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2021-12-31-accounts

Chorley Parish Church of St. Laurence

In the Church of England Diocese of Blackburn

2021 Annual Report

1 St. Laurence’s Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

Rector’s Report: 2021

Once again the Annual Meeting will hear how we have done during an unexpectedly difficult year! We thought 2020 was bad enough; however, 2021 was not plain sailing by any means. With the gradual return to that which was familiar came the dawning realisation that we were not returning to where we left off. Lots of people stayed away from church, their attendance habits built slowly over many years dashed with the first lockdown, but remarkably a lot of new people joined us. One day it will be interesting to read a history of the full extent of the covid pandemic upon our communities. For now, suffice it to say that we are very grateful that we are as near normal as we will ever be. I have always felt normality to be overrated anyway!

So many challenges face us – more than ever before. But (and this is the reason I always hold an APCM in the Easter season) we are an Easter people (said St. Augustine) and alleluia is our song. We are not people of gloom or doom (well, we’re not supposed to be) – we are called to be people of hope and joy.

With the resumption of our hospitality ministry, our excellent Gift Shop and a regular gallery of artists we are finding that more and more people are coming through the doors of our church seven days a week. This is how a town centre church should be.

We’ve had some highs and lows this year – we were thrilled to welcome Nancy Pelosi to St. Laurence’s (not once, but twice) when Sir Lindsay invited the Speakers of the G7 countries to Chorley. In contrast, at the end of the year, we were sorry to hear that Rev. Mo had another period of illness that has prevented her from ministering with us. We have been keeping her in our prayers and hope that she will soon be well. It was good to welcome Tony Checker to the preachers rota and (at the time of writing) I’m glad to report that there are four members of the ministry team who are looking to go on courses covering community ministry, children’s work and youth work.

The Diocesan Vision Strategy – Vision 2026 – continues to serve as our missional focus. Our Sunday School has given way to a Saturday Club. What’s in a name?

I’m very grateful to the Friends of St. Laurence’s for their steady (and sometimes unnoticed) work and care for the fabric of our building. Sunday recitals have resumed adding to the list of artistic celebrations on offer to the wider community.

There are so many people who deserve a thank you – and you all know who you are (and God knows who you are too!). I am enormously grateful for the vast army of people who play their part, respond to God’s call and enable St. Laurence’s to go from strength to strength.

In conclusion, as I reflect upon 2021 and look to the opportunities of 2022, I remain grateful to so many people who enable all aspects of worship and ministry here at St. Laurence’s not just to happen, but to flourish.

Fr. Neil Kelley, PCC Chairman, Lent 2022

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The 2021 Vestry Meeting and APCM (The 2010 Annual Report)

Vestry meeting – 17[th] May 2021

The evening opened in prayer.

Election of Two Churchwardens

Bernard Oakley and Darren Nicholson were elected as church wardens.

Minutes of the APCM held on 17 May 2021

Present:

Chair Fr Neil Kelley Treasurer James Laidler Secretary Michelle Wareham

Attendance As per register

Apologies: Anne Watts Joan and Ken Dickinson Andrew Walkden Tony Checker Linda Hall

Fr Neil welcomed everyone to the meeting tonight. The big plan for the 2020 APCM was due to take place during the Sunday service which unfortunately couldn’t take place due to the Pandemic, the same applies unfortunately for this year as well.

Bernard Oakley and Darren Nicholson were elected at the Vestry meeting as Church Wardens.

Minutes of the previous APCM held on 21st September 2020 (pgs 5 & 6 of Annual Report). Proposed: Karen Pemberton Seconded: Sally Calley Agreed by those in attendance.

Reports – included in the Annual Report circulated prior to the meeting.

• Rector’s Reflection

o Fr Neil wished to make special reference to church services going forward as there have been a number of questions. The question to ask however is “Do we wish to be a growing church”. Pre Covid we were reaching 170-180 people attending at the 10am Sunday Service and were getting to the stage that there was no room for growth given the seating capacity. Covid has given us the capacity to look at how services can be provided differently and whilst there are some services that don’t appear to have a large number attending it does give us room for growth.

