**Church of England Parish of Bemerton, Salisbury** Annual Report and Financial Statements of the Parochial Church Council Registered Charity: 1183774 for the year ended 31 December 2022 Bemerton Parish Office 96 St. Michael’s Road Bemerton Heath Salisbury SP2 9LE Bank: Lloyds Bank Plc. Blue Boar Row Branch Salisbury Independent examiner: Mandy Kerley FCCA Page **1** of **19** ## **Safeguarding** The Parish complies with The Diocesan safeguarding policies which were ratified at a PCC in January 2022. DBS checks were up to date Including checks for all members of the PCC as they are Trustees of a charity. During the year there was a safeguarding issue which was handled in accordance with the Diocesan and National Church guidelines. The issue was resolved during the year. Helen Pessell stepped down from the role of Parish Safeguarding Officer on 31[st] December 2022 and we have two new Parish Safeguarding Officers, Jane Podkolinski and Debbie Ford. ## **Evangelism, Ministry & Mission** Throughout 2022 the work continued in developing good links with the schools in the parish. Collective Worship continued to be held weekly in Bemerton St John School with Open the Book which Rev’d Ali Alexander re-established in the school with volunteers from St Thomas’ Parish during 2021 and this has continued in 2022. We also lead the weekly celebration assembly held on a Friday afternoon in St John’s Place. Collective worship also takes place every half term in St Peter’s School and Sarum Academy. During the year we also established new links with Pembroke Park School, Woodlands School and Springfields SEND school. School ministry is an important part of our evangelism, ministry and mission. When we gather in collective worship we are very much the Church gathered in learning and prayer and although we don’t have families and children attending our Sunday morning services regularly we have hundreds of children learning and worshipping as Church through the year. This work also then develops with Rev’d Kevin and Rev’d Ali being invited in to schools for leavers assemblies and awards ceremonies at the end of the academic year and at the end of each term. Rev’d Ali Alexander started a six month extended placement in Bemerton Parish in September 2022 with a focus on child and family ministry. Just as Rev’d Ali started this placement an opportunity arose to start a new parent and baby group and so ‘Little Angels’ was started in October 2022 and is a growing activity within the life of the parish. It is hoped this will develop into a parent and toddler group as the children grow so that we will then have two groups moving forward. As part of our ministry and mission we continued to gather in St Peter’s School Hall in St Peter’s Place once a month but this evolved into holding a Craft Church each Sunday afternoon. On one occasion the hall was full of toddlers which really isn’t the age that Craft Church is aimed at as this is more for primary aged children and their families. This was a challenging session but we learnt it had been placed on a ‘mum’s forum’ as Messy Play rather than Craft Church. We decided to end Craft Church and replace it with Cream Tea & Chat. We also decided to stop having a service at St Peter’s School Hall on the first Sunday of every month and to return to having a Brunch Church in St Michael’s Community Centre on the first Sunday of Page **2** of **19** the month. Cream Tea & Chat finished at the end of the Summer because their simply weren’t enough people to run it. Our Worship has continued to evolve and we now have a committee that meets to plan the music for our Principle Sunday service. Part of our evangelism, ministry and mission has been to carefully consider the theology we might be presenting to regular and visiting worshippers alike. We are an Inclusive Church, which means we need to be aware that some people may come to our parish because we have signed up to be an activist parish community for promoting the equality of God’s love for all God’s people. We subscribe to the Inclusive Church statement: “We believe in **inclusive church** – a church which **celebrates and affirms every person** and does not discriminate. We will continue to challenge the church where it continues to discriminate against people on grounds of **disability, economic power, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, learning disability, mental health, neurodiversity,** or **sexuality** . We believe in a Church which **welcomes and serves all people** in the name of Jesus Christ; which is scripturally faithful; which seeks to proclaim the Gospel afresh for each generation; and which, in the power of the Holy Spirit, allows all people to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Jesus Christ.” Throughout 2022 we have considered how best we can minister to the community we are called to serve. Our plans to start the re-ordering process of St Michael’s Church have been put on hold following feedback from the Diocesan Advisory Committee. We have continued to promote the community fridge and for several months the café in St Michael’s Community Centre was offering a wider choice of food. Thanks to various grants the kitchen in the Community Centre has been refurbished to a professional standard and we are now seeking to recruit a new Café and Community Centre Manager who will work to develop the Community Centre as an inter-generational space for the local community. We have received funding to purchase a table tennis table, air hockey table and pool table. In conjunction to this, thanks to a National Lottery Grant we have been able to purchase picnic tables and benches for the community garden. We are very grateful to Spar, Salisbury Reds, Anchor Butter, Wessex Water, the local authority area board and an anonymous donor who have given grants for the work on the community centre to be completed. We have been delighted to welcome the Salisbury Foodbank back to use St Michael’s Community Centre on a Tuesday and Friday afternoon from 15:30 – 18:00. This is the only provision of a foodbank being available later afternoon and we are seeing a largen number of people coming to access support. We again had Carols through Quidhampton Village this year but we haven’t yet managed