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2025-12-31-accounts

All Saints, Church Cottenham with Rampton Annual Vestry Meeting Annual Parochial Church Meeting SL4*Laay 19t￿AP￿￿2O26 Our Prayer for Growih Cod of mASSAOn, who al0￿e brifrjos growth to your Church, sefrjd your Holy Spirit to give wisdom to our plannimg, wisdom to our actions, and power to our wNtness. Help our church to grow numbers, in spiritual commitment to you, ond in servKe tL> our local community, through Jesus Chyist our Lord, Amen Page I c>f 29

ALL SAINTS’ COTTENHAM with RAMPTON - ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING Sunday 19[th] April 2026

AGENDA

1. Minutes of All Saints’ Cottenham with Rampton Annual Vestry Meeting held on Sunday 4[th] May at 12noon in All Saints’ Cottenham .

A copy of these can be found in Appendix 1

2. Matters arising from the minutes

3. Election of Churchwardens for 2026-2027

4. Approval of the Charity Accounts 2025 – 2026

4.1 Cottenham Charity Accounts 2025-2026

Church and Causeway Charity: (started with a £20 bequest in 1515): The income from this charity is interest on investments in the Charity Official Investment Fund (COIF) and from land rent. Two thirds of the income is transferred into the Church Estate Charity whilst the remaining third is transferred into the Causeway Charity via the Parish Council and is used to part fund the two burial grounds; All Saints’ Churchyard and the Dissenters’ Cemetery.

Church Estate Charity and Goode Bequest: This is used for ‘Church and Churchyard repairs and maintenance’.

Dr. John Fitzwilliam Charity and Sarah Ann Wallis and Ivatt Bequests: (bequests in 1696, 1920 and 1953 ): Income is from the COIF, half of which goes to ‘promote the Christian faith in the Parish of Cottenham’, covering the cost of Bibles, books and printing. The other half provides a fund for ‘those in need in the Parish’. For instance, it provides part of the funds for the annual Christmas payment to eligible families in cooperation with the Cottenham United Charities.

The Rector and Churchwardens are Trustees of all Charities. In addition, the Church and Causeway Charity and the Fitzwilliam Charity have Parish Councillor Trustee(s).

All Charities are registered and regulated by The Charity Commission.

Accounts by John Unwin, Clerk of the Charity. Accounts can be found in Appendix 2 .

4.2 Rampton Charity Accounts 2025-2026

A summary of All Saints’ Rampton Trust Funds can be found in Appendix 3. Full accounts are available on application to the Parish Administrator.

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ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH COTTENHAM with RAMPTON - ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING Sunday 19[th] April 2026

AGENDA

  1. Apologies for absence

  2. Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) held on Sunday 4[th] May 2025

  3. Matters Arising from the minutes

  4. Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church 2025

  5. Treasurer’s Report 2025

  6. Safeguarding 2025

  7. Electoral Roll Report 2025-2026

  8. Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) 2025

  9. Report from the Deanery Synod 2025

  10. Action Groups and Church Activities 2025

  11. Rector’s Report 2025

  12. Elections for the PCC 2026-2027

  13. Appointment of Assistant Churchwardens 2026-2027

  14. Appointment of Independent Examiner for Accounts

  15. Any Other Business

The new PCC will meet immediately after the APCM to appoint officers.

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Minutes of Annual Parochial Church Meeting Sunday 4[th] May 2025

A copy of these can be found in Appendix 4

3. Matters Arising from the Minutes

4. Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church Report 2025- Graham Appleby & Frances Horgan

The churchwardens have inspected the goods and ornaments of All Saints’ Cottenham as listed in the church property register (the terrier). There were no issues arising from this inspection.

The churchwardens are also confident that there are no issues with the goods and ornaments of All Saints’ Rampton as listed in the Rampton terrier.

The terriers have now been transferred to an electronic version provided by the diocese. Paper copies will also be kept.

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5. Treasurer’s Report 2026

All Saints’ Cottenham Chris Shelley

1. 2025 Overview

2025 was a more complex year, financially speaking, for All Saints Cottenham. The receipt of two legacies plus increasing activity on the Church Reordering project means that this year’s accounts require a little more explanation than in the past.

Whilst total income of £264k versus an expenditure of £160k looks to be a very favourable position, analysis reveals that in fact All Saints ran a deficit of around £16k on an income of £113k and an expenditure of £129k when looking only at regular operations.

The table below separates out the routine and regular income and expenditure from the legacy income received, and reordering costs incurred.

Stripping out the exceptional items and comparing over the last 5 years, reveals that this year’s deficit, at -14%, is, in fact, smaller than deficits run in all prior years with the exception of 2024.

Whilst a deficit is undesirable, the position is not too alarming. All Saints continues to be a vibrant church with a reliable regular donation income, which coupled with the reserves held, mean that All Saints Cottenham can continue to operate as normal, and invest to grow despite the deficit.

Analysis of income and expenditure and some further commentary on the exceptional items can be found in the remainder of this report.

Full financial reports produced by the Liberty accounting software can be found in the annexes at the end of the report.

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2. Income & Receipts (compared to prior year)

The top 5 sources of income are shown in the table above, which largely speaks for itself. A 13% increase in donation income is healthy and appreciated, whilst the Hall, which is now almost at full utilisation, generates a significant income and growing annual surplus.

2025 saw many fewer weddings and funerals than 2024, and this factor alone accounts for a loss of income of £3,452 compared to last year.

3. Expenditure

When analysing expenditure, and disregarding for the moment the Reordering spend, it can be seen from the analysis above that increases in expenses have sadly outstripped increases in income. Of note are a 56% rise in repair costs, and a 33% increase in utility costs.

The increase in repair costs is largely accounted for by repairs to the boilers last winter, the soakaway project and maintenance required in the hall.

The increase in IT costs is relatively small, and a one off, due to the purchase of a new laptop for the use of Rev Lynda, and migration to a Microsoft based platform to ensure longevity and stronger IT security.

4. Donors & Legacies

We are fortunate to now have a total of 49 donors who make regular monthly donations. 41 of these are through the Parish Giving Scheme, which now generates a regular income of around £4000 per month, including Gift Aid automatically collected by the PGS administration. The remaining 8 regular donors make a contribution by standing order. This means that around 65% of all our donation income is made through regular monthly donations, which greatly helps our cash flow management and budgeting.

We continue to receive healthy one-off donations via the collection plates at services and the SumUp card machine in the Church.

The promotion of Church Giving Week within All Saints at the end of September helped raised the profile of our need for regular donations, and several members of the church subsequently reviewed their donation amounts.

On behalf of the PCC of All Saints Cottenham, we extend a warm and heartfelt thank you to all our supporters and donors, for your support of whatever size and frequency.

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We received two significant legacies during 2025. The first was from the estate of Dr Hazel Thomas, and totalled £121,507, and the second was from the estate of Mrs Phylis Sanderson for £27,750. The PCC decided to allocate these sums towards the Reordering project, so a lasting legacy can be created in memory of these generous donors. These funds are currently being held in an interest bearing deposit account.

