## **ST THOMAS’ CHURCH, WOOLTON HILL** 

# …… _making Christ known in our communities_ 

# **Annual Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31[st] December 2022** 

## **Administrative Information** 

St Thomas’ Church is in the United Benefice of North West Hampshire in the Deanery of Whitchurch and the Diocese of Winchester.  The correspondence address is The Rectory, The Mount, Woolton Hill, RG20 9QZ.   The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a registered charity.  Charity number: 1173894 

## **PCC members are as follows:** 

Incumbent: The Reverend Canon Christine Dale Church Wardens: Chris Vane Bridget Wheeler Deanery Synod Representatives: Peter Charles Val Burfield Elected Members: Alan Johnson Ian Roch Margaret Burgham Luke Graham Angela Maxwell Fiona Ashworth (Hon Secretary from 27/4/22) Officer to the PCC: Terry Hadden (Hon Treasurer from 1/1/22) 

## **Structure, Governance and Management** 

St Thomas’ PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Incumbent, the Reverend Canon Christine Dale, in promoting the mission of the Church within the parish of Woolton Hill.  In addition, it has maintenance responsibilities for the church building.  There were 3 regular meetings of the PCC in the year 2022. 

The PCC alone could not manage all the tasks the church undertakes and therefore, a number of groups and committees assist with these.  The following Committees make recommendations, support the decisions of the PCC and carry out specific tasks as agreed.  Their current Terms of Reference are as follows: 

**Standing and Finance Committee (Chair: The Rector** ) **:** Vice Chair, Wardens, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer meet in advance of each PCC meeting to plan the agenda and review objectives. 

**Fabric Committee (Chair, Ian Roch):** This is a committee elected by the PCC and is responsible for the planning and execution of all necessary maintenance work on the church building and churchyard. 

**Social and Fundraising (Chair, Angela Maxwell):** This committee plans and arranges social and fundraising events throughout the year, primarily to bring people together and to raise funds for the upkeep of the Church. 

1 



## **Electoral Roll (Jayne Roch)** 

At the 2022 APCM there were 74 names on the Electoral Roll of whom 19 were non-resident.  Seven people had joined the Electoral Roll and 1 person had died since the last report. 

## **Benefice Committees** 

**The Benefice Council (Chair, The Rector):** The Rector and two representatives from each PCC in the North West Hampshire Benefice meet to agree the annual plan of services across the Benefice and discuss items of finance or interest to all the parishes. 

**The Ministry Team (Chair, The Rector):** The Rector works with the Associate Priest and Licensed Lay Ministers to oversee the worship and ministry across the Benefice. 

## **Review of the year 2022** 

## **Finance Report (Terry Hadden)** 

1. The first item is giving thanks to all those who have steered me through the year to the point where we can safely say that we have survived financially - somewhat battered perhaps but not beaten. In alphabetical order to avoid accusations of favouritism these include Fiona Ashworth, Bertha Bates, Cedric Cottrell, Christine Dale, Gareth Foulkes, Bob King, Chris Vane, and Bridget Wheeler.  Judy Andersen gets a special mention having stepped back into the breach after resigning / retiring a year ago! There are plenty more of course. They know who they are. Thank you all!! 

2. The second thing to say is that overall income has held up well. There are swings and roundabouts with grants etc. of course but taken as a whole things are pretty good being £2k higher than last year. 

3. Offsetting that the expenses were £18k higher with a large element of that (£15k) being hall costs. 

4. Income - unrestricted income has fallen by a little over £6.5k compared to 2021 whilst restricted (the heating project) has risen by £11k plus in the same period. The income from endowment funds has stayed pretty much the same at £7k. The net effect of all this is an increase of just under £4k. 

5. We also had to take £8k from the Lock Trust towards the end of the year (7.5k in 2021) – we couldn’t have met the Common Mission Fund demand without it! 

6. Expenses, however, have shot up by £18k much of which is due to building costs with the heating project taking an extra £4k and the hall picking up most of the difference it seems. 

7. Overall income still exceeded expenses by £2k making a net negative difference of £14k compared to 2021. 

8. The above is all about cash. Last year there was a revaluation of the Lock Trust which added £18.5k to the asset value. 2022 has reversed that gain and then some! Almost £38k has been wiped off which has moved the net asset value from £395k last year down to £361k at the end of 2022. 

In summary, a pretty good year aside from the valuations which are outside our control and which, we hope, will be reversed again in the days / months / years to come. 

I will make no comments or forecasts for 2023. Que sera, sera. 

## **Fabric & Churchyard Report (Ian Roch)** 

## Church 

1. Ongoing maintenance and certifications are performed in line with requirements. 

2. The heating project is progressing well and is subject to a separate report. 

3. The church electrics are showing their age with increasing numbers of bulb holders not working and with frequent bulb failures. The compatible type of bulbs are becoming increasingly difficult (and expensive) to source. 