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Since the report was written, the priest in charge of St Peter’s has retired and whilst they are in interregnum, services are being shared across St Laurence and St George. The way the services are structured now gives us the opportunity to be able to support St Peter’s but also future prepares us when Rev Mo completes her curacy and we move back to 1 stipend priest.

This past year has been very challenging but has also brought a lot of positive actions out into the open and into the wider community. As a church we have emerged into a very different place than we were.

Concern was raised about whether we were in danger of splitting into two different congregations. Fr Neil reflected that when he first came to St Laurence’s although we had an 8am and a 10am the 10am service very much felt like two congregations even though we were all under the same roof. It is important that we work together and build on what we have.

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• Churchwarden’s Report

• Financial Statements of the PCC

o Fr Neil thanked Tony Checker for his work on leading the fabric committee. Chris Pryor has taken over from Tony.

Approval of 2020 Annual Report

Proposed: Rob Kelly

Seconded: Darren Nicholson

Agreed by those in attendance

Elections and Appointments

Michelle Wareham & Elle Greenough were duly elected.

Dan Hubbersty and Andrew Walkden have been elected to the PCC.

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Proposed by James Laidler Seconded by Sally Calley

Chairman’s Remarks and Presentation by Parish Treasure

Fr Neil reflected that it is still unclear what the road ahead holds for us and we just have to wait with patience for further guidance.

As you might have noticed we have had a lot of repainting done which has been carried out by Luke Tate and his firm who have kindly undertaken this work. Fr Neil thanked Luke for his kindness and generosity in undertaking this work without charge.

James was asked to address the APCM on our current financial position. James reflected that he has been parish treasurer for nearly 4 years now. When he was first involved back in 2017 the church had a sustainable income of around £100k a year but had costs of £125k a year. Without the assistance of a sizeable donation we would have struggled to break even. With Fr Neil arriving in 2018 income steadily increased but so did the costs. In 2019 we established the music programme and the shop and we ended the year in a better position. However, building work required to meet the quinquenial report requires a substantial investment. This was prior to Covid which impacted us financially through regular giving. However, this past year we have achieved great strides. We have launched the Taste café, given out emergency food parcels, launched Christian’s Against Poverty, the shop has moved online. We have liaised much closer with the council and also other churches.

James reflected that our core congregation have continued to give generously. It is clear that many of our congregation have a heart for service and we have attracted new people to the church as well. So what of the future – when I started with a blank sheet of paper last November to plan the budget for this year there was no clear idea of when we might return to normal or what things would look like. 80% of stewardship does come from those of pensionable age which of course is a risk. Our CAP centre has 2 years of funding left and then what?. We have continued to heat, light and insure this huge building when the majority of the building is only used for services at a weekend.

Some might say that we are a church on the brink of collapse however there are great signs of potential. We have a number of assets including the Curate’s house on Park Street. As a PCC we have discussed the finances at length. We could limp along and hope for the best. We could sell Park Road and fix the roof or we could take a fresh look at what we do. The PCC have agreed that we need to take a fresh look at the future and discussions are continuing.

Our immediate priorities are that we must meet our Parish Share which is approximately £85k a year. If we don’t the diocese will notice and could be a threat to full time clergy provision at St Laurence’s in the future. Another consequence is that we will not be able to apply for faculties and we will not be able to apply for grants from the diocese either.

Secondly we must encourage more generous giving. We need to progress our initiatives and work with the community. It is through that work that we will get noticed and attract more people which in turn will allow us to apply for more grants to undertake the work that is needed.

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Any Other Business

A vote of thanks was given to Fr Neil for his leadership over this past year and also to the PCC, those who clean, prepare the food parcels and undertake all manner of work behind the scenes that we don’t see.