5. Church Reordering Project

Work on the Reordering project is now ramping up, and during 2025 most of the spend was on preparatory work such as architects and surveys. A breakdown of the spend in 2025 is show in the table below.

With total project costs, including those already incurred, estimated to be between £292k and £365k, it is important that costs are tracked and carefully managed. All Saints currently has funds on hand in excess of £440k, so the project can be funded. However, it is important to ensure the church maintains a financial reserve. Current plans are that the reserves on hand should not drop below £100k.

During 2025, as Treasurer, I have worked closely with the Church Wardens and PCC, to ensure they have up to date financial information available to assist in decision making on this important project and will continue to do so in 2026.

6. Investments

The Marian Bicheno bequest was invested in the CIOF fund administered by the Diocese, and currently stands at £314,274, this is down from £330,074 at the end of 2024. Despite the decline, the fund has shown good average growth over the last few years and in 2025 generated an investment income of £6,940.

7. 2025 Commentary

As well the day to day management of the church’s finances, progress has been made in a number of areas. The number of active bank accounts has been reduced, simplifying management and governance. Donation income is up, as is income from the hiring out of the hall.

2025 was notable for the lack of weddings and the small number of funerals. This has an impact on Church finances both through the income received and also plate donations made on the day.

It is disappointing that the Government have chosen to discontinue the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which allowed churches like ours to reclaim the VAT element of any repair work. The Government’s justification for this – that when asked most applicants said they would be doing the work regardless of the grant scheme – seems to fail to recognise the fact that most repairs on listed places of worship are essential as well as expensive. This loss of support will be a factor when funding future repair needs.

Whilst talking of Church maintenance, it is important to acknowledge the continued support received from the Friends of All Saints group, who regularly support us with grants towards maintenance of the Church building, as well as work carried out directly by member of the Friends’ team.

2025 has seen significant progress on the Reordering project. The Reordering project is an important one for the future of the church as a public building, but the costs are high, and sound financial management, born from accurate and timely information is important to allow decisions to be made

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in full sight of the financial impact to ensure the safeguarding of the future financial security of the church. The need for such analysis and decision making will increase into 2026 as the project gains momentum.

8. Looking Forward into 2026

The focus in 2026 will be on supporting the Reordering project. I feel the role of the Treasurer is to give accurate and insightful information to the Vicar, Church Wardens and PCC to allow sound decisions to be made, and to seek to ensure that such decisions are not to the detriment of the long term financial security of the church. I strongly believe that the PCC must take the opportunity to encourage donors to make one off donations in support of the project, taking the message of what we are doing and why beyond the church family and into the village community of Cottenham. All Saints’ Church is the oldest public building in Cottenham, and even for those who are not regular church attendees, it is a part of village life, and an important landmark. It is to be hoped that many would want to support our work.

We are fortunate to have many generous donors, but I believe that in 2026 the PCC need to continue to work hard to ensure donation income continues to grow.

Finally, 2026 will be my third year at the Treasurer of All Saints Cottenham. I have committed to stay in the role through 2026 to give continuity during the Reordering. However, the time-commitment of the role is significant, and I will be giving thoughtful consideration to whether it is right both for me and for the Church whether I continue in the role beyond 2026.

All Saints’ Cottenham Accounts can be found in Appendix 5

All Saints’ Rampton Michael Hastings

The account has two sub-sections, the regular expenses/ income and the special items related to restoration (highlighted in yellow). The preliminary accounts were approved by RAG Committee 3rd February 2026. The final accounts with the addition of the trust fund statements were approved by circulation and external audit by Linda Cawley (statement appended).

Income.

Principal items of regular income are from planned giving (£1,630, from 4 sources), GA rebate from 2024 (£562), ad hoc donations (£401), with a small investment income (£167). These were slightly lower than in previous years. A “top-up” payment of £2,000 came from Rampton Church Lands Charity.

Expenditure.

Regular expenditure is predominantly insurance with Ecclesiastical (£2,178), building maintenance items (£1,189) and utilities (£297). We also made a transfer of £1,000 to the PCC.

Prospect.

The insurance premium has not been raised appreciably for the coming year and so as things stand regular expenditure should be manageable.

The restoration-related funds are a seed-corn for new initiatives.

The Thursday maintenance team continue to look after and improve the building and grounds very effectively. There is an agreed jobs-to-do list with the Archdeaconry.

Other funds.

As of 31st December 2025, £21,457 was spread across 4 beneficial trust funds that are held and managed on our behalf via Ely. Over 2025 they had gained £436 in capital value, a disappointing return of 2% (having also generated £167 in interest, see above).

Total assets

31st December 2025: £33,060 .

All Saints’ Rampton Accounts can be found in Appendix 6

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6. Safeguarding

Matt Unwin-Riches

Safeguarding remains at the forefront of everything we do at All Saints’. Everyone plays a part. Being new to the role of Parish Safeguarding Officer in 2025, the first step for me was to complete the Leadership Modules of the safeguarding training that are provided by The Church of England. This took the form of two training sessions and some homework which was then assessed and reviewed before completion. So, what have we been doing since? As part of keeping a focus on Safeguarding we installed a new Safeguarding board in the church porch to ensure anyone who visits All Saints’ knows and understands our safeguarding standards. We have worked together to ensure that anyone requiring a DBS check has had one. This year the diocese moved to a new DBS provider, so we have taken the time to learn and understand the new system. Finally, everyone who has needed to complete the necessary training modules has done this and the Parish Dashboard for Safeguarding is updated accordingly. I would like to thank Maggie Appleby for helping with the training and delivering this in person to those who were not able to access the online modules.

7. Electoral Roll Report for 2025 – 2026

Seven names have been added to the electoral roll since the 2025 APCM, and six have been removed, bringing the total to 114.

8. Parochial Church Council (PCC) 2025 Matt Unwin-Riches

The PCC met on alternate months during 2025. Our meetings begin and end with prayer which sandwiches lively discussions. Regular agenda items include updates on our finances, safeguarding, reports from the action groups (Standing Committee, Rampton Action Group & Cottenham Resources Action Group) and from the Rector.

Members of PCC 2025

Revd Lynda Davies ex-officio

Frances Horgan
 2023-2026 Churchwarden
 ex-officio
Sue Hooks
 2023-2026
Edward Kramer
 2023-2026 Deanery Synod representative ex-officio
Graham Maile
 2023-2026 Deanery Synod Representative ex-officio
Chris Shelley 2024-2027 Treasurer
Judith Shelley 2024-2027 Representative on Standing Committee
Gavin Cameron 2024-2027 PCC Representative for Rampton
Alison Wedgbury
 2025-2028 Licensed Lay Minister ex-officio
Graham Appleby 2025-2028 Churchwarden ex-officio
Lesley Maile
 2025-2028
Matt Unwin-Riches 2025-2028 PCC Secretary
Maggie Appleby 2025-2028
David Sattelle 2025-2028
Sarah Fecondi 2025-2028

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Other Church Officers

Parish Safeguarding Officer: Matt Unwin-Riches

Electoral Roll Officer: Emma McCaughan

Clerk of the Charity Accounts: John Unwin

The Standing Committee which meets usually one week before each PCC meeting consists of Revd Lynda Davies (Chair), Graham Appleby (Churchwarden-Vice Chair), Frances Horgan (Churchwarden), Chris Shelley (Treasurer), Matt Unwin-Riches (PCC Secretary) and Judith Shelley (PCC Representative).