4. There have been numerous incidents of petty theft and vandalism caused by a group of youths entering the church, particularly at weekends and school holidays. This has included theft of the wheelchair, damage to candles, theft of biscuits and interference with floral decorations. As a result, 

2 



the door between the church and the vestry is now locked with items stored in the vestry /boiler room where possible. These incidents have been reported to Hampshire police. Most recently there has been damage to the lightning conductor although damage is limited to a few of the wall fixings being pulled out. The integrity of the conductor was not affected. 

5. Some lead theft and tile damage occurred to the roof of the west porch. 

6. Increasing dampness has been observed in the bell tower. It is not yet known if this is being caused by a fault in the fabric of the building or if it was due to a particular rain / wind direction. 

## Churchyard 

7. Working Parties are usually held twice per year. All offers of assistance will be gratefully received whether at a Working Party or on an ad-hoc basis. 

8. Despite previous improvements to ditches in the lower churchyard along the Church Lane and the lower churchyard boundaries, parts of the lower churchyard remain very boggy during winter months. The cause is believed to be an old drain which is now being disturbed as new graves are dug. Solutions are being looked at but cost constraints prevail. 

9. A contractor is engaged for an average of 6 hours per month to cut the grass in front of the church and to cut around the old graves on a twice per year basis. The remainder of cutting in the main churchyard and the lower churchyard is carried out by volunteers. The ageing demographic of the volunteers means that more tasks are being carried out by contractors with an associated increase in the maintenance costs of the Church. 

## Clock 

10. The annual inspection / maintenance check was carries out in the autumn by the Cumbria Clock Company. The clock is working well with no issues to report. 

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who undertakes countless tasks in and around the Church. 

## Heating (Bertha Bates) 

The best intentions etc…….., we had hoped to have the new heating system up and running by October. However, our plans were scuppered. The Diocesan heating engineer needed many additional questions answered before it went to committee, needless to say it missed the meeting and we had to wait for another couple of months.  Eventually permission was given and it was then a case of organising AWG contractors to dig the trench, SSEN and Total to install and connect the new three phase wiring and a smart meter, and Hannington and Green to connect it all. (Before the work on installing the heating could start).  This work is now planned to commence in January 2023. 

## **Cleaning Report (Margaret Falconer)** 

We have a team of 10 cleaners, losing two from the previous year. 

Many thanks to Carol, Marilyn, Mary, Madeleine, Rachael, Angie, Pat, Chris and Val for their hard work. The rota has been reduced from once a week to once a fortnight although we check when there are festivals and events, especially the schools. In 2023 a Spring/Summer clean is planned for Saturday 15[th] April to follow up after the new heating system had been installed. 

## **Flower Report (Margaret Falconer)** 

Thank you so much to our church flower arrangers. 

Sadly, we lost Jean Sharp in December and she will be missed both as a colleague and as an expert. We are fortunate to have kept the rest of the team of Sue Wakelin, Diana Durkin Ros Oles, Mary Holmes, Bertha Bates, Pat Woodage, Margaret Falconer, Sue Jopson, Bron Sutton and Rosie Cordell. Of course we are always on the lookout for new flower arrangers, just a love of flowers is required. I am encouraging the use of chicken wire as we try to eliminate floral foam. 

Our arrangers finance their own flowers and the PCC provides extra funds for the main festivals. 

## **Church Unlockers Report (Angie Maxwell)** 

Early on in the year, life started to get back to normal after the limitations of the pandemic.  This meant that the church could once again be kept open during the week by our loyal band of regular helpers. 

3 



These were, in order of duty days throughout the week, Rosemary Cahill, Genie Stapleton, Angie Maxwell, Bridget Wheeler and Anthony Clifton.  Thanks are also due to those others who deputized when necessary. 

Unfortunately, it was necessary to keep the church locked during school holidays later in the year when it was discovered that these were the main times that petty vandalism was taking place within the church and its surrounds. 

Well done to all the team for their continuing commitment to this important duty. 

## **Church Hall Report (Ingrid Rankin)** 

2022 brought change, continuity, and the unforeseen for Woolton Hill Church Hall. 

Following many years of faithful service on the Management Committee, Nick Harcourt, John Angle and Cedric Cottrell stepped down from their responsibilities. Before departing, their combined operational knowledge was captured in an A-Z manual, which is now the go to document for running the Hall. New and additional members have been appointed, with everyone having a clearly defined role. There has been an overview of processes and policies; safeguarding training, fire control checks and a Refund Policy are now in place.  Also, we have created a bespoke logo for use on documents. For the first time in seven years, there are increased hire rates for next year: responses from hirers have been only supportive and understanding. 

During 2022, there were 5 regular meetings and an extraordinary one. Maintenance issues were addressed either “in house” by our maintenance officer or via contractors. Both PAT and fixed wire testing were completed, and some internal door handles upgraded. Detailed stocktakes of the kitchen and loft enable us to keep effective control of storage spaces. Thankfully, our boundary fence and wall, partially demolished following a power outage, is now reinstated. 

Unfortunately, in early November, buckling of the wooden floor in the main hall created an emergency. Since then, for health and safety reasons, the main hall has been out of action and there is no time frame for a return to use. This situation produced additional work, from the cancellation of bookings, attendance with investigative contractors to keeping hirers regularly informed. We are very grateful for all the support and guidance provided by the Church Treasurer. 

