a Communion service in the lounge at 2.30 pm for which the staff set up a Communion table.

Blatchington Manor :- Geraldine Hedgecock, Christa Lindner and Fr Eric visit on the second Tuesday of the month at 11 am to take a service of hymns, readings, prayers and communion. This is led by Geraldine or Christa, with Father Eric leading Communion.

Claremont House :- Fr Chris visits 4-8 residents monthly.

Clifden House :- Fr Simon visits on the first Thursday of the month at 10.30am (Geraldine helps when she can).

Port Manor :- Fr Simon visits on the fourth Thursday of the month at 2.30pm (Geraldine helps when she can).

Threeways :- Daphne Dempster visits on the first and third Tuesday of the month at 10.30 am. Visits last a various length of time depending on who wishes to take Communion and who just wants to chat.

Fr Simon was joined by others to sing Christmas Carols in Threeways, Clifden House and Port Manor, and Daphne organised carol singing at Beachlands, all of which were much enjoyed by everyone.

Forget-me-Knot Memory Café

This has been well attended again this year with St. Peter’s taking over the organisation responsibility from Seafriends in October. Many thanks to Anne for her hard work in preparing all the paperwork to ensure that the Café is Safeguarding compliant, and to Tash for all the extra work she has had to do. The Easter for All, Harvest for All and Christmas for All services were very popular and enjoyed by those who attended.

Art & Craft Group

The group has had variable numbers attending this year but is still enjoyed by all who attend. We would like to take this opportunity to recognise Kay Blackburn’s contribution to the organisation of this group and know that she will be missed by everyone.

Bible Group

Continues to meet on Mondays at 2pm with the format of a brief focus on the previous Sunday’s reading passage as Scripture, then a discussion on its implications for us, which have been interesting and insightful. Their new venue of the Chapel Rooms main hall has been a great blessing and has allowed them to have coffee and biscuits after the meeting giving opportunity to get to know each other better. Sometimes they continue to talk about what they’ve been looking at but more often than not just get to know each other more. Aileen continues to be assisted by Marianne.

The Lent Course began with Fr Simon and Aileen facilitating the CofE Living Hope Lent material., 48 booklets were studied by members of the Benefice and a few beyond (one in Kettering from our

online congregation and two from Seaford Parish Church). The ‘in-person’ course has been well received by the thirty who signed up. There is a good mix from both Churches and from the different weekly services.

The group temporarily paused due to the Advent Course and resumed again in January.

Working Age Group

The group meets at the Wellington on the first Friday of the month and have a very supportive WhatsApp group. The numbers who meet each time vary but it is a valued group by all who attend. It was noted by one member that it was good to be able to meet and chat to people who attend a different weekly service to them

Safeguarding

The sub-committee has continued to oversee safeguarding policy and practice (but not individual cases or confidential matters). They have also assisted the Parish Safeguarding Officer with the implementation of the Parish Dashboard, an online system overseen by the Diocese to ensure parish churches meet safeguarding compliance.

Zena Maher

A Report on The Choir

St. Peter’s Choir have been performing various anthems during services throughout the year. The choir is well supported with its choristers who willingly join in on a regular Sunday service. The choir also performed for our November concert, sounding so brilliantly on the night. They were so well received, thank you all so much. To our volunteer singers; you are greatly appreciated.

We recently sang Bach’s ‘Sheep May Safely Graze’ during the service, which highlighted how the rehearsal and practice have really improved the sound of the choir. The choir often gets really positive feedback from the congregation which is a testament to the commitment of all its members. May St. Peter’s choir continue to delight and enhance the community of the church going forward. A big thank you to you all those who contribute to the music at St. Peter’s!

Coryn Roberts, Organist

Report on Children, Young People and Families (CYPF) ministry

Our work to engage with the youngsters and families linked to our church community has continued this year with monthly Sunday afternoon gatherings for children and their families, and after school sessions for Lighthouse (our teenagers).

Although the numbers of both groups remain quite small there is encouragement and nurturing in the faith – both for the youngsters and their parents.

In September we again blessed our youngsters, teachers and others starting new courses at our ‘Blessing of the Backpacks’ service on the Sunday before many returned to school. We opened up the service to welcome those praying for their grandchildren or Godchildren as they started or returned to education. The service was followed by a happy time of tea and fellowship.

The arrival of Fr. Simon has led to some re-imagining of our CYPF ministry, since the summer, and some name changes for the groups.

Little Fishes has become Treasure Hunters a name suggested by the children. It partly reflects that the children in our core group are getting older. Our strapline is ‘Seeking and Becoming God’s treasure’, as we explore both the treasures of God in the stories of the Bible and recognise that each of us is treasure in God’s eyes. I am so grateful to Hazel Mavuka who has been a real blessing sharing in the leadership and planning of this group.

Following the success of our festival Messy Church afternoons (previously at Easter and Christmas) we decided to rename our family fun afternoons as Xplore. This was mainly because other churches

in the town do Messy Church on a big scale and it feels confusing to be calling such different events by the same name. However, a lot of the content – of craft, activities, worship and a shared meal remain. We had fun afternoons in October (Xplore All Saints) and December (Xplore Christingle) and have regular afternoons planned for 2026. These afternoons can only run because of the willing band of helpers we have – our thanks to all of them, and to Linda and Juliet who feed us at the end of our sessions.

There has also been an attempt at introducing occasional family accessible services, Xplore Together, on a Sunday morning, with an interactive talk and prayers. These have been enjoyed by people of all ages but further work and development is needed.

Lighthouse, for our small group of teenagers, continued to meet monthly in the Upper Room. There is

a mixture of games, craft activities, Bible study and fellowship with food. Our December meeting was a trip to Pablo Picasso in town. I am so grateful to Sam Mavuka for helping at the sessions and for Fr. Simon leading our beautiful eucharist services.