to develop much more in way of mission, evangelism or ministry. This is a key task for 2023. Page **3** of **19** We very much see mission and ministry as ensuring we see where the community gathers and joining in. This has meant we ensure a visible presence at community events such as open gardens and various fetes and concerts as well as the Pantomime by the local Bemerton Players in December. This year we have also joined in with the monthly skittles evening held in Harlequins Sports Club on Bemerton Heath. This is seeing strong links developing between the club and parish. Connections are continuing to develop with other social clubs, pubs, local authority centres along with local initiatives and charities. An important aspect of evangelism, mission and ministry is our commitment to developing ecumenical relations. We have continued to work with Bemerton Methodists over 2022 and shared a service together when they celebrated their Covenant Service. We then invited the congregation to join us for Mothering Sunday and had a joint Good Friday Service in the Methodist Church following a walk of witness from St Michael’s. In terms of our services we have attempted to set up café church, messy church and cream tea church but this has not taken off. We now have brunch church on the first Sunday of the month in St Michael’s Community Centre which is well attended. In conjunction with this we offered a showing of ‘The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe’ on Good Friday afternoon along with a party for All Hallows Eve but again these were not a great success. In light of this we decided to go outside the walls more during Advent and so we did the following: Carols through Quidhampton. Starting both ends of the village made a big difference this year and four residents joined us at the far end of the village and were happily knocking of doors to tell people we were going to sing a carol. This was incredibly helpful because we sang for some of the more isolated people of the village who wouldn’t have been able to get to the pub. There were 8 of us starting at the far end of the village and five starting at the Lower Bemerton End of the village. We engaged with a number of families and local residents as we sang near their properties. I would say around 10 single older people and seven or eight families. Once in the pub we did another half hour of carols interspersed with the Christmas story. The whole pub joined in singing, There were 35 adults and one under 16 in the pub. I suggest next year we simply do the same. Carols through Bemerton Heath. We were joined by six staff from Sarum Academy and there were three from the parish. We published the route with rough timings before hand and we had people join us on the way for either a few ‘stops’ or stayed until the end. At Harlequins there were more people waiting to sing carols and who joined in with the interactive readings. There were also regular members waiting for a quiz to start who were listening and singing but from their places. In total we had around 28 people join us and be part of the celebration including three under 16s. Martin at Harlequins was brilliant in providing mulled wine and warming through the mince pies we were providing Page **4** of **19** . Next year I believe we need to publish the route earlier and put posters up. We also need to make it clear that we aren’t collecting money but are simply there to spread the good news of Christmas. I also feel we need to have a set of handbells we can ring to let people know we are around. Carols through St Peter’s Place starting from St Peter’s School Hall with St Peter’s Place Residents Association and their ‘Follow the Star’ trail to see various lit up houses. This was a tremendous success with 38 adults and 18 under 16s joining us as we walked around. We ended up back at the school but had lost a few families along the way. It was a long walk for parents with young children and we hadn’t realised how large the estate had become. We then served mulled wine and warm mince pies at the School Hall. Next year I feel we need to start at either end of the SPP development to keep the walk shorter and manageable for parents with small children. Again I feel we should publish the route with timings and have a selection of handbells for the organisers to ring to signal our arrival. During a conversation at SP School Hall one lady told me her husband had really enjoyed the evening which she was amazed at because, she said, if it had been in church he wouldn’t have gone. This was the same man who had told me he could arrange for mini stoves to be set up for us to run a home made mulled wine making evening around the middle to end of November which I suggested we do next Christmas. The idea is that we have a few entries and the people in first and second place who then make the wine for the carols through SPP evening later in Advent. Carols through Lower Bemerton. We published where we would be starting from and we started with six adults (including the Mayor) and two under 16s. As we walked around we had more people join us for the rest of the route or for three or four carols. We engaged with a large number of people coming to their windows and doorsteps. In total we had 24 adults and 3 children in the Salisbury and South Wilts Sports and Social Club. Ricky Rogers invited Rev’d Kevin to be part of the group doing the Santa run around St Peter’s Place and Bemerton Heath. It was a great experience and Rev Kevin was very grateful to Ricky for inviting him. We provided ree Christmas lunch for those struggling to put food on the table or those lonely or isolated at Christmas. We fed 33 adults and six under 16s on the day and we sent these away with food for the next day also. The community fridge was opened on Christmas Eve and the many portions left were distributed to those in need. We were joined by workers from Wiltshire Council who helped with the serving as well as some brilliant volunteers. Page **5** of **19** The number at the above events speak for themselves and so in the coming year we will be committed to being more active in going out to the community rather than simply expecting them to come to us. From a ministry point of view we have continued