Bookings for the first three quarters maintained pre pandemic levels and there was positive engagement with Pre-School, with half termly face to face meetings with the Manager. Total income for the year was £23,515, driven mainly by regular hirers, contributing three quarters of the total. We believe the loss of earnings from the main hall being unavailable, is in the region of £1,500 and have taken the prudent view of not including this recovery (from insurance) in the accounts. . We have made expenditure savings where possible; cleaning costs have been set at less than 50% of what they were before Nov. Total expenditure for the year amounted to £29,780, with significant spend on hall maintenance (£12,014) and utilities (£6,789). This resulted in a significant loss for the financial year of £6,324. However, with increased hire prices in 2023 and discussions with the insurance company for loss of earnings, we hope to reduce this level of loss in 2023. 

Going forward, we are mindful of the need to retain as many of our regular hirers as possible. In addition to sharing regular updates with them, we are looking forward to showcasing the premises, once all the remedial work is complete. 

## **Rotas Report (Margaret Burgham)** 

As always this is my opportunity to say a big “Thank you” to all our wonderful Sides people, Sacristans and Intercessors.  Despite a lot of sickness, you have continued to support and commit to helping St. Thomas’ to be a welcoming church. 

I would also like to thank you for replying so promptly to my emails asking you to give me the dates when you are unable to serve. It saves a lot of having to swap around and makes my job, which I love, a lot easier. 

Thank you for your willingness and commitment. 

4 



## **Social & Fundraising Report (Angela Maxwell)** 

A full range of social and fundraising activities took place during the year. 

These commenced at the beginning of February with the annual Trivial Pursuits quiz ably organized by Jayne and Ian Roch and much enjoyed by all despite having to rely on the Zoom format again. 

Later in the month, a new event called Aladdin’s Cave, was held in the Church Hall.  As the name suggests, it was a sale of an eclectic range of new or as good as new items which had been donated.  A very upmarket version of our traditional jumble sale.  A lot of hard work beforehand and on the day, but it turned out to be financially much more successful than a jumble sale and something which we hoped to repeat in the future. 

In May, Genie and Alan Stapleton held a ‘bring and buy’ Coffee Morning. It turned out to be such a warm and sunny day that we were able to sit outside in their lovely garden to enjoy good company as well as the tasty cake and coffee refreshments. 

In June, the committee organised more cake and refreshments after the Handbells concert in the church. 

The next day, celebratory drinks were arranged by Ian Roch after the Diamond Jubilee service for the late Queen.  Chris Vane had baked an amazing variety of crown topped cakes to make it a truly royal occasion. 

At the end of June, Margaret Burgham masterminded yet another most enjoyable Safari Supper.  She let us know that she would be passing on the baton for organising this event in future years.  Well done Margaret and thank you for all your efforts in putting this event on for so many years. 

A very successful Summer Fair was held in the Church grounds at the beginning of July organised by Bertha Bates and Chris Vane. A huge number of stall holders and other helpers were involved to make this a great community event. 

The St Thomas team provided and served refreshments at the September Village Market as well as organising the raffle.  Many volunteers were needed on the day as well as beforehand to make the cakes which were sold. 

After the Harvest church service in October, refreshments were offered by way of the contributions to a Bake Off competition with the theme of harvest.  We certainly enjoyed the end products baked by young and old alike! 

Later in October, the social and fundraising team plus partners were treated to a drinks and nibbles evening at the home of Ann Fleming.  Donations raised on the evening helped to swell church funds. 

Chris Vane organised a Christmas stall at the November Village Market.  Many of the items donated for sale had been deliberately held back from earlier in the year to offer at this time as they had such a Christmassy feel to them. A great team of helpers were involved beforehand and on the day as well. 

More refreshments were provided after the service attended by the Bishop of Winchester at the end of November and again after the Carol Service in December.  Many thanks are due to our resident barmen Ian Roch and Stuart Carlyle. 

As you can see, there has been a full year of fundraising social events which couldn’t have happened without the support of so many volunteers.  It’s been hard work but fun. Can I offer sincere thanks to all involved. 

## **Parish Outreach Reports** 

## **Welcome Pack Report (Mary Harcourt)** 

We have delivered 13 Welcome Packs over the year to newcomers to the village. 

The contents of the pack reflect the many and varied activities in the village - not only the Church, the Surgery, the Stores and the schools but also sports facilities, the Silver Band and various clubs and societies. Some of these produce leaflets while others direct residents to their websites. 

We have a dedicated team who deliver the Packs which are always very gratefully received. 

5 



## **Community Café Report (Carol Currey)** 

The Community Café has continued weekly get together throughout the year. Our visitor numbers vary between 12 and 20 and the regulars really enjoy meeting with people they have got to know through the Café and around the village. Visitors always enjoy tea, coffee, biscuits and social chat. The lack of heating in Church has been a challenge, we have resorted to meeting in our Helpers homes. It will be good when we are able to return to Church. The Café has a constant team of Helpers though additional Helpers would be warmly welcomed. 

