¢ILINGro THE PARISH OF EAST L£IGHTONSTONE Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the year ending 31st December 2024 The Parish of East Leightonstone The Rectory, 15 Church Road, Brampton PE28 4PF St Mary Magdalene Parish Church Church Road, Brampton PE28 4PF All Saints Church High Street, Ellington PE28 OAB All Saints Church , Church Road, Grafham, PE28 OBB
Contents Administrative Information (3) Structure, Governance and Management (3-4) Other Information {4) Objectives and Activities (4) Occasional Offices (4-5) Church Wardens Report (5) Ministers Report {5-7} Electorall Roll (7} Huntingdon Deanery Synod Annual Report (7) Safeguarding (7-8) Grafham Church (8-9) Ellington Church (9-10) Impact Groups (10-21) Mission and Outreach Impact Group (10-11) -christian Aid (10-11) -Children's Society (11) Communication Impact Group (11-12) Young Peoples Impact Group112-13} Buildings Impact Group (13-18) -Quinnquennial Inspection and Maintenance (13) -Ellington (13-15) -Grafham (15) -Brampton (15-18) -st Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Brampton (19) Fellowship Impact Group (201 Worship Impact Group (20-211 Community Outreach (21-26) -Pastoral Care (21) -Brampton Befrienders (21-22) -Brampton Mothers Union (23-25) -Brampton Flower Guild (25-26) Financial Report Overall Picture (27) Report of the Independent Examiner {28) Annual Accounts for the year ending 31 December 2023 (29) Designated Funds130) Restricted Funds (31) Statement of Assets and Liabilities (32) Accounting Policy (32)
Administrative Information The East Leightonslone Parochial Church Council I'the PCC") works with the incumbent, the Reverend Duncan Goldlhorpe, in order to promote in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church; pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is a body corporate snd operates under the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 and the Church Representation Rules. The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All Church members are encouraged lo register on the Electoral Role and stand for election lo the PCC. Structure, Governance and Management Members of the PCC are either ex-officio, elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting or are co- opted or appointed by the PCC itself. PCC for 2024-25 Ex-officio Members.. Rector.. The Reverend Duncan Goldthorpe Mr Keith Wood Church Wardens.. Mrs Susan Roberts Curates: Rev Dr Sarah Wesl (from Jan 241 Revd Jenny Forester (from Jul 241 Dr Frances Stead ALM & Deanery Synod Representatives: Mrs Jill Dighlon Elected Members.. Mr Richard Howells Mrs Patricia Jordan Mrs Dee Wormald Mr Neil Brown Mrs Sue Morgan Mr Graham Smith (from Apr 241 Mr Brian Radbone Ifrom Apr 241 Appointed Members.. Treasurer: Mr Graham Heywood {lil Nov 241 Mrs Dawn Ryder Secretary: The PCC had 10 subordinate committees during 2024.. Stsnding Committee - has the power to Iransacl business between meetings of the full PCC and sets the agendas for those meetings. Church Hall Management Committee manages the day to day running of the Brampton Church Hall and actions routine minor maintenance requirements. Worship Impa¢t Group IWIG)- develops our worship across the parish Buildings Impact Group IBIGI - responsible for maintaining our buildings, how spaces can be used effectively both in the building and also our outside areas. Young People's Impact Group (YPIGI - provides opportunities for children and young people lo have a positive experience of church and be nurtured in their faith. Communications Impact Group ICIGI - develops how we connect with one another and our community
Mlssion Impact Group {MIG)- explores supporting mission partners, local, national and global projects, raising the profile of mission as followers of Christ. Fellowship Impact Group IFIGI - organises social events for our church family and community and provides hospitality in support of church events. Resources Impact Group IRIGI - responsible for stewardship of our money, physical resources Ilinking with BIG) and fund raising. strategic Development Impact Group ISDIGI - develops strategy, vision and planning. Other information Correspondence address= Independent examiner.. Bankers.. The Rectory, 15 Church Road, Bramplon PE28 4PF Tim Johnson FCA Barclays Bank plc, 1 Market Hill, Huntingdon Safeguarding Officer.. Lay Eucharist Assistants.. Jane Rowley Sue Roberts Keith Wood Authorised Lay Ministers.. Frances Stead Jill Dighton Ysanne Smith Worship Group Leader.. Mothers Union Branch Leader.. Julie Barker Electoral Roll offir.. Lyndon Hutchison and Rachel Hutchison Dawn Ryder Bramplon Befrienders- Objectives and Activities The PCC is committed lo encouraging and enabling as many people as possible to become worshipping members of the church communrf(y aeross the parish. We lake seriously the Charity Commission's requirement that we operate in the public benefit and so seek to help the people here to live out their faith in our community through.. Worship and Prayer Community Outreach Pastoral Care Occasional Offices Occasional Offices The PCC recognises that for many people the Parish Church is still the place to go for major life events. There were 3 weddings in the parish in 2024. 2024 saw 7 baptisms and we hope to maintain these relationships in the future. Confirmations - it was a joy to host the Deanery Confirmation Service in St Mary Magdalene, Bramplon where Matthew Goldlhorpe and Freya Harris were confirmed with members from Hilton and Hartford parishes. Burial of Ashes: Margaret Ewen, Jean Balchelor, Vincent Doyle, George Cottam, Joan Challis, Gerald Challis. Memorial Service- None.
There was much lo celebrate in 2024, bul it was also a year marked by sadness. During the course of the year we faced the death of Alan Rowe, Margaret Ewen, Jean Balchelor, Vincent Doyle, Dorothy Lamacrafl, Jean Harris, Lynda Elis, Mary Neat, Sheila Allen, George Cotlam, Joan and Gerald Challis. Vve do not underestimate the signrficance of being invited lo share such times as we commit the deceased into God's loving mercy and pray that the bereaved may find comfort. We give thanks and praise to God for these good and faithful servants. Church Warden's Report The Parish has enjoyed a good year on many counts. We have seen a healthy growth in the number of parishioners attending all 3 churches and we are particularly pleased that we have enjoyed an excellent number of young people attending children's church at Brampton. Thanks lo all the helpers including Emily Jenkins who leads an enthusiastic group of helpers. We were also blessed by being joined by Sarah and Jen as curates during the year. Both have brought much lo the Parish and have given Duncan excellent support through their lime with us. We have also been blessed by the excrfcing decision by Heather to study for the LLM within our Parish. We must give her all the support neSSary to achieve this goal. Vve also said farewell to our music maestro, John Barron, who moved lo the south coast and we wish him well and thank him for all his support over the years. As we write Ihis,we are in the final throes of obtaining fomial consent to begin our re-ordering of Bramplon church. We will then appoint a quantity surveyor lo obtsin an eslimaled cost of the refurbishment and to guide our fundraising team. We will then appoint a builder and hope that the work begins in earnest later this year. An enormous thanks must also go lo Rob Barker for his support in undertaking repairs for all 3 churches. Finally, an enourmous thanks to all of our volunteers who help lo maintain so many activities in the Parish. We sincerely value all of the support. Sue Roberts and Keith Wood, Church Wardens Minister's Report Gathering. One of our core values at East Leighlonstone is Gathering - for word, worship and ministry, in the power of the Spirit. Over 2024 we spent our Sunday sermon series looking at Unity in Diversity, Trusting in God, The Psalms, Prayer, God's Kingdom, the Book of Acts, the Five Marks of Mission, Inspiring Women of the Bible, concluding with our Advent sermons focussed on the Meaning of Waiting. Here we were able to spend lime looking al sitting under God's word and saturating il in our everyday lives. It has been a joy lo see more people join the ministry team as Revd Dr Sarah Wesl and Revd Jen Forester joined us lo serve their Ifcle posts. l Continue lo be thankful for Ihe support trom Frankie Stead, Jill Dighlon, David Kinder and Sylvia Kinder as members of the ministry team who support me with leading and preaching setvices. In the last year we have also been blessed with the ministry from The Revd Geoff Boucher and The Revd Catherine Wright in providing cover for me whilst I have been on annual leave. Not all parishes are blessed with such people. Thank you. We continue lo bless so many people who can no longer come into our buildings but still attend weekly worship through our live streaming of services. Thank you lo the team who ensure that our audio-visul systems run so smoothly week after week. Growing. Another of our values al East Leightonstone is Growing in depth, in number, & younger, in the power of the Spiril.11 has been a real joy over 2024 to see our church grow- numerically, spiritually, and younger. We regularly see a combined number of over 80 al our Sunday morning gatherings, of which we have seen 10-15 younger members who enjoy our children's groups. 2024 also saw a new joint venture with All Saints Huntingdon - Sunday Evening Youth- a lime where our
