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2024-12-31-accounts

All Saints’ Didcot Parochial Church Council

Annual Financial Statements 2024

as presented to the APCM in April 2025

Chair of PCC: Revd Dr Andy Lord PCC Treasurer: Robin Phillips

Independent Examiner of Accounts: Haines & Company

Chartered Certified Accountants and Statutory Auditors Rear of 81 High Street, Wallingford, Oxfordshire OX10 0BX

Consisting of the following:

Report of the Independent Examiner Fund details for General and Hall (ASYCH) Funds All Fund Movement Summaries Statement of Assets and Liabilities (SoAL) ~ Notes

These accounts have been examined with no changes required to the figures presented. The Examiner suggested changes to the format and presentation which have been made. They will sign the accounts in the next week.

REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER TO THE

PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF DIDCOT ALL SAINTS

| report on the accounts of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2024 which are set out on pages 210 9.

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and examiner

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

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of the independent examiner's report

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

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: 1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material respect, the requirements; - to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and - to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act

have not been met; or

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

B R Haines FCCA

for and on behalf of Haines & Company Chartered Certified Accountants and Statutory Auditors 81 High Street, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 0BX.

All Saints' Didcot

Receipts and payments

Selected period: 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024

From 01-Jan-24 01-Jan-23
Note To 31-Dec-24 31-Dec-23
General
- General		 Fund (Unrestricted) Fund
Income and endowments
Donations and legacies
Parish Giving Scheme £26,622.18 £26,413.95
Stewardship
Standing Orders		 £2,735.00 £4,810.00
Stewardship
Envelopes		 £2,025.00 £1,579.00
Gift Aid Envelopes £30.00
Collections £1,945.26 £2,448.44
Gift Aid Recovery £10,936.95 £11,910.73
Donations £7,600.19 £5,215.24
Total Donations
and legacies		 £51,864.58 £52,467.36
Income from Charitable activities
£351.31
£351.31
Other income
Interest £3,415.68 £1,496.17
PCC Fees (CofE) £5,761.00 £5,642.00
Other £520.00 £16,342.24
Legacies £78,470.28 £200,000.00
Grants and Insurance Claims £8,688.00
Total Other income £88,166.96 £232,168.41
Total Income and endowments £140,382.85 £284,635.77
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities
Salaries £6,186.45 £5,617.75
Grants £2,266.25
Parish Share £43,068.78 £42,000.00
Clergy Expenses £783.51 £16,793.62
Church Running Costs £5,460.30 £4,358.91
Photocopier £2,424 45 £2,463.53
Honoraria £1,050.00
Utilities £2,507 .41 £3,807.34
Repairs
to Building		 (minor) £6,035.00
Repairs Churchyard (minor) £9.98 £3,443.62
Training & Software £260.10 £308.24
Insurance £3,175.20 £3,098.79
Mission and Evangelism Costs £25.00
Miscellaneous £160.00 £178.00
Total Expenditure on charitable activities £64,061.18 £91,321.05
Total Expenditure £64,061.18 £91,321.05
Excess of Income and endowments over
Expenditure £76,321.67 £193,314.72
Brought forward balance £68,690.07 £76,375.35
Transfers to/(from) (£76321.67) (£201,000.00)
Total carried forward balance £68,690.07 £68,690.07

All Saints' Didcot

Receipts and payments

Selected period: 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024

From 01-Jan-24 01-Jan-23
Note To 31-Dec-24 31-Dec-23
ASYCH - AllSaints Youth And Community
Income and endowments
Income from charitable activities
ASYCH Regular Bookings £31,571.35 £28,879.82
ASYCH One
off Bookings		 £3,548.21 £3,602.05
ASYCH Deposits £3,775.00 £4,290.00
ASYCH Other & Donations £55.00 -
ASYCH Interest £2,491.25 £2,191.15
Total Income
from charitable		 activities £41,440.81 £38,963.02
Total Income and endowments £41,440.81 £38,963.02
Expenditure
Expenditure on charitable activities
ASYCH Salaries £13,595.08 £12,355.97
ASYCH Contract
Cover		 £117.26 £221.31
ASYCH Utilities £4,651.83 £6,144.55
ASYCH Insurance £895.56 £874.09
ASYCH Phone / Internet £820.80 £827.78
ASYCH Music licences - £744.34
ASYCH Grounds
Maintenance		 £490.94 £648.45
ASYCH Building Maintenance £3,391.96 £7,110.11
ASYCH Building Repairs
(major)		 £4,895.82 -
ASYCH General Resources £819.64 £914.42
ASYCH Administraton
Resources		 - £202.98
Total Expenditure
on charitable		 activities £29,678.89 £30,044.00
Other expenditure
ASYCH Deposits Returned £3,260.75 £3,830.00
ASYCH Bookings Returned £11.00 £16.00
Total Other expenditure £3,271.75 £3,846.00
Total Expenditure £32,950.64 £33,890.00
Excess of Income and endowments over
Expenditure £8,490.17 £5,072.52
Brought forward balance £73,588.47 £68,515.95
Adjustments £0.00 £0.00
Total carried forward balance £82,078.64 £73,588.47

2024

All Saints' Church Didcot

Fund Movements

Starting Balance Income Transfer Expenditure Final Balance
General Fund £68,690.07 £140,382.85 -£76,321.67 £64,061.18 £68,690.07
ASYCH £73,588.47 £41,440.81 £32,950.64 £82,078.64
Legacy Reserve £264,306.10 £12,765.58 £75,987.01 £3,186.00 £349,872.69
Restricted Funds:
GWP £0.00 £0.00
Building £3,750.48 £3,750.48
Churchyard £533.20 £11,201.22 £11,802.11 -£67.69
Bell Maintenance £478.09 £478.09
Service Book Replacement £293.27 £293.27
Knitters and Natters £320.00 £320.00
Little Saints £112.43 £112.43
Choir £531.13 £110.00 £641.13
Flower -£334.66 £60.00 £334.66 £60.00
TOTALS £412,268.58 £205.960.46 £0.0 £111,998.93 £506,229.11
Overall movement over year £93,960.53

Fund Notes

The previous two pages give more detail on the General and ASYCH (Hall) Funds. See Notes on Page 7 for more details.