The Standing Committee plans the agenda of each PCC meeting, is responsible for the smooth running of the PCC throughout the year and can make swift decisions about unexpected or urgent matters that arise in between PCC meetings.

Assistant Wardens : Graham Maile, Lesley Maile, Judith Shelley, David Woodcroft and Maggie Appleby. Sidespeople : Maggie and Graham Appleby, Graham and Lesley Maile, Boyd and June Rose, Philip Saunders, Alison Wedgbury, Gary and Matt Unwin-Riches, Bekki and Phil Ward, Peter Wilbourn.

During 2025

We welcomed through baptism:

Otto Ramsey Florence Jeeves

We held funerals for:

Alan Johnston Herbert Smart Frances Robinson Joan Fardell Anne Gifford Andrew Wagstaff Joan Wilson Dorothy Stripe Pat Smith Marie Bland Josie Simons Doreen White Louis Miller Barbara Graves Donald Palmer Joyce Kitchen Sylvia Beaumont Dennis Stanford Clive Borrow Rex Griffiths Sally Lathey Jonathan Mawer David Cockerell

There were no weddings in 2025.

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9. Report from the Deanery Synod 2026 Graham Maile & Edward Kramer

The North Stowe Deanery comprises the parishes of Bar Hill, Cottenham with Rampton, Girton, Histon, Impington, Landbeach, Madingley, Milton, Oakington and Waterbeach, and the Fivefolds benefice of Longstanton, Northstowe, Over, Swavesey and Willingham. Our representatives are Revd Lynda, Edward Kramer and Graham Maile. Two synod meetings were held during the 2025 calendar year, on 6th March and 4th November.

The March synod, held at All Saints’ Landbeach, opened with a presentation on Kintsugi Hope. Parishes were invited to become involved in this initiative, which provides mental health peer support. Beth Cope gave a presentation about the proposed application for Northstowe church to become an independent parish – moving from the current status of a Bishop’s Misson Order.

The Rural Dean reported on the 10th-14th February General Synod. Key points: i) less time was given to Living in Love and Faith that at any synod since 2021 as it had been decided that more theological work was needed before firm decisions could be reached, ii) a number of new safeguarding models were proposed each with a different element of independent scrutiny, iii) following the failure to appoint bishops to Ely and Carlisle, the voting process for the future selection of bishops was debated.

One of the joint Treasurers reported that the Deanery paid its 2024 Ministry Share in full and had received the rebate for doing this. The Diocese was running a deficit budget for 2025, having not expected the increased National Insurance costs when setting the budget. Parishes should anticipate increases to the Share above inflation in 2026 to cover these additional costs.

Finally, the Deanery Synod secretary spoke about the New ALM Evangelism Course being led by the Diocese and encouraged participants to pass on the leaflets supplied to their parishes.

The November synod, held at the Pathfinder Church, Northstowe, commenced with the Diocesan Development Director for Children and their Families giving a talk about the support available to parishes for their younger people.

An update was given on the Ministry Share. All parishes appear to be on course for 100% payment of the Ministry Share in 2025. The Diocesan budget for 2026 has been impacted by a) National Insurance increase (over 40% for a full-time position), b) a clergy stipend increase of 10.7% to restore their value and c) changes to Central Support. As a result, the Diocese is requesting an average increase in Ministry Share of 4%.

The changes to Central Support will give Ely a structural deficit, so there will have to be changes to the Diocesan Budget in the next few years. It was not thought appropriate to make significant changes for 2026 when there was no bishop in post.

The Rural Dean remarked that in the next week there will be interviews for a new Diocesan Bishop. Beth Cope updated the synod on how the church in Northstowe is growing and asked for prayers in connection with a bid being made by the church in conjunction with the Muslim community for a community space near the lake to house places of worship.

The sharing of prayer points in small groups followed. The Lay Chair of the Deanery Synod spoke about her intention to revive the Deanery Prayer Diary.

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10. Action Groups and Church Activities

Cottenham Resources Action Group (C-RAG)

There have been several positive responses to the initial ‘recruitment’ email in September from individuals happy to be involved in tasks arranged by C-RAG but who are not keen formally to join the Committee. It was agreed that this is a workable situation, there being a core membership of four.

At a meeting of the membership in October, future tasks for the Group included some from the lists compiled by Iain Campbell in early 2025. It was agreed to defer to mid-2026 the major work to address items raised in the quinquennial inspection; with the ‘west end reordering’ project to install an accessible toilet and servery expected to start in early 2026, resources would likely be stretched too far.

Tower Clock. David Woodcroft reports that the electronic rewind system is behaving well after some problems in the recent past.

Boilers. Following a problem, a successful fault repair visit was arranged by Frances in October. David continues weekly to programme the heating timer for services and for additional usage of the building such as funerals; he depends on dates and timing information printed in the Weekly Sheet. The importance of regularly checking the status of the boiler room sump pump, especially in winter when water levels are likely to rise, was agreed.

Moving the sound desk from the west end of the nave to a position in the transept. It is important to prepare well in advance of the expected building work, so C-RAG members met in church in November to scope the work. This meeting deduced that no temporary move would be possible, since the audio cables that run from the Dias are routed behind the radiators and pipework, so will all have to be detached from the control units in the desk before any move is possible. This step will need time to complete, is not easily reversed and so should be deferred to a date post-Christmas.

Tree cutting. The church was alerted to an issue with tree branches impacting the neighbour’s conservatory over our north wall. ELS was contacted and work completed, paid for by John from the Church Estate charity.

A very successful church and churchyard maintenance/clear-up weekend took place on the Friday afternoon and Saturday morning of 12th - 13th December. A good group of volunteers was busy on both days, greatly aided by welcome refreshments

Rampton Action Group (RAG) Gavin Cameron

2025 has been another good year of steady progress at All Saints’ Rampton with one of the highlights being selected for recognition in the Community section of the National Church Awards. We made it through various rounds and only narrowly missed out being one of three national finalists at the awards night in the V&A London. It was nice to have some very positive feedback from the judges. The Festival Church services throughout the year have been well attended, especially at Easter and Christmas. It was lovely also to have the choir in the church at two Evensong services in the year. The RAG group has met regularly in the year and continues to play a big part in looking after the church, from promoting Festival services, organizing committee meetings, managing finances, looking after regular maintenance and cleaning of the church and planning projects. The RAG group played a key role in the summer in protecting the outlook of the church from an unwanted planning application in the field adjoining the churchyard.

Regular maintenance work has carried on throughout the year and has included the complete restoration of an oak-framed store-shed in the churchyard (which had been flagged up in the last QQI report), the planting of more new hedging, the creation of a wildlife corner and countless other maintenance tasks on our regular schedule. During the year it was pleasing to see new volunteers come forward for the cleaning and flower rotas.