teenagers can meet together to gel to know God and one another. Thank you lo Frankie Stead and Ruth Hunt who lead this ministry. Part of this growth has been seen in the regular celebrations of baptisms, building relationships in our communities through Little Fishes, Bramplon Befrienders, Tea & Chat, Montague House and school links. Bul il's not just numbers- we've seen a rise in the willingness of people to contribute on a Sunday morning through prayer ministry, words of knowledge, supporting behind the Sne8, our musicians, our newsletter team, and those who have stepped into a new ministry. It was a joy for us that in the summer Frankie Stead was accepted for theological training al ERMC. Her hope is to remain with us after she has completed her curacy. Mission Partnership with Rev'd Bosco Habinshuti. We continue to strengthen our link with the work of Bosco and Agnes in Nyamala in the Diocese of Kigali. We continue to develop an understanding of what is required lo ensure that their parish is viable and flourishes. Prayer, finance and mutual ministry continues lo be our focus. We plan lo send 8 team out in February 2025. Going. Another of our values here is Going- lo love, tell and transform, in the power of the Spirit. We have good news of life in all its fullness that we long to share across Bramplon, Ellington and Grafham. 11 was a joy to welcome so many people to festive services throughout the year, as well as the Ellington Gala and Ellington Flower Festival that celebrated ils 501n Year, The Grafham Flower Festival & Bio. Blitz- these are limes where we can come together and celebrate our God given creativity and the beauty of creation. We also have continued lo strengthen our links with the community through holding The START Course as well as Curry & Carols, Carol Singing al The Mermaid and Black Bull. Worship. Our worship continues to change and evolve which is reflecting our congregalions spirilualilies, diversity, enthusiasm and inclusivity. A range of musicians and worship leaders also bring variety to our weekly setvices. As ever il was amazing lo be able lo hold all of our Christmas offerings across the parish. I give thanks for the extensive team of people who have ensured that services happened from those who prepare audio visual screens, prayers, flowers, the musicians, and singers. Our Christmas celebrations in the 'Cinnamon' in Grafham was as popular as ever for'curry and Carols." We had a good attendance with people from all three villages attending the Midnight Communion service in Ellington. Carol singing in The Mermaid and Black Bull helped to make the time of year special and shares our worship lo the wider community. Our three Carol Services were full, as usual, wonderful festive services guided by Kia Howells and Kale Gentles, and a committed team who formed the augmented choir. Thank you one and all. A Final Thank You. I would also like lo thank all of you who lock and unlock our churches, serve refreshments each week, provide flowers, welcome people, clean our church buildings, verge at funerals, attend Home Groups, support Mother's Union, build relationships and pray. You all make such a difference to the life of our parish, thank you. l once again say a huge thank you lo Keith and Sue as our Church Wardens who continue to provide us with a wonderful commitment and wisdom in helping me holding everything together with the help of so many of you. As I write this report in Lent the following passage seems so appropriate lo us for 2025. "See. l am doing a new thingl Now it springs up. do you not perceive it: l am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."
A huge thank you to all of you, the wonderful, committed church members that you are. Reverend Duncan Goldthorpe Electoral Roll Our revised electoral roll stands al 115 people. Huntingdon Deanery Synod Annual Report Deanery planning has been continuing this year, focussing on the four Working Groups as sel out in the Deanery Planning document which was formulated in March. These are.. Fruitful Churches. Fruifful Assets, Fruifful Workers and New Shoots. Each of these workslreams is now being developed with Frankie Stead. Jen Forester, Duncan and Jill Dighton all being involved in the Fruittul Workers Group. We have spent much of this year collecting data from across the Deanery lo understsnd where the fruitful workers are. This data will be used lo develop a strategy for identifying areas of our Ministry which are frurtful- and how we can learn from this to help the whole Deanery be fruitful in our work for Christ. Deanery Synod also reports Finance for the Deanery. Concern has been voiced regarding the payment of Ministry Parish Share, which is sent by the Deanery as a whole and Deanery reserves would need lo be used lo meet this. It was reported that for 2025 there will be an expected 4.5° increase on Ministry Share. Increases in N.1 payments announced in the 2024 budget would also impact the Di0san budget bul not necessarily the Ministry share. The November meeting also saw the introduction of concerns regarding how all parisheslbenefices deal with their Safeguarding commitments. Wide discussion revealed some parishes are struggling to deal with varying aspects around Safeguarding. Thoughts were voiced around what help can be offered from across the Deanery and this will be brought forward to the 2025 agendas. It was reported that the appointment of a new Bishop of Ely will not be until 2026. Frances Steèd and Jill Dighton Deanery Synod Representatives Safeguarding As a Church. we recognise and affimi the place of children, young people (aged under 181 and vulnerable adults in the life and ministry of the church and we lake our responsibility for their safety and well-being seriously. We are committed to safeguarding all those who attend the worship and other activities that we offer in our parish. We promote Safeguarding as everyone's responsibility. Our core commitments are.. Promoting a safer environment and culture Safely cruIting and supporting all those with responsibility related lo children and vulnerable adults within the Church Responding promptly lo every safeguarding concern or allegation Caring pastorally for victimslsLJrvivors of abuse and other affected persons Caring pastorally for those who are the subject of concems or allegations of abuse and other affected persons Responding lo those that may pose a present risk lo others The PCC adopted 'Promoling a Safer Church, 120171 as OLJr own policy on 25th August 2020 and confirmed this again most recently on 19th November 2024. The policy can be foLJnd on the Safeguarding page of the Church of England website. It confirms that we follow the House of Bishops, Policies 'Protecting All God's Children'120101- We expect updated guidance to be published in 2025. Jane Rowley is the Parish Safeguarding Officer. Large Safeguarding posters are on display in all three churches giving details of who to contact rf anyone has any concerns. There is also SafegLJarding information on our church website.
AII PCC members and all church volunteers who work with children and vulnerable adults are required to have DBS clearance, complete Confidential Declaration forms and complete the appropriate safeguarding training modules. The PSO ensures that we comply with this in our parish. The current requirement is that DBS clearance, Confidential Declaration forms and training are renewed every three years. Jane Rowley- Safeguarding Officer Prayer Ministry The Prayer Trees are used by visitors to the church who will write a prayer request which is subsequently prayed for by a member of the church. At Brampton, there is in person prayer ministry each Sunday after the 11 am service. Although take up is not every week, it is encouraging that members of the congregation have come forward for prayer, the majority for the first lime. The weekly prayer ministry is covered by the inlercessor plus one other member of the Prayer Ministry Team, with team members volunteering lo cover al the start of each month. There were 2 half days of pmyer: 1 $1 August for healing and 10th October 2024 for world peace. Half hour slots were arranged from 0800-2000, with options for prayer in the church or remotely. For both days the sign up sheet was filled up by members of the Parish. The Prayer Ministry Team communicates via a WhalsApp group, which is an effective way of communicating prayer requests amongst the group. There have been answers to prayer, which is very encouraging for the group. The weekly prayer diary is published in the newsletter. 11 was expanded to include a prayer for each day of the week as well as including names of the roads in Brampton, Ellington and Grafftam on a rotational basis. It would be lovely to have more members join the Prayer Ministry Team and new members are being actively sought to join. Further half days of prayer are planned for 2025. Heather Clarke Grafham Church Over the year Grafham's Sunday services have been well attended including our Taize services on the second Sunday evening of each month. Our church is lovingly cared for by our team of cleaners and flower arrangers, making il welcoming for all of us and our many visitors during the year. Sessions in Grafftam Village Hall of a period of bible study and reflection marked the beginning of Lent on 14th February. Each session was followed by a simple lunch of soup and bread and donations were passed lo the Christian Aid and FIG funds. Messy Church was held on Good Friday allracling family groups lo craft aclivilies, songs and a bible story followed by a buffet lunch. Although Grafham was not scheduled lo have a service on Easter Day, Open Church during the afternoon welcomed many lo tea and cake and traditional music. The lovely selling of Easter Flowers arranged by our flower volunteers made this aftemoon very special. Thanks to Jill Tyack we now have a designated Prayer Corner in the south aisle. Jill renovated the area with painl and polish, comfortable chairs and cushions. A prayer"Iree' invites visitors to write their special prayers on leaves lo hang on the tree and these prayer requests are observed at our moning prayer sessions. Jill also upgraded the Children's Corner in the north aisle. The screens are decorated with characters from Noah's Ark. There are books and puzzles lo interest the children.