PCC Approval

These accounts have been approved by the Parochial Church Council and signed on their behalf:

Revd Dr A Lord Chair of All Saints' Church Didcot PCC pate: \ lq rig

All Saints’ Didcot

Statement of Assets and[Liabilities][(by][code)] As at: 31 December 2024

Class and nominal
code		 General (Unrestricted) Designated Restricted Endowment Total Last year
Current
Asset - Cash At Bank And In Hand
100: Barclays Church Account (174,788.10) 193,211.12 8,984.28 27,407.30 16,511.49
110: Barclays Hall Account (28,467.18) 49,098.26 (209.79) - 20,421.29 17,200.56
120: Nat West Church 3,798.12 (1,672.73) 2,057.73 - 4,183.12 5,994.30
130: Nat West Hall 787.79 714.23 156.90 - 1,658.92 1,653.92
180: Hall Petty Cash 130.53 14.48 - - 145.01 146.37
Total (198,538.84) 241,365.36 10,989.12 - 53,815.64 41,506.64
Current Asset - Investments
150: CCLAChurch 249,745.64 (187,790.16) (7,348.75) - 54,606.73 291,681.14
160: CCLAHall 15,000.00 34,426.71 - - 49,426.71 46,935.46
170: CCLAJoyce Kneller - 35,161.79 - - 35,161.79 33,389.53
175: CCLA Legacies 2,483.27 312,470.42 - - 314,953.69 -
Total 267,228.91 194,268.76 (7,348.75) - 454,148.92 372,006.13
Liability - Agency Accounts
6699: Agencycollections - - 1,735.45 5 1,735.45 1244.19
Total - - 1,735.45 - 1,735.45 1,244.19
Net total assets 68,690.07 435,634.12 1,904.92 - 506,229.11 412,268.58
Represented
by
General (Unrestricted) 68,690.07 - - - 68,690.07 68,690.07
Designated
-ASYCH		 - 82,078.64 - - 82,078.64 73,588.47
Designated
-Build		 - 3,750.48 - - 3,750.48 3,750.48
Designated
-Churchyard		 - (67.69) - - (67.69) 533.20
Designated
-Legacies -		 - 349,872.69 - - 349,872.69 264,306.10
Restricted -Bell - - 478.09 - 478.09 478.09
Restricted - Choir - - 641.13 - 641.13 531.13
Restricted -Flower - - 60.00 - 60.00 (334.66)
Restricted -Knitters - - 320.00 - 320.00 320.00
Restricted -Little - - 112.43 - 112.43 112.43
Restricted -Senice - - 293.27 - 293.27 293.27
Total 68,690.07 435,634.12 1,904.92 - 506,229.11 412,268.58

(17 February 2025 3:59 pm) Page 1 of 1

All Saints’ Church Didcot

2024

Schedule of Assets and Liabilities (SoAL)

Gift Aid

Amount due from HMRC £1,036.95

All Saints’ Youth & Community Hall

Tangible fixed assets of Hall[with][its][Fixtures][and][Fittings] Initial Value £525,991.19 Additions £0.00 Disposals £0.00 Accumulated Depreciation £115,506.35 Depreciation in year £10,519.83 Net Book Value £399,965.01

Agency Fees

The following Agency fees have been paid this year or remain to be paid next year Opening Balance Debit (paid) Credit (received) Balance to pay

Occasional
Offices
Staff costs -£36.00 £2,089.00 £2,288.00 -£235.00
Oxford DBF -£811.00 £2,922.00 £2,891.00 -£780.00
Grants
Homeless Oxfordshire -£198.60 £198.60 £0.00 £0.00
Asylum Welcome -£198.59 £198.59 £0.00 £0.00
Be Free Young Carers £0.00 £317.73 -£317.73
Williams Syndrome Foundation £0.00 £317.72 -£317.72
Oxfordshire
Historic		 Churches £0.00 £85.00 -£85.00

Note: A correction of £180[was][needed] to Staff Costs to correct a mistake from 2022 hence balance is £180 more than the -£216 at the end of 2023

Grants to Charities

The following were paid by[cheque] or BACS: TRAIN £2,000.00 to be paid in January 2025

Money Collected for Christian Aid

Money was raised by All Saints’ for Christian Aid week and also for a Christian Aid sponsored walk: Christian Aid Week £140.00 Christian Aid Sponsored Walk £392.10

All Saints’ Church Didcot

2024

Notes to the Financial Statements

We continue to use the Data Developments Software to record our accounts using the Payments & Receipts model.

ieneral runa

In line with our 2024 Finance Plan (see below) the General Fund balanced for the year, with a total of £68,690.07 reserves in 2024 as for 2023. However, this was only possible because we underpaid our Parish Share by £10,736.22 and we used £2,483.27 of the[interest][from][the][Legacy] Reserve Fund to top up the General Fund. Otherwise, the Fund would have been £13,219.49 in deficit. This is £4,465.79 better than last year when[we][were][£17,685.28] in deficit.

The following may be noted[in][regard][to][the][figures][presented:]

outh & Community Hall

ther

To aid with the Church of England Return of Parish Finance we have added nominal codes to ensure that Major Repairs are accounted for separately, whether to the church building, the Youth & Community Hall or the churchyard with the names of existing nominal codes modified slightly to reflect this.

|

Bank Accounts

Our current accounts for the Church and Hall are kept with Barclays. Our previously used current accounts for Church and Hall are kept with Nat West. There are still a few payments in and out of the Church Nat West Account.

We transferred £15,000 from the CCLA Church to the Barclays Church account during 2024 to maintain a healthy balance in the light of the financial deficit.

CCLA Funds

We have four Church of England Deposit Fund accounts with the CCLA that provide a good rate of interest. These are:

The Data Developments software handles Agencies as money that passes through our accounts but is given for the purpose of the Agency and therefore does not appear on the Fund summary. This covers Occasional Office costs and also the special collections for charities. Separate details are given as part of the SoAL.

All Saints’ employs an administrator, treasurer and a Hall cleaner. Contractors are paid for specific tasks that maintain our buildings and grounds. One of our contractors is a trustee of All Saints’ and is employed on the basis of their skills. The Director of Music finished at the end of 2023 and we are very grateful for the paid help of Sue Ledger during 2024. As she retires at the end of 2024 and with All Saints’ no longer able to support an honorarium we will be looking for ways forward during 2025. We are still able to fund organists to cover Sundays through the year. Our Community Minister, Debbie Lord, is self-supporting, with no salary from All Saints’ or Oxford Diocese. She is able to claim expenses from All Saints’ for the excellent work she does here and from Oxford Diocese for the work she does in the wider Deanery. Our retired ministers, Josie Midwinter and Nick Hards, continue to serve and can claim expenses.