Administrative Information

The Parish of Chorley St Laurence is a Registered Charity number 1175130

The Parish is part of the Diocese of Blackburn within the Church of England The correspondence address is: St Laurence Parish Office, Union Street, Chorley, PR7 1EB Website: www.stlaurencechorley.co.uk

Rector: Fr Neil Kelley (PCC Chairman) Curate: Rev Mo Baldwin Assisting Clergy: Canon Ken Barrett Reader (LLM from Sept): Joan Hayward (ex-officio PCC) Pastoral Assistants : Phil Hall; Dodie Jones (until September) ALM: Phil Hall and Tony Checker (from September) Parish Administrator: Susan Boult until May 2021, Ruth Fowler from May 2021 until present Rector’s PA: Susan Boult CAP Debt Centre Manager: Susan Boult PCC Treasurer: James Laidler PCC Secretary: Michelle Wareham Church Wardens: Bernard Oakley (ex-officio PCC) and Darren Nicholson (ex-officio PCC) Deputy Church Wardens: Elle Greenhough and Michelle Wareham Deanery Synod Reps: Alan Winstanley, Chris Pryor, Karen Pemberton Elected PCC members: Tony Checker (2023), Phil Hall (2023), Fiona Pattison (2023), Caroline Walmsley (2023), Fay Winstanley (2023), Andrew Walkden (2024), Dan Hubberstey (2024) Chair of Parish Fabric Group: Chris Pryor Chair of the Finance Group: James Laidler Health and Safety Officers: Neal Bennett- Williams, John Handforth Parish Safeguarding Officer: Mark Wilkinson (until June 2021); Nicola Pilkington (from July 2021) Parish Bankers: Yorkshire Bank, Preston Independent Examiner: Mr John Schofield, BA (Oxon). ACA, 126 Deerfold, Chorley, PR7 1UH Architect: John Coward Architects Ltd, No 3 Unsworth’s Yard, Ford Road, Cartmel, LA11 6PG

Day to day management control of the church is exercised by the Incumbent, Fr Neil Kelley and the Churchwardens, Bernard Oakley and Darren Nicholson, contactable through St Laurence Parish Office, Union Street, Chorley PR7 1EB, Tel: 01257 231360

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St. Laurence’s Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

Structure, Management and Governance

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is a body corporate established by the Church of England.

The Ecclesiastical Parish of Chorley St Laurence operates under the Parochial Church Council (Powers) Measure 1956.

The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission, number 1175130.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All those who attend our services are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and to stand for election to the PCC. All PCC meetings are public meetings and all members of the congregation are invited to attend (though only PCC members have a vote). The PCC held meetings during the year, via Zoom.

Reports from PCC sub committees have been received and considered regularly at PCC meetings.

The PCC has a Safeguarding Policy in place.

In 2021 the PCC operated the following sub-committees that report back to it as necessary and their deliberations are discussed.

Parish Fabric Committee: Rector (ex-officio), Chris Pryor (Chair), David Thistlethwaite, Julian Garstang, Bernard Oakley, Tony Checker, David Jones

Parish Finance Group: Rector (ex-officio), James Laidler (Chair), Phil Hall, Alan Fishwick, Sally Calley, Joy Barrack

Hospitality Group: Rector (ex-officio), Rev. Mo (Chair until October; Fr. Neil from October), Phil Hall, Alan Winstanley, Joan Hayward, Margaret Shackleton, Karen Pembteron, John Handforth

Safeguarding Group: Rector (ex-officio), Parish Safeguarding Officer, Joan Hayward, Fiona Pattison, Michelle Wareham

Policies Group: Karen Pemberton (Chair), Joan Hayward, Alan Winstanley, Neal Bennet-Williams PCC members receive information on trustee responsibilities, basic health and safety, risk management and safeguarding procedures.

Church Attendance

The average weekend service attendances in 2021 were 170 (2020 = 100) The average weekday service attendaces in 2021 were 50

Electoral Roll: there are currently 228 people on the Electoral Roll.

Occasional Offices Funerals: 16

Weddings: 2 Baptisms: 23

Burial of Ashes: 0

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Statement of Public Benefit

The Parish of Chorley Saint Laurence demonstrates public benefit with the following activities

Objectives and Activities

Achievements and Performance see Churchwardens Report

Approved by the PCC by email on 5[th] / 6[th] April 2022

signed on their behalf by

Fr. Neil Kelley, Rector and PCC Chair

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Churchwardens’ Report: 2021

This report is made available to the PCC and all members of the Parish Church of St Laurence, Chorley under section 5 of the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991.

You may say what a year again with Corona Virus continuing to make life difficult in more than one way, however things have settled, allowing us to return to do things in church in a normal way.

