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2023-12-31-accounts

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 2023

Bemerton Parish Office 96 St. Michael’s Road Bemerton Heath Salisbury SP2 9LE

Bank: Lloyds Bank Plc. Blue Boar Row Branch Salisbury

Independent examiner: Wendy Oliver FCCA

Page 1 of 23

Safeguarding

There are now 2 Parish Safeguarding Officers, Debbie Ford and Jane Podkolinski.

We have been busy over the past 18 months getting to grips with the role, completing the mandatory training for the role, taking part in a Diocesan Safeguarding Workshop in October 2023 and most recently the Diocesan Safeguarding Audit.

What we have done:

Looking ahead, as the business model of the Community Centre changes, we will monitor the groups using the centre to ensure safeguarding remains a high priority for all users. Safeguarding is everyone’s business.

Report written by Debbie Ford, Rev’d Kevin Martin, Jane Podkolinski

Evangelism, Ministry & Mission

In Bemerton Parish we have been looking over the past few years at how we engage with Evangelism, Ministry and Mission in our everyday actions. In 2023 we continued to hold our regular services in church and increased the number of ‘light touch’ services we had throughout the year around different parts of the parish. Our

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way of engaging with Evangelism, Ministry and Mission is not to simply keep the old system of services which we put on for people to come to going. It is to look at how we can engage with people where they naturally gather. We are focussing more on the aspect of Jesus’ life and teaching which saw him sitting down with people, especially those whom the religious leaders thought were to be avoided, and sharing food, drink and laughter with them. In those encounters we also see the caring healing and loving Jesus who welcomes those who are in pain and struggling and in need of comfort and support.

St Michael’s Community Centre offers us a great opportunity for us to provide a great deal of this type of outreach and in April of 2023 we interviewed for a full-time Community Centre and Café Manager. We were delighted to appoint Mrs Kate Varga to the post and she has been a great asset to developing our vision of being a mission shaped church. Through our mission activities we are automatically engaging with Evangelism and Ministry. As you read through this report I hope you will be able to see how Evangelism, Ministry and Mission is at the heart of each decision we make in how our parish is structured and how we live our daily lives.

Rev’d Kevin was delighted to welcome Rev’d Karen Hutchinson to the Parish as an Assistant Priest toward the end of the year and she has already been a great presence and resource in the parish. We look forward to her ministering here in the years to come.

LPA (Lay Pastoral Assistant) and Pastoral Care

The Community Fridge and Larder and the Community Café continue to be ways in which we can offer pastoral care to those who would not normally attend church services. There are many regular visitors who clearly find it appealing as a safe place, somewhere to meet others and somewhere to share problems. A weekly lunch was provided at a low cost to the older persons and this is a joint venture with the local council. We have also begun to provide lunches for a similar group of people in Harnham.

We have supported a few people with neurodiversity who come to our low-cost table-tennis club in the Community Centre, which caters for all abilities, and have had very positive feed-back on how helpful it has been to enable them to mix socially.

We have been spending more time in the local Church of England Primary and Secondary schools in the parish along with a renewed presence in a local SEND school. A lot of these visits were carried out weekly and so we have provided a lot of care to children and their families alike as well as care to the staff. From September Rev’d Kevin has co-facilitated a staff drop-in at Sarum Academy once a week with The Bridge chaplain.

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Our 6 LPAs continued to visit various parishioners, offering communion to those unable to attend church, or visiting those who are housebound, sick or dying.

Anybody who lives within the parish boundaries can seek pastoral care from the incumbent, and calls have been received regularly throughout the year, asking for pastoral care for the sick and dying, and continued support to those who are bereaved is also often given. As part of our ongoing care of those who are bereaved we held an All Souls Service at St Michael’s in October which was well attended, and appreciated, with refreshments served afterwards.

A lot of our pastoral care is also engaged with through the two other ‘life events’ ministry which is Baptisms and Weddings. Preparation for these celebrations of God’s love for all God’s children and the way we share in that loving relationship often means an extended period of time getting to know couples and families.

Our pastoral care is also extended to those who have maybe felt hurt of rejected by another church either within the CofE or another denomination because of their gender, sexuality, ethnicity, relationship status or other issues. We have remained committed during 2023 to continue to uphold the following statement of the Inclusive Church Network of which we are part:

“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.”