The Parish Share for parishes in the deanery are calculated using the Diocesan Share Formula, capped to limit yearly changes after a new formula was introduced. All Saints’ PCC aims to pay the Share out of its general running costs (the General Fund), noting that[our][legacies] were given with the wish they are not used for such costs.

The financial challenges in 2023 led us to paying £10,000 less Parish Share than was[allocated] to us. It became clear in the summer of 2024 that things were more difficult and the September PCC[agreed] to reduce Share payment to £15,000 less than the allocated figure, effective from November 2024. In order to plan effectively we discussed finances at a special October 2024 PCC and agreed:

Looking further ahead, it is recognised that[the][church] building would benefit from renewal to make it more accessible, flexible and usable both by church and the wider community. There is[legacy] money to support this, and plans will be explored in 2025. This should in the longer term[reduce] utility costs and increase income through greater use.

Charity Commissioners

The Annual Financial Statement and Annual Reports are submitted to[the][Charity][Commissioners.] All Saints’ PCC is Registered Charity 1180992. Details from this Statement and the annual Church of England financial returns are used to complete the Commissioners annual[financial][returns.]

The following will come under the 2025 accounts: Oxford DBF £780 Occasional Office Fees TRAIN £2,000 Grant that went unpaid in 2024

Despite the financial challenges to our General Fund, all Saints’ remains in good financial health with: Unrestricted Funds: £504,311.19 (General and Designated) Restricted Funds: £1,917.92 Total: £506,229.11 (£412,268.58 - 2023)

If we ignore legacies then we saw an increase of £8,393.94 in our Fund[totals][during][2024][compared] with a deficit of £4,379.23 last year. We give thanks for extra gifts and regular giving that enabled this.

See our APCM Reports for a summary of the charity's activities for the year.

2024

Annual Report of the PCC

Prepared for All Saints’ APCM April 2025

Didcot All Saints’ Church

1

Introduction

Open to God … Open to Everyone … Open to Change

This report provides a reflection of life at All Saints’ and outlines the wonderful activities that all its members undertake in order to sustain our life of faith, prayer and fellowship. We extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who makes All Saints’ a warm and welcoming community.

Aims and purposes

All Saints’ Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility for working with the incumbent, Revd Dr Andy Lord, in promoting the whole mission of the church: pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC also has responsibility for maintaining the historic church building of Didcot All Saints’, the open churchyard and the Youth and Community Hall.

Objectives and Activities

The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at All Saints’. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and aims to witness to the love of God within the local community and the wider world. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable everyone to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:

To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the church of All Saints’ and our Youth & Community Hall.

Achievements and Performance

This report provides an overview of the year through reports from various groups under the headings of:

We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to ensure the smooth running of our church – its services, community outreach, the building itself, the hall and the churchyard.

2

Worship, prayer and faith development

Last year we celebrated 4 baptisms and 3 weddings. Also, we conducted 11 funerals and 9 burial of ashes. In addition, All Saints’ hosts occasional offices for the Ladygrove and Great Western Park churches.

The Electoral Roll , as presented to the 2024 Annual Parochial Church Meeting, contained 70 members. It is due for a full renewal in 2025.

On average we had 38 (up from 37) people attending our normal Sunday morning services and 21 (up from 17) our Second Sunday services.

All Saints’ Choir

During this past year we have been learning how to continue without a musical director. We have been lucky enough to employ the talents of Dr Sue Ledger for 6 months as an occasional organist and expert voice coach. This has been really appreciated by the choir. It enabled us to cover various festivals including St Peter’s in June and our own patronal at All Saints in November. Along with delivering a versatile Christmas Carol Concert, which was well received.

Despite us not having a musical director, the Choir have remained committed to bringing their combined talents to weekly service. They make a lovely rounded sound that serves well for a capella singing of anthems.

At the start of the year the choir and organist chose the hymn list but after Andy’s return from sabbatical he has now taken over that responsibility, which reflects a change to include more modern hymns. It was agreed by the PCC & Worship committees to move to a different format for Morning Prayer which used iSingWorship to introduce newer worship songs. The Choir then joins the congregation and the organist has a Sunday off! The reaction to the new format along with guest speaker has been positive, so we see how that develops over this coming year.

We have also had the benefit of 2 occasional organists at All Saints and their voluntaries have been a treat!

Music is part of our expression of faith which we enjoy bringing to service for the benefit of guiding God’s worship for our congregation at All Saints.

Brenda Andrews, Organist

Prayer

Quiet Space

Quiet Space is a small group of five regulars who meet roughly twice a month in the Clements Room in the church hall. It is led by one of four regulars, in turn, who guide us in meditation. The starting point may be a passage from scripture but can also be on passages from Christian books. Much of each session is spent in silence, which can be very therapeutic.

We would welcome anyone who’d like to join us, from 7.45 pm on Wednesday evenings as advertised in the newssheet.

Nick Hards

3

The Healing Group

We try to meet every four to six weeks and if something is urgent, we communicate straight away by email or phone. We pray for all those on our intercessions list. We also get requests from people who don’t want to go on the list but would like prayers and this can be kept confidential. Please let Andy know if you would like our prayers.

Jennifer Roberts

Faith development

A small group attended the course going through the Bible during Lent which ran alongside the Bible readings in our Sunday services. We also used some of the first Pilgrim course after Harvest as we reflected on the nature of our trinitarian God together.

Pastoral Care

Fellowship groups

Natter Knitters

Thanks to Madeleine for co-ordinating this group through the year. They continue to gather and attract new people as well as making things for good causes.

Young at Heart

The group met throughout the year on the 2nd Monday of the month and I am pleased to say that we have some new members. We enjoy sharing our news over a cup of tea and biscuits.

Andy Lord joined us when we celebrated Christmas with a light meal and a glass of wine. We look forward to 2025 when we will continue to enjoy friendship and laughter.

Betty Kendrick

Flowers

Brenda co-ordinates the flower rota and we are grateful for all those who help out to make our church such a colourful and welcoming place through the year.

Social and Fundraising

During 2024 we have had two quiz evenings which raised a total between £500-£600 for All Saints church. In September we had a Harvest supper which was a social evening. All events were well attended and I received positive feedback from all three events.

During 2025 Madeleine is going to have a stall at Harwell craft fair on 6th April selling knitted items, made by members of ‘Natters and Knitters’ group, to help raise money for All Saints church. There will be a Flower festival at All Saints church during the first May bank holiday weekend with refreshments that Madeline is organising which will hopefully raise more funds for All Saints church.

