## **2021 Annual Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of St Mary the Virgin Lymm** ## **Annual Parochial Church Council Meeting 8 May 2022** ## **Aim and Purposes** St Mary the Virgin Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent Rector Reverend Beverley Jameson in promoting 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 Mary the Virgin, Church Road Lymm and the Church Hall off Crouchley Lane Lymm. The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and become part of our parish community. ## **Mission Statement** St. Mary’s is a worshipping community which seeks to nurture people in faith and serve the needs of the wider community through practical engagement. ## **Aims** 1. To share the good news of Jesus Christ to people of all ages and backgrounds 2. To nurture and grow disciples in Jesus Christ 3. To be a Christian presence at the heart of the community in Lymm 4. To provide a resource for the community ## **Objectives** - _a)_ Attract and retain families and young people to grow the church and be a more broadly based church family _(supporting Aim 1)_ - _b)_ Diversify worship to have some informal services whilst retaining more formal worship _(supporting Aim 1)_ - _c)_ Provide an open, welcoming experience especially to those new to St Mary’s _(supporting Aim 1)_ - d) Provide regular discipleship and bible study opportunities to explore faith _(supporting Aim 2)_ - _e)_ Provide Co-ordinated Pastoral Care within church family and within the wider community _(supporting Aim 2&3)_ - _f)_ Sustain links to schools and increase links to schools and young people _(supporting Aim 3)_ - _g)_ Sustain and develop projects and events networking within the church and the wider community _(supporting Aim 3 & 4)_ - h) Maximise the use of the church building and the Church Hall _(supporting Aim 4)_ ## **Achievements and Performance** The government’s COVID19 national restrictions and lockdowns continued to affect St Mary’s in 2021. Although some customers returned to hire the church hall income is still 1 much reduced. COVID19 meant some of our activities were cancelled this year e.g. Experience Easter. However towards the autumn some events were reintroduced e.g. St Mary’s Teas in September, Crafts Snacks Church (Messy Church) re-launched in October, St Mary’s Community Christmas Tree Festival took place 3-5 December and involvement in some Lymm Festivals (e.g. May Queen Festival, which was postponed to September). Only one community event /concert took place - Lymm and District Chorus in December 2021. Although the church reopened for worship, St Mary’s continue to use technology for online worship (e.g. weekly morning prayer via zoom has been led by Derek Buckthorpe, Lay Reader, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and for the Lent Course and Living in Love and Faith Course. This gives the opportunity for members of the congregation still not attending church due to anxiety over COVID to still access services and the life of the church. However some members of the congregation enjoy the online services as well as attending church The Pastoral Care Team continued to meet via zoom and supported our congregation by telephone calls and visits where appropriate. Unfortunately St Marys was not allowed into the three care homes (Brookfield, Cheshire Grange and Keate House) to take the usual regular services due to COVID restrictions. Regular contact was maintained with the care home staff by Ian Bundey, Lay Reader. St Mary’s links to children and young people continue to grow. As previously mentioned a Messy Church known as Crafts Snacks Church was re-launched in October and is steadily growing. St Mary’s children’s choir was launched in October 2021 led by the Choir Director Susan Gadd and drawn from the wider community. This has grown dramatically and is extremely popular. The children’s choir sing at St Mary’s monthly family services (attended by their families) and festivals (e.g. St Mary’s Community Christmas Tree Festival , Lymm Dickensian Festival, Candlelight Carol Service, Christingle Service) Visits to the church by School children as part of religious education were also restricted. However the Rector maintains contact with the four primary schools and Lymm High School, being involved in classroom activities via zoom. The Rector is a governor of Lymm High School and a Trustee and Chair of Governors of the new formed Beam Multi Academy Trust involving Ravenbank, Oughtrington, Statham Primary schools and Thelwall Infants School. All of which are secular schools (not church schools) She, therefore, resigned as a governor of Cherry Tree Primary School. Rector Reverend Beverley Jameson is Chaplain to the Royal British Legion, Lymm and District and is active in wider community projects such as Lymm Clothing Charity, Dickensian Festival Committee and in other various festivals. Reverend Beverley Jameson is also a member of Diocesan Synod and Committee for Ministry and co-opted in to the Diocesan Finance and Scrutiny Committee. In November 2021 The Bishop of Chester appointed Reverend Beverley Jameson to be Ecumenical Officer for the