to conduct Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals in the parish although the latter have reduced significantly from 2021. _Written by Kevin Martin_ ## **LPA (Lay Pastoral Assistant) and Pastoral Care** The Community Fridge & Larder and the Community Café continues to be a way in which we offer pastoral care to a wider group of people beyond those who are regular worshippers in the parish. In collaboration with the local authority community centre on Bemerton Heath we have once again been able to offer a weekly lunch club to some senior residents in the parish. This often sees between eight to 12 people in attendance. We have been able to continue to grow our presence in the local Church of England Primary and Secondary Schools in the parish. The focus has been on offering teaching and training support to staff but also offering pastoral support to the whole school communities when they have had to continue to deal with the difficulties Covid continued to bring. We ran an LPA training course in the parish this year and we are grateful to the Rev’d Canon Kim Stephens and Rev’d Ali Alexander for their leading of this course. It was opened up to the wider Diocese and we had a good number training here. Bemerton Parish commissioned three new LPAs at a service led by Bishop Andrew in July. New LPAs from other parishes were also commissioned during that service and we held a wonderful reception in our community centre hall afterwards. We would like to thank Geoffrey Herbert who retired as an LPA during the Summer. Geoffrey has been an invaluable member of the LPA team for many years and we are very grateful to him for his committed service. The unique position of the Church of England is that anybody who lives within the parish boundaries can seek pastoral care from the incumbent. Throughout the year we often receive calls to offer pastoral care to the sick and dying and offer continued support to those who are bereaved. This is an important part of our ministry as well as offering pastoral care to the long term sick and housebound. _Report written by Kevin Martin_ ## **Social Events** During 2022 we had a social evening when we had our APCM in April which was followed by a fish and chip supper. In the summer we did two parish outings. One to Page **6** of **19** Heale Garden and one to Riverbourne Community Farm. Both outings were a great success and we look forward to more in the summer of 2023. The regular jumble sales are also a great social occasion. _Report written by Kevin Martin_ ## . **Bemerton Parish Community Art Group** We are a community Art Group meeting on Thursday afternoon from 3pm-5pm. The people in the group have varying skills, some have never done any Art work before. All you need is a desire to draw or paint even if you haven't done anything in that line before. We charge £2 per session to help towards the heating. It also includes a cup of tea or coffee. There is also a degree of free materials available. We are a friendly group and are open to new members. _Report written by Maureen Winstanley._ ## **’ Flowers for St Michael s Church** . We are a group of people who want to have a flower decoration in our Church. You don't need to be skilled but have a desire to put together a group of flowers and greenery. We want to say a huge thank you to those who are on the rota and who do such a good job each week. The Rota involves making your display last for 2 weeks which generally means watering and removing any dead flowers mid week. We would really love more people to join, thus making it less often we will individually have to do it. Thank you once again for those of you who give your time and money to decorate the Church so beautifully. _Report written by Maureen Winstanley._ ## **Flowers at St Andrew's** Jane Malkin produces a weekly rota for flower arrangements at St Andrew’s with most taking a turn for a two week period twice a year. There are currently 14 volunteers. During Lent and Advent there are no flower displays. Remembrance Poppies and Advent Wreath and Christmas displays are covered by Jane Malkin and Lynn Kershaw and Harvest Festival shows a wonderful window display of harvest produce by Harry Baker. There is a main pedestal display and normally a display in the alcove opposite the entry door to welcome the many visitors received during the year. _Written by Lynn Kershaw_ ## **Deanery Synod Report** The Deanery Synod met just twice in 2022, in May and November, with the February and November meetings cancelled. Each meeting began with prayer led Page **7** of **19** by the Rural Dean and received a report of the Diocesan Synod deliberations and decisions, including the Diocesan Budget for 2023 and Bishop Stephen’s plan for “Your kingdom come here and now” throughout the diocese. As one of the deanery representatives on Diocesan Synod, I found those meetings illuminating and productive. The main agenda item for each of the deanery meetings was the Deanery Plan for Mission (church presence in schools, estates and care homes), Community (engagement with the civic authorities and local charities), Occasional Offices (encouraging church weddings and funerals), South Sudan (developing a deanery relationship with Juba diocese in South Sudan) and Discipleship (supporting people in the development of faith). Ted Uren was thanked for acting as Lay Chair of Synod throughout 2022 and Jo King was welcomed to be Lay Chair for the next year. A plea was made for someone to fill the ongoing vacancy for a Deanery Synod Secretary. _Report written by Gillian Newton_ ## **Church Buildings** ## _**St Andrews**_ The fabric of St Andrew’s is generally in good repair. The electrical system in St Andrew’s received a significant upgrade in March 2022 with the removal of obsolete wiring, installation of new consumer units with the addition of timers for the floor mounted heaters. This included the five-yearly electrical inspection. In September, all of the remaining original halogen lights were replaced with new so there should be no more failures. The lighting is still barely adequate and should be upgraded or replaced in 2023. NOTE there are now two lights which have failed, one of which should have been replaced in September. The new Rectors board has