During June our Flower Festival theme was Fairy Stories reminding us all of our childhood. Afternoon tea was popular as ever including traditional live music to complete the enjoyment. We are grateful to FIG for their continued support with cake for our events. The Bioblitz attracted lols of children as usual, selling up hedgehog tunnels and studying and releasing small mammals on Sunday morning. The Plant Team identified 95 species in the churchyard. Our Havesl lunch in September was held in the Village Hall and followed by Harvest Praise in church. Donations for Godmanchesler Foodbank were delivered by our volunteers. During November a number of LJS met in our Prayer Corner lo pray for the stale of the world, the many wars and conflicts and the victims therein. We prayed for the peacemakers, the rescuers and aid teams and the medical teams who are under such pressure. Two representatives from Grafham church took part in the Act of Remembrance al the Village Hall and al Ellington. December was the lime for Curry and Carols at the Cinnamon, the Carol Service, Crib Service and donations of Christmas goodies for Godmanchesler Foodbank. Several villagers have kindly donated new roses for our churchyard to replace a few who had given us good service bul were al the end of their blossoming time. We look forward to the joy these new roses will bring us for many summers lo come. Hazel Powell Ellington Church The current Service pallern allows Ellington to enjoy two 9..30 Setvices a month. With friends from Graffiam and Bramplon often allending, the average congregation has remained steady al 16 plus children. Our Wednesday Morning Prayer is regularly attended by two Parishioners, which is actually an increase on last yearl
Outside these Services, All Saints continues to be well attended during the yeady life of the village. Once again this year, Ann Davies organised a Flower Festival, the 50th lo be held al the church, over the weekend of the Village Ga18. The weekend closed with Songs of Praise attended by 53 people. Taken with the 44 people who allended the Remembonce Sunday Service, the 85 who attended the carol service, and the 31 at Christmas Eve communion it can be seen that we will have to continue to challenge ourselves lo find ways to draw some of these people to our regular services. The tradition of Carols al the Mermaid, revived18sI year. was also very sucsSfUl. as was the distribution of hot cross buns, provided by the Townlands Trust, orb Good Friday. Walter Howell. Dennis Jolley, and the Parish Council continue lo maintain the churchyard in excellent condition, and the Village liller pick and Churchyard clean up weekends have been well attended. Finally, the fabric of the church continues to benefit from the hard work and attention of Rob Barker, and the interiors from the efforts of Ann Davies and the flower group. This is very much appreciated. Neil Brown Impact Groups Mission Impact Group The Mission Impact Group mel 3 limes in 2024.. 24 April, 29 July and 17 October. Jen Forester was appointed Chair of the MIG Group at the July Meeting. During 2024 MIG focused on 3 parish events - Grafham Bioblitt and Flower Festival, Ellington Flower Festival and the Bramplon Fete. Al our October meeting a number of learnings were discussed from these events, the main theme being that we were not easily identifiable as the Local Church especially in Bramplon and this, and the weather at the Brampton Fete, may have contributed to poor interaction with the community. The Group will be looking to support parish events differently in 2025 based on this experience. We have 3 existing mission partners. £1531 was raised for Christian Aid. Centre Medicale Evangelique {CMEI was invited to speak at our services on Sunday 24th November, and we continue to support Rev Bosco and his church in Rwanda prayerfully. Christians Against Povety ICAPI has been identified as a potential mission partner. We have started lo investigate what shape this partnership could take in 2025. In the meantime over £600 was raised for CAP through the Christmas Carol collections. A START course was held within the parish led by Rev. Sarah West. A review was held after the course and a report with findings sent lo the PCC. Other local Mission includes building links with schools and outreach. We Thank Jan for all her efforts over the years in building and shaping the work of the group as she stepped down from active involvement in October 2024 and we welcome her continuing support through prayer. Rev Jen Forester Christian Aid hristian ai COUNT YOUR BLE&SINGS In May 2024 we again enjoyed 'Cakes for Cash, and welcomed back Chris Lacey lo speak in our Christian Aid service. Despite being on sabbatical from his post as Chief Technology OffIr for Christian Aid, Chris especially rearranged his schedule lo visit Brampton again having been
impressed by our previous efforts lo support Christian Aid. He provided another interesting and informative update on the vital work of Christian Aid. Together with 'Counling our Blessings, and other opportunities for coffee and cakes our grand totsl of cash ralsed was £1.531.00. Thank you again lo all loyal supporters who are 'loving their neighbour as themselves, and helping to make a difference. Lives will be improved or saved. Well Donelll Nicola Childs Children's Society We raised £275.83 for the Children's Society in 2024. This was collected from 5 Coin Box Holders in Bramplon. The number of Coin Box Holders redUS each year as people decide lo donate by direct debit instead. The money raised will be used by the Children's Society lo help children aged between 10 and 19 years old. The Children's Society offers one lo one counselling, intensive support and group work for children who have been mentally or physically hurt or who are at high risk. The Church organised a Chrislingle Event al Bramplon Village School for 100 Year 2 children on 11 th December which followed a special assembly the week before. Julie Barker. Children's Society Co-ordinator Communications Impact Group This year Rev Sarah West became chair of the group. replacing John Rowley who stepped down before the June meeting. We have mel 3 limes14th Jun, 25th Sep 2024 and 13th Jan 20251. We ulilised Canva for producing the Parish weekly newsleller and enabling other members lo check and edit the document prior lo sending out and dtfferent members lo contribute to it. Sending a link by email removed the need to send PDFS by email and allowed for live editing.11 is also still available on the website and as a printable PDF if required. We have also increased and fine-tuned our usage of Churchsuite for the production of rotas and inclusion of service information, and the sending out of rolas and reminder emails. We have encour8ged the use of My Churchsuile by those on the rolas so that they can add unavailability dales and check where they have been assigned dutses on the rota. It is also possible lo arrange swaps through this app. 'How lo, documents have been produced for using My Churchsuite and for the whole process of creation through lo communicating the rola. Several people have now signed up lo using My Churchsuite and are adding their own unavailability, which is really helpful for us when creating the rolas. We now have 51 people with a My Churchsuite account. There are 43 people on a rola and 5 of these do not have a My Chur¢hSuile account. There is still some work lo do as there are people with Mychurchsuite accounts who do not need them, there are people with Mychurchsuite accounts who do not use them or don't submit unavailability using the app, and there are those without an account, but on a church rola who we need to engage with. Additionally, there are rotas, such as Children's church and Little Fishes that are not currently captured in Churchsuite. So there is still room for improvement. This year we produced and delivered a Christmas Card lo everyone in the parish with details of Christmas Services. The Welcome Leaflet, started last year, was also reProdud and redesigned in Canva and is awaiting some further editing and approval of the text describing the church before publishing. Planning going forward.. CIG cover, Parish weekly newsletter,Proclaim slides for services, administration through Churchsuite (including general communications and rolasl, Parish Website and socials (Facebook), communications leaflets and notiS Recruitment and teams - there was an emphasis at the last CIG meeting on sharing the load of work land lo remove single points of failure) and encouraging and equipping others lo contribute and lake on roles within the group. To this end, 'How lo, documents are being prepared for major processes and admin tasks lo enable others lo help, and teams are being sel up for the main tasks that the CIG covers.