Our visitors are generous with their donations and at least twice a year these are passed on in equal parts to St Thomas’ Church and a local Charity. This year the Charities have been Loose Ends and The Food Bank. 

## **Festival Leaflets Report (Rosemary Cahill)** Easter and Christmas leaflets. 

Before Easter and Christmas, leaflets are delivered to every household in the NWH Benefice. They contain a letter from Canon Christine and a list of all relevant services. The aim is for final deliveries to leave a clear week before the first service listed (Palm Sunday or Carol Services). The Master has to be available for copying by Sue Hopkinson (Coordinator), so 5 weeks are needed, especially for the teams in the 3 largest parishes.  For these, Sue splits into individual named packs where requested   Those for EW are delivered direct from the copier. The remainder of the 1900 copies then go, via my house, to the team leaders in each parish.  Household numbers vary from 26 (CE) to 850 (WH).  Remarkably there are many individuals who have willingly continued this twice yearly task over many years, and we are grateful to them all. 

## **Musical accompanists and Choir Report (Bertha Bates)** 

The Choir sang for church services throughout 2022. It was especially good to be able to sing for the Carol Service and again on Christmas Day. We are as always very grateful to Georgie who gives us so much time in her busy life to jolly us along. Thank you also to Peter Stanley, Alistair Davis and Genie Stapleton for playing the organ during the past year, and to Mary Harcourt for playing the keyboard. We were sorry that Kathleen Trewhella decided to give up her monthly slot with us, and we were very sorry to hear that she had passed away just before Christmas. 

## **Bell Ringers Report (Christopher Pack)** 

Ringing has not been as regular as usual due to illness and other factors beyond our control.  As all the ringers are committed to at least one other church we were only able to ring for a wedding and the carol service. 

The ringing chamber has suffered now that the boiler no longer functions with mould growing in one corner and the woodworm are still active. On a more positive note a removable soundproofing block has been fashioned that fits into the trapdoor opening and makes ringing far more pleasurable. 

Chris would like to record his thanks to the Burghclere ringers and those from other towers without whom there would be no ringing at all. 

## **St Thomas’ Handbells Report (Nicole Bentham)** 

For most of 2022 we continued rehearsing in members’ homes to save both the ringers and all our equipment from the cold and damp conditions in church.  This enabled us to prepare for a Jubilee Concert in St Thomas’ in early June to coincide with Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. Proceeds were shared between church funds and the DEC Ukraine appeal.  As a gesture of support we included the Ukrainian National anthem which we had learnt soon after the invasion.  We were pleased to take the same programme to local care homes and delighted to be able to resume much of our usual round of Christmas engagements in December, as well as accepting our first invitation to ring for Kingsclere WI’s Christmas meeting. 

In the course of the year we regretfully said goodbye to two of the team, both on grounds of deteriorating health.   Alan had been with us for a relatively short time but he had made a big impact and we miss his lively contributions to our practices.   Chris was a very long-standing and unfailingly cheerful member of the group, and her experience and reliability have been a challenge to replace.  On 

6 



the positive side we welcomed Diane Snell as a new ringer in the autumn; amazingly she had already made her playing debut by the end of the year and we look forward to her participating fully in future performances. 

## **Children’s Ministry Report (Jenny Graham)** 

As we reflect on the activities for the children in 2022 we are grateful for the prayer support from the wider St Thomas’ family and for the new contacts we have made and the fun and safety we have enjoyed throughout the year. 

We have been a core team of 5 following Nicola stepping back at the start of the year.  We are thankful for the valuable contributions Nicola brought to the group and for the continued support from her and her family in attending events and services throughout 2022. 

Our calendar of services and events for 2022 was busy and varied and we have really enjoyed meeting new children and developing relationships in the community.  Our Good Friday Easter activity morning remains the highlight of the year for many of us and it was hugely enjoyable this year made especially so by the additional help we receive from the church family in running activities and, most importantly, in the creation of the Easter Garden!  We had a small but incredibly special time with some families to celebrate ‘Mums’ on Mothering Sunday weekend.  The children were occupied with crafts and games on a lovely sunny day and the Mums had some valuable time out together with good conversation and some treats to enjoy! 

We were blessed with great weather for our Summer Activity Morning held in the grounds of the church where we created bug hotels, did some filming about nature and enjoyed some games and a picnic together.  The autumn term was busy as we did our first ‘Bake-off’!  It was great to join with the wider church and have different generations entering their yummy and very creative Harvest bakes! We had 26 children come along to our Light Party to enjoy a positive alternative to Halloween and were thrilled to join with the Brownies to run this event!  We hope and pray that the positive links with the Brownies will continue.  We were fully booked and squeezing some last minute requests in for our Crafty Christmas event where we hosted 32 children in the church for fun, games, crafts and a party tea.  It was a great way to end the year! 

We are firmly in the pattern now of our All Together Services being the focus each month for the regular children and families with participation in the service and additional activities and a short time together after the service.  We are hugely grateful for the support of the PCC in purchasing a screen so that we can incorporate some different material into the All Together Services from time to time.  The screen and projector have also been used at our events which widens the scope of the material we can use with the children. 

