

## **2023 Report and Accounts for the Parochial Church Council of Christ Church, Southborough** 

After 3 years of restrictions and difficult circumstances, 2023 was a year when real growth could start to happen and we continued to return to normal activity in society. The PCC took the opportunity to think about which activities/events should be re-started or what new initiatives should happen instead and this was a year of re-establishment. 

## **Aims and Purposes** 

Christ Church Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility for cooperating with the incumbent, Rector Nick Cornell, in promoting in the ecclesiastical Parish, the whole mission of the Church; pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of Christ Church, the attached Church Hall and Annexe in addition to having a majority ownership of the curate’s house at 54 Holden Park Road, Southborough and full ownership of 2 rental properties - 32B London Road in Southborough and 38 Azure Court in Tonbridge. 

## **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 Christ Church. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the Parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our Parish. 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 

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guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable local people to live out their faith as part of our Parish community through: 

- Worship and prayer, learning about the Gospel and developing their knowledge and trust in Jesus 

- Provision of pastoral care for people living in the Parish 

- Mission and outreach work 

To facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of Christ Church. 

## **Reporting Public Benefit** 

The “Our Vision” section of the Trustees Report provides a brief summary of the activities undertaken by Christ Church, Southborough to further its charitable purposes for the public benefit. This section of the report also provides confirmation that the Trustees have had regard to the Charity Commission guidance on public benefit and in particular on charities for the advancement of religion, when planning our activities. 

The report specifically addresses the two key principles: 

1. There must be an identifiable benefit – and the Trustees have explained the activities and benefits which flow from them to the Parish community. 

2. The benefit must be to the public, or a section of the public – and the Trustees have explained their commitment to enable as many people as possible to worship and become part of the Parish community. 

## **Reference and Administrative Information** 

**Rector:** Rev Nick Cornell **Curate:** Rev Dave Bubb (until end July 2023) **Clergy – PTO:** Rev Jim Stevens **Licensed Lay Minister:** Sheila Syms **Churchwardens:** Rita Morland Jonathan Taylor **Deanery Synod Representative:** Barbara Bourne Graham Syms 

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Representation on the Deanery Synod provides the PCC with an important link between the Parish and the wider structures of the Church. Deanery Synod Representatives are elected for a period of 3 years. Elections took place at the APCM in 2023 and therefore Representatives are eligible to serve until May 2026. 

|**Bank:**|Lloyds Bank Plc, Tunbridge Wells Branch|
|---|---|
|**Independent Examiner:**|Zachary Ramsden, 63 Deakin Leas, Tonbridge,|
||Kent, TN9 2JT|
|**Charitable Status:**|The PCC is a corporate body (PCC Powers|
||Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules|
||2006) and a charity registered with the Charity|
||Commission. Registered Charity Number:|
||1184093|
|**Web-site:**|www.christchurchsouthborough.com|
|**Correspondence Addresses:**|Christ Church Office|
||Prospect Road|
||Southborough TN4 0EG|
|**Patronage Board includes:**|Church Pastoral Aid Society and The Mabledon|
||Trust|



## **Structure & Governance** 

## **PCC** 

Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. 

The PCC consists of the clergy, the Churchwardens, the Deanery Synod Representatives and the following elected members: 

|**Parish Treasurer:**|Lesley Clare|
|---|---|
|**PCC Secretary &**|Lesley Clare|
|**Electoral Roll Officer:**||
|**Representatives:**|Len Morland (until APCM 2023)|
||Judy Stevens|



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Tony Denyer Sue Shrubb Jamie Roddy 

In addition to her duties as Churchwarden, Rita Morland is also our Parish Safeguarding Officer. 

The PCC are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the Parish including decisions on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. 

Christ Church PCC met 7 times during 2023 and also made further decision via e-mail on occasions. Members of the PCC have personal and legal liability for the activities within the Parish. The average attendance at the full PCC meetings was 86%. An Away-Day was held in November at St Thomas’ Church to allow the PCC plus Jim Stevens and Sheila Syms to discuss the future vision for the church. 