Seaford Primary School welcomed a new Headteacher, Mr. David Etherton, in January. As a Christian he is keen to develop the relationship with St. Peter’s, and this has been furthered by Fr. Simon becoming a Governor in the Autumn term.

Our accessible Services for All at Easter, Harvest and Christmas were again a real joy with young singers from the school. Towards Christmas we were again privileged to welcome various classes from the school to the Church, as well as Fr. Simon and Anne leading or participating in several assemblies. However, our greatest connection with the school this year was in our Postcard Challenge for the Summer Festival. Based on the theme of Community every child in the school decorated a Postcard to be displayed as ‘Mini Masterpieces’ in church. The results, in various mediums, were so creative, but with 400 postcards, from the school alone, they presented a challenge to display. I was so privileged to work on the display panels with Liz Pay, to whom I am eternally grateful.

Throughout the year, Fr. Simon, his wife Victoria, and I have had the opportunity to connect with The Anglo Catholic youth and children’s ministry network, a national resource sharing group of folk working in similar liturgical and sacramental settings. Most of the meetings are by Zoom but over a weekend in November they had their first in-person meet up in Walsingham. Victoria and I were delighted to be able to go, sponsored by the parish, and found both the sessions and the networking helpful. Fr. Simon and the family also attended the Walsingham Youth pilgrimage in August. Looking forward to 2026, Sam, Hazel and myself have been accepted to train as Authorised Lay Ministers in Children, young people and families ministry. We hope it will be a blessing to the church and to the families we work amongst, as we continue to share the Good News with the next generation. Watch this space!

Anne Collison, Lead volunteer of CYPF ministry at St. Peter’s

Report on Fundraising, Charity and Social Life

The sub-committee met on five occasions in 2025. The year saw a full, varied programme of events.

• Our main event was a ‘Summer Festival, ‘Celebrating Community’ led by Anne Collison and Elizabeth Pay which comprised an exhibition in the church of 520 postcards alongside flower displays organised by Daphne Dempster and a Summer Fête with a dancing display by the Nikki Bond Dance School, various stalls, refreshments, live music and children’s activities in the Chapel Rooms, carpark and churchyard. The event raised £1728.

• A successful season of East Blatchington Lectures took place starting in May with art historian, Kay Blackburn, on ‘ Van Gogh’ . In June Christine Cooke gave an illustrated talk on ‘Local Sussex Churches’ ( with the aim of encouraging people to go and visit some). In July Charlie Grimble talked about ‘Sutton - Seaford’s Lost Settlement’ . The 2025 season ended with a lecture in December by Kay Blackburn, on the Italian artist ‘Pintoricchio’.

• A public awareness meeting took place in September with a talk given by Jane Disney, a Seaford Police Community Support Officer about the dangers of ‘Scams and other Community Matters’.

Three Open Gardens were enjoyed during the summer. Thank you to Sylvie Aston, Christa Ovenden and Tina Bacon.
A lovely Harvest Supper took place in October organised by Linda Stratford.
Two excellent concerts took place during the year. The first, in September, was a concert of European Organ Music by Peter Dutton, organised by David Hitchin in aid of St Peter’s, and the second, in November, a Concert of Music with the choir, singers and instrumentalists, organised by Coryn Roberts and Eleanor Ferguson in aid of ‘Create Music’, a provider of high quality, inclusive music and arts education. £450 was raised.
Two enjoyable quiz evenings organised by Daphne Dempster were held in July and November.
At Christmas the PCC agreed that the Christmas collections on behalf of charitable causes should be shared between ‘Embrace the Middle East’ and the local Sussex charity, Family Support Work. £970 was raised.

Christine Cooke

To elect up to 4 representatives to the Deanery Synod
To elect up to 6 representatives of the Laity to the Parochial Church Council
To Appoint an independent examiner for the accounts
To consider any other matters of parochial or general church interest including the Rector’s report

Minutes of Meeting of Parishioners to elect Churchwardens and Annual Parochial Church Meeting in St. Peter’s Chapel Rooms, Belgrave Road, Seaford on Sunday 27th April 2025 at 11.15am

There were 38 attendees in the hall.

Revd. Simon Earnshaw welcomed all attendees and opened with a prayer.

Meeting of Parishioners to elect Churchwardens

Apologies were received from Debbie Phipps, Dr. Peter Fenwick, Ann Fenwick, Angela Wiley, Elizabeth Pay, Carole Clarke, Veronica Gabriel, Karen Jones, Marilyn Haydon, Fr. Eric, John Barber.
Minutes of the meeting held on 28th April 2024 were approved.
Nomination and election of Churchwardens

Nominations:

Neville Chalkley was proposed by Linda Stratford and seconded by George Rix. Anne Collison was proposed by Rosemary Leech and seconded by Chris Reynolds. Both were elected unanimously.

Fr. Simon welcomed them back and thanked them for agreeing to stand again.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Apologies were received from Debbie Phipps, Dr. Peter Fenwick, Ann Fenwick, Angela Wiley, Elizabeth Pay, Carole Clarke, Veronica Gabriel, Karen Jones, Marilyn Haydon, Fr. Eric, John Barber.
Minutes of the meeting held on 28[th ] April 2024 were approved; proposed by Geraldine Hedgecock and seconded by Keith Blackburn.
Matters arising: there were none.

To receive from the Parochial Church Council and be free to discuss:-

4a) A report on the numbers entered on the Electoral Roll

Following the renewal of the Electoral Roll which takes place every six years and ended in early April 2025, there were 107 people on the roll. This means that under the Church Representation Rules the number of lay people who can be elected to the PCC remains at 12. Debbie thanked Anne and Christine for their help with the renewal process. There were no questions, and the report was unanimously accepted.