Report written by Shirley Frayling and Kevin Martin

Social Events

There was an increase in social events this year following the pandemic.

The PCC meeting in July convened in The White Horse Pub Quidhampton and was preceded by a meal together.

A very well attended Gin and Canapes event was held in Quidhampton Village Hall on September 15th with a strong desire to hold another.

Harvest Festival was celebrated with drinks, nibbles and singing at The White Horse Pub which included a well supported raffle.

Rev’d Kevin hosted a Craft and Candle making event prior to Advent for school children and their families also in Quidhampton Village Hall.

We continued to support the Harlequin’s Club monthly Skittles group during the summer.

Page 4 of 23

Social events were also very much part of the ministry, mission and evangelism that saw ‘walking carols’ through various parts of the parish during December. All other community events are covered in the Community Centre report. Written by Bob Kershaw

Bemerton Parish Community Art Group .

The Art group meets on Thursday afternoon from 3-5pm in the Community Centre. It is open to all who would like to draw or paint. We are a small group at the moment but we are open to welcoming new members. The group is an ideal way to relax and enjoy the company of others in the group and we learn from each other. We do not have a set program but members can decide for themselves what materials they want to use and how they want to use them. Welcome to our group.

Report written by Maureen Winstanley.

’ Flowers for St Michael s Church .

At the moment we only have flowers on Festivals and special occasions because we don't have enough volunteers.

Report written by Maureen Winstanley.

' Flowers at St Andrew s Church.

Jane Malkin runs the rota and 13 people volunteered to arrange flowers in St Andrews each doing one or sometimes two 2 week periods which cover refreshing and watering. During the year 2 ladies moved out of the area and June Hatcher who had previously run the rota sadly died.

There are a large number of visitors to St Andrews both locally and far away due to the connection with George Herbert and it is important for the church to have a welcome with flowers both in the alcove opposite the entry door and at the altar. During Harvest there is a wonderful display of fruits and vegetables on the window sill provided by Harry and Justine Baker and at Christmas time a festive display by Lynn and Jane.

The church remains empty during Lent and Advent, apart from the Advent wreath. Written by Lynn Kershaw

Deanery Synod Report

Since being elected to this body in April three meetings have been scheduled. Debbie Ford and I attended the May meeting with Rev’d Kevin Martin but as this was considered to be the final meeting of the previous triennium were only able to observe, despite a significant turnout and representation of all parishes the meeting was not quorate and therefore no decisions could be made. Debbie and I attended the September meeting which was poorly attended with a number of parishes unrepresented and therefore not quorate but was short being mainly confined to short reports of activities from the parishes present, there do not seem to be any minutes from this meeting. The November meeting was cancelled with the next

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meeting due to be held in early 2024. My impression so far is that this body is currently lacking purpose and direction. Report written by Michael Bird

Church Buildings

St Andrew’s

The fabric of St Andrew’s is generally in good repair.

A number of lights have failed once more and work has started to replace them. Agreement was obtained from the Archdeacon to replace two failed lights with LED floodlights as a trial and from this a plan will be developed to replace all of the light fittings of the old scheme with new LED floods of varying power depending on the position. This will require List B permission and will be done in 2024.

The new Rector’s board was installed in August. There is a note attached to the rear detailing when it was replaced and the donors who contributed to the cost.

A bequest was left by Margaret Munt and it was decided to use it to purchase a Paschal Candle Stand and List B permission was obtained in September. It was delivered requiring construction and when it was constructed in December it was found to have a poor finish in places. There was a long lead time on a replacement so a partial refund was accepted and a cosmetic repair carried out. Details and sourcing of a plaque to note the commemoration will be done early in 2024.

The next Quinquenial inspection is due in late 2024.

Thanks to a number of local residents we have been able to keep the church open every day with a rota of people locking up. Written by Hilary Bird

Friends of St Andrew’s Report 2023

The Friends of St Andrew’s fund the maintenance and upkeep of the church. They met three times in 2023, in January, April and September.

Most outcomes have been fabric related and are in the St Andrew’s report.

A George Herbert Festival Evensong was held on 26th February.