**A Standing Committee** is required under Church Representation Rules and has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the PCC. The Standing Committee consists of the Clergy, both Churchwardens, PCC Secretary, Treasurer and Administrator. This Committee did not meet during 2023. 

**APCM** – the Annual Parochial Church Meeting was held on 14th May 2023 after the Sunday service and was also live-streamed for those who couldn’t attend. 

**Committees** – committees have been set up to make recommendations to the PCC on specific areas. These committees are: 

1. Standing Committee 

2. Youth & Children’s Work 

3. Sundays - Worship/Prayer/Discipleship 

4. Life Groups 

5. Buildings 

6. Lettings/Risk Assessments 7. Finance 

8. Mission/tithe 

9. Mission/Outreach 

- 10.Pastoral Care 

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- 11.Re-ordering Committee 

- 12.Safeguarding Committee 

- 13.Representation on ACTS Group 

## **Safeguarding** 

Rita Morland has been appointed as our Parish Safeguarding Officer and she is the first point of call for all safeguarding issues and ensures that all DBS clearances and training are kept up to date. During 2023 there were 18 volunteers with DBS clearances available to do children/youth work. There were 5 new DBS clearances applied for in 2023 and 2 people renewed their DBS. 

Every year, parents are asked to complete the parental consent forms for groups, activities, trips and photographs and all children and youth volunteers are issued with a written code of conduct and safeguarding policy. The Church of England Safeguarding Handbook is kept in the vestry and displayed on the main Noticeboard, on the Noticeboard in the office and a summary document given to all volunteers in September. A credit card sized guide, Safeguarding – A Pocket Guide was issued to all volunteers and a credit card size guide for children Safeguarding Contact Cards were purchased and supplied to all children and youth. We had no Safeguarding incidents during 2023. 

The PCC has agreed and are committed to comply with the duty under Section 5 of the Safeguarding & Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 which confirms that we will have regard to the House of Bishop’s Safeguarding policies and good practice guidance. 

The Safeguarding Committee have adopted the Safer Recruitment requirements and continue to review policies using the Diocesan Dashboard system. We have currently completed Level 1 and almost completed Level 2. All role descriptions have been rewritten. Rita Morland, Nick Cornell and Jamie Roddy have all completed the Safer Recruitment Training. 

Safeguarding is always on the PCC Meeting Agenda and any Diocesan or National developments are discussed. 

During 2023, 6 people undertook safeguarding training at either Basic Level or Level 1. Nick, Jim, Sheila, Rita and Jonathan have all completed their Safeguarding Leadership Course. 

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All PCC members have Enhanced DBS clearances. 

## **Serious Incident Reporting** 

Charities are required to report to the Charity Commission any serious incidents, both safeguarding and non-safeguarding. 

The PCC agreed to delegate authority to the Diocesan Secretary to submit safeguarding Serious Incident Reports to the Charity Commission and to the PCC Secretary to submit non-safeguarding Serious Incident Reports. 

## **Employees** 

During 2023, Christ Church employed three members of staff, Sue Shrubb, Church Administrator, Clair Tighe, Cleaner and Jamie Roddy as Families & Children’s Pastor. 

Sue is often the first point of contact and she ensures the smooth running of the Church, assists the clergy and co-ordinates all aspects of church administration, whilst Clair ensures the Annexe and the Hall are clean and tidy for our hirers and hoovers the church. Jamie’s role is to oversee all activities relating to children & youth and to build relationships with the school and the families attending any of the events we put on. 

## **Major Risks** 

The Trustees consider that major risks have been identified. Those which are not covered by insurance through EIG plc are namely Health & Safety and Child Protection. These topics are reviewed regularly by the PCC. 

## **Our Vision** 

## **“Faith Building, Bridge Building, Life Building”** 

The above “strap line” summarises the vision statement adopted by Christ Church in 2011. These three features are intended to focus all that we do as a Church. 