We will continue lo develop our use of Churchsuile for administrative tasks, to enable a connected view of activities in the Parish and lo encourage the use of My Churchsuile. Rev Sarah West Young People's Impact Group Chlldren's Church- This takes place in the church hall during the 11am seNice in Sl. Mary Magdalene, Bramplon. We have a wonderful group of volunteers and supportive families. Thank you lo everyone and a big thank you lo the new volunteers who joined us this year. We have two groups, one for 3-10 year olds and one for 11-14 year olds. The younger group meet downstairs in the hall and the older ones meet in the Upper Room. This year we started using a new resource called Energize Teaching Programme across all age groups. We have gone through Bible characters both in the Old Testament and the New. And then we have completed some Christian foundation sessions including 'God, Who is He? Why did Jesus come lo earth? How do I become a Christian?, We also did studies around the events of the year including Harvest, Advent and Christmas. In 2025 we plan to continue using Energize and will go through the journey of Jesus for the younger group and the journey of Paul for the older group. All-Age Services - We have had four all-aged services this year. These have included Palm Sunday, Powerful Prayer, Mary Magdalene and Christmas. There is now a team of people involved in this. They have included Sarah, Jen and Frankie as well as Chris and Emily. In 2025 we hope lo add Toks lo the team as well. Little Fishes In Grafham This is still going very well. We meet in the Grafftam village hall on Wednesday mornings from 10-11.30am in term lime. We have a good number of children who attend regularly, either with parents or grandparents. Our le8ders until July were Jane, Kia and Jo. Unfortunately Jo had to leave us in September. We are very thankful to Jo for the two years she helped out as a leader, especially considering she was only going lo do maternity cover for a few weeksl We miss her. We also need lo thank Sarah, our curate, who helped out as a leader on a few occasions. We are hoping lo find a third leader for 2025. We are very grateful to the team of volunteers who serve the lea and coffee for us every week. We would welcome any new people who would be willing to join our 'refreshmenls' team. We enjoyed taking part in the Ellington and Graffiam Flower festivals as usual. We did the pew ends in the Ellington church for the theme 'Songs of Praise,. For the first time this year we were invited by the Grafham Parish Council to contribute to the Remembrance Day service In Grafham. They gave us funding for materials which we used to make poppies. These were placed around the memorial and looked great. Little Flshes In Brampton - This is going well. We meet at The Methodist Church on the Green in the school room al the rear, on Tuesday mornings 9.00 10 10.00, term time only. We have 8 regular group of children who allend with parents and grandparents il's lovely lo see them joining in each week making friends and being excited lo place their own fish on the board. Our leaders are Gill, Rosemary and Brenda. Special thanks lo Rosemary who also manages lo serve tea and coffee during the session. We have a steady number of children that come regularly and some that come from time lo time when they can. The session starts with some free play and the parents chal then we tidy the toys away and we do some singing and dancing, stories and activities and then a craft which the children enjoy and gel to lake home. We say a pray where we name each child and ask a blessing over them al the end. Messy Easter 2024 - On Good Friday, nearly 90 of our church family and friends gathered in Grafham Village Hall lo think about the events of Easter and to Celebrate new life. We enjoyed Crafts such as sowing seeds, making Easter Gardens, decorating biscuits lo look like an Easter garden, potato printing, decorating Easter cards & making Easter shapes from Playdough. We put up a lent as a rest area which was much appreciated by those with babies & toddlers. The children loved the Easter story trail which Rev Sarah had organised around the walls of the hall and her talk after the craft session. After some singing, it was lime for our shared lunch, with sandwiches and other refreshments kindly prepared by our team of volunteers. This is never an easy task when we have no idea how many people will be allendingl Many thanks lo everyone who helped with Messy Church, whether supervising the crafts or by making and serving the delicious lunch.11 is wonderful lo see so 12
many of our church family enjoying being together, learning about this central event in the Church year. Glow Party - On the 3151 October we celebrated Jesus as the light and had a Glow party. This was a real success as 20 children and their families attended. We had a huge response from the church lo help on the day and to also help us with supplying sweets, pizza and money lo support the wsl of the events. We had crafts, games and a disco, as well as a glow slick hunt in the church garden. Emily Jenkins Buildings Impact Group Quinquennial Inspection Reports and Maintenance. In November 2024 the lalesl Quinquennial Inspection and report was carried out for All Saints Church al Ellington. The report summarises the condition of the fabric of the building and advises on works that need lo be actioned. A copy was circulated lo the PCC. These reports are paid for by the DI0Se Advisory Committee IDACI, bul the amount they will pay is only £600. This has been the sel fee for many years and has not been increased. Hen the previous reports cover more detail in their assessment of condition, and proposed works. If these works have not been actioned since the report was issued, then they still provide very useful advice on how and where to direct our actions. One of our primary goals is, as always, lo control rainwater and prevent it getting inlo our buildings wherever possible. We struggled to arrange all our'mainlenance mornings, this year, due lo bad weather and the pressure of the other works. We hope lo get back to two per church., Ihree in the Spring and three in the Autumn, in 2025, as we greatly value them. The Ely Diocese is proposing a new collective approach lo help with maintenance of church buildings. The Leightonslone parishes have been selected lo trial the proposals, and Ely are setting up the Leightonstone Building Maintenance Partnership. BIG members have allended the set up meetings and completed the questionnaires requested. Ellington We did manage lo carry out a general maintenance morning at Ellington in the spring. Works, included cleaning gutters, repairing roof tiles, weed-killing, linseed oiling doors, repairing bird-netting, polishing pews, clearing bird's nests, re-grouting leaded windows, replacing floodlight bulbs and painting replacement rainwater downpipes. During the year the servicing of fire extinguishers and servicing of roof alarms was all carried out. In January 2024 the contractors Bacon Ltd were engaged to upgrade of the lightning protection system to meet current standards. Ellington Town Lands Charity covered the costs of £3,457 + val. Instslling the lightning protection upgrade. Repaired lead outlet and north Nave gutter and flashing.