Visitors from around the world are once again arranging to visit the church and these visits are supported by members of the George Herbert in Bemerton Group. Report written by Hilary Bird

St John’s

There is no change to the interior of the chancel. Written by Hilary Bird

Page 6 of 23

St John’s Churchyard

BT installed a fibre connection across the churchyard in February 2023.

In March several people cleared all the ‘illegal’ items from graves. This was not well received by the community and was quite distressing for the volunteers who did the clearance. Gradually a number of illegal items have returned.

A memorial bench donated in memory of Lilian Hatcher (by M&S Colleagues) and maintained by her family was beyond repair. The family wanted to donate a new bench but stop their involvement in maintaining it going forward. Bemerton Community agreed to continue upkeep and List B permission was obtained in August for a new bench which was installed in the autumn. Written by Hilary Bird

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. There is still an occasional leak in the roof at the East end of the North aisle. (note the cardinal points are as if the building has the altar at the east end).

The Quinquennial inspection was conducted in March and the fabric was noted as being in far better repair than previously. The report had not been received by the end of 2023.

The heating in winter 2022/2023 was ineffective but it would be a major investment to make it possible to warm the building without leaving the heating on full time. This is uneconomic and environmentally inappropriate. A programmable thermostat was installed so that frost protection is possible and it is no longer necessary to manually switch the heating on at 3am.

Written by Hilary Bird.

St Michael’s Community Centre & Café

Many changes were brought in as of April 2023. The kitchen usage has increased, the Cafe now sells cooked food and can offer catering for outside groups and events. This increased the Cafe takings considerably.

The changes created a different working pattern which unfortunately didn't suit all of the existing volunteers so a number of them left. We were very pleased to engage five new volunteers and a DofE student from Sarum Academy.

Both our cleaners had to go on long-term sick leave after suffering a fall and in the other case a hand injury. Regretfully, in both cases, they had to give up physical work because of their health condition. So far we have not managed to replace the cleaners permanently.

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One of our long-term hirers, AgeUK moved to a more central location. This freed up the two back rooms. We are looking at various options on how to utilize these rooms.

With an active social media presence and more targeted advertising, we saw an increase in both regular and one-off hires. We have a substantial accrued income relating to these bookings.

To gain back valuable space within the centre we had to deal with a huge amount of accumulated items. We are pleased to report that we no longer store items from past hirers, unusable items or irrelevant advertising boards, broken equipment etc. Many thanks to the volunteers, regular customers and Parish members who helped with this mammoth job.

Our Fire Safety and Health and Safety Policy were also updated alongside this clear-up project.

We are grateful to continue working with the Community Payback team, they keep the garden maintained and adjoining grassed areas mowed.

A grant payment secured a second table-tennis table which has been much enjoyed by the regular Wednesday club members and by many of the Breakfast Club children and parents.

We saw an increase in younger families using the Community Centre via the Breakfast Club, the re-structured Little Angel's group, the Boardgames club and on the various weekend events which were hosted by the Community Centre. We are pleased and thankful to have the support of Spurgeon's Children's Centre with such activities.

We will need to update the heating system at the Community Centre and we are looking at quotes and grant options to pay for this large expenditure. Furthermore, the flat roof will need to be mended again and we need to plan for other capital expenditures such as a new fridge, outdoor lighting, replacement of gutters and the redecoration of the back rooms.

Community Fridge and Larder

The Community Fridge and Larder continued to offer support to those in need in the local community. It was open during café opening times, and was well used. Sadly there was gradually a decrease in the amount of food being donated by local businesses so the fridge was not often full. A restriction to three items per person had to be introduced to try and ensure as many people as possible were fed with the smaller donations we were receiving.

Performance and Achievement

This report on 2023 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. We have engaged with new ways of meeting people where they are at rather than simply trying to get people to come to our church buildings. Written by Kevin Martin

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Treasurer’s Report

The 2023 Balance Sheet and statement of financial activities shows a £24 surplus/deficit of receipt payments, this is an improvement from 2022 where surplus/deficit equated to £31K.

At the end of 2023 there had been no notable change to our fixed assets which include The Warre Trust, The church hall fund and Fixed interested Securities as no drawdowns for 2023 have occurred. However it should be noted that a drawdown from the church hall fund was agreed by PCC and has received DBF approval to retrospectively pay for works in the car park, although this will be recorded in the 2024 financial year.