## **“Faith Building”** 

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_**We believe that the Bible reveals God’s will by His Spirit and we seek to enable people to understand its true meaning and apply it to their lives as true disciples of Christ. We seek also to create a worship environment in which the reality of God is experienced.**_ 

As a CPAS patronage Parish our tradition is evangelical. We place a high value on biblical preaching, mission and worship. We stand firmly on the authority of the Bible as the revealed Word of God and believe that the Bible speaks to each new generation afresh and the Holy Spirit is at work in our world today. 

## **Services** 

There is a morning service every week. The morning services include a monthly All Age Service which sees children and adults remain together with something for everyone and the emphasis on sharing the gospel through fun. Other morning services include Holy Communion and Morning Prayer. There is an evening service once a month for Prayer and Praise which is a reflective type service. This service is preceded by a short act of Holy Communion. At the start of 2023 our communion services operated with the celebrant dipping the wafer into the wine. In March we started using the Communion Rail again so the congregation could kneel whilst receiving the bread and wine. We returned to the practice of sharing the communal cup in October and Communion Assistants were re-appointed. 

We also have further communion services – on the 4[th] Sunday after the main service and before the Prayer & Praise Service on the 2nd Sunday in the evening. 

Family Church on Sunday afternoons which had proved very popular during times of restrictions, became less well attended and in June the bi-monthly services ceased. Family Church events are now on an ad-hoc basis as and when appropriate. 

On average 72 adults attended Sunday morning services each week and 15 children. Live streaming still takes place for all Sunday morning services. 

During 2023, 13 adults started attending the church and 18 left, 6 children started attending while 12 left. There are 241 people attached to the church with the age break-down as follows: 

Between 0 – 10 years = 45 Between 11-17 years = 34 

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Between 18 – 69 years  =         96 70+ years = 66 

In addition about 30 people watched the services from home, 

## **Special Services** 

During 2023, 2 adults and 3 children were baptised. There were no weddings nor any services of Prayer & Dedication after a civil marriage. There were no funerals held in church, but the clergy conducted 6 funerals at the Crematorium and 1 Service of Thanksgiving following a cremation was held. 

## **Seasonal Services** 

## **Christmas** 

Leaflets were distributed to the community detailing the Christmas services. 

In addition to the standard weekly services, there were special Christmas services including a Nativity Service at a special Family Church in the afternoon, a Christingle Service as part of the usual Sunday service, an Evening of Favourite Carols and Carols by Candlelight. There was a Christmas Eve Communion and an All-age Christmas Day communion service. A total number of 543 people attended the special services up to 23rd December and 243 people attended the Christmas Eve/Christmas Day services. 

## **Easter** 

A reflective Ash Wednesday service was held and a Maundy Thursday Communion Service. Two services were held on Good Friday – an All Age service plus a more meditative service of an Hour at the Cross, in addition to the usual service on Easter Sunday. The men’s singing group sang an anthem at the Easter Sunday service. 104 people attended Easter services. The Church was decorated with lilies over the Easter period which had mainly been donated by members of the congregation in memory of a loved one. 

## **Hope Explored** 

A Hope Explored Course was run during Lent – 3 sessions held over 6 weeks. On average 20 people attended each session. 

## **Others** 

An all age Harvest Festival was held in church with the produce being donated to the Community Larder and Nourish. This was also our annual Mission Gift 

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Day. During the Harvest Service the men’s singing group joined with the Music Group and some additional ladies to sing a John Rutter anthem. 

A service was held on Mothering Sunday and posies of daffodils distributed to the ladies in the congregation. In November a Remembrance Sunday service was held where we joined in with the national 2 minutes silence at 11.00 am. Nick, along with other local clergy, held a service of remembrance at the Southborough War Memorial. 

A special Coronation themed service was held in May followed by a cream tea. 