Diocese of Chester In July 2021 Reverend Jill Elston joined St Mary’s as curate. She is actively involved in all aspects of the church (e.g. leading worship, preaching, Crafts Snacks Church and Children’s Choir) and introduced St Mary’s Wild Walks. She will be exploring St Mary’s becoming an Eco Church in 2022 There are 110 parishioners on the 2021 electoral roll which is a reduction of four people - two people leaving Lymm to live elsewhere and two people sadly dying. The average weekly 2 attendance in 2021 was affected by many of the elderly congregation shielding or nervous of attending church services due to COVID19. However, the average for Holy Communion was 36 adults, 1 child; the Family Services averaged 48 adults 18 children, Iona Services 35 adults 0 children St Mary’s serves the community with a range of occasional offices which were also affected by COVID19 restrictions in 2021 including 9 Baptisms 3 Weddings and 9 funerals (4 in church, 5 at a crematorium). There were also 15 burials of ashes in the church graveyard ## **Church Building and Church Hall** ## **Church** The Church has had on going repairs throughout 2021. Regular maintenance has been carried out, and in addition to the annual boiler service, a new thermostat controller has been installed. All the fire extinguishers have been serviced. Portable flood lights have been purchased to improve safety for those who may have to access the South Door in darkness. The outside toilet has been boarded up to prevent ant-social use. Vestry leaks are ongoing and the church architect has visited and has reported that the repairs do not require a faculty. Wi-Fi was introduced to allow internet access in the church. Audio visual systems are being looked at to improve upon the systems currently in place and grants are being sought for this equipment. The churchyard is legally closed which means Warrington Borough Council are legally responsible for the maintenance of the church yard and any repairs. Issues around the collapsed churchyard wall are ongoing with constant liaison between Chester Diocese and Warrington Borough Council. Approvals for the monies to start work have been approved by Warrington Borough Council. York stones were stolen from St Mary’s path. This was the second time in two years. York stones were donated by members of Lymm Community and were cemented in as part of the path repairs by Warrington Borough Council. Appropriate COVID measures – i.e., one-way systems, closing of pews et al were implemented and amended in line with Government directions and Church of England guidance. ## **Church Hall** A good deal of improvement works was carried out to, and around the hall. The rotten floor in one of the storerooms has been completely replaced, and additional outdoor works to the surrounding ground and drainage have been undertaken to avoid similar problems occurring in the future. Flooring has also been repaired in the room used by the dance group. One of the internal doors has been refitted to prevent jamming. In the kitchen, additional plug sockets have been wired in, and a brand-new fridge-freezer has been purchased. A 'new' dishwasher has also been installed replacing the older one. Sink taps have been repaired. The refurbishments have enabled the Church Teas to be restarted. In the toilets, the vinyl flooring has been replaced, which has made a big difference, and the cubicles have also been repainted. Electric hand-dryers have been installed and also motion-sensor activated extractor fans. The two entrance hallways have new lights and also been repainted. Mirrors 3 have been installed for the dance company who uses the hall. The main on-going issue is the repair/replacement of the heating system. ## **Deanery Synod** Great Budworth Deanery Synod has met three times this year. In March via Zoom and the discussion was about the Covenant for Clergy well-being and Thrive report. In September Synod met in person at St. Wilfrid's, Grappenhall where the guest speaker was Revd Nikki Eastwood, chair of the Diocesan Advisory Group for Living in Love and Faith. In November, as part of the Bishops of Chester, Birkenhead and Stockport visit to our Deanery, Synod met at St. Thomas' Church where Bishop Sam, Bishop of Stockport, answered questions submitted before the meeting. At each meeting there is a finance report and a report from Diocesan Synod. Ride and Stride has taken place again this year. Our present parish representatives are the Rector; Revd Beverley Jameson, Curate; Revd Jill Elston and elected members Ian Bundey, Jill Wasey and Tim Morris. Derek Buckthorpe is a de-facto member as Diocesan Synod representative. ## **Ecumenical Relationships** Churches Together in Lymm and District (CTLD) is working effectively within the Lymm and district Community providing a calendar of joint events with Churches participating where possible within the allowances of COVID restrictions and Church closures. The Chair is from the United Reformed Church and meetings and events are thoughtful and well supported and are being held either on Zoom or more recently in person. Messy Church and Open the Book have restarted enabling