Following the hire of a community centre manager, we envisioned that the community centre will support the projects run within the parish, and we can already see the hard work that Kate has been implementing into the community centre with regular fundraising events, breakfasts clubs, raffles and private hire. I have no doubt that that Kate has more ideas on how to continue to improve the community centre. With regards to the ordinary church income and expenditure we can see that things have improved considerably for 2023 compared with 2022 where our expenditure is actually less than our income as you can see from Statement of Financial Activities. This is in part due to the reduced rate of Parish Share that was arranged throughout the 2023 financial year. We will be using the £19800 (a £10,000 reduction from previous years drawdowns) from the church hall fund (reimbursement for money already spend on the car park) alongside with funds from both PCC and Community Centre accounts to clear the outstanding Parish Share for 2023. Moving into 2024, the Parish Share will remain at a figure of £56,540.00 due to ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. And finally, for 2024 we look forward to introducing the Parish Giving scheme to contribute towards the monthly income for the church accounts.

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Independent examiner's report to the trustees of The Parochlal Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bemerton, Salisbury I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Bemerton, Salisbury IPCCI for the year ended 31 December 2023 Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity trustees of the PCC you are responsible for the prep8r8tion of the accounts in accor¢Jance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 I'the Act'l I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my ex8mination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515llbl of the Act. Independent examlner's statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me c8use to believe that in any material respect: 1. Accounting records were not kept in respect of the PCC as required by section 130 of the Act.. or 2. The accounts do not 8ccord with those records. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts io be reached. Signed.. W40 Wendy Oliver FCCA Meadow Glen Lower Road Quidhampton SP2 9AR Dat8.'

Bemerton Parochial Church Council

Balance Sheet detailed

31/12/2023
31/12/2022
As at
As at
Fixed assets
7550: Fixed Interest Securities
7555: Parish Room
7565: Church Hall
7570: 3.5% War Loan
7575: Warre Trust
Total Fixed assets
Current assets
6501: Bemerton PCC current account
6502: St.Andrews Current account
6503: Community centre current account
6510: CCLA (CBF) deposit account -
St.Michaels
6515: CCLA deposit - St.Andrews
6520: CCLA Deposit - Community Centre
6525: St Andrew's Pay Pal
6530: St Andrew's Gift Aid Tax due
6531: Community Centre Petty Cash
Z05: Accounts Receivable
Total Current assets
Liabilities
6699: Agency collections
Z04: Accounts Payable
Total Liabilities
Net Asset surplus (deficit)
Reserves
Excess / (deficit) to date
Z01: Starting balances
Z02: Other gains/(losses)
Total Reserves		 1,224.87
1,134.96
—
—
53,208.58
48,633.01
—
—
133,465.99
121,988.83
187,899.44
171,756.80
18,368.75
18,046.04
4,806.30
3,474.16
43,495.37
31,591.45
10.69
10.69
15,568.03
15,084.59
—
—
(14.67)
134.00
57.75
70.14
—
—
—
—
82,292.22
68,411.07
710.35
411.86
—
—
710.35
411.86
269,481.31
239,756.01
13,582.66
(31,096.26)
239,756.01
297,683.34
16,142.64
(26,831.07)
269,481.31
239,756.01

21 May 2024

Page 1

As at As at 31/12/2023 31/12/2022

17,367.79
Unrestricted
17,360.57
1,498.12
Designated
1,391.21
117,149.41
Restricted
99,015.40
133,465.99
Endowment
121,988.83
Represented by Funds
269,481.31
239,756.01
Total