## **Clergy/Lay Ministers** 

In April, Nick took over the role of Area Dean following the retirement of Douglas Wren. 

Dave Bubb, Curate, continued to support Nick in the running of the Parish spending one week a month assisting St Lawrence and St Peter until the end of July. Following the completion of his curacy he accepted a role as Associate Minister at Christ The Servant King, Hampton, Peterborough. We held a farewell service for him followed by a presentation and a bring and share lunch in July. He was commissioned in his new role in September and a number of the congregation travelled to Hampton to support Dave and Jane in their new roles. 

Rev Jim Stevens (retired) is licensed as Clergy PTO for the Parish and continues to assist with services at Christ Church and during the year also assisted at other churches within the Diocese covering illness and vacancies. 

Sheila Syms is a Licensed Lay Minister and also regularly assists in services. Colin Clarkson, Michael Wightwick and Jim Walker are also Readers Emeritus at Christ Church. 

## **Mission** 

Christ Church has 5 main missions which it supports both financially and through prayer – Education for Life in Kenya, Sovereign World Trust, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), Crossteach and Church Pastoral Aid Society (CPAS). A number of smaller charities are also supported throughout the year on an ad-hoc basis. All our 5 main Missions received £958 from our tithing. £400 was paid to Tearfund for the situation in the Middle East and £400 to The Red Cross for aid in Ukraine out of the “emergency” pot. 

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A Mission Gift day was held in October which raised £2043 for our 5 mission partners – Education for Life £363, MAF £338, Sovereign World Trust £443, Crossteach £443 and CPAS £456. 

Every Christmas we make a collection for Education for Life for a specific need at that particular time. In 2023 the money was raised to purchase combined desk and chairs units and we sent them £1,055 for this purpose which we believe kitted out one whole classroom. 

We also participated in Operation Christmas Child, operated by Samaritan’s Purse, whereby shoe-boxes filled with presents are sent to children worldwide. The trend is now that these boxes are donated online but there are still a large number collected in church. 

Gifts were also collected in Church to be given to Colebrook Road Hostel for their resident’s Christmas Stockings. Colebrook Road Hostel provides accommodation for single homeless people. 

## **Community Larder** 

The Community Larder, started in November 2020 as a 6 week project, is still required in the community with the need and number of users constantly rising. The Café after the Larder still continues to thrive. Dave Bubb had responsibility for the Larder and it’s operation since it was started but after July, Patrick Grice took over the overall responsibility. The Larder received a grant of £2,500 from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to support its work plus an amount of £400 from Churches for Tunbridge Wells. Many volunteers help at this event either by manning the tables on a Thursday, providing refreshments in the café, or being involved in one of the many pick-ups from supermarkets that are necessary to provide this service to the community. Whilst many of these volunteers are members of our congregation there are also a number of volunteers from the community. 

## **Life Groups** 

Life Groups continue to be an important event in the life of the Church and there are currently 5 groups. They are held every fortnight during the day or in the evening to enable people to worship and pray together, explore their faith, ask questions to gain a greater understanding of both the Bible and Christianity and form a closer relationship with God and each other. 

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During Life Groups we had sessions on Amazing Grace, the Psalms and the Acts of the Apostles. Many thanks to Sheila Syms for faithfully producing the study notes. 

## **Electoral Roll** 

At the end of the year there were 126 members on the Electoral Roll. The Electoral Roll Secretary (Lesley Clare) reports the number on the Roll at the time of the APCM (which was 126) and it is this number, given to the Diocese, which is used to calculate the number of representatives we have on Deanery Synod. Electoral Roll additions, deletions and rolling totals are reported at each PCC meeting. 

## **Ecumenical Life** 

We have strong links to the ecumenical aspect to church life within the borough of Tunbridge Wells. We are a member of Churches for Tunbridge Wells, support the Annual Week of Prayer for Tunbridge Wells and we are a member of the Evangelical Alliance. 