There have been other suggestions for social and fundraising events but currently there are no dates for these events or if they will all go ahead.

Sandra Pickworth

4

Sunday School

We have not been able to run a Sunday School since the pandemic and a number of children use the corner set aside during our 10am worship. At the same time, the number of children and families attending Second Sunday alongside those of further years has grown.

Mission and outreach

Over the year, the Mission and Outreach Sub-committee continued it focus on:

Mission in the world.

We agreed to continue our funding of TRAIN in its work with young people locally in Didcot. The grant payments were delayed until the start of 2025. We had good speakers from Didcot Food Bank and Mission to Seafarers.

Mission exploring faith.

We discussed the challenges faced by churches with the reduction in children and young people attending and the pressures on people’s time. We valued the new people coming to All Saints’ and the work of 2[nd] Sundays.

Mission in the community.

We explored the idea of a bereavement group aimed at more recently bereaved who might benefit from a group with a gentle focus on themes common to those who have lost loved ones. Providing space for people to find support through their bereavement from a Christian (‘spiritual’) perspective. It will recognise its limits and is not for counselling but may signpost people for further help. However, appropriate training and resourcing has been difficult to find.

At Christmas, as a church we collected for Be Free Young Carers and the Williams Syndrome Foundation. The 2[nd] Sunday Community Carols and Crib services were appreciated.

Andy Lord

2[nd] Sundays

As I reflect back on the last year with 2[nd] Sundays, my response is gratitude: Gratitude to God for generous hearts and faith growing through special times together; Gratitude to the team, helpers and regulars who bring so much creative energy and love to it all. 2[nd] Sundays recently celebrated our 3[rd] birthday- Hooray! Our amazing team are: Natalie, Emma, David, Jo. And our special helpers are Andy and Ryan.

During 2024 there were 3 months when I was away on sabbatical, and the 2S Team continued to faithfully prep, pray and lead different activities. They were cheered on by other special people; Ali & Alastair Adams, Josie Midwinter. Huge thanks to you all.

Here is a whistle-stop tour of 2024!

We welcomed 2024 in with a games session in January, a fun way to start the year. February was

a standout occasion for us as we welcomed +Gavin to Confirm Emma. This was an activity based service and many visitors joined us, sharing in signing crosses on foreheads with waters from the medieval font where Emma had been baptised as a baby. A wonderful afternoon, we prayed and shared Holy Communion and a meal too. Praise God! We followed this up with a pancake party!

5

In March we had card making for Mothering Sunday- and lots of cake to eat! (Yes there is a food theme!!) On Palm Sunday we made palm crosses, prayed using colourful material, and washed each other’s feet as we remembered Jesus doing this at the Last Supper. Our youngest member was so excited that she climbed into the water tub fully clothed!! On Easter Day we joined the 10am congregation to celebrate that Jesus is alive, and then had fun with an Easter Egg Hunt. Thanks to everyone who provided eggs.

In May 2[nd] Sundays went to experience Forest Church at Cholsey, which was greatly enjoyed. In June there was a Sports Day, with assistance from Alison Goodall much appreciated. In July Josie led a ‘Friendship’ themed gathering, and you can see the jigsaw that was built above.

At the end of the summer we had a lively BBQ as we all got together again after Debbie and Andy’s sabbaticals. We played games and decorated cakes. It was special and relaxed. In September we had a music focus, and celebrated Harvest in October with a tasting table of foods from round the world. I wonder what your favourite would be?!

Remembrance Day always falls on a 2[nd] Sunday, and we took time to pray for those still affected by war and conflict today as we joined in with the Didcot Parades. From November onwards there were also lots of rehearsals for our Christmas events. We had singing groups, handbells led by Kelly Norris, Crib Service drama practices, and Dave designed and led the magnificent angel making activity.

Our Christmas Community Songs and Carols event- now in its 4[th] year was a joyous celebration of the birth of Christ. We had a clarinet duo and band, Rob Armitage read ‘Twas the Night’ poem (great accent!), and the refreshments team surpassed themselves as did the teams setting up lights and effects. It was truly an ‘All Saints Together Team’ and the neighbourhood was really blessed by it. In all our Christmas events and services we seek to be good news and to share God’s welcome with all. The Crib Service had a unique children and adults group telling the story, and the angels sang their praises to the ‘Holy Baby Boy’, born to redeem the world.

6

And how we need to experience that promise of hope that the angels sang about.

2[nd] Sundays continues to grow in number and in our love for God and others. My prayer is one of thankfulness for all that has been enabled.

God bless,

Debbie, Community Minister

Schools

Andy has been covering All Saints’ School coming into our building since Hugh’s retirement and will help Rachel, the new minister, settle into doing these services. Sadly, Manor School did not respond to the invitations for visits although they were undergoing change with a new head teacher.

Care Homes

Andy has been visiting the Meadows and Valerian Care Homes every month through the year, marking the seasons with services of hymns and readings which the residents have taken part in. Ministers have also visited individuals in their rooms when requested. These are lovely communities of appreciative people who are a delight to share life and worship with. Andy, Josie and Mark also visited Elmtree Court in Wantage where Michael Walker is now living.

Christian Aid

£140 was collected in Christian Aid week and £392.10 for the sponsored walk

Bell Ringing

With two ringers (Peter and Andrew Jones) we have continued ringing for occasional offices and special occasions as people's availability allowed.

Didcot Garden Town

The latest news on this can be found at: https://www.southoxon.gov.uk/didcot-garden-town-latestnews/

A number of local charities have benefitted from the Didcot Powerhouse Grant scheme.

7

Vicar’s Report

As I look back over this last year so I’m again reminded of the vision that we articulated soon after I arrived – now over 5 years ago! It remains a good summary of All Saints’ which has so many lovely, caring and varied people. We gather for worship in a special place that has been prayed in over the centuries and reach out in great care to many others as part of our mission, arising from the love of God we see in Jesus.

I am grateful for all those that help enable our worship together – our ministers, wardens, choir, readers, intercessors, deputy wardens, sidespeople, tea and coffee servers. Our valued choir continue to lead our 10am worship and special services at Easter and Christmas. After saying a fond farewell to Paul Hedley in January we have been grateful to Sue Ledger for her help through 2024 with the choir and playing the organ, before her retirement at the end of the year. As always, Brenda

has been the quiet support behind the scenes in not just playing the organ but also setting up on Sundays and cleaning during the week.

I have been so grateful to Alastair and Andrew for stepping up to be Church Wardens at our APCM and serving us through the year. Anne continues her great work as Administrator, taking up the role of Treasurer through most of the year which was much appreciated before Robin took over in November.