Churches to again reach out into Schools. Cooperation over the Christmas and Easter periods continues to be effective and the new constitution, communications through websites and other social media and climate matters continue to be discussed and developed ## **Structure Government and Management** The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church representation Rules. At St Mary’s the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent (Rector), church wardens, readers and those elected by members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who attend our services / members of the congregation 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 importance to the parish deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. The Parochial Church Council meets regularly, in 2021 there were ten business and specialized meetings in order to fulfil the management of the Charity. Average attendance throughout the year has been around 77% with the majority of meetings held on Zoom. Detailed minutes and records have been maintained. ## **Safeguarding** St Mary’s Lymm takes its duty and obligation to protect all extremely seriously. All authorized clergy, Safeguarding Officer, licensed readers and lay workers, church wardens and PCCs have ‘due regard’ to safeguarding guidance issued by the House of Bishops (including both policy and practice guidance).We have adopted the national Church of England’s robust procedures and guidelines. The Diocesan Vulnerability and Safeguarding Officer is Pauline 4 Butterfield who can be contacted regarding all safeguarding issues. St Mary’s Safeguarding Officer for 2021 is Kath Buckley. St Mary’s Policy on the Safeguarding of Children and Adults in the Church was adopted by St. Mary’s Lymm at a PCC meeting held on Monday 5th March 2018 This Policy is reviewed and approved each year to monitor the progress which has been made and was reviewed and approved at PCC Meeting 7 March 2022. The annual Parish Safeguarding Audit has been completed and was also presented to the PCC 7 March 2022. All documentation regarding Church Hall users is in line with the safeguarding policy and is up to date. All individuals whose roles within St. Mary’s require a DBS check hold a current certificate. The safeguarding Officers number, along with those of ‘Childline’, Family Lives’, and Warrington Children’s and Adult Services are displayed in both the church and church hall. ## **GDPR** The PCC of St Mary’s Lymm complies with its obligations under data protection and GDPR by keeping personal data up to date; by storing and destroying it securely; by not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data; by protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access and disclosure and by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data. ## **Volunteers** We would like to thank all those who gave their time in 2021 for the parish including the wardens Kath Buckley and George Bainton, Lay Reader Ian Bundey PCC Secretary and Lay Reader Derek Buckthorpe, Pastoral Worker, Carole Riley, GDPR lead & Data Controller Carol Roberts, Organist and Musical Director Susan Gadd (with special thanks for her care of the Children’s Choir), The Choir, Safeguarding Officer Kath Buckley, Mothers Union, Liz France and the team of bell ringers, Kath Hough for supporting the Church Hall and all those who work tirelessly for the church. We would also like to thank our Rector Reverend Beverley Jameson, for all her hard work, care for our church community and her work in the wider community in Lymm. We especially thank her for adapting to the COVID19 restrictions (e.g. services and our pastoral contacts via technology) and for the launch of our Children’s Choir and the re-launch of Crafts Snacks Church. Special thanks to those who volunteered to be part of our various teams in 2021 Finance Team (David Young, David Critchley, Liz France) Grants Team (Lewis Denton, Mike Hall, Tim Morris) Pastoral Care Team (Susan Brook, Derek Buckthorpe, Pauline Buckthorpe, Ian Bundey, Carole Riley, Linda Denton, Chris Scott) ## **Administrative Information** St Mary the Virgin Lymm is situated on Church Road, Lymm, WA13 0QS. It is part of the Diocese of Chester within the Church of England. The correspondence address is The Rectory, 46 Rectory Lane, Lymm WA13 0AL. St Mary’s Church Hall is situated off Crouchley Lane Lymm WA13 0AS. The PCC is the body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, 5 Church Representation Rules 2011) and a charity registered with the Charity Commission Charity Registration number 1179339 ## **Officers** St Mary’s Safeguarding Officer – Kath Buckley GDPR Officer & Data Controller- Carol Roberts Health and Safety Officer (including Risk Assessments) – Alan Richardson Electoral Roll Officer – Vanessa Lees PCC Secretary – Derek Buckthorpe ## **PCC Members** Rector - Reverend Beverley Jameson Curate - Reverend Jill Elston Wardens – Kath Buckley and George Bainton Treasurer – David Young Readers –Derek Buckthorpe, Ian Bundey Pastoral Worker - Carole Riley ## **Deanery Synod Elected Members** Ian Bundey, Jill Wasey and Tim Morris ## **PCC