General

What comes next, a brutal war in the Ukraine, which involved the church being a centre for the collection of clothes and medical supplies etc. The volunteers did a great job unloading and loading supplies that were brought to us by members of the public, so thank you to all the people who volunteered to help.

In January we were informed that Rev Mo had cancer which thank God is no longer the case, however Rev Mo still has some medical problems which are being treated so she will be away for some time yet, please keep her in your prayers.

Father Neil was made Area Dean on the 14[th] June which will have increased his workload. Some of you may have noticed that on occasion he will have done the service at St Peters or St Georges before our service at St Laurence’s.

The church still needs quite a considerable amount of money spending on it for roof repairs, so we will need to move forward with our thinking about the way we use the church for the good of the community to enable us to be successful in applying for grants.

The PPC met to discuss the removal of some of the pews and voted to explore this in order to provide a more flexible space for worship and community events. The architect Mike Darwell has been to our church to offer his advice on the removal of the pews, and this will take place soon.

We would like to thank so many people who have helped during the past year for without their help things could not be done, so thanks to all of you.

A welcome sight to see Tony Checker doing his ALM and doing his first sermon, well done Tony.

We have welcomed Stuart Longworth to our church as a trainee vicar. Along with Tony he has made his home available to run a Lent course on Wednesday evenings from 7pm to 8.30pm, thank you for this.

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We want to mention people providing meals for Open Table and the Church Café you are doing a great job serving the community and bringing people into Church. We know the numbers of people coming on have risen so thanks to all.

The church bells are ringing again, and we have several new ringers being trained by David Thistlewaite.

On the 19[th of] September we held a service for representatives of the G7 summit of which included the speaker of the USA House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi. She presented to the church an American flag from the USA that fellow over the capitol during the inauguration of Joe Biden.

Many of you will know the funeral of Phil Staziker took place on 17[th] June, Phil was our ever present in our church and will be missed by many.

A requiem to pray for Sue Boult tool place on 6[th] January, as you know she passed away earlier in that week and there will be a service for her at St Laurence’s on the 24[th ] of March, Sue did great work and will be missed us all.

The Friends of St Laurence continue to do great work and would welcome any church members to join then in their quest to raise money for the organ roof.

The procession of witness will take place this year starting in Cunliffe Street, to be there for 2pm for a 2.30pm start on the 18[th ] of June.

Bernard’s personal prayer list seems to have got longer recently due to things that have taken place either from as personal level or church related. Like Bernard we will all continue to pray for the church and all those events going on around us.

POINTS OF INTEREST

Finally

The wardens would like to thank all our volunteers who help to keep church running, this help is very much appreciated.

Prayers and blessings for you and for our church, form the church wardens

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St. Laurence’s Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

Bernard Oakley & Darren Nicholson Church Wardens

Michelle Wareham & Elle Greenough Deputy Wardens

Deanery Synod Report: 2021

The Deanery Synod is the third tier of the governance in the Church of England. This is followed by the Diocesan Synod and finally the General Synod. The Deanery Synod is made up of 2 to 4 members of each of the twenty or so parishes which make up the Deanery of Chorley.

I, Chris Pryor and Karen Pemberton have been elected by the PCC to serve on the Deanery Synod. It meets three times each year. Due to lock down restrictions meetings did not take place so it was good to join with members of other churches firstly informally in Fr Neil’s garden in August for drinks before our first official meeting in October at St James’ the Great, Wrightington.

The meeting began with tea and cake before we were given a brief report about the bank balance of Deanery Synod (some £2000) before the main item of the evening which was introduced prayerfully by Fr Neil. It was an opportunity to share what people had missed over the past eighteen months.

I’m sure that the list will not come as a surprise: sharing the peace, singing, sharing the chalice, having coffee after the service, not meeting in person, not being able to comfort people with a hug or a squeeze, not being able to attend a funeral of a friend or parishioner due to limited numbers. It was reassuring that we all felt the same, some having different priorities.

We also discussed the slow return of members, the disruption to children’s ministry, the isolation felt by older members not being able to take part in what were regular activities and of course the financial difficulties that all parishes are facing.

