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2024-12-31-accounts

The Parochial Church Council of St John the Baptist with the Epiphany, Corby

Diocese of Peterborough

Reports and Financial Statements 2024

Charity Name The Parochial Church Council of St John the
Baptist with the Epiphany, Corby
Charity Registration 1178205
Principal Address The ecclesiastical parish is situated in Corby,
Northamptonshire and is in the Corby Deanery and
Oakham Archdeaconry of the Diocese of
Peterborough within the Church of England. The
parish consists of the Church of St John the
Baptist and the Church of the Epiphany (Chapel of
Ease). The correspondence address is St John’s
Church Hall, Church Walk, Corby, Northamptonshire,
NN17 1XF.
The Governing Document Parochial Church Council Powers Measures
(1956) as amended and Church Representation
Rules
Objectives The Parochial Church Council (PCC of St John
the Baptist with the Epiphany, Corby, has the
responsibility of working with the incumbent, the
Reverend Paul Frost, in promoting in the
ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the
Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and
ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically
responsible for the maintenance of the Church
of St John the Baptist and the Church of the
Epiphany and their respective church halls.
Members of the PCC The members of the PCC who served during the
year were:
Incumbent (Chair)
The Revd Paul Frost
Assistant Curate
The Revd Joseph Griffiths
Church Wardens
Daniel Eastwood
Hilary Buckingham
(elected May 2024)
Representative on
Paul Buckingham
the General Synod
(re-elected Oct 2021)
(appointed vice chair
PCC, May 2024)
Representative on Susan Norman Susan Norman Susan Norman
the Deanery Synod (re-elected May 2024)
(appointed PCC
treasurer, May 2024)
Edward Frost
(elected May 2024)
Claire Morris
(elected May 2024)
From May 2024 Carole James
elections Catherine Mason
Susan Perry
Jane Gaffney
Jamie Gibb
(resigned Nov 24)
Lynn Hay
James Watkins
Louise Lawson
Other ex-officio Catherine Hill
members
Co-opted The Revd Capt. Peter
Simmons
(May 2024)

Key Management Personnel

Those in charge of directing, controlling, running and operating the Charity on a day to day basis are the members of the Standing Committee (Paul Frost, Daniel Eastwood, Hilary Buckingham, Paul Buckingham, and Susan Norman)

Bankers

NatWest, 16 High St, Kettering, Northamptonshire, NN16 8SZ

Independent Examiner

Mr Paul Adams, 19 Wymington Park, Rushden, Northants, NN10 9JP

1. Structure, Governance & Management

1.1 Trustees

The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and to stand for election to the PCC.

Members of the PCC are either ex officio, co-opted or elected by the Annual Parish Meetings in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.

The two churches within the parish combine under one PCC. The financial statements at 31 December 2024 include income and expenditure for the year.

1.2 Electoral Roll

The Electoral Roll is maintained by Catherine Mason. As of December 2024, there were a total of 82 members on the electoral roll.

2. Activities and Strategies

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to become Christians and be part of our parish community. The PCC maintains an overview of our worship and activities throughout the parish. When planning our activities for the year, we have taken note of the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. Specifically, we enable people to grow in and live out their faith as part of our community through:

3. PCC and Subcommittee

3.1 PCC

The PCC (from May) has 8 elected members, 1 General Synod member, 3 Deanery Synod members and 2 churchwardens. Licensed Clergy and Readers are ex officio

members. Peter Simmons (PTO) is a co-opted member. Total PCC membership for 2024 is 17.

The PCC met in person five times and had two electronic meetings to vote on specific issues. These decisions were then ratified at the subsequent in-person meeting. Attendance was good, averaging above 75% across all meetings. Minutes and attendance were recorded at each PCC meeting. Main issues in 2024 included:

3.2 Standing Committee

The Standing Committee can meet when necessary to present to PCC various matters which need its attention. The Standing Committee comprises of the churchwardens, vice chair, treasurer, and the rector. The PCC Secretary takes minutes. During 2024 the Standing Committee met once to approve proposed clearing and repair works to the church hall roof.

4. Parish Life and Ministry

This year has been full of encouraging examples of God being at work through his Spirit within St John’s. We have had the privilege of welcoming new people to church and the delight of seeing people becoming Christians. It has been inspiring to journey with so many through good times and bad, and seeing all ages grow in their love for Jesus. As we look back over 2024 we do so praising God for his countless blessings.

In 2024, we conducted 4 weddings and 19 funerals, with 9 funeral services held at the crematorium and 10 in the church.