been made and will be installed in 2023. No progress was made regarding the bell, this will be progressed in 2023. Work for the ‘next few years’ from the Quinquennial inspection conducted in September 2019 (received in April 2020) includes some repairs required to stonework and some interior treatment of woodwork. These were not progressed in 2022 and are to be followed up in 2023. _Written by Hilary Bird_ ## **Friends of St Andrew’s Report 2022** The Friends met three times in 2022, in January, May and October. Most outcomes have been fabric related and are in the St Andrew’s report. Page **8** of **19** A George Herbert Festival Evensong was held in February 2022 led by Bishop Andrew. It was good to be able to celebrate again although we only missed one year because of Covid. Visitors from around the world are once again arranging to visit the church and the website shop still has about 10 – 15 sales each year. Nadfas/Arts Society book – after over 3 years of work the book on St Andrew’s Church was completed and a book detailing all of the decorative items (fabrics, silver, memorials etc.) is complete. A service was held in June to receive it from the Arts Society and to offer them many thanks for their hard work. _Report written by Hilary Bird_ ## **St John’s** In February 2022 a storm caused damage to the north side of the chancel roof where the wind circulates between the chancel and the tower. The repairs were arranged by Bemerton Community as they are the insurance policy holders for the whole building and List B permission was obtained by the Parish. There is no change to the interior of the chancel. _Written by Hilary Bird_ ## **St John’s Churchyard** Burial of cremated remains had continued since the closure of the churchyard and it was apparent that this was an incorrect interpretation of the situation. There were no permissions for this, and a retrospective Faculty was required for this and for burial of cremated remains in the future. This application was made and the situation sorted in 2022. A number of graves with crosses as headstones have been vandalised. These cannot easily be repaired and are the responsibility of the families. The broken stones have been tidied up as much as possible while remaining laid out on the ground. BT want to replace the copper cable to St John’s with Fibre which requires trenching across the churchyard which is a list B application and is in progress. There was a Diocese wide instruction from the Diocesan Registry to clamp down on items being placed on graves which are not within the guidelines of what is permitted. Originally the guidance was to display notices with about a 6 week time for them to be removed by the families. This was queried as being a short notice for such a sensitive subject and for graves which are visited infrequently. In early December, notices were placed around the churchyard with a date of 26[th] March 2023 for items to be removed by families or they will be removed and stored by the parish. _Written by Hilary Bird_ Page **9** of **19** ## **St Michael’s** The fabric of St Michael’s hasn’t changed and significant work on the brickwork will be required in the next few years. In August an initial ‘Request for Advice’ (the first stage of a Faculty Application) was made to the DAC regarding the proposals to develop the downstairs and remove the pews and make the space more versatile upstairs. The response has not been positive with specific objections to removal of the pews as they are original and the addition of windows to the apse of the central downstairs room as it would alter the façade. This is the façade that had the windows removed due to repeated vandalism. At the end of 2022 the heating was ineffective and will be investigated for the most effective way to run it. _Written by Hilary Bird._ ## **St Michael’s Community Centre** The Community Centre has seen regular bookings increase over the year and these have come mostly from existing clients wishing to book more space. Sadly we have seen one long karate class cease using the Community Centre due to a lack of interest following Covid-19. We have seen an increase in use by a private health education company proving a service to the NHS along with increased use by AgeUK. Since September we have seen an increase in party bookings in the hall which bring both rewards and challenges. We also have Baby Sensory, Toddler Sense, Little Angels Parent and Baby Group, Slimming World, Seniors Lunch Club, Art Club, Exercise group, Seniors Table Tennis and Alzheimer’s Support Group. In May we started the first phase of the flat roof replacement and this was finally completed in July. We have been delighted to welcome back the Salisbury Foodbank to the Community Centre from August of 2022 on a Tuesday and latterly Thursday afternoon/early evening. This is the only Foodbank provision in and around Salisbury for this time of day. We have also been delighted to have been able to offer the Community Centre to Salisbury Foodbank to hold their Family Christmas Party. In conjunction with the above we remain the home of Bemerton Players and again enjoyed their Panto this year. Page **10** of **19** In September our Community Centre Manager, Laurence Newton, resigned to move to a full-time post. We are grateful for the work he did whilst manager from August 2020 to September 2022. In October we completed a refurbishment of the kitchen where we installed a new commercial dishwasher, stainless steel work services and cupboards, a food prep sink, gas interlock safety system and new extractor hood and fan. This refurbishment is thanks to grants from those mentioned in the Ministry, Mission and Evangelism report. Moving forward we wish to make the Community Centre an inter-generational hub and will use some of our grants to purchase a new table tennis table, a pool table and air hockey table. We shall also look to including hot desk facilities for those working from home but are seeking a more social environment or in a warm space which the Community Centre was registered as being in the autumn of 2022. _Report written by Kevin Martin_ ## **Community Café** In February we said thank you and farewell to Terri Seaton who retired from her role overseeing the kitchen and