The number of visitors to the church continues to grow, especially casual visitors drawn in by the heritage signage at the bottom of the church path. The comments left in the visitor’s book are very encouraging.

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We are looking forward to a good year in 2026, and this might be the year where we return to the planning of the project to provide a WC and servery by re-ordering of the vestry.

Pastoral Care - Authorised Lay Ministers (ALMs) Maggie Appleby and Sue Hooks

Another busy year for the Pastoral Care team, ALMs Sue and Maggie. We have continued to visit those at home who in most cases are too unwell to attend Church, to support them with home communion prayer, private prayer or just a friendly chat! It remains a great privilege to be invited into people’s own homes.

We continue our Monthly Wednesday services in the care homes in the village, Cottenham Court and Fitzwilliam House. Alison LLM, Frances Horgan musical lead, and Canon Ian Winterbottom are all members of the care home worship team, each bringing with them their many varied talents. These services have been very well received by the residents and care staff alike. We offer Communion (intincted wafers) for those residents who would like to receive the Sacrament. A very important part of these visits in both homes is having time following the formal services to talk to individuals and offer private prayer.

As ALMs we meet on a monthly basis with Lynda and the All Saints’ Licensed Lay Ministers to spend a couple of hours discussing different passages in the Bible. This valuable time gives us an opportunity to share thoughts and develop our spiritual knowledge and understanding.

If after reading this short report you feel that you would like to receive any of the above services offered by the ALMs or have any thoughts on how we could offer more within our ALM role we would be delighted to hear from you.

Thursday Lunch Club Maggie Appleby & Sue Hooks

The monthly luncheon group supported by our wonderful helpers Jennifer, Debbie, Helen and Alison continue and is going from strength to strength. We on average have a dining community of between 25 and 30 people. It has been a wonderful experience to see people, some of whom live on their own, enjoying a hot lunch, fellowship, lively chat and hymn singing.

We are always delighted to welcome new diners; if you would like to join us just turn up on the day, we ask for a small donation of your choice to help us cover our costs. The dates are on a flyer in Church and are always the second Thursday of each month starting at 12 midday.

Junior Church Alison Wedgbury LLM and Junior Church Coordinator

13 families have been involved in the Youth and Junior groups on term-time Sundays during the last year, including some 26 children/young people from the church family and occasionally extra visitors when there is a baptism in the 10.30 service.

Huge thanks to Bekki, Phil and Sarah who lead the groups, preparing exciting material and activities and enjoying seeing everyone grow in faith. Thanks also to other adults who help from time to time - you are invaluable!

Youth Group report Bekki & Phil Ward

The youth meet during the 10:30am Sunday service for a session that includes games, prayer, and exploring the Bible together. Our main aim is that every young person has the opportunity to grow and deepen their personal relationship with God. In September 2025, we expanded the group to welcome children from school Year 4 and above, after some of our older young people chose to remain in the main service to listen to the sermon.

Throughout 2025 we enjoyed a wide range of topics and discussions. We began the year in January with a series exploring the names of Jesus. After Easter, our focus shifted to apologetics and understanding the Bible more deeply. During the autumn term, we explored themes such as patience, generosity, trust, and testimony, encouraging the young people to think about how faith connects with everyday life.

Thank you to everyone who helped throughout 2025.

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Junior Church report Sarah Ward

We have continued to use materials from Scripture Union with the younger Junior Church children. We like to start our session with a game or song linked to the theme of the session to burn off some of our energy and then listen to the story or passage from the Bible. The children are always keen to make a craft to take home to remind them about what we have learnt and we enjoy coming back into Church to share this with the congregation.

In the Spring and Summer terms we still had our additional group of slightly older children who were able to look at our stories in more detail with their own activity or quiz. These children moved up to the Youth Church group in September, so we are back to having just one group of younger ones for our sessions at the moment.

We started the year with a series on Noah and then stories about the lives of people that Jesus made a difference to when he met them. Later in the Summer we had sessions about Jacob and his family, and ultimately Joseph. In the Autumn we found out about Stephen, Paul and Barnabas as some of Jesus’ first followers and finished the year journeying with Joshua to Jericho.

Choir and Music

Frances Horgan

If, in response to a plea for brevity from our parish administrator, I were to try to condense this report into a single sentence, it would read: “For 2025, please see 2024.”

It has been strictly business as usual in the choir this year. And that is surely a good thing. For we do not aspire to be exciting (perish the thought!) The words new and different do not figure in our vocabulary. We aim to be solid and reliable. Strong and stable, if I may use the expression.

You might think of us as a familiar armchair. Nothing fancy – more DFS than Harrods. Not in our first youth (see 2024) but with a few good years of life left in us. You can safely put your feet on us without worrying about marking the upholstery. The dog has permission to sit on us …. I could go on, but you get the picture.

We have got used to our corner and are in fact rather alarmed at the prospect of being moved into a more prominent place over the next few months. We will try to fit in.

We have very much appreciated the arrival of a couple of bright new cushions this year. Rosie and Jenny have brought their lovely voices and cheerful dispositions to the soprano section. Which means that, if everyone is present, we can (with apologies for changing the metaphor) field a team of 12. (Canadian football and women’s lacrosse, if you’re interested.)

And we are grateful. To Lynda for giving us opportunities to sing a range of music. To Emma for her rock-like support. To our guest artistes – Mark, Paul, Robin and Ghislaine. And to the congregation, for continuing to value us and not simply consigning us to the skip.

The Breathe Worship Band began in 2024 with a simple hope: to create a space on Sunday evenings where people could encounter God through contemporary music. What started as a small group of musicians has grown into a seven-piece band with singers, guitar, drums and keys — each person bringing their own style, story and heart for worship. Our musical influences are wide ranging, drawing on the work of artists such as Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Lou Fellingham, Michael W. Smith and Rend Collective.

Over the past year, our Breathe services have taken us on a shared journey. Through the themes Why Do We? and Fruits of the Spirit, we’ve explored what it means to worship with understanding and passion. Music, prayer and the Word have woven together to help us reflect, question and grow. This spring and summer, we’ll be turning our attention to the meaning of the name Jehovah, and we’re excited to see how that shapes our worship and conversations.

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We’ve added many new songs to support the themes of the services - some contemporary favourites, some reimagined hymns - building a repertoire of 33 pieces. You can listen to everything we’ve been working on through our ‘Breathe’ Spotify playlist.

Our monthly rehearsals are a joyful, creative space where we try new ideas, laugh a lot, and stretch ourselves musically. It’s a place where people feel safe to experiment, to grow, and to bring their whole selves.

Looking ahead, we’d love to welcome more musicians into the band. Additional guitars or synths would strengthen our sound, and we’re especially excited about the possibility of guest players on strings, woodwind, brass or percussion. If you feel a nudge to get involved, whether regularly or occasionally, we’d be delighted to hear from you. Please contact Jules Ient on juliaient@gmail.com.

Church Hall

Matthew Unwin-Riches

Hall bookings have increased well during 2025. We were very pleased to welcome two Adults Learning classes; An art class who come every Tuesday and an upholstery class who come every Thursday and Friday in termtime this helps to generate much needed additional income.