The ministry of everyone at All Saints’ was particularly evident and valued through the three months Debbie and I had away on Sabbatical, alongside the ministers who generously helped cover Sunday services and occasional offices. It was 11 years since my last sabbatical and Debbie’s first. Having had chance to stop and seek refreshment I’m aware how much there is to give thanks for. It meant so much to be able to have time to catch up with each other and the family, to do things we normally don’t have time for and have some special treats.

We were so grateful for the grants that enabled us to travel to America and reflect in different ways on the inspiration and challenge that our living world environment offers us. I enjoyed time to write articles and a booklet with Debbie composing some lovely worship music. It was a real tonic and an opportunity to deepen our lives of prayer, drawing on the “riches of God’s grace that he has lavished on us” in Christ (Eph. 1:7-8). We are learning to appreciate more the presence of God in all creation, becoming more attentive to

the work of the Holy Spirit. We are encouraged to slow down and live at a more sustainable and generous pace of life and ministry.

Some of these ideas and experiences fed into sermons at All Saints’ during the Season of Creation. During Lent we managed to get a taste of the whole Bible, looking at different styles of writing and approaches to God. In the autumn we used the first series of the Pilgrim course to help us reflect on our Christian faith and pray together. Through the year we have also valued our regular times of Quiet Space.

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All Saints’ continues its generous heart for the community here in Didcot. Debbie has written about 2[nd] Sundays as it continues to develop and draw on the rich ideas and contributions of those who come. The important ministry of Natter Knitters and Young at Heart continues to encourage people into welcoming communities of care and gentle faith. I continue to be blessed by visits to both the Meadows and Valerian Court care homes each month. In our caring for one another we have remembered those on our intercessions list which has been a valuable reminder to prayer. We also remember those who have died during the year including Molly Smith, James Phillips and Mildred Ndangoh.

We remain grateful to our Churchyard Working Party who maintain the new churchyard for the benefit of the wider community. They always need more volunteers! We also thank South Oxfordshire District Council who continue good maintenance of the old churchyards.

Josie and I helped cover the interregnum at the Ladygrove Church before Rachel took up the housefor-duty ministers post in February 2025. I have continued my responsibilities as Area Dean and enjoy the opportunity to support other churches, to learn from them and help organise Synod and Chapter meetings. There was good time this year to reflect on our ministry to older people and those struggling with their mental health, as well as learn from the DAMASCUS group of churches on ministry and mission. The Bishop has asked the churches in Greater Didcot to reflect further on the options for future stipendiary ministry when those churches unable to pay a full Parish Share reduce their ministry after vicars retire or move on. At All Saints’ we continue to have financial challenges which were highlighted in October but we remain so grateful to all who give regularly and those who responded so generously to the challenge. We finished the year much better off than we imagined and are grateful for all the prayers and gifts.

Returning to our vision, we recognised this year the ways in which God is leading us in ways of renewal. It is as if the Spirit of God is refreshing our community, worship and mission and inviting us to take steps forward. It has been lovely to welcome new people who have become part of the All Saints’ community. The new more contemplative style of Communion has been appreciated by many, giving us more space to reflect and bring all we are before God. The financial challenges have led to a call to Pause for Prayer each Tuesday, whether we are able to make the services in church or not, with online prayers streamed now on both our Facebook and YouTube channels. We have also recognised the need to re-order our church building to better serve the wider community into the future, picking up on many of the ideas that have been talked about in the past. We look forward to exploring this more together during 2025.

Thank you for your support for us as a family, with our three children all now moved out since September. We value your friendship, prayer and encouragement through the year and pray that together we may be renewed in our faith, care and reaching out to others.

Andy Lord

Maintenance of Buildings and Churchyard

The Maintenance and Development Committee continues to look after the fabric of the church building and churchyards, alongside the Church Wardens. Thanks to Julia Buckel for the following reports.

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Church

The church building is generally in good repair though there is always work to do including a mysterious ingress of water in the kitchen during heavy rain which is yet to be solved. The 2023 Quinquennial Report has given us a revised list of work to focus on to ensure the fabric of the building both inside and out is well maintained. The Maintenance & Development committee did not formally meet in 2024, although the inevitable informal discussions take place most Sundays. We will meet in the early part of 2025 to start organising the works that are forming the new ‘to do’ list. Some of this work will tie in with plans for the renovating and re-ordering that is being discussed for the next few years.

There are always regular maintenance tasks such as clearing gulleys, drains and guttering which are completed by the churchyard working party / committee as and when plus other immediate work that crops up.

The stained-glass window on the south wall of the Chancel was repaired this year after being vandalised and it’s lovely to see light shining though it once again.

Churchyard

The successful renovation and straightening of the Lych gate this year was an important project as it was listing badly and the gates could not close. We are thankful for the generous donation to cover costs and for all the work Brenda did as she project managed this and its life has been extended considerably.

Memorial gates to the new churchyard - The work to fix this is ongoing since one of the memorial gates had to be removed in 2023 due to blockwork movement in the wall that supported the gate.

New cremations area - A plan has been approved by PCC and we will soon be applying for a faculty to build a path, create a memorial garden and add yew hedging on the east boundary in readiness for new cremations. We currently have about 4 spaces left in the current cremation area.

Repairs to the retaining walls around the perimeter of the church were carried out after suffering vandalism and this sadly seems to be a recurring incident every year in one area or another.

The town council have been doing a sterling job on strimming the grass on the front, west (side) and north (back) churchyards since these churchyards were formally closed. We very much appreciate the care they clearly take in their work and it makes a big difference to the workload of the working party.

Churchyard Working Party

Our small team has been boosted this year by 2 new volunteers and everyone continues to work hard around the churchyard, meeting regularly twice a month 10am - 1pm.

As always, much of our time is spent on mowing and tidying the churchyard as well as the field. Removing fallen branches and twigs after strong winds and then the leaves in the autumn can take up much of our time at certain times of year.

We have continued to leave an area of long grass and wild flowers around the perimeter of the field for wildlife and have another project in mind for next year to boost wildlife habitats in the new churchyard.

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The Big Tidy Up was held on 20 July. We were a little short on numbers and so although we were able to catch up on some big boundaries especially along the public paths, plus other jobs that can’t be managed at normal working parties, we didn’t manage to complete it all.