We have been trying to raise the profile of our All Together services and other activities which was boosted by appearing on the front page of the Spectrum early in the year with a great write up in the magazine.  The local schools regularly send invitations to services and events to their families and we have made some new contacts through this.  It was also great to have input from St Thomas’ school at the Christingle Service and then to welcome many more from local schools and families at the Crib Service – another highlight of the year for many! 

The prayers of our wider church family are incredibly important to us….Olivia, Lucy, Kay and Jenny are all busy working mums and have a lot in life to juggle.  Val completes the team and is incredible at keeping us all going with her positivity and wisdom.  We also continue to benefit from Christine’s input, guidance and teamwork.  Your prayer support is essential and as we have popular events your ‘pitching in’ to help with activities is also so important. Thank you for your continued support as we try and engage the children and families in our community and share God’s love with them. 

## **Home Group Report (Margaret Burgham)** 

During our last session of Homegroup, eight of us studied Paul’s letter to the Philippians which showed very clearly his affection for the people of Philippi in Northern Greece.  We found it a very interesting book to read and resulted in a lot of discussion. 

7 



## **Pins and Needles Report (Carol Currey)** 

The Pins & Needles sewing and knitting group has more or less closed now. The changes began when we were restricted due to Covid. The main items being distributed then were blankets being sent to hospitals and later to Ukraine, both of these outlets are closed to us. We are still able to knit hats and fingerless gloves for The Seafarers who provide us with a prepaid postage label. Some of us do keep in touch exchanging patterns and passing on unwanted wool. 

## **School Report (The Rector)** 

During 2022 the bedding in of federation arrangements between St Thomas’ Infant School and Woolton Hill Junior School continued under the leadership of Executive Headteacher Paul Davies. The recovery following the pandemic closures and it was not until the autumn term that we could fully consider larger school services in church once more. It was good to welcome the whole school for Harvest services and the infant Nativity in December. New vision, values and branding has brought a greater unity between the schools and much progress has been made with the aim to consolidate a continuous curricula to flow between the schools. The Rector continued to support collective worship and meet with the Headteacher. We thank the serving Foundation governors: the Rector, Stephen Waite and Fiona Ashworth (who joined the governing body in the summer term 2022). 

## **Whitchurch Deanery Synod Report (Val Burfield)** 

Meetings have been via zoom during 2022.  Alison Coulter, Vice Chair of General Synod, gave us an interesting talk explaining how the voice of the laity is heard in General Synod, and also the functions of the Synod. 

In November Bishop David spoke about the need to focus on the Diocesan Mission, especially to engage our younger and more diverse population. There had been a hard hitting report on racial justice in C of E by Lament in Action with recommendations to which each Diocese will respond.  He also outlined the changes in the benefices within the Deanery during the last year, and acknowledged that the stipendiary clergy were working extra hard and well beyond their comfort zone, and expressed his thanks and gratitude for their commitment.  He stated his pleasure that the churches in rural North Hampshire enjoyed the closest links with their schools. 

Mityana 2021 saw the scheme for sponsorship of lay readers introduced which several churches, including our own, agreed to undertake.  This has been very well received in different churches in Mityana.  An outbreak of Ebola prevented the October 22 visit which is now planned for Oct 2023. 

## **Churchwarden’s Report (Chris Vane and Bridget Wheeler).** 

In 2022 we continued with the allocation of tasks mentioned in our previous report.  Bridget focused on the One Parish plans. Chris (with Bertha’s support as Project Manager) battled the bureaucracy involved in the heating project, reported on earlier under Fabric and Churchyard. 

It was a great pleasure to be able to remove the carpet in the chancel to reveal once again the wonderful Victorian encaustic tiles.  While we waited for the new heating, the defunct radiators and boiler were taken away and four pews moved to expand the children’s area. 

Unfortunately we suffered several instances of petty vandalism during the year, by two separate teenage groups.  A new look for the door from church into the vestry was installed in July, to limit public access to the area.  Once again, with regret, it was decided to keep the church locked in school holidays and at weekends.  In September, the roof was damaged by stones fired by catapult from the Village Field and in November a failed attempt was made to remove lead flashings from the west porch roof, causing collateral damage.  This repair is in abeyance, as there is no water ingress. 

Also in November, the CD element of the sound system failed, which meant improvisation for funerals and school services until it could be replaced in December.  Despite the lack of heating through the year, the limited number of power sockets restricted the number of temporary heaters we could use.  It was 

8 



heartening to continue to welcome those who were able to brave the cold during the winter, and we apologise to all of you who felt unable to attend the services because of the cold.  The failure of the heating in the main room of the Church Hall meant that this could not be considered as an alternative. 

Our heartfelt thanks go to Christine, whose support and encouragement were invaluable during this difficult year. 

## **In Conclusion (The Rector)** 

At the beginning of 2022 we were still having to take care at the tail end of the pandemic. There were still restrictions on the receiving of Holy Communion for example and it took some time for folk to feel more secure about coming back to church. By the summer anxieties seemed to have subsided a great deal and by the end of the year it was a joy to see our Christmas attendances back to where they had been pre-pandemic. My heartfelt thanks to all our faithful teams of volunteers who have worked hard at the various aspects of our church worship and life to ensure we serve our communities with faith and the sharing of the love of Christ. Much of their work is recorded in this report and we all say to one another -  Thank you! 