The Rector thanked Debbie, in her absence, for all the work she does as our Electoral Roll Officer and welcomed those who have recently joined. We pray for those whom we have lost.

4b) An Annual Report on the proceedings of the Parochial Church Council and the activities of the Parish in general, including the report from the Chair of the PCC. i) The Secretary’s report on the proceedings of the PCC listed the main topics of discussion and decisions approved at the various meetings and via email throughout the year.

ii) The Report from the Chair of the PCC

Anne Collison explained that as this year there were three reports in her domain, one, as Chair of the PCC from July 1[st] during the vacancy following Rev’d Arwen Folkes’s resignation, two, as Churchwarden and three, as having responsibility for the Children, Young People and their Families ministry, she had combined them to make an A-Z of everything we needed to note and celebrate about 2024.

Her novel presentation, comprising a very comprehensive review of the many aspects of our Church life in 2024 was greatly appreciated.

As a registered charity we have demonstrated that we meet our charitable purpose.

There were no questions, and both parts of the report were unanimously accepted. Fr. Simon thanked Anne for all her exceptional work during the vacancy as Chair of the PCC and working on her own as Churchwarden for six months when Neville Chalkley had to step down due to unforeseen circumstances.

Anne in turn thanked Penny Reynolds and Christa Lindner for taking on the roles of Deputy Churchwardens during the vacancy. She also thanked the sidespeople who are stepping down this year and Rosemary Leech for her many years of work organising the Sunday coffee sessions and rota and welcomed Marianne Barber who is taking on the role.

. 4c) The independently examined Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31st December 2024 and the Treasurer’s report.

A copy of the Financial Statements and report had been available at the back of the church, so Chris Reynolds hoped people had had a look, prior to the meeting.

He talked about 2024 as being a challenging year financially. Ignoring the funds raised by the sale of investments, there was a fall of income from almost all income sources, from £134,963 to £113,499 and considerably higher operating costs in most areas. Much of this he sees as a result of inflation and the economic situation faced by both individuals and institutions alike. Expenditure was lower than last year at £155,062, (£23,391 less than in 2023). However, at the end of 2024 we were left with a deficit of £33,065 (£13,140 in 2023), making it necessary to use some of our reserves. Unfortunately, 2025 is seen by Chris as being difficult too, financially, but he adds that we have sufficient reserves to meet our future needs.

The Rector thanked Chris for his hard, invaluable work as Treasurer. There were no questions, and the report was unanimously accepted.

4d) A report on the Building, Fabric and Grounds of the Church of the Parish and Chapel Rooms from the Buildings, Health and Safety Team

2024 had been a very busy year and much had been achieved. In addition to maintaining the Church and Chapel Rooms, the Rectory was refurbished and decorated inside and out prior to the arrival of our new Rector, Fr. Simon and family. The report included a detailed Buildings Action List, produced by Christa Lindner, of all the work completed or scheduled in the church, churchyard and Chapel Rooms and also a list of all the work done in the Rectory and its garden by us and the Diocese. Christa thanked the small band of volunteers who helped her.

Christa was thanked for her dedication and the time and energy she used in overseeing the work on the Rectory.

There were no questions, and the report was unanimously accepted.

4e) A report on Health and Safety

The report was accepted unanimously after

1) it had been noted that nobody has yet come forward to either take on the post of Health and Safety officer or job share with Jacqueline Head and

2) a tabled question from Debbie Phipps had been put to the BHS team and answered by Christa Lindner.

The question was: “I appreciate that there have been challenges around identifying suitable craftspeople and the original ornate design for the railings around the boiler house steps. Whilst I understand that this is still an ongoing issue, I would appreciate an update on any progress that has been made and if there is a date for these safety works to be taken forward. Will a further faculty be required, or has the original been extended?”

The reply mentioned the complications that have arisen with so many parties involved, changes of design by the church architect, health and safety issues with the design, planning permission and a faculty obtained, now needing to be renewed and new quotes from contractors sought since the work was first proposed four years ago. All these matters are being addressed, and it is hoped that, with Fr. Simon’s help, everything will come together in 2025, and the work will go ahead.

3) Valerie Skues proposed a new longer handrail for the steps from the churchyard to the car park to help those with mobility difficulties. The matter will be looked into by the BHS sub-committee.

4f) A report on Safeguarding There were no questions, and the report was unanimously accepted.

4g) A report on the proceedings of the Lewes and Seaford Deanery Synod. There were no questions and the report from Kay Blackburn, Juliet Mitton and Linda Stratford, our Deanery Synod representatives, was unanimously accepted.

There were no questions, and the report was unanimously accepted.

Report on the Choir There were no questions and Coryn’s report was accepted unanimously. The Rector thanked Coryn, our organist, and the choir led by Eleanor Ferguson for their invaluable musical contributions to our worship and particularly their singing over Easter. Kay Blackburn thanked Eleanor for her choice of hymns which always seemed right for the occasion.

Report on the Mothers’ Union There was no report as St Peter’s Mothers’ Union is no longer active.

Report from the Fundraising, Charity and Social Life Sub-committee

There were no questions, and the report was accepted unanimously .

To elect up to 1 representative to the Deanery Synod. There was one nominee.

Keith Blackburn was proposed by Linda Stratford and seconded by Juliet Mitton.

He was duly elected proposed by Susan Drader and seconded by Valerie Skues.

Our four Reps until April 2026 are, therefore, Juliet Mitton, Linda Stratford, Kay Blackburn and Keith Blackburn.

To elect up to 8 representatives of the Laity to the Parochial Church Council. There were 6 nominations.