The project to remove DIY grave edgings and chippings in the new churchyard is complete except for one grave and this will be addressed next year. Having now minimised the obstacles, we find that the mowing and strimming can be completed more quickly and so thankfully a smaller number of people can keep it tidy. Nearly all of the grave ‘gardens’ have been removed now and this further assists in easier maintenance.

We continue to keep spending to an absolute minimum but our biggest expense is the servicing of mowers which are even more tired and battered. Though we have been very grateful for the gift of some pre-owned equipment this year - a mower, a small battery strimmer and electric leaf blower which have been very useful.

We’re always in need of volunteers so if you have any time, even if not a regular commitment please come along. Working party dates are listed on the weekly notice sheet.

A huge thank you to those who do come and help, both the regulars and those who are able to attend The Big Tidy Up. We have fun whilst we work, we have a good natter over a coffee break and leave with a sense of achievement having left the churchyard tidier than we found it.

Julia Buckel

Churchwardens Report

2024 was a quiet year for the building and churchyard and details of the main activities can be reviewed in the Maintenance report.

Reinstatement of the living meant Andy was inducted as Rector in January. Up until this point he had been Priest-in-Charge but we now have a Rector again.

Andy and Debbie took a sabbatical from the weekend after the APCM until the middle of August and we are extremely grateful to the visiting clergy who came to run the services and all those who took care of the admin side of filling the gaps on the calendar for just over 3 months

At the end of 2023 Paul Hedley had stepped down as Director of Music and in January we said a big thank you for his time, his dedication and developing the choir. As there was no replacement ready to step into Paul’s shoes, we also took the opportunity to survey the congregation about the types of worship we might want to consider for future services. Decisions about a possible successor to Paul were delayed until September after Andy returned from sabbatical, although by the end of the year no new Director of Music had been found.

Following the installation of the semi-permanent streaming equipment after the Covid-19 pandemic we replaced the sound system with something far more versatile with numerous inputs that is remotely controlled from a tablet computer which could be anywhere in the church. This is the default method of control as the mixer itself installed is in a cage above the safe making it quite inaccessible to control directly. Although lapel microphones were purchased, most sound sources for normal services are static microphones on the lectern and altar

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The PCC voted to establish a subcommittee to look at possible re-ordering of the church that would meet after Andy and Debbie were back from their sabbatical with a view to making it a more flexible and versatile space suitable for more than church services.

Having had no churchwardens in 2023-2024, Alastair Adams and Andrew Jones were elected as churchwardens at the Annual Vestry meeting held just before the APCM in April.

The Lychgate was comprehensively repaired in the summer (see the Maintenance Report), the uprights are now upright, the gates no longer foul on anything when opening and are exactly aligned when closed. All items that require routine maintenance or inspection have had that undertaken.

Alastair Adams, Andrew Jones, Church Wardens

All Saints’ Youth and Community Hall

Finance

In 2024 income rose from around £39,000 to £41,500 and expenditure remained similar to 2023 at just under £33,000. This gives a surplus for 2024 of approximately £8,500.

Larger items of expenditure included just over £3,000 for decoration (which had not been done for 5 years) and around £2,000 to cover Rainwater Harvesting system problems. Utility bills were lower than 2023 at around £4,600, probably as the winter 2023-24 was milder, and energy costs were lower.

Maintenance

Paul Smith continues to take care of the small jobs around the hall on an ‘ad hoc’ basis and a variety of other tradespeople are used for specific repairs.

Window cleaning: Paul Barham took over cleaning the windows in 2024 and proved to be very communicative and very reliable compared to the previous window cleaner.

Decorating: The Main Hall and Foyer were decorated during October half term when there were no users booked into the Hall. Unfortunately the cracks in the Kneller room were filled despite the decorators having been asked to leave them alone, so future crack monitoring will rely on outside measurements only.

Cracks: Another cool and damp summer meant that cracks cycled less than in previous years.

Heating: The heating system required little non-routine maintenance compared to 2023 and is generally working fine with the level of repairs being consistent with a system that is 12 years old. However, it is approaching the expected age where a replacement might be needed.

Toilets: A number of fill valves had to be replaced, possibly because of debris from the underground tank reaching them. 2 broken toilet seats were replaced.

Rainwater Harvesting system: In November the buffer vessel had to be replaced (leaking) and in December the in tank pump had to be replaced (it was tripping its electrical circuit breaker), although we also took the opportunity to add an indoor filter to the system to reduce the amount of debris from the outdoors tank reaching the fill valves of the toilets and blocking them.

Hall Lights: Many of the fluorescent tubes in the large circular lights (2 per luminaire) had failed and one of the tubes is now unobtainable so the luminaires will need replacing soon. Also 2 of the 5 pendant baton lights were damaged in separate ball related incidents in December and as replacement tubes are also now difficult to obtain we expect to hire a scaffold tower and take the low disruption route of replacing them all in 2025.

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Car park: The surface is continuing to progressively settle in heavily used areas (and where the Virgin broadband cable was laid) so we will need to level the worst areas in 2025.

Website

Occasional updating of the Terms and Conditions continued during 2024.

Staff

Anne Phillips remains as Hall Administrator and we are grateful for her commitment. She surrendered her role as Finance Officer in the Autumn and Robin Phillips took over as Hall

treasurer at the same time he became Church Treasurer. Nicky Tarling is still employed as the cleaner and Julia Buckel (a member of the management committee) works on a contract basis to maintain the Hall grounds.

Miscellaneous

The lady using room 2 for beauty treatments gave up the room in mid-December and it was available for hire at the end of the year.

In November there was an incident one evening in the car park where a lady leaving a Pilates class fell over and injured her face and mouth in the car park having tripped, possibly over the slightly raised edge of the manhole cover. She was keeping the Committee informed (via the Administrator) of her subsequent medical and dental treatment so a claim may be forthcoming. The outside light tube closest to that corner was replaced in case it had been a contributory factor and the committee is seeking a reliable contractor to level that end of the car park.

As usual I would like to thank all the members of the committee for their hard work and support throughout this year.

Alastair Adams Sub-committee Chair

Financial Review

All Saints’ Church General Fund (Unrestricted)

Income

Excluding legacies, income to the General Fund was £61,912.57, which, after discounting extraordinary income (i.e. insurance claims and curate’s housing costs) received in 2023, is 3% higher than it was last year.

Giving on the Parish Giving Scheme was slightly higher again this year, although Gift Aid Recovery was down by £1,063.78; most of this reduction was attributable to the inflated figure reported in 2023.

Total donations received (excluding legacies) were just over £600 lower in 2024 than in 2023, i.e. a fall of 1.1%.