At St Thomas’ Church we have been particularly challenged by the failure of the heating system. So thank you to all of you who despite the cold turned out in warm coats, scarves and gloves, with blankets and even a hot water bottle or two to endure this challenge. Our sincere thanks indeed to Bertha Bates and Chris Vane who have steered the heating project through to a successful conclusion. 

My regular weekly e-mail has continued as a significant point of communication across all our church congregations and includes others who wish to keep in touch with church. Along with this the weekly news sheet is now distributed electronically. 

During 2022, as a benefice, we continued to engage with exploring joining our five PCCs to become one PCC with local church committees. The aim continues to be to centralise and reduce overall governance matters in order to release more energy locally. As 2022 ends and 2023 begins four of the five parishes, including Woolton Hill, are continuing with this project and a shadow single PCC has been formed to work on the finer details. As this project continues the shadow PCC expects that the single PCC might formally come into being in 2024. 

My thanks to my clergy colleague Canon Marvin Bamforth, who served as our Associate Priest for four years and retired at the end of July 2022. We held a joyful Evensong in August to celebrate his ministry with us, say thank you and farewell to him and to Sue. We celebrated with Suki Coe in October when she was, after three years of training, licensed as a Lay Minister.   I thank my other Ministry Team colleagues including Rosemary Cahill who supports with a number of ministries, such as taking services in our two care homes; also to Sue Hopkinson and Bertha Bates who support with administration. Early in 2023 we said a formal farewell to Mike Sarson, now moved to Wiltshire and also a formal thank you to Horace Mitchell – who is still very much with us, but who has stood back from Licensed Lay Ministry. Also in March 2023 we were excited to welcome our new Associate Priest, the Revd Professor Chris Hancock, who has moved here with his wife Suzie.   So our Ministry Team is renewed... 

For me it continues to be a privilege and a joy to share in the life of St Thomas’ Church and the parish of Woolton Hill.  May we continue to be confident in our call to follow Christ, in knowing the love of God, loving one another and in serving our neighbour.  For so we will recognise God with us and among us, and so we will make Christ known in our communities. 

## **Revd Canon Christine Dale** 

9 



|Woolton Hill Parochial Church Council|
|---|
|Registered Charity Number<br>1173894|
|AnnualReportandFinanciafstatements|





## 

## 

|RegisteredCharity|||
|---|---|---|
|Number|1173894||
|Rector|||
||The Reverend Canon ChristineDale||
||TheRectory||
||TheMount||
||WooltonHill||
||Newbury||
||Berkshire||
|Bankers|||
||LloydsBankplc|NewburyBuilding Society|
||5Bridge Street|105bNorthbrook Street|
||Newbury|Newbury Building Society|
||Berkshire|Berkshire|
||RG14sBQ|RG141AA|
||NatWestBank||
||MarketPlace||
||Newbury||
||Berkshire||
||SantanderBank||
||BridleRoad||
||Bootle||
||Manchester||
||L3O4GB||



## 



## 

## 

## 

## 

## 

## 



## 

## 

|||||||2021|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||Note|Unrestricted<br>Funds|Restricted<br>Funds|Endowment<br>Funds|Total|Total|
|lncomingResources|4||||||
|PlannedVoluntary lncome|a|23,126.36|000|0.00|23,12636|24,908.56|
|UnplannedVoluntaryincome|b|2,671.21|283.34|000|2,954.55|3,107.12|
|OtherVoluntary income|c|5,981.71|14,A25.35|0.00|20,007.06|8,799.47|
|Ordinary income|d|24,834.15|7609s|7,063 55|32,658|31,001.08|
|Extraordinary income|e|2,68219|0.00|0.00|2,682.19|9,321.09|
|Totalincomingresources||59,295.6215,069.64 7,063.5581,428,8{||||77,137.32|
|ResourcesUsed|5||||||
|Ministry|a|38,210.33|||38,210.33|36,848.86|
|Building Costs|b|38,098.61|4,795.67||42,894.28|15,748.85|
|ServiceCosts|c|2,566.19|||2,566.19|3,141.80|
|Administration|d|5,229.85|||5,229.85|4,509.92|
|Grants&other extraordinary|e|31732|283.34|0.00|600.66|1,102.89|
|expenditure|||||||
|Total ResourcesUsed||84,422.295,079.01||0.00|89,501.30|61,352.31|
|Netincomingl(outgoing)resources|||9,990.537,063.55|||15,785.01|
|Transfers||8,000.00|||0.00|0.00|
|Unreleased gains/(losses)||||||18,489.73|
|(r.e.Revaluationof Lock Trust)|||||||
|Netmovement offunds|||7,840.67|||34,274.74|
|Balance broughtforward||33,355.0983,852.00 278,121.80|||395,328.89|361,054.15|
|Balance CarriedForurard||16,228.4291,692.67 243,535.69|||351,457.78|395,328.89|