Jim Stevens is a Street Pastor in the Tunbridge Wells Street Pastor Scheme run through Holy Trinity with Christ Church, Tunbridge Wells and Judy Stevens is part of the Prayer Pastor team. 

The Group Ministry within Southborough called ACTS (Anglican Churches Together in Southborough) comprising ourselves, St Thomas, St Lawrence & St Peter continued to be involved in community events. In December the ACTS ran a chill-out zone during the Southborough Winter Festival which provided refreshments and cakes. The ACTS group also provided refreshments at the Southborough May Festival held at the Civic Centre. 

A Memorial Service was held at St Peters in November which gave an opportunity to remember family and friends whom we have loved and lost and there was an opportunity to light a candle in memory. 

We have 2 lay representatives on the Committee of this Group in addition to the clergy. 

In July, Christ Church hosted a Confirmation service where 11 people were confirmed (5 from Christ Church, 1 from Langton Green, 6 from St Peter/St Lawrence) and there were 6 Baptisms with full immersion. This service was presided over by Bishop Jonathan. 

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_**We seek to ensure that the church is a visible and valuable presence in the community by welcoming and serving as many people as we can.**_ 

## **“Bridge Building”** 

## **Prayer** 

Prayer remains a fundamental role in the ministry of the Parish and is at the centre of all we do. Regular monthly Women and Men’s prayer are held throughout the year. Staff prayers are held on every Monday. Prayer after the Sunday morning services was re-introduced during the year. The staff team meet for prayer every Monday and regularly prayer for members of the congregation. 

The monthly prayer and praise evening service continued and prayer before the morning services continued. The small prayer groups continued to meet through the year and Sue continued to produce the monthly prayer diaries. 

Jamie held quarterly prayer meetings for Children & Youth Work. 

## **School Governors** 

We continue to maintain good relations and a strong presence with our local school – Southborough CE Primary School. During 2023, we had 2 Foundation Governors – Les Padfield (taking over from Helen Burns) and Rebecca Large. In addition Rev Nick Cornell is an ex-officio Governor. Lin Hutchinson from St Peter’s is also a Foundation Governor and it was agreed that she would serve another term of office. 

Nick, Dave (prior to July) and Jamie regularly run Collective Worship at the school. 

During the year services were held in Church for specific year groups which included parents and there were year group visits by the children. A School Leavers Service was held for Year 6. 

## **Friday Lunch Club** 

This club runs every Friday with Rita Morland & Judy Stevens providing the catering from the church kitchen. Lesley Grice joined the team during the year. This activity is aimed at the elderly in the Parish. The lunches exist for fellowship for the elderly but also to minister to those in their latter years as 

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many attendees are not members of the Sunday congregation. Volunteers provide transport to allow people to attend. 

## **Tea and Toys** 

A term-time toddler group for parents and carers to bring their pre-school children to play in a friendly and safe environment. This provides fun activities with lots of toys and opportunities to sing songs and listen to stories. 

These sessions have continued to be extremely popular and a booking system is in place to ensure everyone is kept safe. 

A Christmas party was held in December. 

## **Youth & Children** 

## **Children & Families Pastor** 

Jamie Roddy continues as our Children & Families Pastor. During 2023 he attended a Growing Young Disciples Conference for Youth Workers based on the theme of “Setting Your Eyes on Eternity.” 

## **Youth Activities** 

The Acts 29 Youth Life Group run by Angie Wright, Pole Voisey and Wenonah Bubb continued to meet on a weekly basis in the evening and the Pathfinders Group meet during Sunday morning services. ACTS 29 had their own Christmas Party. 

A Youth Weekend Away was held in November at West Watch attended by 6 Young people plus leaders. 

Jamie maintains links with Unite (Tunbridge Wells Youth for Christ) and has taken young people to Unite services and music events. 

A Light Party was held on 31st October run jointly with New Life church to celebrate Jesus the Light of the World. This was aimed at primary age children and over 80 attended the event. 