CCLA interest, totalling £3,415.68, has more than doubled in the current year. The increase is largely due to the Legacies fund which enjoyed a full year’s interest on the legacies received in 2023, as well as benefiting from two additional donations totalling £78,470.28 during 2024.

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Expenditure

Expenditure this year was £64,061.18. This is substantially less than the 2023 total of £91,321.05, but the latter figure included £25,018.62 for costs which were not repeated in the current year.

A comparison of the two years’ costs on a like-for-like basis shows that the spend in 2024 was £2,251,23 less than in 2023. However, it should be borne in mind that the annual £2,000 payment to TRAIN was missed in 2024 and was paid in early 2025 - please see note on page 7 of the Annual Financial Statements 2024.

The notes on page 7 of the Annual Financial Statements also confirm that the Parish Share was underpaid this year by £10,736.22 which, on top of last year’s £10,000 shortfall, sadly reinforces our expectation that we will not be able to continue to have a full -time minister indefinitely.

The Youth and Community Hall Fund

Income

Total income received was £41,440.81, representing a 6.5% increase on 2023. Over three quarters of this income came from regular bookings which is great to see.

Expenditure

Total expenditure this year was £32,950.64, which is 2.8% less than in 2023. The saving was largely due to a concerted management of day-to-day running costs, notably for utilities which were 24% lower this year.

Excess income over expenditure totalling £8,490.17 has been added to the ASYCH reserve, increasing the total to £82,078.64.

Restricted Funds

Churchyard Fund

Most of the expenditure from the fund (£11,202,22) was for repairs to the Lychgate, this was fully funded from generous donations. Routine expenses exceeded income to leave a small end of year fund deficit of £67.69.

Choir Fund:

Income received totalled £110. There was no recorded expenditure meaning that the fund surplus increased to £641.13

Flower Fund:

Donations totalling £60 were received, but there were no recorded costs this year. A transfer of £334.66 was made from the General Fund to clear the outstanding deficit at the star of the year.

There was no activity on any other restricted funds

Accounts & Reserves

We continue to hold main bank accounts with Barclays, and old accounts with Nat West though these are gradually being run down. We also maintain a petty cash account to handle low value incidental expenses and receipts.

The end of year balance in these accounts is £53,815.

In addition, we continue to hold investment funds with the CCLA, and, as planned, this year the PCC has opened a new Fund to store legacy money received since the Joyce Kneller Fund was set up some years ago.

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The end of year balance in the CCLA accounts is £454,149.

We have liabilities of £1,735 which predominantly comprise unpaid fees for occasional offices, fees payable to the Diocese, and collections for our Christmas charities. All of these were paid in early 2025.

Total Net Assets = £506,229

It is the PCC policy to try to maintain a balance of bank reserves to smooth out the fluctuations in cash flow to meet any emergencies that could arise. It is our policy to invest with the CCLA Church of England Deposit Funds to help increase the value of Funds.

The independent examiner is Haines & Co of Wallingford.

Robin Phillips, Treasurer

Structure, Governance and Management

The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a Registered Charity.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At All Saints’, the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent, the curate, licensed lay ministers, churchwardens, Deanery Synod representatives and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the Electoral Roll. All those who are 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 concern and importance to the parish including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. New members receive initial training into the workings of the PCC.

Given its wide responsibilities, the PCC has a number of sub-committees each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. These committees, which include worship and faith development, mission and outreach, building maintenance and the Youth and Community Hall management committee, are all responsible to the PCC and report back to it. Apart from the Standing Committee, which is the only committee required by law and has power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings as directed by the PCC, the sub-committees are advisory and do not have executive powers.

The PCC met for six scheduled meetings through the year.

Annual Parochial Church Meetings are normally held in April just before or after Easter.

The Ladygrove Church

The Ladygrove Church, which is an Anglican/Baptist Local Ecumenical Partnership, is a parish in its own right. It is still, however, a part of the All Saints’ Benefice. Their long-time minister, Hugh Boorman, retired at the end of October with much thanksgiving for his ministry. Rachel Ciampoli starts as the House for Duty minister in February 2025.

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Great Western Park Church

GWP Church is a Conventional District spanning four parishes. It arranges its own finances, APCM and reports. Mark Bodeker, remains a member of All Saints’ PCC as Associate Minister for GWP Church.

Deanery Synod

The Deanery includes parishes in Blewbury, Brightwell-cum-Sotwell, Chilton, Cholsey, Crowmarsh Gifford, Didcot, Great Western Park, Hagbourne, Harwell, Moulsford, the Moretons, the Astons, Upton, Wallingford.. The Deanery Synod provides PCCs with an important link between parishes and the wider structures of the church. Meetings are jointly chaired by the Area Dean (Revd Dr Andy Lord) and Lay Chair (Vaughn Lawfull).

Two Deanery Synod meetings and two Standing Committees were held in 2024. The Synods both related to the question of how we perceive ‘church’ in the modern world.

The first Deanery Synod meeting in February heard from Revd Pete Wheeler from St Peter’s Aylesbury (who is on the Diocesan New Congregations Board), speaking about the church he ministers at on a rather deprived estate. He explained that his church has gone through a period of revitalisation – a few elderly folk ran the church on the estate, effectively forming a ‘club’ while concentrating on fundraising. Pete encouraged a ‘breakfast church’ to introduce health/well-being and to inspire families to choose things for themselves. On the first Sunday an 11 year old turned up, on the second he brought his brother, on the third they brought their mother. 4-5 years later there are 80-90 each Sunday, of whom 80-90% are unchurched. All activities are intergenerational - attendees bring their own food and a different culture. They also bring problems of addiction, abuse, alcoholism, but God is at work breaking chains.

Pete talked through several principles of creating a healthy church:

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Between the first and second Synods, the Area Dean was on sabbatical for just over three months, focussing particularly on the theology of creation.

The second Deanery Synod meeting in November was addressed by Revd Canon Helen Kendrick who had been asked to comment on ‘The Church in Mission’ from her experience in the Damascus group of parishes: Helen took as her theme the stories told in Acts of new congregations sharing together/numbers growing as others were saved. The Damascus parish covers 5 villages which from being 5 different entities until WW2, have now grown into large places bordering Abingdon and Didcot Garden Town. Helen has been there for 21 years, in which time the congregations have halved. In 2017 a radical decision was made to become a single parish – not an easy process (there were 26 different bank accounts!) but activities such as sorting out paperwork and joining the Parish Giving Scheme has helped stewardship, numbers are now growing and the parish has a financial surplus. There is basically one PCC with churchwardens plus local church committees with Cowardens, and one general fund. Pastorally, there is a key person in each church who calls in members of the clergy when required – they are building up lay teams to become the central contacts. Technology is being enabled in new ways – moving more and more data into Google programs. Practically, church worship moves around between the villages, but each church is unique.