Good safeguarding is of vital importance at St John’s as we ensure that our church community is a safe place for all and especially for children and vulnerable adults. All church members have a responsibility to keep one another safe and our Parish Safeguarding Officer (Jane Gaffney) encourages all who are involved with the life of St John’s to complete an online course to increase basic awareness (https:// safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org - speak to Jane for more information). All safeguarding concerns have been dealt with according to our Safer Church Policy. DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) checks and safeguarding training are renewed every three years for those who work with children and vulnerable adults in church. The PCC has complied with their duty to have due regard to the Bishop’s guidance in relation to safeguarding.

Children and families work is both busy and thriving. Sparkle Tots has seen consistently good numbers at both sessions with children accompanied by a mixture of parents, grandparents, and childminders. In addition to a final prayer the team now also includes Bible songs for the toddlers. The curriculum for Ignite is based on resources from ‘Trueway Kids’ and has focused on characters from both the Old and New Testament. Both Sparkle Tots and Ignite are blessed with a team of dedicated and passionate volunteers. Sam (Exeter Primary) and Paul (Corby Old Village Primary) are active in the schools in our parish taking regular assemblies, hosting visits to the church, and leading lessons when required. Additionally, Paul continues to serve as a governor at Corby Old Village Primary which helps to strengthen our relationship with our nearest primary school.

As Youth Thrive enters its second year it continues to cater for the growing number of young people at St John’s. Emily reports: “It is is a fun and engaging youth group. We normally meet together every Friday night from 7 - 8:15pm at Ed and Serena’s house. It is a relaxed and social place for us to make friends whilst learning about the Bible and God. There are around 10 of us that attend. Some highlights during 2024 include pancake flipping, the summer youth BBQ, and playing new games.

St John’s is a parish church and its Rector has a spiritual responsibility for all in the parish. Consequently we stress the importance of engaging effectively with our community. This takes place in many different ways including the Chapel Gym which seeks to provide a place ‘where change happens’ for our members, recognising that the change could be physical, mental, but praying that it will ultimately be spiritual. A new car park was created and an extensive project to renew equipment was completed. This will enable the Chapel Gym to cater well for the growing number of teenagers using the gym and will enable us to run youth projects. The Chapel Gym has now become a franchise of Hope Into Action and at the end of 2024, after a substantial donation, we purchased our first house. Aiming to provide a home for those released from prison or recovering from addiction, this will become a key project with volunteers from St John’s providing friendship and support and the gym providing volunteering opportunities for the tenants. This exciting project has required a great deal of work from our trustees and we’re looking forward to being part of the solution for homelessness in our community. Our prayer initiative at the Chapel Gym ran for its second year in September with 100 hours of continuous prayer completed. We are convinced that our adventures in prayer plays a crucial role in the mission and ministry of the Chapel Gym.

Our Craft Club has a core group of ladies who join together every Tuesday evening for crafts and an opportunity to chat. New people have joined and a series of special events include a fish and chip night, quiz night, carol service and Christmas party.

Lunch Club has continued to meet monthly, providing a time of friendship, fellowship, and good food in St John’s Church Hall.

1st Corby Scout Group are based at St John’s and are a valued part of our wider church community. 2024 was a fantastic year. Squirrels (for 4-6 year olds) opened in April. With a brand new leadership team, they hit the ground running and saw the Squirrel Drey full with a waiting list within the first month. Despite only running for nine months, the Squirrels amassed 54 badges, and enjoyed an evening at the Fire Station. A few of the Squirrels joined the rest of the group for the Remembrance Day sleepover which for a 4 year old is a big achievement.

Beavers have had a fun year, doing their international badge, disability awareness and global issues badges among the 101 badges awarded last year: including two Chief Scout Bronze awards, the highest award the Beaver section can gain. The Beaver Colony are helped by two young leaders, who worked their way through the sections at 1st Corby. We are proud they have stayed to help the younger Scouts on their journeys. We have also welcomed a new leader Josh to the colony.

Cubs have had a busy year. They have awarded a whopping 188 badges, including the Scottish Thistle award which is a Scottish only badge, but Akela got special permission for Corby to also do the badge on account of Corby’s history. Four Cubs completed their Chief Scout Silver award. In the Spring, the pack were off camping with 23rd Kettering at Overstone, even with the terrible weather meaning an early finish, they had a great time. They have also been on bike rides and gone climbing.