We continue to use the hall income to keep the building to the standard that people have come to expect when hiring it and we regularly receive comments about what a lovely hall we have here.

The Samuel Room continues to be let on a permanent basis to local business, and this relationship is working well, this rent was reviewed in 2025 in line with industry increases.

Finally, we have continued to use the hall in its first capacity as the home of a wide range of Church and Friends events such as Thursday Club, the popular ‘Friends’ quiz and the ever-growing community that join us for Little Saints- what a great segway to the next report…

Little Saints Revd. Canon Lynda Davies

Little Saints continues to be a much-loved and valued group for young families in Cottenham and Rampton. We continue to receive very positive feedback. Throughout 2025 we continued to benefit from a well-established team with Revd. Canon Lynda Davies, Revd. Alison Wedgbury, Judi Middleton, Lesley Maile and Emily Copeland.

Numbers continue to be high – from 20 to 35 children and their parents/carers each week. It is great to see friendships developing and fabulous to see around six men each week (predominantly granddads). We continue to be blessed with dry weather on a Monday morning which enables us to open the doors and enjoy the outdoor play space. At the end of the summer term, we enjoyed a fun Teddy Bear’s Picnic in the Rectory Garden with games, songs and much food!

Tower Captain’s Report

The ringing during 2025 was steady but we are not currently in a position to practice each week or ring for every service. We managed to ring one local band quarter peal in memory of two former members of the band, Mike Carr and Peter Coe, who had passed away during the previous year. We also supported the church open day in September with tower tours. Ringing at Rampton has principally taken place to ring for key services there, but with the building work in All Saints Cottenham we have relocated practices to Rampton so the bells there will get more action than usual.

We welcome all potential ringers, young and old and those returning. If ringing is to survive at Cottenham we will need to recruit people who are committed to turning up.

The tower set of handbells continues to be put to good use by the tune ringing group.

We always endeavour to respond to requests to ring for special occasions, from national events to christenings, weddings and birthdays to funerals. In 2025 this ranged from the VE80 celebrations to tolling the nine tailors for a funeral.

Page 14 of 29

11. Rector’s Report

Reverend. Canon Lynda Davies

It’s been another year where so much has been happening at All Saints’ Cottenham with Rampton. We continue to be blessed with a strong Ministry Team and teams of volunteers who have enabled so much to happen.

Highlights of the year

Some of the highlights of the year include:

Development Action Plan

In May 2025, the PCC agreed a Development Action Plan for 2025/6 in keeping with the themes of the Ely 2025 Strategy but also including the 4 Ps of Leading your Church into Growth (LyCiG) which are prayer, presence, proclamation and persuasion. The plan concludes in April 2026. Alongside each of the Ely 2025 elements I’ve provided an update:

To engage fully and courageously with the needs of our communities, locally and globally:

We haven’t recruited a self-supporting Associate Priest but, since then, two retired priests have joined the church. Revd Jenny Hill already has permission to officiate (PTO) and has covered the Rector’s annual leave, and Revd Selina Garner will apply for PTO after Easter as she discerns how God is calling her to serve in the parish.

As described earlier, we held a successful ‘Summer at All Saints’.

Page 15 of 29

The plan to install a toilet and servery was progressed (and the work began in March 2026).

The plan to develop ‘Thursday Club’ is outstanding, though numbers have increased significantly, especially amongst those who are not yet part of the church.

To grow God’s church by finding disciples and nurturing leadership:

We haven’t run a group for young adults exploring faith as there doesn’t appear to be the demand. We didn’t run a Seekers Course in the Spring as, again, there doesn’t currently appear to be the demand, and the focus of the leadership team has been on the re-ordering project.

We plan to put invitation cards through the doors of the new estates over the summer.

The launch of a craft group requires someone to run with the idea and set it up. If that’s you, do let the Rector know.

We have encouraged those leading intercessions to lead the church in intentionally praying before major festivals, and we have also included prayers on the Weekly Sheet for church members to use during the week.

We have purchased Church of England booklets for both Advent and Lent, and encouraged people to also use the app.

A new Development Action Plan will be discussed at the new PCC’s first meeting in May.

Statistics

The annual statistics give an indication on the health of the church and are as follows:

2021
2022
2023
2024
2025		 2021
2022
2023
2024
2025		 2021
2022
2023
2024
2025		 2021
2022
2023
2024
2025		 2021
2022
2023
2024
2025		 2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
Easter/Christmas
No of communicants on
Easter Day		 61 63 114 122 116
Total attending at Easter 89 99 148 153 161
Attendance at special
services at Christmas		 404 639 724 680 709
No of communicants on
Christmas Eve and Day		 78 58 64 97 93
Total attending on
Christmas Eve and Day		 115 115 108 149 138
Average weekly attendance in October (across the week and month)
Average weekly
attendance-adults		 63 87 94 91 94*
Average weekly
attendance–children/yp		 10 22 16 22 24

Page 16 of 29

Usual Sunday Usual Sunday Usual Sunday Usual Sunday Usual Sunday Usual Sunday
Adults - 63 81 72 70
Children - 12 15 16 16
Worshipping Community 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Total 154 178 170 158 175
Children 0-10 20 28 25 23 28
Young people 11-17 5 8 7 9 9
Adults 18-69 68 83 77 72 77
Adults 70+ 61 59 61 54 61
Total joined 30 20 21 10 32
Total left 15 9 8 7 9
Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals
Baptisms 6 11 11 7 2
Weddings 4 5 5 8 0
Church funerals 20 10 9 19 11
Crematorium funerals 10 9 9 7 11
Electoral Roll
Number on electoral roll 134 134 131 142 113

As you will see, the high numbers attending at Easter and Christmas held steady, with a marginal increase (4%) of those coming to the Christingle or a Carol Service. 2024’s increase (of 40%) of those attending either the Midnight Communion and/or services on Christmas Day held steady, with over 70 coming to the midnight service at Rampton.

*Our average weekly attendance during the October count remained steady (a total of 113 in 2024 to 118 in 2025), but this was helped by being able to include the Time to Remember Service in 2025 as this fell within the counting period. Without Time to Remember, the figure would be 86 adults, not 94. Given that our worshipping community grew throughout 2025 to 175 (from 158 the previous year) and we welcomed 32 new members (22 adults and 10 children), the majority of whom are worshipping regularly at All Saints, we should be seeing a higher weekly attendance. The adult attendance on a usual Sunday fell slightly from 72 to 70, with the child attendance remaining the same.

The number on the electoral roll fell dramatically in 2025 as it does every four years when the roll is refreshed, i.e. everyone comes off and people have to re-submit electoral roll forms.

Buildings

Keeping both buildings in good repair is a real challenge. Both churches benefit from well supported Action Groups with committed personnel keen to maintain the buildings to a good standard. We are very grateful for all they do at both churches.

Thank you!