In January 2024 we received List 'B' approval lo proceed with the repairs lo the leadwork roofs that were identified in the inspection of March 2023. 'Award - Specialised Leadwork and Plumbing, from Cambridge, was engaged and they completed the repairs beljveen 11 April and 28 May 2024. The total cost was £9,365.00 + val. This included additional repairs lo the north Nave gutter, repairs lo the south Nave rainwater outlets and six new outlets lo the north Nave, North Aisle and North porch. These new outlets were part of the upgrade to the rainwater system (see below). Ellington Town Lands Charity covered the full costs. In April 2024 an application for a faculty was made through the DAC online application system to upgrade the rainwater downpipes and gullies system that deals with the rainwater. New permanent, casl-iron downpipes for the north aisle and north porch will lake the normal rainwater flows that has previously discharged over the masonry. Also, all the existing, leaking, sill trap gullies are lo be replaced with new plastic fillings to prevent the saturation of the foundations. Following the submission of further support docLJments a Faculty was received in October 2024. 1111 New cast-iron downpipes have been installed to the north clerestory. north aisle and west side of the north porch. At ground level the temporary arrangements remain in place until the replacement below ground drainage is installed. We have only just started to do this, on the south side of the church. Al the material costs of these works are being covered by Ellington Town Lands Charity. We have continued with the repointing of joints in the masonry where there has been considerable loss of lime mortar material and there are deep voids. Sections of the north aisle walls, below the window level, have been aclioned. Before After 14
The roof alami system, the fire extinguishers and the lightning protection system have all been lesled and seNiced during the year. The second north aisle roof floodlight bulb was replad. Numerous faults to the leaded windows have been actioned during the year. Some window condensation drains have been unblocked. Lead flashings that act as condensation drains have been installed under the bottom of some windows. Leaking leadlglass junctions of several windows have been re-sealed wlch lead window cement sealant. Vvhere lead 'cames' have missing edges lo the leadwork or gaps belween the glass panes and the leadwork due lo poor fitting glass, then strips of self-adhesive lead have been installed lo close up the gaps. This then makes il easier lo seal the windows with the special window Ment. Where the glass panes are cracked the same self-adhesive lead strips have been used lo seal over the crack on the inside and outside faces of the glass. Grafham Following on from the work lo manageltrim the trees surrounding the church undertaken the previous year120231, further works to the trees on the north boundary were undertaken by our neighbour. Mr Brown. The large trees were trimmed back. including high level work on our side of the boundary. General maintenance works, including cleaning the gutters and downpipes was completed. The two Chancel spotlights were replaced. Some woodworm treatment was undertaken and the broken front fence, where the tree blew down last year, was removed and the ground levelled. The base of the walls and vegetation growing out of the walls at roof level was weed-killed. The regular grass cutting of the churchyard was supported by members of the BIG group, including strimming between the graves. The roof alami system was seNiced in December 2023 and then early in January 2025. so not actually during 2024. Brampton General maintenance works were carried out, including the clearing of the roof gullers, re-fixing of a south clerestory downpipe, clearing the ground level brick channel and weed-killing the wall bases. The roof alarm system was serviced in Feb 2024. In Ocl the system developed a fault and a sensor and ballery were replaced. Then in Dec 'slrobe' notifications were suppressed at our request to end nuisance alarm notifications. The fire extinguishers, lightning protection system and oil-fired boilers were also all serviced. The cast iron gutters to the vestry and the south side of the Chancel were repaired with replacement gutter sedions and the falls of the gullers made better.
The rainwater downpipes RWP08 on the Chancel, and RWP02 on the north aisle were refurbished or replaced as ne$Sary. And a temporary plastic liner was instslled to the catchpil at RWP07 to stop water seeping into the foundations at the al the north west comer of the vestry. RWP08 top RWP08 bollom RWP02 top RWP02 bottom Wall al RWP08 was repointed where they had been water damaged by the broken downpipes. Other wall areas of deep material loss that were also repaired were located at the window jamb of the east wall of the south aisle, the vestry east parapet copings, the top of the central buttress to the north aisle and the Chancel south wall. Before and after pictures of the window jamb al the east wall of the south aisle. A'Lisl 8, approval to cary outlgadwork roof repairs was received in January 2024. In January lead- sheet sealant was applied lo cracks and defects in the tower lead roof by our own volunteers. Then later, between June and September 2024 the specialist contractor repaired the Nave and north aisle leadwork roofs. The Nave gutter had leaked and the support timbers and some side timbers had rotted away. 16
From the outlet looking wesl. The wesl edge of the outlet. Looking wesl at rotten limbers. The north aisle roof was found lo be a two-layer Conslruclion, with diagonal 2" x 3. spacer beams between two sets of upper and lower horizontal 1" planking, with 'penny' gaps between the planks. There is a layer of sarking felt between the diagonal spacer beams and the lower sel of planking. This construction arrangement saved the lower planking, together with the main, oak support timbers and W811 plates, from serious damage by the water leak. Hence it simplified and cheapened the repairs needed in this location. New treated softwood diagonals and upper planking were installed lo match the originals. The rolled joints of the lead sheets were 'loose' enough lo enable them to be un-rolled so that the lead sheets could be re-used. The repairs, including additional requirements discovered whilst the work was being carried out, cost £18,870 including VAT. Thanks to Bramplon Church Lands Trust for £6,207.00, the Benefact Trust for £1,750.00 grants, and a further donation from a congregation member of £8,342. The VAT element of the costs was subject of a successful claim for a grant from the 'Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, With regard to the re-ordering work, in January 2024 the ELPCC approved the further engagement of Illuminous Consullanls lo develop and detail the heating and lighting proposals. The first draft was received from illuminous in mid-April. This was circulated for comment from ELPCC, the Buildings Impact Group, and was displayed in the church. The comments were fed back to the consultant so the report could be finalised. Al beginning of May, John Morgan of the DAC issued an email stating that proposals for the change in heating and lighting now need to be accompanied by two completed forms to show that the proposals are compatible with the Diocese targets towards 'net zero,. (At the same time Nigel Waller of Archangel Archilecls advised that from Easter 2024 he would be taking a six- month sabbatical. In his absence other staff from Archangel (principally Alexandros Michalitsianos) would cover for him). When these latest requirements for the proposals had been completed and
agreed by Duncan, ELPCC and Buildings working group, the plans and all the associated evidence could be re-submitted to the DAC Working Group for their consideration. A review meeting between the Architects, the heating and lighting consultant and representatives from our church was held on Tuesday 16th July at St M M, and from that meeting a revised sel of plans were issued at the end of August. The changes were incorporated into the other proposal documents. including the 'Slatemenl of Significance and Needs, and the general layout drawings from the architect. Once vised, all the new versions were again considered by the ELPCC so that their support could be formally recorded at their September meeting. The documents were all loaded onto the DAC on- line system on 09 September 2024 for the consideration of DAC at their September meeting. However, il was discovered that DAC hadn't discussed the maller at their September meeting because th8 changes required another round of consultslion. The submission and responses from that consultation were discussed by the DAC al their November meeting and we received an email reiterating their cOnrn$ with the proposals over six items. After consultation with the ELPCC and BIG members, a 'zoom' meeting was held bebNeen the Architect, Duncan, the churchwardens and myself on 06 December. It was agreed that the documents should be revised (again} in accordance with the desires of the DAC as detailed in the six items, rather than asking them lo present lo the Chancellor a proposal that they didn't fully support. The revised drawings and a summary document were received from the Architect on 16 December 2023 and circulated to the ELPCC and BIG members on 20 December 2023. John Morgan retired from the DAC at the end of December. The lalesl documents were put to the ELPCC at their January 2025 meeting so they could be formally agreed to, and the documents can then be submitted by Duncan via the online application system, lo the DAC for presentation to the Chancellor for approval lor otherwise} of a faculty. Nom&ilSts Pkn The lalesl proposed re-ordering layout. Rob Barker
st Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Brampton Introdu¢tlon. The Church Hall has been well-used in 2024, with an increase in bookings from the University of the Third Age IU3AI. Most of our maintenance has continued to be carried out by our volunteer team, although 2025 may see an increase in decorating costs. Bookings. As well as church groups, we now have some 18 regular users, as well as one-off and short-lerm bookings. Regular bookings again include a variety of groups, some weekly, some monthly, and some twice monthly, which can present our booking secretary with something of a challenge. After the U3A Transport group found us, the word quickly gol around, and we now have six regular U3A group bookings. User Comments. l asked our regular user groups for their thoughts about the Hall. Comments include that they love the hall and find il light, airy and warm, that they welcome wi-fi access (something increasingly expected of venues today}, that it is spacious, with comfortable seating and very useful facilities, and several that they find the hall lo be warm in winter and cool in the summer. We have four groups from the Guide Association. They use the Hall and garden for just about everything conceivable, including games, debating, first aid, nature activities and even stargazing. Finally, "Dogs Lead On" a mainstay of Hall Ljse during Covid restrictions, has continued lo work in the garden on Saturday Il momings. Maintenance. Once again, Tim Johnson has led and managed the grounds and building maintenance activities throughout the year. That has included grass cutting, hedge trimming, drain clearance, weeding, renewing the car park white lines (which had become extremely faintl, and more. We've been fortunate to have a dedicated team regularly meeting to keep things under control. However, we could do with a few more volunteers, not only to cover the current work, but also lo provide for a smooth transition as members of the team will al some point have to drop out- none of us is getting any younger! I'll be looking for any able-bodied men or women who might like to join us. We hsve continued piecemeal decoration of the inside of the hall. and didn't get around lo the more comprehensive snd professional redecoration we had considered the previous year. Despite continuing allenlion from our dedicated volunteer team, some parts of the Hall sfft getting a little tstty and. particularly with such high walls and ceilings, il would be sensible lo pay a contractor to do much of the work. We were sorry lo lose our regular cleaners, Heather Coffin and Tina Leigh. They did sterling work keeping the Hall clean and tidy. Heather and Tina had been able to fit us in just once a week, but, we looked for a replacement who could come in, as we had originally planned, twice each week. That made il easier not only lo clear up after one week's bookings, but also lo get ready for the next after the weekend. We obtained the services of Jacky Hammond, and she has done a great job. Finances. Rental income was nearly £7,500 in 2024. Utilities, maintenance, and cleaning cost us some £5,800, Overall, that produced a surplus of £1,700, although £336 of the costs were for hire of our waste skip. which is used by the church as well as hall users. The apparent reduction in costs and income in comparison with 2023 is largely due lo spending on that year's new heating system, and the balancing grant received from the Church Lands Trust lo pay for it. The Hall Committee. Finally, l am again grateful to the Hall Committee for all their support and hard work throughout the year, and lo the maintenance team. It would be invidious to pick out any one of them for special mention,. we could do nothing without them all. Hall Committee Members: Ken Mackenzie {Chairl, Tim Johnson {Secretaryl. Sally Mackenzie (Booking Secretary), Rob Barker, Dawn Ryder. Grounds Malntenance Team: Tim Johnson, Rob Barker, Shaun Hagan. Ken Mackenzie, Alastair Reed and Graham Smith. Ken Mackgnzie. Chair Church Hall Committge
Fellowship Impact Group The Fellowship Impact Group IFIGI is responsible for the planning, resourcing and delivery of events focused on the development of fellowship within the parish. We are a small team with represenlalives from the 3 churches {Hazel, Anne, Elizabeth, Nicola and Dawn) and meet regularly lo plan and support social events. We began 2024 by organising a 'Bring and Share" lunch on 7th January to welcome Rev Sarah to the Parish, the event was very well supported and there was an array of lovely food to enjoy. We supported Sue Roberts and the Grafham ladies providing weekly lent lunches at Grafham from 19 February-18th March. We provided Hazel and the team at the Grafham Open Church on Easter Day with an array of cakes and scones. In May Nicola organised the "Cakes for Sale. event and the FIG group donated £100 from their funds to go towards the Christian Aid fund raising. In June we were able to support Hazel with cakes at the wonderful Grafham Flower Festival and Bioblilz. On the 30th June FIG provided some sparkling drinks and nibbles after the service lo welcome Rev Jen and then on 71h July cakes and bubbles again lo celebrate Rev Sarah's first communion service. To see everyone off on their summer break FIG joined forces with YPIG (Young People's Impact Group) for a Family Picnic. About 60 people enjoyed the lovely weather. the delicious food, the bouncy castle, which provided lots of laughs for big and small people, and the church hall garden looked amazing, thanks lo the dedicated team of volunteers who look after it. On 291h September, Nicola made arrangements for cake and Prosecco after the Confirmation Service. In October FIG supported the annual Service of Prayers and Thanksgiving by providing refreshments for those attending. We were also able to support the family and friends allending Derick Uys, funeral by providing refreshments after the service. We are busy planning our next big event so put the 51h April in your diaries for a Ceilidh. This is an evening event not to be missed as the Scottish Country Dancing will be led again by the aficionados that are Kate and Bruce Gentles, with food and drinks to keep you going and on your loès. We enjoy providing hospitality and opportunities for our church family lo be together in fellowship and would love you lo join us, or we would willingly support any events that you are planning or would like to put on for our church family and friends. Dawn Ryder Worship Impact Group Choir As usual, the choir met from mid-oclober lo rehearse for the carol services, which were again sung in all three churches. We were very grateful to Tony Humes for accompanying us in Grafham and Ellington, and to Matthew for working extremely hard to play the carols in Brampton. The service started with the choir singing the very peaeeful, contemplative and challenging There is no Rose by Ronald Cenler (same words but a different setting lo the previous yearl. The service continued with the more familiar solo verse of Once in Royal David's City. In addition to There is no Rose, the choir sang Bl&ss&d be thata Maid Marie lan old English carol from about 16001, Bom is the Light la contemporary carol by Sally DeFordl, and The Zith&r Carol la Czech folk lune arranged by Malcolm Sargent, where the lower parts imitate the plucked strings of the zitherll. As ever, the choir sang beautifully at all three services. 20
Many thanks go lo Kia Howells for taking over conducting the choir, as Kale was away over Christmas and for being so good at il that she could have the job for lifell Kate Gentles Taize We met for the Taize Service every second Sunday last year omitting the month when we had a Songs of Praise for the Flower Festival Average attendance was len people most of whom come regularly. Grateful thanks to Frankie Stead and Heather Clarke for taking this beautiful and meditative service when I could not. Thanks also lo our musicians, Heather Joyner, Kate Gentles and Sally Gogna. Jlll Tyack Community Outreach Pastoral Care Pastoral Care is something that everyone can be involved in, simply by taking lo heart Jesus command lo love our neighbour as ourselves. As a result much of the pastoral care in our community is unseen and unsung - but God sees il and rejoices in our keeping of his commandment lo love on another. Examples of this include the lovely Thursday Tea and Chal afternoons organised in Grafham, (by members of the Grafham congregalionl where there is opportunity lo socialise with people who might not want to go to a more formal church activity. On a more formal basis, Holy Communion is taken into two care homes in the Parish with the music for these rentlY updated by Rev Sarah. We also did a Harvest festival service al Montague in October. On a less formal basis, a small number of us go into Montague House for the coffee and chat sessions on Thursday afternoons. Others would be welcome to come along to these afternoons, as they provide a much appreciated link to the communty for the residents. Going in lo 2025, we are planning lo build on the foundations of care that so many individuals are involved with, to recognise what pastoral care looks like more fully in our Parish. Frankie Stsad- Pastoral Assistant ALM Brampton Befrienders We were able to celebrate one of the Befrienders goth Birthdays in February with her family providing a lovely cake for everyone lo share. We had the Spring Lunch of roast chicken and steamed pudding on 22 March just before the Easter break. The delicious food was provided by the wonderful Measures team and 45 people attended, the largest number so far for one of the meals. On Friday 215t June Befrienders had their Summer Lunch. The volunteers provided a varied selection of food lo go with a lovely plaller of ham from Measures. The amazing food was washed down with the aid of a few glasses of Pimms. On Friday 121h July Befrienders and Bramplon MU came together lo celebrate a 1 Ooth Birthday, a lovely morning with lots of cards, presents and a birthday cake and birthday cup cakes provided by our celebrity bakers {Elizabeth and Maryl. Bramplon Befrienders were Irealed lo a fish and chip lunch from Atlantis Fish Bar on Friday 201h September for £2 per head thanks to a wonderful donation from The Thrift Shop. The stsff delivered everything piping hol and the portion sizes were very generous. Needless lo say, the room went very quiet while everyone was lucking in. 21