Those seeking re-election to the PCC this year:

Daphne Dempster , proposed by Christine Cooke and seconded by Kay Blackburn, Samukeliso Mavuka , proposed by Juliet Mitton and seconded by Christa Lindner, Aileen Rickard , proposed by Anne Collison and seconded by Natasha Tansley. Those seeking election to the PCC:

Zena Maher , proposed by Chris Reynolds and seconded by Tony Gubbins,

Angela Wiley, proposed by Christine Cooke and seconded by Anne Collison ( Zena and Angela were both previously co-opted members in 2024/5)

Eleanor Ferguso n, proposed by Karen Jones and seconded by Susan Adams

All were elected together; proposed by George Rix and seconded by Tina Bacon.

To appoint an independent examiner to the accounts.

The proposal was made by Chris Reynolds and seconded by Christine Cooke that Michele Spencer continue in this role and she was duly appointed.

To consider any other matters of Parochial or general church interest.

The Rector’s Address

Fr. Simon said that he recognises the financial challenges but overwhelmingly feels that there is a great deal going on at St. Peter’s and that God is working with us here to spread Christ’s Gospel. He has a sense of excitement and potential and looks forward to working with and being challenged by the PCC. Lent went well and Easter was a joyous time with so many people gathering together for our various services and children and adults at the 10am Easter Eucharist. He hopes to have a monthly family focused Mass and make our Children and Young People’s ministry a priority with groups meeting more frequently, but this will not be at the expense of everyone and everything else.

He said what a joy it had been for him, Victoria, Hannah and Naomi to be made so welcome and he thanked the parish for the refurbishment of the Rectory which they could move into straight away and enjoy. He looks forward to working with us to establish God’s name in this place and reach out to our neighbours, the Seaford community and our online congregation both here and further afield.

Valerie Skues mentioned that St Peter’s has always had a reputation as a friendly and welcoming church which punched well above its weight in the area.

Anne Collison thanked Fr. Simon for his magnificent celebration of Easter and Victoria and girls for their support and bags for the children.

The Rector thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting with The Grace.

Christine Cooke

St. Peter’s PCC Secretary

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

Registered Charity number 1173506

CONTENTS
	Page
Annual Report	1
Statement of Financial Activities	2
Balance Sheet	3
Notes to the accounts	4-9
Report of the Independent Examiner	10

Church of St. Peter, Blatchington Hill, Seaford

Rector Revd Simon Earnshaw, The Rectory, 86 Belgrave Road, Seaford BN25 2HE Independent examiner :- M I Spencer Ltd, 4 Farmland Way, Hailsham East Sussex BN27 1SP Bankers :- Santander, Bootle, Merseyside, L30 4GB

Note: whilst enrolled members are free to discuss the annual report and financial statements at the annual parochial church meeting on 26th April 2026 it would be very much appreciated if any questions on the financial statements could be sent in writing to the Treasurer, Mr C Reynolds, 4 Dutchess Drive, Seaford, E Sussex, BN25 2XL as soon as possible before the meeting.

East Blatchington PCC

The Treasurer’s 2025 Financial Report

The gradual fall of income over the past few years is making it very difficult to meet our ministerial objectives and aspirations within our financial constraints. This year we have incurred a deficit on our day-to-day activities of £27,057 and the value of our stock market investments has fallen by £12,183 so we have recorded a loss of £39,240 which has been met by drawing down on our reserves.

Income

Expenditure

Reserves

We have £14,199 on deposit with CCLA

Longer Term Investments

Reserves Policy

One year’s income to be held by way of reserve, this to equate to £100,000 at the present time

Conclusion

The expenditure performance demonstrates that we have an acceptable level of control over our outgoings, but income has not only not kept pace with inflation, but it has also considerably declined. We have so far been able to fund the difference from reserves. I am confident that we remain a going concern because of our level of reserves, but if there is not a considerable uplift in receipts in 2026 our activities/expenditure may need to be curtailed as it is not prudent to rely on funding shortfalls from reserves

Chris Reynolds Treasurer

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506

for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

BALANCE SHEET Fixed Assets Tangible fixed assets Investments Current Assets Debtors (Inc. Payment in Advance) Short term deposits Unrestricted Cash at bank St Peters Cash in hand Creditors due within one year Net current assets TOTAL NET ASSETS Funds Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds	Notes 5(a) 5(b) 8 9 7 7	6,168 14,199 3,354 5		2025 2024 £ £ 252,996 262,538 313,800 325,983 6,381 23,885 11,066 7 41,339 -5,016 18,809 36,323 585,606 624,845 348937 384,887 236669 239,958 585,606 624,845	2025 2024 £ £ 252,996 262,538 313,800 325,983 6,381 23,885 11,066 7 41,339 -5,016 18,809 36,323 585,606 624,845 348937 384,887 236669 239,958 585,606 624,845	2024 £ 262,538 325,983 36,323
		23,726 -4,917

					624,845
					384,887 239,958
					624,845

Approved by the Parochial Church Council and signed on its behalf by:

Rev. Simon Earnshaw Rev S Earnshaw Chairman Date 13/04/2026

The accompanying notes form a part of these financial statements

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506

for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Notes Income and Endowments Voluntary income 2a Activities for generating funds 2b Income from investments 2c Church activities 2d Gains and losses on investments 2a(i) Total income and endowments Expenditure Church activities 3a Costs of generating funds 3b Other resources expended 3c Total expenditure Net incoming/expenditure before investment gains/losses Other recognised gains /losses 1c Gains/(losses) on revaluation of fixed assets Gains/(losses) on investment income 5b (Net) Funds Vired During Year (i) Total funds b/fwd at 1st January 2025 6 Total funds c/fwd at 31st December 2025	UNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED TOTAL FUNDS FUNDS FUNDS 31.12.25 £ 62,346 2,992 65,339 5,491 0 5,491 10,314 0 10,314 23,080 0 23,080 0 0 0 101,232 2,992 104,224 122,955 6,279 129,234 396 0 396 1,650 0 1,650 125,002 6,279 131,281 -23,770 -3,287 -27,057 0 0 0 0 0 0 -12,183 -12,183 -35,951 -3,288 -39,237 0 0 0 384,887 239,958 624,844 348,937 236,671 585,606	TOTAL FUNDS 31.12.24 £ 71,523 5,199 11,495 25,283 60,000
		173,499
		152,825 611 1,626
		155,062
		18,437 0 0 -51,504
		-33,065
		0 657,909
		624,845

(i) There were no funds vired during the year due to the change of practice regarding the restricted funds from St Johns.

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Accounting policies

a Accounting convention

The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011, 2016 & 2022 and in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 together with applicable accounting standards and the 2016 update of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities [SORP (FRS102)]

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of investment assets, which are shown at fair value. The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their affiliation to another body, nor those which are informal gatherings of church members.

b Funds accounting

Funds held by the PCC are:

Unrestricted funds - general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes.

Designated funds - monies set aside by the PCC out of unrestricted funds for specific future purpose or projects.

Restricted funds -

a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest;

b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given.

Any balance remaining unspent at the end of the year is carried forward as a balance on that fund.

c Income and Endowments

These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities [SOFA] when:

the PCC becomes legally entitled to the use of the resources;
and the inflow of economic benefit is probable; and
the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.

Voluntary Income

Funds raised from events and trading activities are reported gross in the SOFA Collections and Planned Giving receivable is recognised only when received.

Gift Aid and other tax claims are included in the SOFA at the same time as the cash donations to which they relate.

Grants and donations are included in the SOFA when any preconditions preventing their use by the PCC have been met.

Income from investments

Dividends and interest entitlements are included in the accounts when receivable.

All other income

All other income is recognised when it is receivable.

Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their fair value at the time of the gift.

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains are recognised when the investments are sold. Unrealised gains and losses are accounted for on revaluation on 31 December each year.

The Recognised Gain from the sale of St Johns in 2007 is no longer held within the Restricted Funds following confirmation during the year from the Diocese that the funds are not restricted in any way.

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

d Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and is accounted for gross.

Grants

Grants payable are recognised in the accounts when a commitment has been made externally and there are no pre-conditions still to be met for entitlement to the grant which remain within control of the PCC.

Church Activities

The diocesan parish contribution is accounted for when paid. Any parish contribution unpaid at 31 December is provided for in these accounts as an operational (though not a legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the Balance Sheet.

e Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets

As consecrated and beneficial property of any kind is excluded from the statutory definition of "charity" by Section 10(2) (a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011 such assets are not capitalised in the financial statements.

Movable church furnishings held by the Rector and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal, are accounted as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the church's inventory which can be inspected. For inalienable property acquired prior to 31st December 1990 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the accounts. Individual items acquired since 1st January 1991 have been capitalised in the accounts and depreciated over their useful economic life (see depreciation note below).

All expenditure on consecrated or beneficed buildings and individual items under £1,000 are written off in the year they were incurred.

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost of tangible fixed assets, excluding freehold properties, over their expected useful lives. The rates generally applicable are:

Organ write off at the rate of £1,000 per annum Fixtures, Fittings & Moveable Furnishings 25% straight line basis Electronic Equipment 25% straight line basis

No depreciation is provided on buildings as the currently estimated residual value of the properties (discounted for monetary inflation since their capitalisation) is not less than their carrying value and the remaining useful life of these assets currently exceeds 50 years, so that any depreciation charges would be immaterial.

An impairment review is carried out each year and any resultant loss identified included in expenditure for the year.

f Current Assets

Amounts owing to the PCC at 31 December in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectible.

Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit either with the CBF Church of England, or at the bank.

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

2 Income and Endowments
Note
a
Voluntary income
Planned giving
Collections at all services
(i)
Other Income
Grants
Sundry donations and appeals
6
Income tax recoverable
(i)
Other income includes £215 insurance payout
b
Activities for generating funds
Fairs, bazaars and other fund-
raising events
c
Investments income
Interest & dividends
d
Income from Church Activities
Church hall lettings etc
Fees from weddings etc
e
Gains and losses on investments
Proceeds from sale of shares
Total Income & Endowments

UNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED
TOTAL
TOTAL
FUNDS
FUNDS
FUNDS
FUNDS
31.12.25
31.12.24
£
£
40,163
0
40,163
41,190
4,109
2,592
6,701
6,894
250
0
250
2,572
0
0
0
896
8,566
400
8,966
8,948
9,260
0
9,261
11,025
62,347
2,992
65,339
71,523
in relation to the lost microphone.
5,491
0
5,491
5,199
5,491
0
5,491
5,199
10,314
0
10,314
11,495
10,314
0
10,314
11,495
16,442
0
16,442
17,919
6,638
0
6,638
7,364
23,080
0
23,080
25,282
0
0
0
60,000
0
0
0
60,000
101,233
2,992
104,224
173,499