Page 17 of 29

Appendix 1

Vestry meeting minutes held on Sunday 4[th] May 2025 at midday at All Saints’ Church, Cottenham

Those in attendance were: Revd. Lynda Davies (Chair) Matt Unwin-Riches, Lesley Maile, Graham Maile, Chris Shelley, Judith Shelley, Elizabeth Burns, Frances Horgan, Sue Hooks, Anna Marsh, Wayne Channon, Ron Horgan, David Ward, Sarah Ward, Edward Kramer, Gill Kramer, Emma McCaughan, Liz Hewitt, Ken Hewitt, Sonia Cumming, Emily Copeland, Iain Campbell, Sue Smith, Mike Smith, Alison Wedgbury, Maggie Appleby, Graham Appleby, Kit Kilgour, Jennifer Macbeth, Margaret Edwards, Jules Ient, Sarah Rossouw, Martyn Davies, Bekki ward, Phil Ward, Gavin Cameron.

Apologies for absence: John & Lynda Unwin, Chris & Cheryl Lowe, Jaquie Bland, David & Lynda Sattelle, Polly Fellows, Hannah Ward, Wendy Campbell, Amanda Kilgour and Tom Copeland.

  1. Minutes of the Annual Vestry meeting held on Sunday 28[th] April 2024 were received as an accurate report of the meeting.

  2. Matters arising from the minutes.

There were no matters arising.

  1. Election of Churchwardens for 2025-2026

First, Lynda thanked the outgoing churchwardens - Iain Campbell who has served for two years and Lesley Maile who has served for four. They were thanked for the huge and varied contributions they have made during their time. They were given a gift of thanks from the church family. There were two nominations for new church wardens- Frances Horgan who was proposed by Sue Hooks and seconded by Anna Marsh and Graham Appleby who was proposed by Gavin Cameron and seconded by Sarah Rossouw. Both were elected.

  1. Cottenham Charity Accounts 2024-2025

These have been circulated in the report, there were no questions and were received at the meeting. Proposed by Frances Horgan and seconded by Lesley Maile, Lynda made a note of thanks to John Unwin for managing the charity accounts and preparing the statements for the meeting.

  1. Rampton Charity Accounts 2024-2025

These have also been circulated and were approved at the meeting

Gavin Cameron proposed and was seconded by Margaret Edwards. Thanks was also noted to Mike Hastings for his work on these accounts.

Page 18 of 29

Appendix 2

Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts

Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2025
Summaryfor APCM
CHURCH AND CAUSEWAY CHARITY
INCOME £ PAYMENTS £
Jan.1 Balance brought forw ard 19108.43 Church Estate CharityTFR for 31-12-2024 14000.00
Propertyrents 2200.00 Cottenham Parish Council TFR for 31-12-2024 7000.00
COIF dividends 16643.19 service charges 29.75
Dec.31 Balance carried forw ard 16921.87
37951.62 37951.62
CHURCH ESTATE CHARITY
And Linked Charity - Goode Bequest
INCOME £ PAYMENTS £
Jan.1 Balance brought forw ard 29205.58 Electrical lightingspares 713.76
TFR from Church and Causew ay Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
for 31-12-202 14000.00 Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
Cottenham Parish Councilgrant Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
to Goode Bequest Churchyard Charity 3500.00 Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
Cottenham Parish Councilgrant Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
to Goode Bequest Churchyard Charity 3500.00 Churchyard cuttingx2 + w eed spraying 456.00
Bank interest 79.90 Tree w ork 192.00
Churchyard cuttingx3 594.00
service charges 29.75
Dec.31 Balance carried forw ard 46319.97
50285.48 50285.48
DR. JOHN FITZWILLIAM CHARITY
And Linked Charities - Ivatt Bequest and Sarah Ann Wallis Bequest
INCOME £ PAYMENTS £
Jan.1 Balance brought forw ard 3786.67 CBS Printing (photocopier) 1742.97
COIF divdends 4400.85 Amazon - office supplies(stationary,stamps etc.) 1441.90
COIF dividends for Ivatt Bequest 364.79 Eden - Bibles,books,church service supplies etc. 617.20
COIF dividends for Wallis Bequest 275.46 Incumbent expenses - books,stationary,etc. 321.84
Choir music 124.95
Reimbursements from Church & Hall fund Christmas cashgrants(w ith John Mortons Charity) 2500.00
for ineligible items 1340.55
service charges 29.75
Dec.31 Balance carried forw ard 3389.71
10168.32 10168.32
Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts		 Appendix 2
Vestry Meeting All Saints’ Cottenham Charity Accounts
ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2025
Summaryfor APCM
CHURCH AND CAUSEWAY CHARITY
INCOME £ PAYMENTS £
Jan.1 Balance brought forw ard 19108.43 Church Estate CharityTFR for 31-12-2024 14000.00
Propertyrents 2200.00 Cottenham Parish Council TFR for 31-12-2024 7000.00
COIF dividends 16643.19 service charges 29.75
Dec.31 Balance carried forw ard 16921.87
37951.62 37951.62
CHURCH ESTATE CHARITY
And Linked Charity - Goode Bequest
INCOME £ PAYMENTS £
Jan.1 Balance brought forw ard 29205.58 Electrical lightingspares 713.76
TFR from Church and Causew ay Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
for 31-12-202 14000.00 Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
Cottenham Parish Councilgrant Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
to Goode Bequest Churchyard Charity 3500.00 Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
Cottenham Parish Councilgrant Churchyard cuttingx2 396.00
to Goode Bequest Churchyard Charity 3500.00 Churchyard cuttingx2 + w eed spraying 456.00
Bank interest 79.90 Tree w ork 192.00
Churchyard cuttingx3 594.00
service charges 29.75
Dec.31 Balance carried forw ard 46319.97
50285.48 50285.48
DR. JOHN FITZWILLIAM CHARITY
And Linked Charities - Ivatt Bequest and Sarah Ann Wallis Bequest
INCOME £ PAYMENTS £
Jan.1 Balance brought forw ard 3786.67 CBS Printing (photocopier) 1742.97
COIF divdends 4400.85 Amazon - office supplies(stationary,stamps etc.) 1441.90
COIF dividends for Ivatt Bequest 364.79 Eden - Bibles,books,church service supplies etc. 617.20
COIF dividends for Wallis Bequest 275.46 Incumbent expenses - books,stationary,etc. 321.84
Choir music 124.95
Reimbursements from Church & Hall fund Christmas cashgrants(w ith John Mortons Charity) 2500.00
for ineligible items 1340.55
service charges 29.75
Dec.31 Balance carried forw ard 3389.71
10168.32 10168.32