café. We are very grateful to Terri for all the work she did keeping the kitchen clean and running with great order. We are also grateful for Terri’s work in securing the funding for the commercial gas cooker which remains in the refurbished kitchen and her work in establishing the Community Fridge. We wish Terri a very happy retirement. The Community Café and Fridge have grown through 2022 with some new volunteers coming forward. We have seen an increase in the number of people using the Community Fridge as the Fuel Crisis and Cost of Living Crisis hit the local community. The grants and donations we have received will enable us to offer affordable meals to individuals, couples and families moving forward. When a new Community Centre and Café Manager is in place we will look to extend Community Café opening hours and the range of food available. We’ll also look forward to launching a ‘Café Bank Voucher’ scheme where people and local companies can donate money to enable vouchers to be issued to those in need to come to the café for a meal without charge to them. _Written by Kevin Martin_ ## **Community Fridge and Larder** The Community Fridge and Larder has continued to offer support to those in need in the local community. We are very grateful to Waitrose, Co-op and Aldi who offer regular donations to the Community Fridge and Larder. We also had donations from Tesco but we had to cease these collections during 2022. Page **11** of **19** ## **Performance and Achievement** This report on 2022 shows clearly how we have continued to strive to be a strong and serving Christian presence in the Church of England Parish of Bemerton. We have achieved our desire to be a community based on worshipping God and serving the people of God in this parish which is everybody who lives within our parish boundary. _Written by Kevin Martin_ ## **Treasurer’s Report** ## Treasurer’s Report Our 2022 church Balance Sheet and Statement of Financial Activities shows a (£31K) Surplus/deficit of receipt over payments for the year. Together with an overall decrease in our assets, this has been exacerbated by the financial downturn in the early autumn and the large cash withdrawals taken from two of the three CCLA and COIF Investment funds to fund day to day expenditure. The Warre Trust, is an endowment fund from which the PCC receives dividends but cannot withdraw money. There is another investment held for the PCC’s benefit by the Diocesan Board of Finance (DBF) from which we receive dividends but can only make capital withdrawals against agreed capital work approved by the DBF. The deficit of receipts over payments in the overall accounts is due to the Community Centre making a trading surplus of income and payments, (money restricted for Community Centre activities) from increased renewed Lease negotiations, lettings and again with more people using and café now that Covid restrictions were completely lifted in the spring. The Community Fridge continued to receive donations from users. Finally, there were a number of specific grants received, this has allowed the continued planned upgrade of the Community Kitchen and other planned maintenance work to be undertaken, but this resulted in net deficit as the renovation and Kitchen upgrade cost about £33,000, which included £12,000 grant income received in the previous year. The ordinary church income and expenditure of the PCC has had another challenging year resulting in an overall excess spending compared to income. In 2022 the PCC did not have a bounce back of post- Covid donations as the parish had not attracted many new members who were able to make regular contributions to fund the parish mission work. Thankfully, the deficit was less than the budgeted overspend of £26K, however, general income less expenditure has resulted in a £21K overspend, or £25K overspend when the preliminary costs for future capital project were included. To fund this overspend £7,000 was transferred from our easily accessible reserves, the CCLA Fixed Interest Securities Fund into our current account, leaving just over £1K at the year end. In May 2022, the PCC realised that without extra income the PCC would have to reduce the monthly expenditure to equal the monthly income received. So the monthly payment of the Parish Share Page **12** of **19** was reduced by 61%. The DBF was contacted for advice and support, following a meeting it was agreed that the PCC could access £29,000 from the DBF managed CCLA endowed Church Hall fund. This allowed the PCC to pay the full annual Parish Share and all the other monthly expenditure into early 2023. Page **13** of **19** ## **Administrative Information** St Michael’s, St Andrew’s and St John’s are located in the Parish of Bemerton part of the Diocese of Salisbury within the Church of England. The parish office is located within the Community Centre at 96 St Michael’s Road, Bemerton Heath, Salisbury SP2 9LE. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and a charity registered with the charity commission. The PCC is required to hold an annual meeting and the minutes from the meeting held in May 2022 covering the operating year 2021 are provided in Annex 2. Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. Reverend Kevin Martin as Rector of Bemerton is an Ex-Officio member. PCC members who have served from 27[th] April 2022 to the APCM on 27[th] April 2023 are as follows: Ex-Officio Members Incumbent: The Reverend Kevin Martin Churchwarden Hilary Bird Deanery Synod Representatives Gillian Newton (from 06.10.2020 – 2023) Terri Seaton (from 06.10.2020 – 2023) Elected members Howard Tranter (2020 – 28/11/2022) Shirley Frayling (27.05.2021 – 2023) Frank Pessell (2022 - 2023) Bob Kershaw (27.05.2021 – 2024) Lynn Kershaw (27.05.2021 – 2024) Chris Cochrane (27.05.2021 – 2024) Patience Dreyer (27.04.2022 – 2025) Neal Dreyer (27.04.2022 -2025) Colin Frayling (27.04.2022 – 2025) Page **14** of **19** ## **Minutes of the Annual Parish Meeting Wednesday 27[th] April 2022 St Michael’s Community Centre 6pm** The first part of the meeting was the Annual Parish Meeting in which the churchwardens are elected. Hilary Bird – Proposed Helen Pessell Seconded Maureen Winstanley Hilary reminded the meeting that she had been churchwarden for many