21 May 2024

Page 2

Bemerton Parochial Church Council

Statement of Financial Activities

For the period from 01 January 2023 to 31 December 2023

Unrestricted Restricted Endowment Total Prior year
funds funds funds funds total funds
Receipts
Planned giving 25,505 — — 25,505 28,629
Collections and other giving 3,840 — — 3,840 4,899
Other trading activities 1,636 — — 1,636 1,939
Other voluntary receipts 3,282 13,654 — 16,937 22,310
Gift Aid recovered 2,682 — — 2,682 7,419
Investments 5,103 — — 5,103 5,908
Other receipts 30 56,364 — 56,394 54,787
Receipts from church activities 3,742 — — 3,742 4,328
Total income 45,821 70,019 — 115,840 130,221
Payments
Missionary and Charitable Giving 30 — — 30 3,945
Parish Share 25,845 — — 25,845 54,439
Clergy and Staffing costs 6,772 — — 6,772 6,551
Church Running Expenses 13,149 — — 13,149 18,092
Hall Running Costs — 56,460 — 56,460 75,173
Church Repairs & Maintenance — — — — 3,117
Hall Repairs & Maintenance — — — — —
New Building work — — — — —
Total expenditure 45,796 56,460 — 102,257 161,318
Gains / losses on investment assets 89 4,575 11,477 16,142 (26,831)
Net income / (expenditure) resources before transfer 114 18,134 11,477 29,725 (57,927)
Transfers
Gross transfers between funds - in — — — — 36,000
Gross transfers between funds - out — — — — (36,000)
Other recognised gains / losses
Gains on revaluation, fixed assets, charity's own use — — — — —
Net movement in funds 114 18,134 11,477 29,725 (57,927)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward 18,751 99,015 121,988 239,756 297,683
Total funds carried forward 18,865 117,149 133,465 269,481 239,756

There may be minor discrepancies in the totals if the pence are not being shown

21 May 2024 Page 1

Bemerton Parochial Church Council

Analysis of income and expenditure Selected period: 01 January 2023 to 31 December 2023

Total
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year
Receipts
Planned giving
0101 - Gift Aid - Bank 24,631 — — — 24,631 27,065
0110 - Gift Aid - Envelopes 130 — — — 130 614
0201 - Planned giving 743 — — — 743 950
Planned giving Totals 25,505 — — — 25,505 28,629
Collections and other giving
0301 - Loose plate collections 1,838 — — — 1,838 1,576
0302 - Baptism loose plate 39 — — — 39 34
0303 - Weddings loose plate — — — — — —
0304 - Funeral Loose plate — — — — — 53
0401 - Regular gift days — — — — — —
0501 - One-off Gift Aid gifts 1,506 455 — — 1,961 3,235
Collections and other giving 3,385 455 — — 3,840 4,899
Totals
Other voluntary receipts
0410 - Giving through church boxes 96 — — — 96 51
0550 - Donations appeals etc 2,691 192 — — 2,883 2,605
0550C - Costs incurred for Donations (32) — — — (32) (13)
received
0551 - Coffee & Chat — — — — — —
0556 - South Africa Appeal 2022 — — — — — 2,252
0560 - Wedding Blessing — — — — — —
0701 - Legacies — — — — — —
08A1 - Non-recurring one-off grants 335 — 12,000 — 12,335 15,547
0910 - Fund Raising 1,636 — — — 1,636 1,939
1250 - Magazine income - advertising — — — — — —
1260 - Parish magazine sales — — — — — —
1400 - Friends of St.Andrews — — 1,654 — 1,654 1,866
Other voluntary receipts Totals 4,726 192 13,654 — 18,573 24,250
Gift Aid recovered
0601 - Tax recoverable on Gift Aid 2,682 — — — 2,682 7,419
1001 - Dividends 5,102 — — — 5,102 5,712
1020 - Bank and building society 0 — — — 0 195
interest
1030 - Rent from lands or buildings — — — — — —
Gift Aid recovered Totals 7,785 — — — 7,785 13,327
Other receipts
0901 - Other funds generated — — — — — 405
0902 - Church Hiring (via Comm Centre — — — — — 168
)
1000 - to be assigned — — — — — —
1040 - Withdrawn from investments — — — — — —
1300 - Photocopier 30 — — — 30 27
1305 - Order of Service — — — — — 8
1310 - Insurance claims — — — — — —