Page 19 of 29

Appendix 3

- Vestry Meeting Rampton Charity Accounts

----- Start of picture text -----
2025 £2,264.23 £5,321.89 £3,529.53 £10,342.11 £21,457.76 £436.98 2.04
2024 £2,358.52 £5,091.41 £3,676.51 £9,894.34 £21,020.78 £699.48 3.33
2023 £2,305.74 £4,899.68 £3,594.24 £9,521.64 £20,321.30 £1,140.10 5.61
2022 £2,107.46 £4,684.71 £3,285.16 £9,103.87 £19,181.20 -£540.51 -2.82
2021 £2,388.65 £4,623.89 £3,723.48 £8,985.69 £19,721.71 £772.04 3.91
2020 £2,089.70 £0.00 £4,621.48 £3,257.48 £0.00 £8,981.01 £18,949.67 £401.55 2.12
2019 £1,955.25 £1,303.50 £4,601.94 £3,047.89 £11,172.57 £8,943.04 £31,024.19 £1,178.19 3.80
2018 £1,647.15 £1,098.10 £4,567.60 £2,567.61 £11,089.22 £8,876.32 £29,846.00 £40.41 0.14
2017 £1,672 £1,115 £4,545 £2,607 £11,034 £8,832 £29,806 £526 1.77
2016 £1,534 £1,012 £4,532 £2,391 £11,003 £8,808 £29,280 £597 2.04
### ### 1.20 0.67
### ###
### 1.95
### ###
### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ### ###
White Church Charity Lands Collis Bequest Miss GA Turner Pain Bequest NOT TRUST TRANSFER? Rogers Bequest
Rampton All Saints' Beneficial Trusts Repair Church & Churchyard R & M of Parish Church General purposes (not perm trust) General purposes (not perm trust) 1976 No Trust details General PCC deposit fund General purposes Vicar & Cwardens Grand Total Increment/ loss % change Liquidated April 2020 for restoration work
----- End of picture text -----

Page 20 of 29

Appendix 4 MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING Held on Sunday 4[th] May 2025 in All Saints’ Church, Cottenham

  1. Attendance and apologies for absence- see Annual Vestry Meeting notes.

  2. Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) held on Sunday 28[th] April 2024. These were received with just one note that on page 13 the name of Wendy Campbell is wrongly listed as Wendy Appleby.

  3. Matters Arising from the minutes- There were no matters arising from the minutes.

  4. Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church 2024. These have been checked by the churchwardens, and the terrier is updated accordingly.

  5. Treasurer’s Report 2024

Chris Shelley, Treasurer, gave an overview of the accounts and explained how the busyness of 2024 contributed to a larger than average income (the above average number of weddings and funerals). He went on to talk about the regular donors who make contributions through the Parish Giving Scheme (PGS) and through direct debits. He expressed our gratitude to all those who give regularly. There was a brief explanation of the benefits of using the PGS.

The largest expenditure for the church is the Parish Ministry Share which is around £75k. We receive about £66k in regular donations so it would be good to bring this in line. The cost of the Ministry Share went up by 7% in the parish, but the giving scheme was only increased by 2.5%; this gap will grow if we don’t increase our giving or the number of donors.

Chris noted that the independent assessment of the accounts is not quite ready, but it is taking place and as soon as it is completed, we will forward this to anyone to would like to see it (via the Parish Office).

Jules Ient thanked Chris for a clear and helpful report. She commented that as a regular donor she would welcome an explanation of how the money is spent as this may encourage more people to sign up. Finally, she asked about the reserve policy - do we have a level that we would aim to keep. Chris explained that although we do not have a reserve policy, we do have several bequests that are in the church investment fund which give us interest payments each year, but we do not touch the capital. Chris then went on to explain how we would like to manage this going forward so that we do always keep some in reserve. For example, if we do spend any large sums of money on either the re-ordering project and or the quinquennial then the PCC would need to agree an amount that we would keep in reserve so that we do not drain our capital too much.

Lynda went on to thank Chris (and Sarah Rossouw for the start of the year).

At this meeting we cannot approve the accounts as we do not have independent reports but as Ron Horgan pointed out, this does not need to be done at an APCM, so we ask for approval from the PCC when then are complete.

Rampton’s accounts have been audited and these were approved.

  1. Safeguarding- nothing to add to the written report.

  2. Electoral Roll Report 2024-2025- Lynda re-iterated that it does always drop when you do a complete re-list of the roll every 6 years. Emma explained that this is not too much of a drop from when we did this 6 years ago. We have already had some additions since Emma completed the report so it will continue to go up again for a while.

  3. Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) 2024 - there is a report in the booklet and no questions arose.

Page 21 of 29

9. Report from the Deanery Synod 2024

Lynda thanked Graham Maile and Edward Kramer for their contribution as Deanery Synod (DS) reps over the years. She also asked them to give a brief account of what the DS is, and Graham did this for us. The diocese is divided into a number of deaneries which are a group of neighbouring parishes. Each deanery has a deanery synod, which acts as a forum for the parishes to exchange views on issues affecting the deanery. One important function it has relates to finance – the deanery synod determines how the deanery parish share is to be divided between the various parishes.

10. Action Groups and Church Activities 2024

Iain Campbell spoke from his report re. how often the C-Rag meets and how many are on the team. There is a large variety of tasks as small as a leaking tap to large ones such as the replacing of lights in church. Although the current task tracker is basically complete, the work of the C-Rag is now focusing on the work from the quinquennial inspection.

Graham Appleby asked about the re-ordering work and Iain explained that this comes under the remit of the PCC and will be addressed later.

Mike Smith asked about the work on finding a defibrillator (this was suggested last year) - Lynda explained that we did some research into this but it has not proved as easy as we thought. There is no funding remaining for the village of Cottenham as this has already been drawn upon in the past by other areas of the village. As they are very expensive - in the region of £2000 (confirmed by Judith Shelley), we need to think about how we can fund the purchase and installation of a defibrillator. It is possible that we could do some crowd funding to buy one.

Gavin Cameron also gave a brief overview of what has been happening at Rampton (RAG). They too are working on works identified in the quinquennial inspection report as and when they can do so. There were no questions, Lynda thanked Gavin for all the work that is done in keeping Rampton looking in such good condition by the team of volunteers there.

Lynda asked if there were any other questions about any of the reports from the work in church and there were none. Frances did add note of her thanks to Emma McCaughan for the additional work she does towards services outside of those detailed in the report. Lynda also mentioned the highlight of the week is Little Saints and seeing the faith and community grow here.

Kit Kilgour went on to thank everyone for the positive comments they always receive about bellringing, and he would be very happy for anyone who is interested to come and have a go sometime.

Lesley Maile wanted to note her thanks to Lynda before she presents her report - how hard she works and how much she is always thinking about the well-being of the church family.

11. Rector’s Report 2024

Lynda did not talk through her report but took the opportunity to give a presentation about some of the top achievements for 2024. She reminded us of some of the top line points in the LyCiG programme and how these achievements have fitted in with these. The four P’s - Prayer, Presence, Proclamation and Persuasion.

One point in ‘presence’ is about making the churches more accessible by completing the reordering project. Lynda then went on to explain where we are up to with this and how we intend to move forward in the future with the project.

We were also given an outline of the Church of England’s national priorities as this could be helpful to us in the future when thinking about how we worship and what we do. We are in a good place with a number of these, but we should not rest on our laurels. There are always challenges. Improving the regular attendance of our church family and filling some of the roles where there are gaps.

Finally, Lynda gave an account of all the different teams that hold the church together and what a great job they all do! Amazing teamwork.

Page 22 of 29

Jules Ient then asked a question about young people - ages 14-24. She asked us to think about this age group as it is an area where we are lacking in our church community (and in all churches nationally). These are some of the most vulnerable people in society. What more can we do? Lynda explained how difficult it is to get into school. Easier at primary level (one of the reasons Lynda is a school governor) but almost impossible at secondary level. Lynda asked us to think about how we might do this. It would be great to have someone who might be responsible for youth outreach.