years and until recently there had been 4 churchwardens for the parish which is the largest in Salisbury. She accepted the post but asked for help with some of the responsibilities especially with St Michael’s. Elected unanimously with thanks. ## **Minutes of the Bemerton Parish Annual Parochial Church Meeting Wednesday 27[th] April 2022 St Michael’s Community Centre Immediately following the Annual Parish Meeting** The meeting began with prayer ## **Present** Kevin Martin (Chair); Helen Pessell (Minutes); Terri Seaton; Laurence Newton; Robyn Golden-Hann; Gillian Newton; Michael Bird; Hilary Bird; Debbie Ford; Frank Pessell; Shirley Frayling; Colin Frayling; Carol McAbendroth; Caroline Shipp; Maureen Winstanley; Alan Winstanley; Patience Dreyer; Neal Dreyer: Andrew Farley; Robert Kershaw; Lynn Kershaw; Sandra Scott; Howard Tranter; Melanie Rogers; Linda Carley. **Apologies:** Christopher Cochrane, Amanda Barnett Kevin reminded those present that people on the electoral register can vote but they should only vote at one APCM if they are on more than one register. The acceptance of the minutes of the 2021 Annual Parish meeting and Annual Parochial Church meeting were proposed by Howard Tranter and seconded by Maureen Winstanley and signed as a true record of events, there were no matters arising from the minutes. ## **The Reports** Page **15** of **19** ## **Changes in Membership of the Electoral Roll** Keren Mercer, our administrator is the Electoral Roll officer. We currently have 78 members on roll after the recent revision which has remained the same as last year. ## **Safeguarding** Helen Pessell is the safeguarding Officer for the parish. There were no questions or comments on the report. ## **Evangelism, Ministry and Mission** A question was asked regarding the current collaboration with RISE61, it is hoped that now their team has grown it can become closer next year. A member of the congregation does voluntary work for the charity. ## **Lay Pastoral Assistants and Pastoral Care** There were no questions or comments on the report ## **Social Events** These were few due to COVID restrictions but there were no questions or comments on the report ## **Bemerton Parish Community Art Group** There were no Questions or comments on the report. Gillian thanked Maureen and Alan Winstanley for their facilitation of this group. ## **Flowers for St Michael’s Church** The volunteers were thanked although more volunteers are always welcome. Money can be claimed from the Parish Office for any expenses incurred although many choose to donate the flowers. ## **Flowers for St Andrew’s Church** There were no questions or comments on the report ## **Deanery Synod** Our representatives are Gillian Newton and Terri Seaton. There were no questions or comments on the report ## **Church Buildings (Including St Andrew’s Church; Friends of St Andrew’s Church; St John’s Church Chancel; St John’s Churchyard; St Michael’s Church)** Thanks were given to the Friends of St Andrew’s who pay for the majority of repairs for the church. Hilary confirmed that the electrical check and work was completed. Kevin also thanked Colin Frayling for his work in St John’s churchyard needed for the faculty. Page **16** of **19** ## **St Michael’s Community Centre** There were no questions or comments on the report ## **Community Café** There were no questions or comments on the report. Grateful thanks was given to Terri Seaton for all her hard work. ## **Community Fridge and Larder** There were no questions or comments on the report ## **Performance and Achievement** There were no questions or comments on the report ## **Treasurers Report and Financial Statements** There were no questions or comments on the report Thanks was given to the independent auditor Brian Chapman. This will be his last audit as he is moving away. Acceptance of the reports was proposed by Terri Seaton and Seconded by Debbie Ford and accepted unanimously ## **Rectors Report** The report was presented by Revd. Kevin Martin Kevin spoke of the changes that were happening now COVID restrictions were reducing with signs of people returning. He spoke of the Vision evening where a decision was made to look to expanding our services into the wider community. A new service pattern had been established having the main Sunday service as an informal service at St Peter’s School once a month, beginning to expand this with a breakfast, using a light touch for those unused to church. An afternoon informal service is also being established at St Peter’s school and Kevin thanked Neal, Patience, Maureen, Shirley, Colin and Sandie for their help with this. The frequency of this may change to meet the need of the Parish. Kevin is also exploring ways to base services in Quidhampton after a good response from Christmas Carols there. Perhaps using the White Horse pub as a meeting place as it is a focal point of the village. Kevin hopes that in time some of these initiatives will become lay led. A focus for Kevin’s work is the work done in schools as this is a wonderful way to potentially meet thousands of young people and introduce them to the love of God. He leads worship in 3 schools during the year. There are currently 2 governors from the church in schools building links and Kevin hopes to continue growing Page **17** of **19** relationships with the schools. One way Kevin is exploring this is by having a form of ‘Sunday School’ after school one day a week a ‘Lighthouse’ group, for this he will need a team of volunteers. Another exciting opportunity for growth is in the Community Café, Fridge and Larder. Kevin thanked Teri for all her hard work and the numerous volunteers who help with the running of café and fridge, who bake cakes and who collect for the fridge from many shops. God’s Blessing has been shown in so many ways in the venture. Kevin thanked Ali Alexander (the curate from St Thomas’s Church) for her help in the Parish and her work with Open the Book in S John’s school. Links with those that use our building; Age UK and Trussell trust were also important and Kevin announced a new and improved lease with the Trussell Trust. Kevin thanked Hilary Bird for her work as Churchwarden and explained how he hoped to expand the use of the Committees, forming a