The Scout section have had a great year with our annual Winter camp, We had our Summer Camp in Belfast with the Cub section, where we went to the Titanic Museum, Giant’s Causeway and lots of fun onsite activities. We attended a Halloween Camp at Gilwell and have been caving, climbing, been to the Space Centre and helped the community by leaflet dropping at D-Day in the park as well as locally for the Craft Club. Four Chief Scout Gold awards have been given out and it has been great to see the majority of the 14 year olds moving on to Explorers

When Glendon district were unable to find a suitable venue for St George’s Day Parade, St John’s put on a beautiful service for us, allowing us to parade our flags and renew our promises. We are very grateful for this. 2025 is going to be a very special year as we celebrate our centenary. (Lee Richardson - Group Scout Leader)

Traditionally calling people to worship has been the task of bellringing and our team has strengthened throughout this year. After many years of fundraising for the necessary repair work, it was a great achievement to see the work commence in

November 2024. The required works are extensive including the soiling and shrouding of the wheels, pulleys being replaced, rubbing down and repainting the frame. A specialist craftsman Isaac O’Shea (O’Shea Engineering) was contracted to do the technical work and volunteers have been lined up to complete the painting of the frame. This project will mean that we will be without bells for the first part of 2025, but the scope of the work will mean our tower will be in great shape for the next 100 years. Apart from the above bell repairs, there has been no major maintenance work on either the church hall or church buildings during 2024. Routine maintenance and surveying has taken place as required and determined by our buildings insurance and 2023 Quinquennial Inspection. In particular the moss was removed from the church hall roof and a good number of tiles were replaced. We have continued fundraising for the replacement of the south aisle roof and this will become the priority for the coming year.

The Church of England has had a difficult year as numbers continue to decline, division increases regarding the church teaching on Christian marriage, and mishandled safeguarding responses from senior church leaders. As we lament unacceptable failings, at St John’s we must become all the more determined to ensure we grow in holiness, and in our ministry and mission, as we seek to lift high the name of Jesus Christ here in Corby. As always, we are so thankful for all who give their time, energy, talents, and finances as we build God’s Kingdom together in Corby.

Paul Frost (Rector), Hilary Buckingham and Daniel Eastwood (Church Wardens)

5. Deanery Synod

The Corby Deanery Synod met twice during 2024. At the first meeting there was a presentation from the Diocesan Historic Churches Officer. He gave much helpful information about funding and how he can support parishes as they seek to start building projects. At the second meeting the proposals for Pastoral Reorganisation were discussed. This is a wide-ranging proposal impacting the majority of parishes in our deanery. For St John’s, it will mean a tidying up of some of our parish boundaries and also the creation of a new benefice formally uniting us with the parish of Gretton: St James the Great.

6. Structure, governance and management

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representative Rules. At St John’s the membership of the PCC consists of the Rector, churchwardens, licensed lay ministers, and those elected by those members who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who are part of our congregation, and eligible, are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. New members receive initial guidance in the working of the PCC.

7. Financial Review

7.1 Financial Activity and Financial Position

The PCC’s main source of funding has traditionally been the offerings of church members. The adoption of the Parish Giving Scheme (launched within the diocese) has assisted us in promoting regular giving via direct debit. The growth of this method of giving is essential for our financial sustainability.

The Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet show that the total income for the year for is £79,283.85 with a total expenditure of £82,121.52

8. Responsibilities of Trustees for the Financial Statements

The PCC is responsible for preparing the Annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accepted Accounting Practice.

In preparing those financial statements, the PCC is required to:

The Revd Paul Frost, Chairman

End of Year Financial Statements

1st January - 31st December 2024

BAND - BAND FUND (Designated)

Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities
2340 - Upkeep of services
Total Expenditure on charitable activities
226.29
0.00
226.29
0.00
Excess of Income and endowments over Expenditure
Brought forward balance
Carried forward balance		 (226.29)
0.00
30.00
30.00
(196.29)
30.00
Bell - Bell Fund (Restricted)
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
0550 - Donations
Total Donations and legacies
54.00
130.00
54.00
130.00
Income from charitable activities
1101 - Fees for weddings and funerals
Total Income from charitable activities
0.00
30.00
0.00
30.00
Other trading activities
0910 - Fundraising
Total Other trading activities
784.17
0.00
784.17
0.00
Investments
1020 - Bank and building society interest
Total Investments
110.81
105.49
110.81
105.49
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities
2330 - Church maintenance
Total Expenditure on charitable activities
9,821.50
70.00
9,821.50
70.00
Excess of Income and endowments over Expenditure
Brought forward balance
Transfers to/(from)
Carried forward balance		 (8,872.52)
195.49
8,786.23
8,560.74
30.00
30.00
(56.29)
8,786.23

CRAFT - CRAFT CLUB (Designated)