Due lo the kitchen being refurbished al the Community Hall, Befrienders moved to the Memorial Hall, on the Thrapslon Road Friday 27th September (Macmillan Coffee Momingl and Friday 4th October. We returned lo the Community Centre on Friday 11th October to a lovely bright, white and clean kitchen area and once we had found a home for everyihing in the cupboards were ready lo resume normal setvice. On 18th October one very, dedicated volunteer came along on her 80th birthday rather than have the day off bul il meant we were able lo celebrate with her. On 61h December we were relocated back to the Memorial Hall due to remedial works but fortunately the Bramplon School Year 3 and Year 5 choirs found us and perfomied a wonderful selection of Christmas carols and songs. They sounded amazing and we were the first to hear their new song that they had been learning. On 13th December we had a wonderful Turkey lunch with all the trimmings followed by Christmas pudding provided by Measures, delivered piping hol with the usual very generous portions. A couple of glasses of wine lo wash it all down and a Couple of seasonal quizzes lo keep everyone going. On 20th December Montague House gifted Prosecco, mince pies and Christmas cake lo round of the year at the last Befrienders before the Christmas break. We sadly lost a couple of our Befrienders, also a married couple who had been a part of the Befrienders family for a very long time and one gentleman recently, who despite mobility issues and dwindling health still enjoyed coming along on a Friday. I would like to thank the Parish Council for their support in the use of the Community Centre and especially with the setting up and clearing away every Friday, without which we would not be able lo manage. I would also like lo thank the committee for their support.. Nom)a, Pal, Judy, Margaret, Nicola, Barbara, Billie, Pat our rep from the floor, and Ann our secretary. Our amazing team includes the volunteers who are here on Fridays to help us serve the drinks and make the cakes and sausage rolls- Angle, Gill, Pauline, Elizabeth, Lin, Janel, Chris, Bob and not forgetting Mary who makes the scones fresh every week and also helps serve every Friday. That was 2024 and we look fornard lo continuing to welcome Befrienders in 2025 in a warm and friendly space lo enjoy each other's company with a lovely cuppa and cake. We will be having the Spring Lunch in March, and in May the Befrienders drop in has been going for 15 years so we will have a party lo celebrate. Vve could do with one or two more volunteers lo help bake a cake or be on the rola just on a month so if you have a spare couple of hours please call in and see what Befrienders is all about, and hopefully join us. Dawn Ryder 22
others Brampton Mothers, Union The Mothers, Union in Brampton in 2024 was busy with a combination of afternoon and evening meetings. The Mothers, Union is an international Christian charity which supports families worldwide. This branch has played their part by supporting local Mothers, Union projects. Our actions may seem small but hopefully we have reached out to people who need help. In 2024, we continued to raise money for the 'Away from It All Holiday Scheme. {AFIAHI and we managed lo raise £984.19 which will support several families to take a holiday break "away from it all". These families 8re sponsored by clergy, social services or schools. A holiday gives the family the opportunity of space lo make positive memories, build relationships and strengthen family bonds. The scheme is organised by Ely Diocese Mothers, Union and the money raised is used lo pay for the accommodation and travel expenses for a three day break in a caravan in Hunstanlon. The money was raised throughout 2024 bul in particular at our Garden Party in June, the Village Fete on the Green in July and the Pudding Evening in October. Thank you lo everyone who contributed to these events and made them a Suc$$. We have also sent money lo the Overseas fund (now called Worldwide fund) and lo the Mothering Sunday Appeal. We have supported Mid Cambs and Fenland Women's Refuges. We collected money al several meetings and managed lo raise £327.15. We were able lo buy gifts for the mothers and a selection of chocolates and sweets for the children for Mothers, Day. At our meeting in May, we gave away 10 bags of personal items lo hand out to women arriving wilhoul anything and we learnt firsthand about the need for Clothes hangers and new bedding. We were able to donate 35 hangers and pUhased 4 pillows in the immediate days after the meeting. Later in the year we donated more toiletries that had been collected and purchased and donated pillow cases and sheets. We have donated 5 handmade quills to Hinchingbrooke Hospitsl Chaplaincy Team to be given as a gift to parents at the funeral Servi of a baby. We also knitted and donated 18 lap blankets and 5 twiddle muffs for the dementia wards of both Hin¢hingbrooke and Peterborough Hospitals. One of our members knitted lovely school cardigans ready for the start of term in September. These were sent to the Fenland Family Bank which supports families in need in Wisbech. We were able to donate nearty 30 baby hats to the Hinchingbrooke Hospital Lilac ward and several smaller knitted blankets went lo the Baby Bank near Pelerborough which supports families lo provide for their babies. Please don't underestimate the impact of our knitting effort as a small gift in a time of need can be very important. Thank you to all our knitters. We purchased a 'Sum up" machine to allow people lo pay contactless. The machine has been used in meetings and at the Village Fete. In 2024, we had a dedicated committee of 7 members. I am the Branch Leader but I have relied on the generous support of the committee. My grateful thanks to Shirley Johnson, Sally Mackenzie, Sheila Richardson, Elizabeth Arkle, Nicola Childs and Ruth Goldthorpe. We have continued lo advertise our meetings in The Bramplon Magazine and thank you to Sheila Richardson for doing this for us. Thank you to Dawn Ryder for sending birthday cards to our members and thank you to Gill Stracey for sending out baptism cards. Thank you lo Sylvia Collen for coordinating and everyone on the flower rota for the Lady Chapel flowers. 23
Al the end of 2023 we had 33 members. Jan Stokes moved away in November 2023 and we have been delighted to welcome 8 new members in 2024. This brings our membership lo 40 in 2024 which is amazing. Freda Smith was 100 years old on 12th July and Mothers Union members helped lo celebrate with Freda at Bramplon Befrienders. We provided the cake and the special birthday card from our headquarters, Mary Sumner House, arrived a few days before. At our garden paty in June, Freda was presented by our Diocesan President, Hazel Williams, with a long service award and flowers. Freda has been a member of Mothers Union since 1951 and definitely our longest serving member. She is an example for us all lo follow. In January we held our Annual General Meeting and welcomed our new members and friends. In February we held two meetings. In the aftemoon, Frankie Stead told us about her 5 years of pastoral work in our parish. She was particulady appreciative of the help and support she has received from the Mothers Union in Brampton especially in our recent efforts to welcome the Afghan families to our community. We are delighted lo learn that Frankie is now training for ministry and we look forward lo supporting her in the future. In the evening, we held our infomial "Craft, Chal and Charity Café" meeting when we made items to donate to our causes, supported each other with fellowship and bought items lo raise funds for the Away from it All Holiday Scheme. We held other 'Craft, Chat and Charity Café. evenings during April and November. In April, we tried something new and ¢ated some craft items with a Christian theme. I still have the stsined-glass effect cross and daffodil in my kitchen. The ladies from Afghanistan and the new family in Brampton from Georgia have come lo these meetings and brought food lo share. Together with their children they have enjoyed the shared fellowship. In March, Rev David Kinder and Sheila Richardson told us about their work al Little Hey prison. David was the Chaplain and Shiela was part of a team from Mothers Union who run relationship courses at the prison. Both gave an interesting insight into the life and work behind bars and the positive impact both the Chaplaincy team and Mothers Union are having to transform the lives of the prisoners. Our members read the bible passages and the prayers al the Mothering Sunday service in Brampton on 10th March and the church sent the money collection lo Agnes in Rwanda lo help fund a new Mothers Union branch in their new parish. In