fabric committee to provide oversite of St Michaels. He reminded the meeting that members need not be on the PCC and thought should be given to people with the necessary expertise. Throughout his report Kevin expended on the belief of Belonging before Believing as the way of sharing the Christian message. Kevin thanked Robyn Golden-Hann as she leaves to take up her curacy shortly. Robyn has donated an artwork for the garden and her ministry has enriched the parish. Helen Pessell is stepping down after many years on the PCC as Parish Secretary. Kevin thanked her for her hard work. Kevin also thanked Gillian Newton for her work as Parish treasurer as she stands down from this important role. Kevin admitted that change is scary but with trust in God we can be called Easter People and carry on serving God through loving our neighbours. Kevin has plans to reach out to the wider community to help with our finances, perhaps just by giving a small amount monthly. There will be challenges but if we root all we do in prayer God will give us the answer, the presence of the Holy Spirit will give new exciting life to the Parish. Kevin thanked everyone for being partners with him in this mission and anyone he had forgotten to thank **Elections** Elected to PCC for 1 Years Frank Pessell Proposed by Colin Frayling Seconded by Debbie Ford Page **18** of **19** Elected to PCC for 3 Years Colin Frayling Proposed by Helen Pessell Seconded by Debbie Ford Neal Dreyer Proposed by Colin Frayling Seconded by Shirley Frayling Patience Dreyer Proposed by Colin Frayling Seconded by Shirley Frayling ## **Any Other Business** There were no other matters members wished to discuss. Page **19** of **19** Bemerton Parochial Church Councll Balance Sheet detailed Asat Asat 3111212021 3111212022 Flxed assèts 8.616.32 7550.. Fixed Interest S8L'urilies 7S55.. Parish Rooffl 7565.. cnurch Ha 7S70. 3.5% War LoaD 7575.. wai￿ Twst 1.1N.96 48,633.01 87.706.64 d38.264.91 121.988.83 Total Flxed #ssets 171,756.80 234,S87.87 Current assets 6501. Bemerlon Pec current ¥ccouni 6502.. $1.Andrews Current account 6S03. Communily ￿ntrO Cu￿*￿1 accounl 6510." ¢CLA ICBFI dtP05rt atcounl- Sl.Mir.ttaels 6515.. LCLA deposit- Sl.Andrew5 6520 CCLA Deposit- Commtjnlty Cerilre 6525". Sl Andrews Pay Pal 6530. St Artdrews Gift Ald Tax due 6531.. ComTTrunily Ctrnlre Potty C3$h Z05.. Accounts Receivab 18.046 04 3.474.16 31.591.45 10.$9 ,953.53 4.$39.02 37,038.85 10.69 14.888.76 15,064.59 134.00 1Q9.91 70.14 36.85 Total CuTrqnl asspts $8,411.07 65.577.71 411.è6 2.48Z.24 6699." Agency colle¢lions Z04." Accounls Payabl Tol81 LlabillU8s 411.86 2,482.24 N¢1 As¥Ft Surplus IdofiGItI 299,756.01 297,BB3.34 Reserve$ 131,096.261 297,683.Y 126,831.071 10.281.24 259.382.64 28.019.46 ZD1". siarbng baLqnces Z02." Oiher g3ln¥llossfrs1 Total R•serve$ 239.156.01 297.683.34 ReprÈsanted by Funds UThreslri¢ted Des￿rnated Restr￿le￿ 17.360.97 1,391.21 99.015.40 121.e88.83 6,005.18 9.065 07 144.348.18 118.264.91 Endowmeni Total 239,756.01 297,68J.34 21 Nprll 2023 Pao& 1 Bemerton Paro¢hial Church Coun¢ll Statement of Flnancial Actlvitie5 For the period from 01 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 ilnre5tri¢ted fund$ Re$trlcted Endawment lunds Total fund8 Prlor year total funds R8e8lpts Pl8nned giving 28.629.50 4.899.76 1,939.16 4.8￿.65 7,366.03 5.712.43 608.67 4,328.00 28.629.50 4,899.76 1,939.16 22.310.92 7,4t9.32 5.908.26 54.787.07 4,328.00 29.693.10 4,408.79 747.11 21.369.86 6,943.13 5.742.44 50.858.98 3,251.00 Olher voluntary receipts Gill recovered IDV851menls Olher r¥¢eipls Receipts ffom church ac11vit￿S 17,414.27 33.29 195.83 54,178.dO 123,014.41 Total Income 58,400.20 71.821.79 13Q.221.99 P•yments Missionary and Chariiable Giving Parish Share Clergy and Staffing cJ)$1$ Church Running Expenses Hall Running Cosis Church Repaits S Maintenance Hall Repairs & MainlenancE New Building work 3.945.00 54.439.06 6,551 10 15.184.89 3.945,OD 54.439.08 6,551.10 18.092.33 75,173.50 2,117.24 2.230.(N) 51,846.00 6,231.32 15.052.19 37.373.66 2,907.44 75,173.50 3.117.24 112,733.17 28.019.46 TvtAI expondlture Gains Ilosses on Investment 8S5els 03.237.31 1481.361 78,060.94 110.073 631 161.318.25 126,831.D71 116,276.061 Not Incorn• I lexpendlturel ro50urc¢s before tTrnsl•r 125.318.471 116,332.781 116,276.081 157.927.331 38,300.70 Tr•nsfer5 Giv$s Iran&fers betrRen lund$- Gross Iranslets btr￿ee￿ funds- out 29.000.00 29.000.00 129,000.001 9,000 00 19.000.001 129.DOO.001 Olh&rrgcopnls8dgain$llosses Gains on revaluation, Iixed asseLs, chariV$ oK4f Use 3,681.53 145,332.781 116,276.081 157.927.331 38,300.70 Net mtsv*m•nt ID fufids R8¢onclllallon ollund$ Total fun4s brought lorward 15,070.25 144,346.18 138,264.91 297,683.34 259.382.84 Total funds carrl#d fornard 18,751.78 99,015.40 121,988.83 239,756.Ql 297,683.34 21 Apri12023 Pag8 2 B•mèrton Parochial Church Council Analysis of income and •xpenditure Selected period: 01 January 2022 to 31 December 2022 Total Lail yaar Resrrictsd Endo%¥ffl•nt Thl$yoar D8slgnated Receipts Planned givlng Q101 Gill Aid- Bank 0110- Gift Aid- Envelopes 0201 Plannpd giving 27.065.00 614.50 950.00 27,618.00 850 00 1.225.10 27.065.00 614.50 950.00 28,629.50 29,693.10 Planned glving TLlt•15 28,629.50 Collections and olher giving 0301 Lw5e plate colle¢l￿n8 0302- b¥p115m loose plat 0303- Weddings lTr)se plate 0304- Funeral Loo58 plate 0401 Re9ular 9111 days OSOI - One-off Gift Aid gkts 1,576.93 34.00 1.377 79 56.35 1.576.93 34.00 53.83 53.b3 3.235.00 2.974.65 3.23S.QO 4,899.76 4,408.79 Collectlorjs and other giving Totals 4,899.76 Othor voluntary recetpts 0410- Glwng th￿￿9h church bDX6S 0550- Donaliws appeals elc 0550C- Co$ts in¢urrad for Donailons rec8ivpd 0551 - ¢offe* & Chai 0556- South Alri¢8 App8al 2022 0560- Wedding Blessing 0701 Legac￿$ 08A1 NoD-r8currlng one-ofl grants 0910- Fund Raising 1250- Magazlne income- adverhsing 1260- Parish m89azine sales 1400- Friends of Sl.Andr8ws 51.56 2,605.70 27.08 3,496.92 51.56 2,105.70 .00 2,252.50 2,252.50 400.00 17.000.00 747.1 15,547.60 15.547.60 1,939.16 1,939.16 1.866.67 460.47 1.866.67 17.414.27 24.250.08 22.116.97 Olher voluntary rec8lpts Total$ 8.335.81 500.00 GiftAld recovered 0601 - Tax ￿cov•rab￿ on Gift Ahy 1001 Dlvidendts 1D20- 8Ank and bulldlng society inier6sl 1030- Rentfrom land$ ar building6 7,228.53 5.712.37 157.50 33.29 7,419.32 5.712.37 19S.89 8,943.13 5.734.67 7.77 195.83 13,327.58 12.685.57 Glft Aid r8covered Tolals 12.940.96 157.50 229.12 Othèr r6¢elpts 0901 Other lunds yenerat#d 0902- chwch Hirlng (via Comm Centre 405.52 168.00 1.255.76 405.52 168.