## 

## 

||Note|2022|2021|
|---|---|---|---|
|lnvestments||258,612.12|294,135.99|
|Current Assets||||
|Debtors|6|1,679.76|s62.1I|
|Cashand Bank Balances||||
|NatWest-Generalaccount|I|4,049.78|5,790.68|
|Newbury Building Soc LSP &ChurchHall|9|59,437.11|63,959.76|
|NatWest-LSP||16,008.67|1,778.99|
|ChurchHall Santander Bank&cash|10|20,185.77|24,899.27|
|Lloyds-LockTrustaccount||3,580.57|4,517 02|
|||103,261 .90|fi},945.72|
|DeductCreditors&Provisions|7|12,096.00|315,00|
|||351,457.78|395,328.89|
|Funds|11|||
|Unrestricted||16,228.42|33,355.09|
|Restricted||91,692.67|83,852.00|
|Endowment-permanent||243,536.69|278,121.80|
|||351,457.78|395,328.89|





## 

## 

## 

## 

## 

## 

## 

## 

## 



||funds for the refurbishment, reord|eringand developm|entofthe Church.|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||2022||||2021|
|||Unr€stricted<br>Funds|RestrictedFunds|Endownrent<br>Funds||Total|Total|
|4|Ordinarylncome|||||||
||voluntaryincome|||||||
||(a)Plannedgiving|||||||
||Tax on Gift Aid|5.191.97|000||000|5,19197|5,304.25|
||GiftAid||000||000|17|1S,604.3't|
|||23,126.36|0.00||0.00||24,9,8.56|
||(b)Unplannedgiving|||||||
||Church collections|2,671.2',1|283.34||0.00||3,107.12|
||(c)OtherVoluntaryincome|||||||
||Fundraising|3,680.65|0.00||000||1,912.30|
||Donations & Legacies|06|14,025,35||000|32641|6,887.17|
|||5,981.71|14,025.3s||0.00||8,799.47|
||(d)Ordinaryincome|||||||
||Hireof hall|20,M7.Q0|||0.00|20.647 00|17,985 25|
||Fees|4,146.00|0.00||000|4,1|4,955 00|
||Churchyard||5000||||0.00|
||Dividends and interest|4115|710.S5||7,063.55|7|7,s49.99|
|||24,834.15|760.95||7,{83.55||30,490.24|
||(e)Extraordinaryincome|||||||
||LSP||0.00||||306 00|
||Wayleave|15.19||||1E|l4no|
||Grants ChurchHall|2,667 00|0.00||||9,000 00|
|||2,682.r9|0.00||0.00||9,321.09|
||Totalincomingresources|59,295.5215,069.54|||7,063.55|81,428.8'|76,626.48|





## 

|No|tesformingpartofthefinancial|statement for|yearto31Decem|ber2O22(con|tinued)||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||||||2021|
|||Unrestricted<br>Funds|Restricted Funds|Endowment<br>Funds|Total|Totai|
|5|Ordinary Expenditure||||||
||(a)Ministry||||||
||Quota|36,201.00||0.00|36,201.00|34,212.48|
||OfficeExpenses|33||0.00|2,009.33|2,636.38|
|||38,210.33|0.00|0.00|38,210.33|36,848.86|
||(b)Building||||||
||Heatand Light|7,1 99.18||0.00|7,199.18|6,056"29|
||lnsurance|4,055.68||0.00|4,05568|3,819.89|
||Repairs|986.89|4,795.67|0.00|5,782.56|1,867.53|
||Churchyard|2,007.17|000|0.00|2,007.17|1,205.67|
||ChurchHall|23,849.69||000|AO|2,799.47|
|||38,098.61|4,795.67|0-00|<br>42,894.28|15,748.85|
||(c)Service costs||||||
||Music|2.130.52||0.00|2,130.52|2,697.64|
||AltarExpenses|54.18||0.00|u.1|47.10|
||Other service costs|129.97|||129.97|199.59|
||Children's Ministry|251.52||0.00|251.52|197.48|
|||2,566.19|0.00|0.00|2,566.19|3,141.80|
||(d)Administration||||||
||Booksand Stationery|27.96||0.00|27.96|438.02|
||Photocopier|129.60||0.00|129.60|87.46|
||ChurchHallcleaning|4,454.50||0.00|4,454.50|3,602.50|
||Sundries|299 02||0.00|299.02|15.62|
||Telephone and broadband|31876||0.00|318.76|366.32|
|||8,229.85|0.00|0.00|5,229.85|4,509.92|
||(e)Grantsmade &other extraordinary|expenditure|||||
||Churchrelated|317.32|283.34|0.00|600.66|784.89|
||LSP- Church development||0.00||0.00|318.00|
|||317.32|283.34|0.00|600.66|1,102.89|
||TotalExpenses|84,422.29|5,079.01|0.00|89,501.30|61,352.3',1|



||TotalExpenses<br>84,422.29<br>5,079.|01<br>0.0089,501.30|61,352.3',1|
|---|---|---|---|
|6|Debtors|||
||Church HallDebtors|129.00|0.00|
||Other Benefice parishes|'1,550.76|562.18|
||Total Debtors|1,679.76|562.18|
|7|Creditors, Accruals & Provisions|12,096.00|315.00|
||Made upof|||
||Deferredincome andcreditnotes- ChurchHall|1,886.00|165.00|
||ChurchHallelectricity|210.00|150.00|
||Provisionfor uninsured ChurchHallfloorrepairs|10,000.00||
||Totalcreditors,accruals &provisions|12<br>096.00|315.00|