Income and endowments

Donations and legacies
0550 - Donations
Total Donations and legacies
1,135.15
1,025.55
1,135.15
1,025.55
Other trading activities
0910 - Fundraising
Total Other trading activities
150.00
0.00
150.00
0.00
Excess of Income and endowments over Expenditure
Brought forward balance
Carried forward balance		 1,285.15
1,025.55
1,775.55
750.00
3,060.70
1,775.55
Children - Childrens Work (Restricted)
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
0550 - Donations
Total Donations and legacies
8,000.00
6,000.00
8,000.00
6,000.00
Investments
1020 - Bank and building society interest
Total Investments
43.34
39.16
43.34
39.16

Expenditure

Expenditure on charitable activities

2000 - Staff Salaries
Total Expenditure on charitable activities		 7,641.52
1,794.79
7,641.52
1,794.79
Excess of Income and endowments over Expenditure
Brought forward balance
Transfers to/(from)
Carried forward balance		 401.82
4,244.37
9,987.28
3,444.69
0.00
2,298.22
10,389.10
9,987.28
LUNCH - LUNCH CLUB (Restricted)
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
0550 - Donations
Total Donations and legacies
0.00
42.60
0.00
42.60
Excess of Income and endowments over Expenditure
Brought forward balance
Carried forward balance		 0.00
42.60
192.60
150.00
192.60
192.60
SPARKLE - SPARKLE TOTS (Designated)
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
0550 - Donations
Total Donations and legacies
1,169.79
763.55
1,169.79
763.55
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities
2338 - SPARKLE TOTS EXPENSES
Total Expenditure on charitable activities
1,036.23
338.84
1,036.23
338.84
Excess of Income and endowments over Expenditure
Brought forward balance
Carried forward balance		 133.56
424.71
990.19
565.48
1,123.75
990.19

General - General fund (Unrestricted)

Income and endowments

Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
0101 - Planned Giving
0201 - Other planned giving
0301 - Loose plate collections
0550 - Donations
0601 - Tax recoverable on Gift Aid
0801 - Grants
Total Donations and legacies
24,012.24
27,556.52
14,700.00
15,660.00
6,553.05
4,592.07
760.59
1,989.78
3,727.06
4,351.28
650.00
0.00
50,402.94
54,149.65
Income from charitable activities
1101 - Fees for weddings and funerals
1230 - Church hall lettings
Total Income from charitable activities
2,691.00
3,709.80
12,242.50
8,581.25
14,933.50
12,291.05
Other trading activities
0910 - Fundraising
Total Other trading activities
490.00
1,370.16
490.00
1,370.16
Investments
1020 - Bank and building society interest
Total Investments
185.15
141.45
185.15
141.45
Other income
1235 - Contribtion to admin from gretton
Total Other income
1,825.00
1,650.00
1,825.00
1,650.00
Expenditure
Raising funds
1730 - Costs of fundraising
Total Raising funds
0.00
170.00
0.00
170.00
Expenditure on charitable activities
1801 - Mission Giving
1802 - HOPE INTO ACTION PAYMENTS
1910 - Parish share
2000 - Staff Salaries
2001 - Staff expenses
3,880.80
8,103.80
1,255.00
0.00
31,416.00
32,000.00
7,756.77
13,128.34
48.90
1,170.65
2101 - Clergy expenses 28.00 820.87
2201 - Mission and Evangelism costs 1,000.72 509.52
2301 - Church running - insurance 2,685.24 2,609.39
2320 - Organ / piano tuning 254.83 242.70
2330 - Church maintenance 4,216.82 2,825.17
2335 - Church running expenses 3,324.27 2,835.06
2340 - Upkeep of services 875.65 482.05
2401 - Church running - electric 748.14 859.77
2410 - Church running - gas 932.00 1,306.00
2530 - Hall running - electricity 1,701.30 1,799.34
2550 - Hall running - insurance 943.96 1,136.64
2560 - Hall running - maintenance 1,856.99 493.79
2580 - Hall running - water 470.59 451.95
2701 - Church major repairs 0.00 1,500.00
2801 - Hall major repairs 0.00 4,102.54
Total Expenditure on charitable activities 63,395.98 76,377.58
Excess of Income and endowments over Expenditure 4,440.61 (6,945.27)
Brought forward balance 38,739.16 48,012.65
Transfers to/(from) (30.00) (2,328.22)
Carried forward balance 43,149.77 38,739.16

Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of St John’s Church, Corby.

I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31/12/2024.

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

The church’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church’s trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a ‘true and fair view’ and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.

Independent examiner’s statement

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

  1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or

  4. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Paul Adams 27/2/2025