There may be minor discrepancies in the totals if the pence are not being shown

21 May 2024 Page 1

Total
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year
1315 - Vicars Phone — — — — — —
1320 - Surplus - sales of fixed assets — — — — — —
1500 - Community Centre running — — 56,364 — 56,364 54,178
1505 - Community Centre Administrator — — — — — —
Salary
Other receipts Totals 30 — 56,364 — 56,394 54,787
Receipts from church activities
1101 - Fees for weddings & Banns 2,069 — — — 2,069 1,672
1102 - Fees for funerals & monuments 1,673 — — — 1,673 2,656
1103 - Assigned Misc Fees — — — — — —
1104 - Assigned Funeral Fees — — — — — —
1105 - Assigned Wedding Fees — — — — — —
1106 - Wedding Organist Fees — — — — — —
1107 - Wedding Vergers Fees — — — — — —
1150 - Parish Training & Mission — — — — — —
1200 - Parish Weekend Away — — — — — —
Receipts from church activities 3,742 — — — 3,742 4,328
Totals
Receipts Grand totals 45,174 647 70,019 — 115,840 130,221
Payments
Missionary and Charitable Giving
1801 - Giving to Christian Aid — — — — — —
1830 - Giving - South Africa — — — — — 2,915
1831 - Giving - Morning Star — — — — — —
1850 - Giving - Other Charities 30 — — — 30 1,030
1870 - Giving from discretionary fund — — — — — —
Missionary and Charitable Giving 30 — — — 30 3,945
Totals
Parish Share
1910 - Parish share etc 25,845 — — — 25,845 54,439
Parish Share Totals 25,845 — — — 25,845 54,439
Clergy and Staffing costs
2001 - Assistant staff costs — — — — — —
2050 - Salary of parish administrator 6,772 — — — 6,772 6,442
2101 - Working expenses of incumbent — — — — — 108
2102 - Working Expenses - Asst clergy — — — — — —
2103 - Working Expenses - others — — — — — —
2104 - Organist Fees — — — — — —
2105 - Verger Fees — — — — — —
2110 - Salary of Community Centre — — — — — —
Administrator
2150 - Vicar's telephone — — — — — —
2370 - Visiting speakers / locums — — — — — —
Clergy and Staffing costs Totals 6,772 — — — 6,772 6,551

There may be minor discrepancies in the totals if the pence are not being shown

21 May 2024 Page 2

Total
Unrestricted Designated Restricted Endowment This year Last year
Church Running Expenses
1701 - Fees paid to fund raisers — — — — — —
1720 - Costs of stewardship campaign — — — — — —
1730 - Costs of fetes & other events — — — — — —
2170 - Education — — — — — —
2201 - Parish training and mission 634 630 — — 1,264 1,248
2202 - St Peters Place — — — — — —
2205 - Youth Work — — — — — —
2206 - Parish Weekend — — — — — —
2210 - Social Events — — — — — —
2220 - Alpha Course — — — — — —
2301 - Church running - insurance 3,426 — — — 3,426 3,402
2302 - Legal Fees — — — — — —
2310 - Church office - telephone & 371 — — — 371 258
broadband
2312 - Church office - rent — — — — — —
2313 - Church office - equipment — — — — — —
2315 - Church Office - Photocopier 89 — — — 89 408
2320 - Organ / piano tuning — — — — — 65
2330 - Church maintenance 1,256 — — — 1,256 1,327
2331 - Cleaning — — — — — 576
2340 - Upkeep of services 946 — — — 946 686
2341 - Assigned Funeral Fees — — — — — —
2342 - Assigned Wedding Fees — — — — — —
2343 - Assigned Fees owed for — — — — — —
previous years
2350 - Upkeep of churchyard — — — — — —
2360 - Administration 891 — — — 891 129
2401 - Church running - electric 1,702 — — — 1,702 1,708
2410 - Church running - gas 606 — — — 606 2,824
2420 - Church running - water 194 — — — 194 149
2440 - Church running - heating and — — — — — —
lighting
2501 - Magazine expenses — — — — — —
2601 - Examination/audit fee — — — — — —
2806 - Coffee & Chat — — — — — —
2845 - St John's Place Lease/Utilities 2,400 — — — 2,400 2,400
contribu
3000 - Friends of St.Andrews running — — — — — 2,907
Church Running Expenses 12,519 630 — — 13,149 18,092
Totals
Hall Running Costs
2115 - Salary of Community Centre — — — — — —
Cleaners
2570 - Hall running - telephone — — — — — —
2805 - Community Centre Running — — 56,460 — 56,460 75,173
2815 - Community Centre Maintenance — — — — — —
Hall Running Costs Totals — — 56,460 — 56,460 75,173
Church Repairs & Maintenance
2701 - Church major repairs - structure — — — — — —
2710 - Church major repairs - — — — — — 3,117
installation
2715 - Church Lighting Fund — — — — — —
2720 - Church interior and exterior — — — — — —
decorating
Church Repairs & Maintenance — — — — — 3,117