## 

|NewburyBuilding Society.Th|eChurchHall receiv|edf2,667(€9|edf2,667(€9|,000in20211in|nonrepayable|Covid gran|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|l{FundsAnalysis|Opening<br>balance|lncoming<br>resources||Outgoing<br>resourGes|f-uTjltardI<br>ItranstersI|Closing<br>Balance|
|General|3,688.32|||(47,625.38)|11,042.59|2,886.00|
|ChurchHall|29,666.77||515.1|(36,796.91)|(3,042.59)|13,342.42|
|Unrestricted funds|33,355.09||59,295.62(84,422.2918,000.00|||16,228.42|
|Special collections|||283.34|(283.U)|0.00|0.00|
|Living Stones Project|u,41||14,461.55|(4,7s5.67)|0.00|74,078.57|
|Churchyard|1||324.75|0,00|(2,149.96)|17,614.10|
|Restricted funds|83,852.00||15,069.64(5,079.01) (2,149.96)|||91,692.67|
|lnvestments|||0.00|0.00|(33,648.66)|239,956.12|
|BankAccount|517||7,063.55|0.00|(8.000.00)|3,580.57|
|EndowmentFund|278,121.807,063.55|||0.00(41,648.66)||243,536.69|



||lnvestments|Debtors<br>andstock|(Creditors)|Cash /<br>Bank|Total|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Endowment|239,956.12|||3,580.57|243,536.69|
|Restricted||||||
|LSP||||74,078.57|74,078-57|
|Churchyard|18,565.00|||(e50.90)|17,614.10|
|Unrestricted||||||
|General|91.00|1,55076||1,244.24|2,886.00|
|ChurchHall||129.00|(12,096.00)|25,309.42|13,342.42|
||258,612.121,679.76(12,096.00)|||103,261.90|351,457.78|





Woolton Hill Parochial Church Council
Independent Examin•rfs Rèport to thtr PamGhlal Church CounGII of St Thomas Wotsllon Hlll
This report on the financial statements of the PCC for Ihe year ended 31st December 2022, Charity no 1173894
which a￿ sel out on pages 2 to 7, is in respect of an examination carried out in accordanc8 wilh the Church
Aceournllng Ro9LJl4tyon$ 2006 fthg R99ul¥tv)rbS"l and Sgclion 14515llbl of lh• Charities Aet 2011 llh• Act'i.
Respective responsibllltles of the Church Council and Examiner
As Ihe members ol Ihe PCC. you a￿ wponslt48 lor th8 pr￿ara￿on of accLxJnts. w)u crmsk1ei that
the audit requirements of Ihe Regulat￿)n aThJ Seclbn 144121 ol Iha Act do not app￿.
It is my responsibilty to Issue this report on Ih)se financial stalements in ￿1rdance wlth
the terms of lh8 RegulJtKJns.
Ba81s of Indeyndont Examlnoe$ r•port
My ttxarnlnatlc￿ was In ac￿rdanCe with the general dlreclion5 given by the Charity
CoMmiss￿n and to be lound In the Church guk1anco 2006 e(Irt￿n.
The exarninalion irKlude5 8 revwl of Ihe 8ccounting rewds kept by the PCC
and a comparison ol the accounts with those records. It also indu¢J&s consid¢riNJ any unusual
Itèms or ¢Jlsck)sures In the aceounis and seeking explèn81ths frLYll you, 8$ Truste&s. cOnc￿lIng
any such maltars. I he procedur8s undertak&n do nol provk1e all the èVMY8nc8 that would b8 requirad
In an aud￿ and. eonwuantly. I do Thjt •xwss an audit oph)th ¢)n th• vk•w by th• accounts.
Indopendent •xamln•r*
In Con￿¢t10n wlth my •x•min8tlM, no m4it¢r has oyne ty my ait¢ntion:.
which glves me re4sonabl• Cau￿ to b•11￿ that. In Any matsrlal r•sp•ct, the requlramenls '.
lo} to keep accountlng records In acwdance wNh Sedon 130 of the Acl.. 8nd
Ibl lo wepare finan¢k21 stalements which accord with the accounting reoNd$ ¢¢Y￿lY wlth th¥
quiremenl of Ihe Acl and the Regulations
he￿ rK)I been mel.,
to whlch, In my oplnton. attent￿ sh￿Id b• drAwn in *yd•r ki on4￿6 a proper und6rstatvJlng
ol the accwnts lo be reached.
Judy Anderson FCCA
S CAnsJl Wtslk
Hungerford
Berkshir8
RG17 0Ea
Date:
26 Wil 2023