The meeting closed with the Laying on of Hands for Sue Boult, received on her behalf by her husband Steven, before the Office of Compline was offered by Fr Stef Dnistrianskji, the Vicar of St James’ Wrightington.

Alan Winstanley

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Fabric Report: 2021

Since the near total closure of the Church in 2020 things have opened up somewhat. Consequently there has been more to do regarding the fabric and the changing uses of the building.

The initial closure came quickly and things were put away quickly meaning that they were not always in the right places when we were able to reopen albeit in a restricted manner.

Things done….

The upper rooms had been used as a store room. To use them as open airy offices meant that the contents had to be found new homes. Mainly…. The loft, Fr Neil’s garage or the tip.

The Standish room had been used as an office but in the light of advice about ventilation and the need for a food store was changed. Tall metal shelving was bought and secured to the walls along the East end of the room. This room is now the food store for those in need.

In PCC meeting discussions it had been decided to use what had been the creche as a food preparation and serving room. This makes it easier to serve food in the body of the church rather than walking through from the refectory (which is still in use) This mean that the flower arranging equipment needed to be moved and shelves put up in cupboards.

The disabled toilet came under discussion. Initially we proposed to construct an additional set of doors across its entrance. However when it came to light that the toilet was originally for just wees not more serious visits. (Not that was there anything ever on the door or in the room to tell of this) we looked further into its installation. It did not discharge into a proper sewer just into the grey water drain. This is illegal. So we removed the entire toilet and replaced it with

a basin. Shelving was fitted round the room and its now the flower arrangers store room.

The two toilets near the stairs have now been undesignated.

The one of the left - formerly the Men’s is slightly larger and will be the disabled toilet. Both currently have sanitary disposal bins in them and a baby changing table will be installed as well as changing the door opening on the left hand toilet so that its easier to get in when sitting on a wheel chair.

Nancy Pelosi’s Visit. This visit caused a deal of work, much by outside bodies. The main part was to dig up the floor of the chancel with the idea of gaining access to the Standish vault underneath. This hadn’t been accessed in living memory. . A faculty was applied for and was approved. The area was tented off to prevent dust spreading and the slabs removed. After a day or two of digging it was found that the whole vault had been filled in years ago and any further digging would be pointless. Cameras showed that were were some girders underneath, supporting the floor, that were showing signs of corrosion. It was felt that there wasn’t and cause for concern about this. The hold was filled in and the slabs replaced

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with and inscription to show that the vault was underneath. Chorley Borough paid for this work.

The chancel area was repainted in time for her visit. This work was donated. With thanks to Luke Tate.

The lighting in the main body of the Church was also looked at and fixed. Whilst we don’t have a problem with it now the bulbs are getting increasingly hard to find and the fittings all but obsolete. There are a couple of spare bulbs.

There are 30 uplighters. They fasten to the wall and are now around 20 years old. Over the years moisture has corroded some of their internal parts. At some stage we will need to consider their replacement.

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Art Exhibition Work. One of the ideas proposed before the 2020 lockdown was to use the church as an exhibition area. We were given around 20 large display boards to help display pictures.

During lockdown the boards were in storage. These have been fastened securely to the North and South walls and round the organ. They lock together and have fastenings to hang pictures from.

Memorial Bench. The family of the late Sheila Sharples donated money for a memorial bench. After discussion it was decided to place it at the end of the consecrated ground to mirror the existing bench. It is secured securely onto some stone paving stones. It will need oiling annually to help keep it in good condition.

Railings. The original wooden posts by the side of the parking area had rotted. They were over 20 years old and not treated with preservative. On their removal there was little holding up the side tarmac of the parking area, it was also easy, with careless parking to drive a car over the edge. David Jones kindly took it upon himself to reconstruct the area. The edge of the parking area is firmly supported by cast concrete and firm and secure railings installed.

There is a little more to do but the area that was potentially dangerous is now fixed.

Refectory + Gas Servicing. The old range cooker had been causing some problems - mainly not lighting/staying lit. Rev Mo obtained a new one which was installed by Dakins. They services the boilers at the same time. The old cooker was disposed of.