There may be minor discrepancies in the totals if the pence are not being shown

21 May 2024 Page 3

Totals
Hall Repairs & Maintenance
2840 - Other PCC property upkeep
Hall Repairs & Maintenance
Totals
Payments Grand totals		 Unrestricted
Designated
Restricted
Endowment
Total
This year
Last year
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
45,166
630
56,460
—
161,318
102,257

There may be minor discrepancies in the totals if the pence are not being shown

21 May 2024 Page 4

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 2023 covering the operating year 2022 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. Member can also be co-opted by the PCC.

Reverend Kevin Martin as Rector of Bemerton is an Ex-Officio member. PCC members who have served from 27[th] April 2023 to the APCM on 27[th] April 2024 are as follows:

Ex-Officio Members

Incumbent: The Reverend Kevin Martin

Churchwarden Hilary Bird

Deanery Synod Representatives Gillian Newton (from 06.10.2020 – 30.06.2023) Terri Seaton (from 06.10.2020 – 30.06.2023) Michael Bird (from 01.07.2023 – 2026) Debbie Ford (from 01.07.2023 – 2026)

Elected members

Bob Kershaw (27.05.2021 – 2024) Lynn Kershaw (27.05.2021 – 2024) Chris Cochrane (27.05.2021 – 10.01.2024) Patience Dreyer (27.04.2022 – 2025) Neal Dreyer (27.04.2022 -2025) Colin Frayling (27.04.2022 – 2025) Birthe Mester (27/04/2023 – 2026) Bruce Burley (27/04/2023 – 2026) Denise Wells (27/04/2023 – 2026)

Co-opted members

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Shirley Frayling (27/04/2023 – 2024) Koral Hull (27/04/2023 - 2024)

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Bemerton Parish Annual Parish Meeting Thursday 27[th] April 2023 6pm

St Michael’s Community Centre

Present: Kevin Martin (Chair), Shirley Frayling (minutes), Andrew Farley, Hilary Bird, Michael Bird, Robert Kershaw, Lynn Kershaw, Maureen Winstanley, Alan Winstanley, Linda Carley, Bruce Burley, Koral Hull, Jane Podkolinski, Gillian Newton, Colin Frayling, Helen Pessell. Frank Pessell, Denise Wells (via Zoom), Patience Dreyer (via Zoom)

Annual Parish Meeting

Election of Church Wardens: Hilary Bird was unanimously elected, with thanks. It was noted that a second church warden to assist Hilary would be welcome.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

  1. Maureen Winstanley opened with prayer.

  2. Apologies for absence: Neal Dreyer, Lawrence Newton, Carol Shipp, Carol MacAbendroth, Terri Seaton, Debbie Ford

  3. Changes in membership on the Electoral Roll. We currently have 78 on our Electoral Roll, which remains the same as last year. Thanks were expressed to Keren Mercer, our Electoral Role Officer.

  4. The minutes of the previous APCM were accepted by all and signed as a true record.

  5. Matters arising: A decision needs to be made regarding the artwork donated by Robyn Golden Hann for the garden. A sub-committee will be formed to plan the installation.

6. The Reports.

a) Safeguarding.

Kevin expressed his thanks to Jane Podkolinski and Debbie Ford for taking this on, and his gratitude to Helen Pessell for her work as the previous Safeguarding Officer.

There were no questions or comments on the report.

Jane Podkolinski informed those present that she and Debbie were now meeting regularly with Kevin, with an agenda, and that a draft code of conduct for volunteers had been written. The diocese had requested a copy of the final draft, to be offered to other churches.

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b) Evangelism, Ministry and Mission There were no questions or comments on the report.

c) Lay Pastoral Assistants and Pastoral Care

Kevin expressed his thanks to Ali Alexander and Kim Stephens for leading the LPA training course, to the present LPAs who attended, and to Geoffrey Herbert for his years of ministry prior to his retirement. There were no further questions or comments on the report.

d) Social Events.

There were no questions or comments on the report.

e) Bemerton Parish Community Art Group.

There were no questions or comments on the report.

f) Flowers for St Michael’s Church.

Maureen commented that there are only 3 people on the team at present and it would be helpful to have more.