Graham suggested that we might be able to engage more young people through the communion service. Lynda explained that she has been into Cottenham Primary School to talk to Year 6 about ‘food and drink’ in church and taught them about communion.

Anna Marsh asked if there was likely to be any funding from the diocese to recruit a Youth Worker. Lynda explained that sadly since COVID any funding that may have been available for a ‘Children’s and Young Person Worker’ no longer exists.

12. Elections for the PCC 2025-2026

Four nominations received (5 current vacancies) all accepted.

Duly elected on the PCC were: Maggie Appleby, Sarah Fecondi, Lesley Maile (a further term) and David Sattelle.

  1. Appointment of Assistant Churchwardens 2025-2026

Graham Maile, Lesley Maile, Judith Shelley, David Woodcroft and Maggie Appleby.

  1. Appointment of Independent Examiner for Accounts

Chris Shelley will ask Emma Bodsworth again for this year.

  1. Any Other Business There was none.

Meeting ended at 1.25pm

Page 23 of 29

Appendix 5

End of Year Accounts All Saints’ Cottenham- Independent examiners report available on request.

Page 24 of 29

Statement of Rec8lpts & Payments Pty•dq IflQ025b3l11zf￿xi(￿￿￿dth 3t112rth241' 4.W.$6 1.793.35 29).Lh) 7.659.12 2.617.92 2.35 1,79335 2fj0.00 7.669.12 .. 1$1 i.e•J8.02 24.70 1.CO).C 20.027.$3 10.1 1.000.00 20,Y27 IOAbO 5.&%1.66 7.410.06 ..CftDa 149.257.49 37.988.10 1.529.fAI 149.257A9 37.988.10 1,629.00 6.484.Kt 38.&fj9.34 . G￿￿9. Ncfi.GOt 819.62 3.701.$8 619.82 3,701 312.50 20.thN.IS .. onfroff 189.82 189A2 112.fAI 11100 142.LXI 4.970.05 591.LYJ 413.Cp) 18.619.79 6.940.37 3.201.91 4,970.06 $91.00 413.( 18,619.79 6.94037 J201J1 6.48&80 40T. 2.34&LXI 14.436.53 4.rf6.42 4.51&88 .. Intwost R•c4J 144.99 144J9 419.85 2Mora.34 264.30234 It9,5M20 .. Ch¥ty RuMh¥4C4# 2.446.36 SW.87 11920 125.fAI 2.391.30 600A7 11920 126.(Al 2,394JO .. Wirn I Wafw¥lC¥é 174.09 3.696.54 599.76 1.814.78 3.369. 16 6.110.51 S.051.77 4.37T.$1 6.149.84 1.640.76 xia.76 2.455.43 $,064.n 4,377J1 6.149A4 1,640.76 309.71 2.4$5AJ 11K.00 .. & Slalh)n Co 69.59 3.6M.09 209. 10 .. I Pbano Tunlng & Re 1fy).t)) W( 3026 Page 25 of 29

Statement of Rocelpts & Payments Ilif￿￿3111V￿)25lr&wry￿￿￿• IMf1024311IY￿￿r 120.C 2.043.72 11.4￿.58 1043.72 11 J95.58 902.11 203.74 ie02AO .. to tharlty ￿tr l¢hw¢hl .. Lanty lh￿) .660 40 426 95 5S4. 73 1.267.43 2.988 CQ Y.0¢5 37 1.4LX).24 1.896.91 203.74 2.802. . & E.m•l & IT . olChurth•r 1.382.11 25524 1,620.78 S0720 18.75 N612.67 255.24 1.6XJ.76 507.20 18.75 76.812.67 73.493.34 7.133.78 7.133.70 4x96 .Gr￿ 15.1)) 16.00 . . Makr r•p*s lo Iho tthJh¥J 31.294.93 3129493 2T41_22 197.92 129.Ct) Toi•l •xp•ndltyrn 100.S0221 100.IXI 1W.60221 171•34.19 .CrfY2.34 180.502.21 264,302.34 180,60221 119.536.28 123.834 19 ILh).c N•1 Iiio¥•m•irt In 103,W).13 103,700.13 4Xt7.91 199.481.03 46.42J.55 2￿.202.4 981.16 48,623.66 349,604.71 2￿$￿.5• Page 26 of 29

All Salnts Church Ch•rfty Comml•slon lor Engl•nd Wal••. No. 245466 Balance Sheet - Comparatlve A• * D1￿mb•r 31, 202J 31 DKIO31 31 DK2424 28A38 7S 2&7 48.744 15S.242 17S.917 STATEMENT OF FUNDS 21Aiir2026 C140 Ety Dlrf•Mn Bo•rd ol Fln•nÉ• Any"ry S•lnl• Crfl•nhllm PCC G•n•rnl pwpo••• ol th• P*l•h Chweh alAII S•lnts, Coilwthrn. lorth• prfod Fhl to L•¥¢ CAPffAL 23Smi 74.4n 39 REPREseNTED BY Icurrnnt V•WI RS COIF IRI J14.2T4S5 314274.9S 314274. Page 27 of 29

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE PCC OF ALL SAINTS, COTTENHAM FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31", 2025 This ￿pOrt on the accoltnts of the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2025 is in respect of an examination carried out under the Church Accounting Regulalions 2006 and s145 of the Chartties Act 2011. Respectfve responsibilities of Twstees and Examiner The Charitys Iruslees consider thal an audit is not required for this year under Section 142(21 of the Charities Act 2011 {the 2011 Acl) and that an Independent Examination is required. Having satisfied myself that the PCC is not subject lo audit under Charity Law and is eligib￿ for inde￿ndent examination, il is my responsibility lo.. - examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act. - follow the pfocedures laid down in Ihe General Directions given by the Chanty Commissi¢Jners in Section 145(5llb} of Ihe 2011 Act., and - slate whether parti¢)Jlar matters have come to my attention. Basis of Independent Examinerfs Report My examination was ¢arrted CMJI in accordance wilh the general direclions gNen by the Charity Commission. An exarninalion includes a review of the ac£ounting iecords kept by the PCC and a comparison of Ihe accounls presented with those records.11 also includes considerats'on of any unusual items or disclosures in Ihe accounls and seeking explanat￿nS from you as Iruslees conceming any such matters. The proceduies undertaken do not provide all the emdence that would be required in a full audil, and consequenuy no opinion is given as lo whether the accounts ￿sent a'true and fair Vie￿ and the report is limited lo those matters sel oul in the stslements below. Independent Examinevs statement To confirm that, for All Saints Church, I have examined.. Slalemenl of receipts and paym8nls 2025 Treasurer's report other accounling records. I have conduded that they truty and fairty represent the financial position Emma James FCA (previously Bodsworthl S Hart Close, LoryJstsnton. Cambridge, CB24 3EX Page 28 of 29

Appendix 6- End of Year Accounts All Saints’ Rampton

Full Accounts are available on application.

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