Parquet flooring. Some areas of this , near the old crèche doorway were getting a little loose at the blocks’ glue had dried out. About 100 have been removed, cleaned up and reglued.

Roof. In recent gales one or two slates were noted to have slipped. Bernard contacted roofers who sorted these out. They were only noticeable from the top of the tower.

Clock+ Tower. Its timekeeping is sometimes a little erratic. Chris Pryor has got his head round how it works and will try to sort out why sometimes its ahead, sometimes slow . Neal Bennet-Williams organised the purchase of safety equipment to make access to the bells and the tower roof safer. The harnesses make for more confidence when up there.

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Water supply. This comes into the Church under the carpeted platforms by the statue of St Laurence. When installing the basin in the old creche toilet the water needed to be turned off using the stop cock under there stop cock is under there. At the time it was noticed that one of the pipes in that area had a small leak at a junction. This has been fixed.

The Rectory. Storm damage has caused several elderly fence panels to be blown out. They were long past their best and were replaced by the diocese.

Ongoing and future work.

The stonework around the West End windows will need work on them in the not too distant future. This also includes the plaster work on the inside walls in that area. We will be advised by what the quinquennial review recommends here.

The Friends of St Laurence are raising money with an aim to replace part of the roof above the organ pipes. The Church architect has drawn up plans. A faculty and more money raising are in the pipeline to allow this to work to start. .

I would like to thank the Fabric team and others …..Neal Bennet-Williams, Tony Checker, Julian Garside, David Jones, Rob Kelly, Bernard Oakley, Luke Tate (and his work team) and David Thistlethwaite.

Chris Pryor Fabric Chair

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Treasurer’s Report: 2021

Statement of Financial Activities 2021

Summary

The accounts for the year show a deficit on the general fund of £22,797. This sum is however reduced by the transfer of restricted funds to general funds used to partially finance the CAP project.

Total income for the year was £133,820 down £5,895 on 2020.

Highlights

Stewardship income continued to hold up. Parishioners have continued to transfer from envelopes to giving by standing order. The Parish Giving Scheme was adopted on a trial basis in the autumn. This will be rolled out to all the congregation in Lent 2022.

We received some very generous donations, some for specific purposes and others for general use.

Recurring grant income is from the Diocese to support the CAP project.

The hardship fund made a contribution of £3,620 to the general Church overheads to contribute to heat, light, power, insurance and health and safety (PPE) costs incurred by the Church in providing community services.

The Parish Shop has continued to trade through the pandemic thanks to the efforts of Anne Wray and her team. Stock in the shop as at the 8th January 2020 was estimated at cost at £2,000. Art Exhibition sales produced commission of around £600.

Our costs totalled £156,999.

Highlights

Parish share payments were met in full.

The costs of the CAP project were met through the Diocese grant (see above) and funds drawn from a restricted deposit account held at the Diocese.

Extraordinary costs under Upkeep of Services for the altar top and frontal had been funded by a donation received in the previous year.

Other funds

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  1. Hardship fund is in place to finance the Taste Café and the provision of emergency food parcels through the pandemic. The fund has also been used to grant emergency funds to those in critical need through the Rector’s discretionary fund.

  2. The talents fund was established following the generous gift of a parishioner to fund project in line with the Parable of the Talents. £3,000 of the fund was used in 2020 to purchase computer equipment to improve on line productions through the St Laurence You Tube channel and Facebook channel.

  3. The CAP fund was established to start a fund towards the continuation of CAP services.

  4. The fabric fund was closed during the year with the balance transferred with PCC approval to general funds.

  5. The Park Road fund simply shows the value of the Curates House as a non cash asset. The property is not designated.

Provision has been made in the accounts for the following:

Balance sheet

The revaluation of investments (restricted funds) has produced a surplus of £24,000 as at the year end.

Appreciation

I would like to record my thanks to John Schofield, Hon Examiner of our accounts for his work and continued commitment to this task over many years.

James Laidler Parish Treasurer April 2022

Annual Report of the Finance Group 2021

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St. Laurence’s Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

The Finance Group quarterly meetings over the past 12 months. The guidelines, below, agreed by the PCC, were met with quarterly accounts reviewed and submitted to PCC. The finance function of the PCC was maintained over the year namely:

My thanks go to all members of the Group for their contribution to the work of the Church and especially to Alan and Sally for maintaining cash reconciliation and banking during the year. Jean Fishwick has also assisted.