There were no further questions or comments

g) Flowers at St Andrew’s Church.

Lynn commented that of the 14 volunteers, 3 had stepped down. Kevin expressed his thanks to all the flower arrangers.

There were no further questions or comments.

h) Deanery Synod Report

Gillian Newton pointed out that the next meeting is in 2 or 3 weeks and the newly elected members need to be aware of this.

Kevin thanked Gillian and Terri for their support in this direction. There were no further comments or questions.

i) Church Buildings.

i. St Andrew’s.

There was a question about the lighting, which is at present inadequate, and Hilary responded that the electrician was to be asked about the possibility of changing to LED lights.

ii. Friends of St Andrew’s

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Kevin expressed his thanks to the Arts Society for the NADFAS book on St Andrew’s Church and said he would like to have a copy in the church.

There were no further comments on St John’s.

There were no further comments or questions on the buildings reports.

Kevin wished to express his thanks to Koral, who, together with Ali Alexander, set up the Little Angels group, and his thanks to St Thomas’ church for providing equipment for this.

He also expressed his thanks to Laurence Newton, who had been manager of the Centre from 2020 – 2022, and to all the people and organisations who had supported requests for funding.

There were no further comments or questions.

k) Community Café

Kevin thanked Terri Seaton for her work in the café.

There were no further comments or questions.

l) Community Fridge and Larder

Kevin added that we had to cease collections from Tesco because the items were out of date on the evening they were delivered. Lynn said that there was now less coming from the Co-op. It was thought that The Pantry might increase their donations in the future.

There were no further comments or suggestions.

m) Performance and Achievement

There were no comments or suggestions following this report.

n) Financial Report

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Kevin expressed his thanks to Frank Pessell for his work as Treasurer during the last year, and for his work towards the auditing of the accounts. Koral Hull is to be approved by the PCC as the new Treasurer. There were no further comments or suggestions.

  1. Rector’s Report

Kevin began by saying that there was much that was positive in the parish which promised good things moving forward.

Where the schools in the parish are concerned, he is visiting Springfields School and Bemerton St John’s weekly (thanks mentioned to Ali for keeping Open the Book going there); he is going into St Peter’s Place twice a week and getting children to do dramas for their assemblies. Kevin emphasised that collective worship in schools is “the church gathered”. Over 1,000 young people make up the congregation in schools, and are learning, reading scripture and praying together. This is an example of connections being made where people are.

Another exciting change is the appointment of Kate Varga as the new manager of the Community Centre and Café. Grants have enabled us to upgrade the kitchen; prices have to increase but it is still much cheaper than cafes in town. Kate is very committed, the café will be open longer hours and there are new volunteers coming, so the income should increase. We have to pay our Parish Share otherwise there will be no incumbent in the future, and we must see the Community Centre as a gift from God, helping us to do this.

Kevin encouraged us to see the parish not just as St Michael’s – it is very large and spread out, which in fact makes it an urban version of a rural parish – Quidhampton, Lower Bemerton, St Peter’s Place, “the colonies”, Fugglestone Red and The Heath are all quite different with their own needs and identities, and it is important to go into all of these areas. He cited the example of hot cross buns which were served on Good Friday in the hall in Quidhampton, an event which was attended by about 35 people. Another exciting event was serving pancakes to all the children at Bemerton St John’s after school on Shrove Tuesday – an event talked about for a week afterwards! We take God into these events and amazing conversations etc, take place, as we are Easter people, sharing the good news of God’s love for all people. We must thank God for these blessings, see them all as green shoots, and trust God to nurture them and develop them into strong plants, as we let go of any negativity and accept that change is necessary. It is a case of “belonging before believing” and we need to make sure that everyone who is part of our diverse parish knows they are cared about and that they belong.

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Bishop Stephen is coming on 14[th] May to our service at St Michael’s, and the Bemerton St John school choir will also be attending.

On the whole, a very positive outlook for the future, which we can take forward in faith.

Maureen Winstanley thanked Kevin for all his hard work in the parish.

8. Election and Appointments

Bruce Burley, proposed by Ivy Picton and seconded by Michael Bird Birthe Mester proposed by Mike Moody and seconded by Lynn Kershaw. All in favour.

9. There was no other business.

  1. The meeting closed with the Grace.

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