The Noise, a Church Youth Community Project was hosted by Christ Church. 47 young people attended over the three days from various churches. 

## **Sunday School/JAM/Family Events** 

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JAM (Jesus and Me) continues to grow in numbers. All children of primary age meet together in the Annexe. JAM and Pathfinders meet on all Sundays with the exception of the first Sunday of the month which is an All-Age service. The under 5’s group also continues. 

During the August School holidays, children attending services were provided with “Sunday School in a Bag” which included activities to do during the service. 

## **Toddler Praise** 

The new Toddler Praise Group started in 2022 continues with small but steady numbers. 

## **Holiday Club** 

A Holiday Club was held in 2023 and run over three mornings. This was fully booked with 42 children booked in every day. Not all could attend every day but great fun was had by all. A Holiday Club service was held on the Sunday following the event to share the experiences with the congregation and this service was followed by ice cream afterwards – now known as “Ice-cream Sunday”. 

A family Film afternoon was held in December with popcorn and was well attended. 

## **“Life Building”** 

_**We believe that we are created to have a relationship with Jesus Christ by His Spirit. We seek therefore to give opportunities for people to discover for themselves the relevance of Jesus in their lives and to demonstrate this through our communal life and care for one another.**_ 

## **Community Events** 

Many events took place during 2023, some were focussed on outreach whilst the aim of others is to strengthen the community of the church. 

**Warm Space Initiative** – from January we operated a “Warm Space” where members of the community could come and have refreshments, play games and chat with others. Unfortunately there was very little uptake on this initiative and the space was closed at the end of February. 

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**Coffee** – tea & coffee is served every week after church on Sundays. 

**Coffee & Chat** - a small group of predominately women meet every week for a time to enjoy fellowship and chat, coffee and biscuits! This group also support the charity Grassroots Rwanda. 

**Friday Café** – a new café started after Easter which was designed for parents and carers to come for a chat and coffee prior to picking up their children from school. A coffee morning was held in September for the parents of Reception children. 

**Men’s Events** – included a Men’s Breakfast and a Wine Tasting event 

**Men’s Curry Nights** – these continued on a monthly basis. However, due to the closure of the local Indian Restaurant the venue had to change to a local Indian café which did not lend itself to this type of evening. New plans are in place for 2024. In December there was a curry evening in the Church Hall for both men and women with over 30 people attending. 

**Christmas Fair** – the annual Christmas Fair, organised by Sue Shrubb, was held again in November. This has always been an event for the community as well as fund-raising and was well supported raising over £2,000. Tony Denyer’s men’s singing group again provided entertainment during the Fair. 

**Harvest** – a Harvest Supper was held in October with a ploughman’s supper and entertainment provided by Les Padfield’s singing vicars, Wilson Tse on his violin and Tony Denyer’s male singing  group. Invitations were extended to our customers from the Community Larder and a number of the 105 attendees were through this route. 

**Women’s Advent Evening** – held in December, this was an evening of meditation with wine and cheese refreshments 

**Men’s Bowling** – Len Morland re-created the men’s bowling league which he ran some years ago and a number of men attend this monthly event 

**The “Big Knit”** – we participated in The Making Miracles Big Knit 2023 by members of the congregation knitting squares and these were sent to Rochester Cathedral to make into blankets. 

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**Christmas Lunch** - Len & Rita Morland provided a Christmas lunch in the Church Hall which was open to members of the congregation and the wider community. 

## **Other Events** 

Both Sue Shrubb and Jamie Roddy were involved in running Christian camps over the summer holidays. 

The Brownie pack continued to meet on a weekly basis. 

Members of the congregation participate in Ride & Stride. Steve & Annette Cole took over the organisation of this from Alan Peggs. 

The Lions held a Pensioners Party in the Hall available for all members of the community. 

Len Morland organised a church walk on Whit Sunday. 