Elected Members at Annual Parochial Church Council Meeting 2021** Robert Buckley Peter Clark Lewis Denton Simon Fathers Liz France Joan Garrett Mike Hall Lesley Whitefield Jonathan Wide David Young (Treasurer) 6 ## **Financial Review** Comparing our income streams year on year we can see a reduction of over £20k , this may see alarming but there are reasons; these include the lack of normal church hall rental, the lack of normal service attendance, the run rate of 2020 includes the windfall of £20k. We hope with the recent announcements of us coming out of the lockdown into the new norm that some previous income streams can be restored. It is essential we continue to find ways of generating new Income streams. The reduction in income has been compensated by some our levels of expenditure being reduced plus a slowdown of the repair work undertaken on the church hall during 2021. We are also continuing with the reduced parish share to Chester DOC. The annual insurance has been paid, with good negotiation there was a general inflation increase year on year. Thankfully no unexpected costs have been incurred to date this year, but we are beginning to see the internet costs being charged, plus we are pleased to have Reverend Jill Elston installed as curate. We have received Gift Aid tax rebate of over £14k , which considering the circumstances is fantastic. We are still in a pandemic situation and will continue to monitor cash movements carefully. We continue to operate under a certain amount of nervousness , the church roof for example at times shows signs of wear and tear. The Budget 2022 estimates a small upturn in income streams, but this will be totally absorbed by sharp increases in utility bills. We will have a curate for the full year, plus there are plans for further refurbishment work on the church hall. I am grateful to a number of people for their support David and Sylvia Critchley continued dedication is beyond admiration, Mike Hall for his endeavours with utilities and all round support, Lewis and Tim doing great work in the background on Grant applications and Liz for chasing in the Gift Aid tax rebate ## **Reserves Policy** It is the policy of the PCC to seek to hold £10,000 in unrestricted reserves to cover running costs in the event of a major problem; this also equates to approx six weeks normal running costs. It is the policy to: - Use the remaining £14,000 of Endowment funds - Redefine the £80,000 in the Re-ordering fund - The funds to be used to meet anticipated costs to the building over the next five years as well as provide additional support for some unforeseen repairs or projects. David Young, Treasurer 7 Independenl Examiners Report Independent Examiner's Report to the PCC of St Mary the Virgin, Lymm For the year ended 31 December 2021 Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner As trustees of the charity, the members of the PCC are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. They consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 14412) of the Charities Acl 2011 (the?011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility io exarnine the accounts under section145 of the 2011 Act., to follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions givan by the Charity Commissioners section 145(5}{b) of the 2011 Act- and state whether partieular matters have come to my attention. Basis of Independent Examiner's Statement My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of Ihe accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. 11 also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the managemenl committee concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequenlly I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts. Independenl Examiner's Ststemenl In connection with my examination, no matters have Come lo my attention which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act., to prepare accounts with accord with these accounting records have not been met,. to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Christopher Callaway Msc 181 Pensby Road. Heswall, Wirral, CH61 6UB Date 1910212022 Accounts December 2021 LYMM PARISH CHURCH RECEIPTS AFID PAYMLNTS AIC 12 MONTHS TO DECEMBER 2021 2020 ACTUAL 2021 114.679 TOTAL RECEIFfs BID 94,988 PAYMENTS CHLRCH AND %ERVICES Organ, Organ&st and ChoiT Insurance 966 4,954 4,947 1,228 2,549 5,028 2,745 Water Electrlcity Intemet ftepa1￿ and Maintenance Repai￿ to the Boiler Printing Stsiiortery and oifJc¢ Expenses 1,021 106 1.614 438 ,065 16,197 2,102 279 1.148 16,773 5,IKJ3 RECTORS E SF.S AND RECTORY AND CLE 4.928 48,565 MtNISTRY SUPPORT CO 46.400 FIURCH HALL 1,302 146 859 1,178 1,650 354 4.995 180 986 214 906 ,257 ,950 417 80 180 213 36 Water Electricity 11￿Urance Hall Cleattirtg Refuse Cullection GeneraI R¢pairs and maint￿anCe Gardelling Music Licence Oth¢T 6,239 10.875 O MAGAZtNE PAYMENTS 5.043 WEDDING AND r￿ERAL PAYNfjENIE 2,811 THER PAY Other Costs ,075 2,453 .075 2,453 Cl￿ Pa ents ArchTtets Fees Less Receive41 from Insurattee 87,334 79.028 27.345 Excess of Payments overReceipts 15,960 io 14 1115- #li !¥ Èk8 ¥8¥ 888 12 13 }I,IlJiii Iljijli, 14 t4 17