The group’s Mission Statement is ‘nurturing faith, bringing hope, sharing love’. From a PCC Away Day came the idea of ‘5 doors’: using all of the 5 main church buildings. There are home groups, lay-led services, the use of ‘Open the Book’ in the primary schools, an assembly in each school weekly. Warm Spaces, emergency food supplies, toddler groups, family engagement afternoons. They encourage regular giving of talents as well as money. Helen reminded us that if everything else seems impossible – keep praying!

There was time for discussion in small groups and a Q&A. These clarified some of the missional and structural issues faced by parishes and Benefices in the Wallingford Deanery. There was plenty to think and reflect further on!

Inspections took place in several parishes during 2025 particularly in the Churn Benefice – more will take place in 2025 lessening the backlog after the hiatus of the pandemic.

Much work took place around the Deanery on projects related to Children & Youth, ahead of a plan being put together in 2025 alongside the diocesan bid for national funding. It was very encouraging to hear stories of so many varied activities taking place each month right across the Deanery.

Ali Adams, Deanery Secretary

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(and All Saints’ Deanery Synod Rep)

Ecumenical relationships

The church is a member of Churches Together in Didcot and District (CTDD).

For the 2024 Good Friday 'Act of Witness' we met outside Cornerstone for a successful time together. There were also ecumenical Lent and Advent groups. Andy & Debbie organised monthly ministers time for lunch and prayer.

Andrew Jones

Safeguarding

We seek to be a church that provides a safe and secure environment for the most vulnerable in our church and in the wider community and, therefore, place major importance on the implementation of all safeguarding policies to enable this. We are working towards a vision where every member of the church sees themselves as a part of providing this environment for the most vulnerable.

DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)

All members of the PCC have a current Enhanced DBS, in line with Church of England requirements for Parochial Church Councils sponsoring activities for adults at risk or children. Renewal is now required for all DBS certificate holders after 3 years, in line with the general practice for registered charities. During the year Andy Lord acted as verifier, viewing applicants documents to confirm their identity.

2 new and 1 existing person received DBS clearance for work with children, young people and adults at risk during the year. The clearance provider for the Diocese is Access Personal Checking Services Ltd. as recommended by the Church of England.

Safeguarding Policies and Training

The recommendations in the Safeguarding Policy are adhered to in all activities relating to safeguarding and recruitment. The PCC has an ongoing Promoting a Safer Church Action Plan which was reviewed during the year.

A copy of the Safeguarding Handbook is available in the Clergy vestry and online. We follow its procedures for dealing with any safeguarding concern or allegation. We recognise the importance of being sensitive to any issues that may be raised and responding appropriately.

As a parish we are committed to the Diocese Safeguarding Training requirements and following an internal audit it was noted not everyone who volunteers within the Church has attended the required training. This has been noted and an action created on the Parish Safeguarding Action Plan.

Safeguarding issues

There was one pastoral situation during 2024 which raised safeguarding issues that were handled by the PSO and others in conversation with those involved.

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Rob Bennie stepped down as PSO at the end of the year as they move to Scotland. [ Alison Murray was appointed from February 2025 ]

We would like to remind people Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility and if you have a concern, please have a conversation in confidence with the Parish Safeguarding Officer. You won’t be bothering or betraying anyone, rather you might helping to ensure someone who needs protecting gets the help they need.

Andy Lord

Policies

The PCC has in place a number of policies, some of which are updated each year and some every three years. These include: Risk Assessment, GDPR, Disability Access Audit, Complaints Procedure, Serious Incident Reporting, Communion Assistants, Safeguarding, Lone Working, Legacies, Reserves, Fire Risk Assessment, Health & Safety, Baptism, Working at Height, Conflict of Interest & Staff Handbook.

Administrative information

All Saints’ Church is situated in Lydalls Road, Didcot. It is part of the Dorchester Episcopal Area in the Diocese of Oxford within the Church of England. The correspondence address for the church is: The Administrator, All Saints’ Youth and Community Hall, Roman Place, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 7ER.

The website address is: www.didcotallsaints.org.uk

The Didcot All Saints’ Church Community Page can be found on Facebook.

We also have a YouTube channel used for streaming

Parochial Church Council

PCC members who have served at any time during 2024 are:

Ex-Officio members:

Incumbent: The Revd. Dr Andy Lord Associate Minister, GWP Church: The Revd. Mark Bodeker Wardens: Mr Alastair Adams; Mr Andrew Jones Licensed Lay Ministers: Dr Nick Hards Deanery Synod Representatives: Mrs. Alison Adams; Tricia Kilsby

Elected members:

Mrs Eleanor Hards Mrs Julia Buckel Mr Bruce Charles Mrs Sandra Pickworth Mr Rob Bennie Mrs Alison Goodall Mr Bertie Doy (until April 2024)

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Deputy Church Wardens (not on PCC) Mr Bertie Doy

Other Ministers (not on PCC)

Revd Debbie Lord, Community Minister Revd Josie Midwinter, Minister on PTO

Signed:

............................................................ Revd. Dr Andy Lord

Date:

27[th] April 2025

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REPORT OF THE INDEPENDENT EXAMINER TO THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF DIDCOT ALL SAINTS I report on the accounts of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 December 2024 which are set out on pages 2 10 9. Respective responsibilities of Trustees and examiner The charity's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity's trustees consider Ihat an audit is not required for this year under section 144{21 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. It is my responsibility to= examine the accounls under section 145 of the 2011 Act. to follow prO￿dureS laid down in General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145{5llb} of the 2011 Act: and - to state whether particular matters have o?me to my attention. Basis of the independent examiner's report My examination was carried out in accordan￿ with the General directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review ofthe accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and the seeking of explanalions from you as Irustees Con￿rning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and, consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a "true and fair view" and the report is limited lo those matters set out in the statement below. Independent examiner's statement In conneclion with my examination, no malter has come to my attention.. 1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that, in any material resped, the requirements., to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act., and to prepare ac(xJunts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met., or 2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. B R Haines FCCA for and on behalf of Haines & Company Chartered Certified Accountants and Statutory Auditors 81 High Street, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 OBX.