May, Rev Sylvia Kinder led us in a special service about the Mothers Union RISE UP campaign. RISE UP stands for Respond, Inform. Support, Empower, Unite and Pray. The service of prayers and readings focused our thoughts about domestic abuse. We were pleased lo welcome Mandy Gerraghly, CEO of the Peterborough Women's Refuge and Carolyn Shaw, Manager of Hunts and Fenland Women's Refuge who gave us firsthand information about their work. Thank you lo Deirdre Reed for helping lo make this evening a success. The picture shows the new sheets we donated. In June, we all enjoyed the summer garden party in the church hall due the terrible weather forecast. We invited the Godmanchesler wives, the Mothers Union members from St Neols, the ladies from Afghanistan and the new family from Georgia. We transformed the church hall into a garden with table decorations of flowers. Everyone enjoyed lea, scones and cakes and challing. We sold cakes, flapjacks, cookies, jams and marmalades at the Bramplon Village Fete on the Village Green on another day of bad weather in July. We were able lo tell people about the Mothers, Union as w811 as raise money for the Away from it all Holiday scheme and Womens, refuges. In July a small group of us sel off to Sl Neols and walked through Riverside Park, in the rain, lo Sl Mary the Virgin Parish Church, where we were welcomed by the members of St Neols Mothers Union. We were Irealed to refreshments and a guided lour around their historical church. 24
In August, Ely Diocesan Mothers Union held an exhibition of 44 Mothers Union banners from the Diocese. Our banner, which was made in 1928, look a prominent position in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral quite close lo the Diocesan Banner. Several of us went lo see the exhibition and joined in the Mary Sumner Day Service on 9th August with over 100 Mothers Union members from all over the Diocese and beyond. The whole event was a wonderful show case of the work of the Mothers Union. In September, Rev s11 Watts told us about his ministry as Hospital Chaplin at Addenbrookes Hospital. We were fully infomied with the facts and figures about the work that the team of Chaplains carry out on across the Addenbrookes sile which consists of several hospitals including the Rosie Matemity Hospital and Royal Papworth Hospital. Scoll and the team show Compassion and support lo staff and patients alike in the most vulnerable of limes. In October. we held our famous pudding evening. The terrible weather on the evening meant a lower allendance but despite this we raised a significant amount of money for the AFIAH holiday fund. Everyone who came enjoyed homemade puddings wilh cream, ice cream or cusiard and we atiracted some new members as well. For the afternoon meeting in November, we allended a communion service al Hinchingbrooke Hospital Chapel run by th8 Chaplaincy team. We were able lo donate our items lo the Hospital as well as meet Shedy our contact with the dementia wards of both Hinchingbrooke and Peterborough Hospitals. In December, we ended our year with a Christmas Social. John Childs and Mary Thomas played music and led us in Carol Singing then we enjoyed refreshments. Another fun evening was enjoyed by all. Julie Barker- Branch Leader Flower Guild As wilh18st year we began our year with Easter lilies in M8rch. In May we joined with Brampton Flower Club lo do the funeral flowers for Jean Harris,. a long time and much loved member of Brampton Flower Club, Church Flower Guild and the Church Community. In July the Shedders from Bramshed made us a wonderful font cover to pul our arrangements on following the loss of our old cover. We were so grateful as the new cover is a beautiful oak block that will last, probably indefinitely. In August we did the flowers for Ihe wedding of Mr & Mrs Christian. The bride and groom had selected peach and cream and the colours were an absolute delight lo arrange. In September we did our usual HaNesl festival flowers. We ended our year with red and gold arrangements in church for Christmas. Guild Members=_ Diane Hodgells, Christine McLean, Jan Dobie, Ruth Wood, Sylvia Collen and Kath Brown. 25
.Il'ii!', Diano Hodgetts 26
Financial Report The Overall Picture The overall accounts for 2024 are looking healthy due to a tight control on spending in year despite the inevitable price increases. We have received grants from the Brampton's Lands Trust and Ellington Towns Land to cover work carried out on Brampton Church and Ellington Church that has enabled the PCC to maintain the fabric of all the churches in the parish. The consultancy costs will be recouped from a further grant from Brampton's Lands Trust in 2025. The Parish Share It was decided by the PCC that our contribution to the Parish Share was to be 27 % less then requested by the Diocese in line with setting a zero net budget for 2024. Moving fOard we are actively working towards paying our full allocation for the coming years. Giving to the Church It is encouraging that Parish Share Giving is up by 11.6 % from the previous year and we are actively promoting our congregation to sign up to the scheme. It is an effective way to give regularly to ensure stability and sustainability for ministry and mission. Legacies The Parish received three legacies which have been allocated to the forthcoming reordering of Brampton Church. Sug Morgan, Trgasurgr 27
Report of the Independent Examiner to the members of East Leightonstone Parochial Church Council I report to the members of the PCC on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31 Dernber 2024. Responsibilities and basis of report As members of the PCC, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 1.the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the PCC'S accounts carried out under Section145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the 8pplicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145151{bl of the Act. Independent examiner's statement I have completed my examination. I confim) that no material matters have come lo my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause lo believe that in, any material respect.. accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the ACL or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination lo which attention should be drawn in order lo enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. (OrigiTnal Copy Signed) Timothy Johnson Chartered Accountant 31 Cranfield Way Bramplon Huntingdon PE28 4QZ Dale.. 25th March 2025 28
Annual Accounts for the year ending 31 December 2024 The Parochial Church Council of East Leightonstone For the year ended 31 December 2024 Cash Basis Account Unr6strict8d Funds £ Designatsd Funds £ Restricted Funds £ Total Totsl 2023 2024 £ Income & Expenditure Report Receipts Giving & Gift Aid Grants & Donations 87.581 87,581 81,930 887 34,887 Inve81ment Income 1.814 1,814 1.325 Legacies Other Income 10.900 10.900 2,000 4,533 7,461 1,228 13,222 15,583 Mission DOnatnS 3,385 3,385 2,246 Total Re¢eipt5 93.928 10.846 47.015 151,789 103,084 Payments Parish Share 52.052 52.052 50,000 Rectorlcurate's costs 1.353 1.353 1,021 Churcheslchurch Hall Running Costs 20.968 5,757 34887 61.612 25,120 Service Costs 1.4 1,428 267 Adminislralion 5,329 5,329 3,905 Olher Costs 202 3,233 3,435 12,7791 Consultancy Costs 18.093 18,093 6,373 Mission Costs 549 5,015 245 5,809 3,982 Total Payments 81.881 14,005 53.225 149,111 88,428 Net IncomelExpenditure 12.047 13.1591 16,2101 2.678 14.656 Cash at Bank 0110112024 10.467 21,653 27.081 59,201 Cash al Bank 3111212024 22.514 18,494 20.871 61,879 59,201 29
Annual Accounts for year ending 31st December 2024 Designated Funds Church Hall Total Total Mi$sion Other 2024 2023 Receipts- Other Income 2,833 Lettings 7,461 7,461 8,787 Olh&r Incom8 Mission Giving, Christian 3,385 3.385 3,038 Payments.. Church H811 Running Costs 5.758 5.758 4.448 Other Expenditure 3.233 3.233 Mission Giwng. Christian 5.015 5.015 1.286 5,758 5.015 3,233 14,006 5,734 Surplus for the year 1,703 11,6301 13,2331 13,1601 8,924 Transfer between funds Cash at Bank 0110112024 16,261 5,393 21,664 12,730 Ca8h at Bank 3111212024 17,964 3,763 3,233 18,494 21,654 30
Annual Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2024 Restricted Funds Fabrlc Fund 8611 Fund Flower Fund Mlsslon Grant AV Totsl 2024 Total 2023 Donation Receipts Grants & Donations 45,787 45,787 950 Grants & Donation8 Grafham 1,228 1,228 Donations- Churth Hall 1,950 Payrnents Fabric Fund 34.887 34,887 6.373 FabriG Fund- Church Hall 1.950 Fabric Fund- Grafham Mission Grdnl 245 245 1.846 Consultancy Costs 18.093 18,093 245 SurpluslD8ficil forth8 Year 15,9651 12451 16,2101 17,2691 Transf8r b8lwe8n funds Cash at Bank 0110112024 22.220 1.208 69 1.376 27,082 34.351 Cash at Bank 3111212024 16.255 1.208 69 1.9 1.376 20,872 27.082 31
Annual Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2024 statement of Assets and Liabilities Unrestricted Funds £ Designated Funds £ Restricted Funds £ 2024 2023 Cash at bank and in hand BarGlays 18.684 10.030 1.007 27.707 25.030 CCLA 8.464 25.708 34.172 34.172 Cash in hand 18,684 18,494 24,701 61,879 59,202 Assets retained for church Use Church Hall improv8m8nts 130,439 130,439 130,439 Equipment 28,398 26,398 26,398 156 837 156 837 Cash due to creditors 1,347 2,354 3.701 W2 Cash due from debtors 299 299 1.263 Accounting Policy The accounts have been prepared on a cash accounting basis. The cash accounting basis means that the various funds show only receipts and payments of East Leightonstone Parochial Church Council without taking into account of any amounts owing or owed by East Leighlonstone Parochial Church Council as at 31 December 2024 East Leightonstone Parish 32