(K) IS36.001 1000- 1¢> be asslgned 1040- Withdrawn from Investments 1300- Pholotopier 1305- OrJer of Service 1310- In5tsranGe daim5 27.15 3.52 27.15 8.00 1315- Vlcars Phone 1320- s￿￿￿s- sales of fixed a55ets 1500- Cofflmuftity Centre tunning 1505- Community Centre Adminisiralor Salary 54.178.40 50,135.70 54.178.40 Page 3 oth•r receipts Totals 608.67 54.178.40 54.787.07 50.858.98 Receipts from chur¢h activitie$ 1101 Fee5 loi wedding5 & BanDs 1102- Faes lor luntrals & monumenls 1103- Assigned Misc Fees 1104- Assigned Funeral Fee5 1105- A551gned Weading F8es 1106 Wedding Orgafiisi Fees 1107- Wedding Vergers Feas 1150- Parish Tmlning & M15sion 1200- Par15h IW8ek&rnd Away 1,672. 2,656.00 1,672.00 2.6S6.00 1.059.00 2.192.00 R¢¢etpts from church actlvilles Totals 4.328.00 4.328.00 3.251.00 Rècelpts Grand tota15 S7,742.70 657.50 71.821.79 130.221.99 123.014.41 Payments Mlsslonary and Charitable Giving 1801 Giving io Christian Aid 1830- Giving- soulh Africa 1831 Giving- Mornin9 si¥r 1850- GMryJ- Olher charl1￿5 1870- Giving from discrtlionary fund 850.00 8SO.00 2,915.00 2.915.00 1.030.00 1.030.00 530.00 Mis51onary and Charitable Glving Ttsials 3.945.00 3.945.00 2.230.00 P•rlsh Share 1910- Parlsh share et 54,439.08 54.439.08 51,846.00 P?ri$h Share Totals 54.439.08 54.439.06 51,846.00 Clergy and Slaffing cost5 21Y)1 Assistant stalt ¢os15 2050- Salary ol paD6h administrator 2101 Wotkin9 expense9 01 Incumbtrnl 2102- Vvorking Expense5- Assl clergy 2103- WotklDg Expenses- others 2104- Oiganisi Fees 210S- Verger Fees 2110- Salary of Cotnmunity Cenire Adminisimior 2150- Vicar5 telèphone 2370- Visillng speakers I locums 6.442.88 108.22 6.442.88 108.22 6,231.32 Clergy and Staffing costs Totals 6.551.10 6.551.10 6.231.32 Ch14r¢h Running Expenses 1701 Fees paid lo fund raisers 1720- Co$15 of stewardship campai9n 1730- Costs of fetes & olher even15 2170- Educalion 2201 Parish Irwning and miss4on 2202- Sl Peters P18¢e 220S- Youih Wotk 2206- Parish Weekend 2210- Sotlal Evenis 2220- Alpha CoLJtse 2301 Church running- insurance 2302- Legal Fees 2310- Church orrice- 18lephoDe & broadband 2312- Church offi¢e- rent 2313- Church O￿lc9- eouipment 2315- Church Office- Photocop￿r 398.73 850.00 1.248.73 597.79 264.(K) 3.4D2.67 3,402.67 3.126.52 258.87 258.87 91.84 42.59 54.85 Pag$ 4 406.08 408.08 2320 Organ I plano tuning 2330- Church mainianance 2231 Cleaning 2340- Upkeep ol seNices 2341- Assigned Funtrral Fees 2342- Assigned Wedding Fees 2343- Assigned Fees owed for previous yea[5 2350. Upkaap ol churchyar 2360- Administraiion 2401 Church tunnlng eleclriG 2410- church running- gas 2420- Church runnin9- waler 2440- Churth runn1ng- healing and 65.00 1.327.08 576.50 686.66 85.00 1.327.08 S76.50 686.86 1.936.ro 957.00 875.21 129.68 1,708.12 2,824.00 149.50 129.68 1.708.12 2.824.(h) 149.50 454.92 1,557.32 3.429.LKI 120.03 2501 Magazine expenses 2601 Examln81ionlaudil f¥e 2806- Coff86 & Ghat 2845 St John's F1ace Leaselulilities 2,400.00 2,400.00 1.21KI.OD 300D- Friend$ of SIAndrew5 runniryJ 2,907.44 2.907.44 344.42 Church Running Expenses Tot81$ 14.334.89 850.00 2.907.44 18,092.33 15.052.19 Hall Running Cos1S 2115- Salary of Community Centre Cleaner$ 25TO- Hall runnlng telephone 2805- Community Cenire Running 2815- Communlty Centr8 Maintsrtance 75,173.50 75.173.$0 37.373.66 Hall Runnlng C05t5 fotols 75.173.50 75.173.50 37.373.66 Church Repalrs & MaintenétTrC• 2701 Church major repairs- structure 2710- Church m8jor repairs 3,117.24 3.117.24 2715- Chur¢h Llghling Fund 2720- Church inl81ior 8nd exterior decorallng Church R8pairs & Malntenance 3,117.24 3.117.24 Totals Hall RepAirs & Maintenance 2640- Other PCC property upkeep Hall Repalrs & Malntenan¢e Totals Payment$ Grand totals 82,387.31 850.00 78.080.94 161.318.25 112.733.17 21 April 2023 Page 5 Independent Examiner's Report To the trustees of Bemerton Parochial Church Councll I report on the accounts of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31 Decembèr 2022 which are set our on pages I to S Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and examiner As explained more fully in the Statement of frtsstees Responsibilities. the Trustees are responsible for the preparation of these accounts and for being satisfied that they give a true and lair view. The Trustees consider that an Budit is not requlred for this year under 5ettion 144121 of the Charities Att 2011 (the 2011 Act) and that an independent examination is needed. Having satisfied myself that the charity is not subject to audit under company law and is eligible for independent examination, it 15 my respon5ibillty to.. examine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Act,. follow the procedures laid down in the general directtons given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the 2011 Act,. and state whether particular maiters have come to my attention. Basis of independent examiner's report My examinètion was carried out in accordance with the general directions given by the Charity Cornmi55i0n. An examination includes a review Of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those record5. It also includes con5iderètion of any unusual item5 or disclosures in the accounts. and seeking eKplanations from you 35 trustees concernin8 any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not Pfovide 311 the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no oplnion is given a5 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 examlner's statement In connection wtth my examination. no matter has Corne to my attention.. which gives rne reasonable cause to belteve that, in any materlal respert, the reqtssrements.. to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 130 of the 2011 Act,. and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met,. or 2 to whlch, In my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper un¢Ser5tandinB of the account5 to be reached. M J Kerley FCCA Accountancy & Taxation Services 9 Barnack Business Centre Blakey Road Salisbury SPI 2LP Dated.. ,/*li L3