It was with regret that Sally relinquished her position in the group at the end of the year. Joy Barrack has agreed to take Sally’s place as a bank signatory.

James Laidler Parish Treasurer

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St. Laurence’s Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

The Reserves Policy THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST LAURENCE. CHORLEY In setting the following policy it should be understood: Ail charities need to develop a policy on reserves which establishes a level of reseNes that is right for the Church and clearly explains to its parishioners and other stakeholders why holding these reserves is necessary. Charity trustees (The PCC) have a general legal duty to spend income within a reasonable time of re￿ipt. Trustees may spend this income to fund charitable activities, in acquiring assets to use in the Church's work, and in meeting the day to day runninq costs of the Church. To hold income in reserve rather than spendinq it, trustees rely on an explicit or implicit power to hold reserves and they must use that power in the Church's best interests. The reserves policy explains how reserves are used to manage short term uncertainty and in respect of longer term projects it will explain how and when the reserves will be spent. The reserves policies provide assuran￿ that the finances of the Church are actively managed and its activities are sustainable. Reserves exclude funds within the Church's accounts which hav8 particular restrictions on how they can be used. eratin Reserve The Operating Reserve is intended to provide an intemal source of funds to meet unforeseen or unbudgeted expenses connected with the day to day running expenses of the Church which should include the Parish Share to the Diocese of Blackbum which comprises 54 % of the Parish's budgeted expenses. It is the policy of the PCC that giving through stewardship and envelope collections coupled with sustainable income from other income streams such as the refectory, room hire and property income should meet the day to day expenses of the PCC in the maintenance of the Ministry. Therefore, the maintenance of an operating reserves of a maximum of £15,000 ohnLJld bp. thg rtbip.p.tivp nninn fnrw2rd. As at the date of this policy statement, the PCC is forecasting an operating deficit of £48,000 for the year commencing January 2021. St. Laurence's Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

It is therefore recommended that operating reserves of £50,000 should be available as at 3151 December 2020 to ensure that the PCC can meet its commitments in 2021. This may vary if the Diocese is agreeable to provide grant support to enable the Parish to meet its share in the year. Useofo eratin reserve In terns of unbudgeted expenses all sums in excess of £500 for an individual item require the agreement of PCC either at a meeting or by circular email. Items under £500 may be approved by the Rector and Churchwardens with the support of the Treasurer. Review of o eratin reserve The policy will nomially be reviewable annually when the PCC sets its budget. However interim reviews may be warranted in light of changes in the pattern of income or expenses. Changes to the policy will be recommended to the PCC by the Finance Committee. Pro ect Reserve The Church buildings by the nature of its age and construction has heavy maintenance and renewal needs. The same consideration may apply to the organ. The Church also owns the Curate's House in Park Avenue and major expenditure may be required to maintain the propety from time to time. It is recommended that a Project Reserve be established and funds raised outside the regular income of the Church to build up resources to meet the capital needs of the Church on a 5 year rolling basis as identified by the Fabric Committee. Use of Pro'ect ReSe￿e The Fabric Committee should plan a schedule of works to coincide with the annual budget for agreement by the PCC. This plan may exceed the resources currently available and stretch forward beyond the cuffent financial year but they should identify the level and timing of fvndraising required. All use of Project Reserve funds should be agreed by PCC before commitment of fijnds. Treasurer January 2021 St. Laurence's Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

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St. Laurence's Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

TO TIIE Pcf OF ST LAURF)4CES RESllfllVE RTr￿PONSIBILmEs OF THE TRUSTEES AND EK4MINER AY thii y•v14dw 1441214th¢ A4f 2•1J ( •r¢•w 2011 A &k 1 ?6 Ih•Jld St. Laurence's Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130

Approved by the APCM on 5[th] May 2022

and signed on their behalf by

…………………………………………… Fr. Neil Kelley, Rector and PCC Chairman

……………………………………………… James Laidler, Treasurer

28 St. Laurence’s Chorley is a Registered Charity no. 1175130