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

3 Expenditure

UNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED TOTAL FUNDS FUNDS FUNDS 31.12.25 £ £ £ a Church Activities Missionary and charitable giving Overseas 0 0 0 Home 611 3,083 3,694 611 3,083 3,694 Ministry costs Diocesan parish contribution 54,754 0 54,754 i other clergy costs 6,007 0 6,007 ii Church running expenses 24,726 0 24,726 Wedding & Funeral Expenses 0 0 0 Church maintenance 8,055 0 8,055 Upkeep of services 10,101 0 10,101 Upkeep of churchyard & Memorial Garden 1,599 80 1,678 Church hall running costs 9,706 130 9,836 Church hall Major repairs 0 0 0 Depreciation 7,395 2,986 10,382 122,954 6,280 129,235 i no longer includes council tax and water charges for St Andrews curate ii includes recharge of admin staff member from St Andrews	TOTAL FUNDS 31.12.24 £ 0 3,951
	3,951 57,518 6,643 27,446 0 15,998 10,455 2,167 13,425 3,558 11,663
	152,826

b Costs of generating funds c Other resources expended Independent examination fee Total expenditure	396 0 396 396 0 396 1,650 0 1,650 1,650 0 1,650 125,001 6,280 131,281	611
		611
		1,625
		1,625

		155,062

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

4 Staff Costs

a Wages and Salaries

2025	2024
-	-

The St Peters PCC did not employ any staff during 2025. Self-employed organists, cleaners and gardeners were hired to supply these services. There is a shared admin assistant employed by St Andrews and this is recharged to St Peters.

b Payments to PCC members

No payments or expenses were made to any member of the PCC which were not in the nature of reimbursed expenses. Total of expenses reimbursed to PCC members during the year was £810 (2024 £1,435)

Tangible fixed assets	UR & R	R	R	R & UR	UR & R
	Freehold land	Organ	Plant	Electrical	Fixtures
	and		&	Equipment	&	Total
	buildings		Equipment		Fittings
Cost as at 1st January 2025	228,417	36,530	7,438	30,632	18,010	321,027
Additions				840		840
Cost as at 31st December 2025	228,417	36,530	7,438	31,472	18,010	321,867
Depreciation as at 1st January 2025		27,000	6,459	8,763	16,267	58,490
Charge for the year		1,000	489	7,500	1,392	10,382
Depreciation as at 31st December 2025	0	28,000	6,948	16,263	17,659	68,872

Net book value at 31st December 2025	228,417	8,530	490	15,209	351	252,996

Net book value at 31st December 2024	228,417	9,530	979	21,869	1,742	262,537

The freehold land and buildings comprise the Chapel Rooms. For accounting purposes the historical cost of this property was £228,417.

5 (b) Investments

Investments Market value 1st January 2025 Purchases at Cost Revaluation Gain/(Loss) Market value 31st December 2025	Investment Property Total 312,173 13,810 325,983 0 0 0 -12,480 297 -12,183
	299,693 14,107 313,800

During 2007 two investments were purchased, £200,000 in the CBF Church of England Investment Fund Income Shares and £20,000 in the CBF Church of England Property Fund. Their market values at the balance sheet date is indicated above.

The valuation was undertaken by CCLA.

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

6 Sundry Donations and Appeals

Within the restricted sundry donations and appeals were monies for the School Bible appeal (£633) and donations towards the Brigton Dome Fesitval (£451).

Unrestricted Restricted 2025 7 Analysis of Net assets by fund Funds Funds TOTAL Fixed Assets 17,410 235,586 252,997 Investments 313,801 313,801 Current Assets 22,644 1,083 23,726 Current Liabilities -4,918 -4,918 348,937 236,669 585,606 8 Debtors 2025 Trade Debtors & Church hall letting fees due 1,122 0 1,122 PGS & tax refunds due from HMRC 5,047 0 5,047 Sundry debtors & Payments in Advance 0 0 0 6,168 0 6,168 9 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 2,025 Accruals for utilities and other costs 5,054 0 5,054 Trade Creditors - Octopus Credit -137 -137 4,917 0 4,917	2024 262,538 325,984 41,339 (5,016)	2024 262,538 325,984 41,339 (5,016)
	624,845
		2024 1,265 5,116 0
		6,381
		2,024
		5,016
		5,016

Independent Examiner’s report to the PCC of St Peter’s, East Blatchington.

I report on the accounts of the PCC of St Peter’s, East Blatchington for the year ended 31[st] December 2025, which are set out on pages 2 to 9.

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the PCC of St Peter’s, East Blatchington (the PCC) for the year ended 31[st] December 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2022 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the PCC’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: -

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

However, it is noted that there is again a deficit experienced in 2025. Confirmation has been received from the PCC is doing it very best to minimise this loss. A proportion of the loss is attributable to a loss on the investments held by the Church.

The PCC continue to work hard to ensure that the income is increased to cover the ever-increasing running and maintenance costs.

Signed: C Jones Name: Clare Jones

Professional qualifications: FCIPD

Address: M I Spencer Ltd 4 Farmland Way Hailsham East Sussex BN27 1SP

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

Registered Charity number 1173506

CONTENTS
	Page
Annual Report	1
Statement of Financial Activities	2
Balance Sheet	3
Notes to the accounts	4-9
Report of the Independent Examiner	10

Church of St. Peter, Blatchington Hill, Seaford

East Blatchington PCC

The Treasurer’s 2025 Financial Report

The gradual fall of income over the past few years is making it very difficult to meet our ministerial objectives and aspirations within our financial constraints. This year we have incurred a deficit on our day-to-day activities of £27,057 and the value of our stock market investments has fallen by £12,183 so we have recorded a loss of £39,240 which has been met by drawing down on our reserves.

Income

Expenditure

Reserves

We have £14,199 on deposit with CCLA

Longer Term Investments

Reserves Policy

One year’s income to be held by way of reserve, this to equate to £100,000 at the present time

Conclusion

Chris Reynolds Treasurer

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506

for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

BALANCE SHEET Fixed Assets Tangible fixed assets Investments Current Assets Debtors (Inc. Payment in Advance) Short term deposits Unrestricted Cash at bank St Peters Cash in hand Creditors due within one year Net current assets TOTAL NET ASSETS Funds Unrestricted Funds Restricted Funds	Notes 5(a) 5(b) 8 9 7 7	6,168 14,199 3,354 5		2025 2024 £ £ 252,996 262,538 313,800 325,983 6,381 23,885 11,066 7 41,339 -5,016 18,809 36,323 585,606 624,845 348937 384,887 236669 239,958 585,606 624,845	2025 2024 £ £ 252,996 262,538 313,800 325,983 6,381 23,885 11,066 7 41,339 -5,016 18,809 36,323 585,606 624,845 348937 384,887 236669 239,958 585,606 624,845	2024 £ 262,538 325,983 36,323
		23,726 -4,917

					624,845
					384,887 239,958
					624,845

Approved by the Parochial Church Council and signed on its behalf by:

Rev. Simon Earnshaw Rev S Earnshaw Chairman Date 13/04/2026

The accompanying notes form a part of these financial statements

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506

for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

Notes Income and Endowments Voluntary income 2a Activities for generating funds 2b Income from investments 2c Church activities 2d Gains and losses on investments 2a(i) Total income and endowments Expenditure Church activities 3a Costs of generating funds 3b Other resources expended 3c Total expenditure Net incoming/expenditure before investment gains/losses Other recognised gains /losses 1c Gains/(losses) on revaluation of fixed assets Gains/(losses) on investment income 5b (Net) Funds Vired During Year (i) Total funds b/fwd at 1st January 2025 6 Total funds c/fwd at 31st December 2025	UNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED TOTAL FUNDS FUNDS FUNDS 31.12.25 £ 62,346 2,992 65,339 5,491 0 5,491 10,314 0 10,314 23,080 0 23,080 0 0 0 101,232 2,992 104,224 122,955 6,279 129,234 396 0 396 1,650 0 1,650 125,002 6,279 131,281 -23,770 -3,287 -27,057 0 0 0 0 0 0 -12,183 -12,183 -35,951 -3,288 -39,237 0 0 0 384,887 239,958 624,844 348,937 236,671 585,606	TOTAL FUNDS 31.12.24 £ 71,523 5,199 11,495 25,283 60,000
		173,499
		152,825 611 1,626
		155,062
		18,437 0 0 -51,504
		-33,065
		0 657,909
		624,845

(i) There were no funds vired during the year due to the change of practice regarding the restricted funds from St Johns.

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Accounting policies

a Accounting convention

b Funds accounting

Funds held by the PCC are:

Unrestricted funds - general funds which can be used for PCC ordinary purposes.

Designated funds - monies set aside by the PCC out of unrestricted funds for specific future purpose or projects.

Restricted funds -

a) income from trusts or endowments which may be expended only on those restricted objects provided in the terms of the trust or bequest;

b) donations or grants received for a specific object or invited by the PCC for a specific object. The funds may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given.

Any balance remaining unspent at the end of the year is carried forward as a balance on that fund.

c Income and Endowments

These are included in the Statement of Financial Activities [SOFA] when:

the PCC becomes legally entitled to the use of the resources;
and the inflow of economic benefit is probable; and
the monetary value can be measured with sufficient reliability.

Voluntary Income

Funds raised from events and trading activities are reported gross in the SOFA Collections and Planned Giving receivable is recognised only when received.

Gift Aid and other tax claims are included in the SOFA at the same time as the cash donations to which they relate.

Grants and donations are included in the SOFA when any preconditions preventing their use by the PCC have been met.

Income from investments

Dividends and interest entitlements are included in the accounts when receivable.

All other income

All other income is recognised when it is receivable.

Gifts in kind are accounted for at a reasonable estimate of their fair value at the time of the gift.

Gains and losses on investments

Realised gains are recognised when the investments are sold. Unrealised gains and losses are accounted for on revaluation on 31 December each year.

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

d Expenditure

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and is accounted for gross.

Grants

Church Activities

e Fixed Assets

Tangible fixed assets

All expenditure on consecrated or beneficed buildings and individual items under £1,000 are written off in the year they were incurred.

Depreciation

Depreciation is calculated to write down the cost of tangible fixed assets, excluding freehold properties, over their expected useful lives. The rates generally applicable are:

Organ write off at the rate of £1,000 per annum Fixtures, Fittings & Moveable Furnishings 25% straight line basis Electronic Equipment 25% straight line basis

An impairment review is carried out each year and any resultant loss identified included in expenditure for the year.

f Current Assets

Amounts owing to the PCC at 31 December in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectible.

Short-term deposits include cash held on deposit either with the CBF Church of England, or at the bank.

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

3 Expenditure

UNRESTRICTED RESTRICTED TOTAL FUNDS FUNDS FUNDS 31.12.25 £ £ £ a Church Activities Missionary and charitable giving Overseas 0 0 0 Home 611 3,083 3,694 611 3,083 3,694 Ministry costs Diocesan parish contribution 54,754 0 54,754 i other clergy costs 6,007 0 6,007 ii Church running expenses 24,726 0 24,726 Wedding & Funeral Expenses 0 0 0 Church maintenance 8,055 0 8,055 Upkeep of services 10,101 0 10,101 Upkeep of churchyard & Memorial Garden 1,599 80 1,678 Church hall running costs 9,706 130 9,836 Church hall Major repairs 0 0 0 Depreciation 7,395 2,986 10,382 122,954 6,280 129,235 i no longer includes council tax and water charges for St Andrews curate ii includes recharge of admin staff member from St Andrews	TOTAL FUNDS 31.12.24 £ 0 3,951
	3,951 57,518 6,643 27,446 0 15,998 10,455 2,167 13,425 3,558 11,663
	152,826

b Costs of generating funds c Other resources expended Independent examination fee Total expenditure	396 0 396 396 0 396 1,650 0 1,650 1,650 0 1,650 125,001 6,280 131,281	611
		611
		1,625
		1,625

		155,062

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

4 Staff Costs

a Wages and Salaries

2025	2024
-	-

b Payments to PCC members

No payments or expenses were made to any member of the PCC which were not in the nature of reimbursed expenses. Total of expenses reimbursed to PCC members during the year was £810 (2024 £1,435)

Tangible fixed assets	UR & R	R	R	R & UR	UR & R
	Freehold land	Organ	Plant	Electrical	Fixtures
	and		&	Equipment	&	Total
	buildings		Equipment		Fittings
Cost as at 1st January 2025	228,417	36,530	7,438	30,632	18,010	321,027
Additions				840		840
Cost as at 31st December 2025	228,417	36,530	7,438	31,472	18,010	321,867
Depreciation as at 1st January 2025		27,000	6,459	8,763	16,267	58,490
Charge for the year		1,000	489	7,500	1,392	10,382
Depreciation as at 31st December 2025	0	28,000	6,948	16,263	17,659	68,872

Net book value at 31st December 2025	228,417	8,530	490	15,209	351	252,996

Net book value at 31st December 2024	228,417	9,530	979	21,869	1,742	262,537

The freehold land and buildings comprise the Chapel Rooms. For accounting purposes the historical cost of this property was £228,417.

5 (b) Investments

Investments Market value 1st January 2025 Purchases at Cost Revaluation Gain/(Loss) Market value 31st December 2025	Investment Property Total 312,173 13,810 325,983 0 0 0 -12,480 297 -12,183
	299,693 14,107 313,800

The valuation was undertaken by CCLA.

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

6 Sundry Donations and Appeals

Within the restricted sundry donations and appeals were monies for the School Bible appeal (£633) and donations towards the Brigton Dome Fesitval (£451).

Unrestricted Restricted 2025 7 Analysis of Net assets by fund Funds Funds TOTAL Fixed Assets 17,410 235,586 252,997 Investments 313,801 313,801 Current Assets 22,644 1,083 23,726 Current Liabilities -4,918 -4,918 348,937 236,669 585,606 8 Debtors 2025 Trade Debtors & Church hall letting fees due 1,122 0 1,122 PGS & tax refunds due from HMRC 5,047 0 5,047 Sundry debtors & Payments in Advance 0 0 0 6,168 0 6,168 9 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 2,025 Accruals for utilities and other costs 5,054 0 5,054 Trade Creditors - Octopus Credit -137 -137 4,917 0 4,917	2024 262,538 325,984 41,339 (5,016)	2024 262,538 325,984 41,339 (5,016)
	624,845
		2024 1,265 5,116 0
		6,381
		2,024
		5,016
		5,016

Independent Examiner’s report to the PCC of St Peter’s, East Blatchington.

I report on the accounts of the PCC of St Peter’s, East Blatchington for the year ended 31[st] December 2025, which are set out on pages 2 to 9.

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the PCC of St Peter’s, East Blatchington (the PCC) for the year ended 31[st] December 2025.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2022 (‘the Act’).

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: -

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

The PCC continue to work hard to ensure that the income is increased to cover the ever-increasing running and maintenance costs.

Signed: C Jones Name: Clare Jones

Professional qualifications: FCIPD

Address: M I Spencer Ltd 4 Farmland Way Hailsham East Sussex BN27 1SP

CHURCH COUNCIL

CONTENTS

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON

Meeting of Parishioners to elect Churchwardens and Annual Parochial Church Meeting in St. Peter’s Chapel Rooms, Belgrave Road, Seaford on Sunday 26th April 2026 at 11.15am

AGENDAS

Meeting of Parishioners to elect Churchwardens

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Administration Information

Structure, Governance and Management

Objectives and Activities

Location and Historical Background

The Parish Clergy

4a) Electoral Roll

4b) Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council

Christine Cooke Secretary to the PCC

Report from the Chair of the PCC, Revd. Simon Earnshaw

Fr Simon

4c) The independently examined Financial Statements of the Parochial Church ’ Council for the year ended 31st December 2025 and the Treasurer s report.

Income

Expenditure

Reserves

Longer Term Investments

Reserves Policy

Conclusion

1. People

2. Buildings

3. Summer Festival

4. Administration

5. Thanks

4e) Health & Safety

3. PAT testing.

4. Fire Appliances.

5. Hazardous liquids.

6. Churchyard safety.

4f) Safeguarding

4g) The Deanery Synod

Schools Ministry

Pastoral Visiting and Home Communion

Care Home Ministry

Forget-me-Knot Memory Café

Art & Craft Group

Bible Group

Working Age Group

Safeguarding

Zena Maher

A Report on The Choir

Coryn Roberts, Organist

Report on Children, Young People and Families (CYPF) ministry

Report on Fundraising, Charity and Social Life

Christine Cooke

Minutes of Meeting of Parishioners to elect Churchwardens and Annual Parochial Church Meeting in St. Peter’s Chapel Rooms, Belgrave Road, Seaford on Sunday 27th April 2025 at 11.15am

Meeting of Parishioners to elect Churchwardens

Nominations:

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

4e) A report on Health and Safety

The Rector’s Address

Christine Cooke

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD

ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF THE

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

East Blatchington PCC

The Treasurer’s 2025 Financial Report

Income

Expenditure

Reserves

Longer Term Investments

Reserves Policy

Conclusion

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506

for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506

for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

PARISH OF EAST BLATCHINGTON, SEAFORD, 1173506 for the Year Ended 31 December 2025

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. Accounting policies

a Accounting convention

b Funds accounting

c Income and Endowments