## **Pastoral Care** 

Where people have not been able to attend church due to sickness, members of the clergy have visited them to celebrate communion or to pray with them. Many lifts have been provided by members of the congregation to church, church events, hospital appointments and other medical appointments. 

## **Bereavements** 

Unfortunately during 2023 we had to say goodbye to a very long-term member of our congregation who had contributed so much to both the children’s work at Christ Church and also providing catering on many occasions – Tina Peggs. A service to celebrate her life was held on 1[st] November. 

Earlier in the year we also lost another member of our congregation and regular attendee at the Friday Lunch Club – Alec Taylor. 

There were two members of the lunch club who we also lost during the year - Brenda Boyce and Brenda Marchant. 

## **Communications** 

The Christ Church Facebook page continues which now has 507 followers and services and events are regularly advertised via this medium. The Christ Church, Southborough YouTube Channel also has 141 subscribers. Our Sunday 

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morning services continue to be live-streamed. Regular e-mails are sent to all the people on the church data-base (ChurchSuite) which now totals 149. 

We continue to have a weekly notice sheet in addition to notices given out during services and Sue Shrubb regularly sends round by email anything of interest to the congregation. In addition all information is provided on the web-site. 

## **Buildings** 

Both the Hall and the Annexe are normally hired out for community use with the Annexe proving to be particularly popular in the community. Lettings reached a new high during 2023 and we have many regular weekly hirers. 

The properties we own – 32B London Road and 38 Azure Court – are both rented and help to fund the employment of our Children & Families Pastor. Both are managed through Estate Agents Wood & Pilcher. 

**54 Holden Park Road** – this house is owned by ourselves (70%) and St Peter’s (30%) and historically houses the curate if appropriate. However since Dave & Jane left in August, as we have no curate for 2023 intake, the house has been repainted throughout, a new carpet laid in one bedroom and from September was let on a commercial basis. Again Wood & Pilcher manage this on our behalf. 

**Re-ordering** – James Ford from Claque Architects has been appointed as Architect for the Re-ordering project and he has been working on pulling the whole project together ready to consult with the congregation and apply for a faculty. Preferred suppliers have been appointed and the only hold up at the moment is the supplier of the light fittings as the original supplier has gone out of business. Our preferred lighting contractor is working on alternatives. 

The 5 yearly Quinquennial Inspection took place in July and a full Electrical Inspection was also made. 

**Gas Works** – during the year we have had issues with our gas supply. In February there was a gas leak which left us without any heating for a week. Four convector heaters were purchased so that the lets could still take place. Historically the church has been on a separate meter to the Hall/Annexe and we were therefore paying 2 sets of standing charges. The decision was made to merge these meters together but to do this we had to have some remedial 

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work done to the gas pipes to bring them up to the current safety standards. Finally, we also had issues with the boilers during December and we have been told that they are in need of replacement! The cost of all these gas works amounted to over £12,000. 

**Break-In** – In June there was a break-in via the Broomhill Park Road entrance. New locks were fitted and a new more secure lock-box, where the code can be changed remotely, was purchased. A ring door bell was also fitted to the office door. 

The following upgrades were made or purchased: 

- Church Boilers were serviced and repaired yet again! 

- A gooseneck microphone was purchased to aid the sound balance in the church and to help with the sound on the livestream 

- A further TV screen was bought for use in the Annexe when the room is split into 2 

- Following issues with mice in the church, we entered into an annual agreement with JLM Pest Control to ensure we stay free of pests particularly as food is stored on the premises 

- A new door for the Boiler Room was made (thanks to Graham Syms) and fitted 

- Various radiators leaks were fixed 

- Some outside LED light bulbs were replaced 

- The taping around the base of the toilets was reaffixed 

- Mesh was put over the gutters to stop leaves getting in 

- Coat hooks were installed in the Annexe 

- Repairs were made to the paintwork outside the Annexe and was repainted 

- The Larder purchased an outdoor storage shed so people have access to the food collection trays without having to come into the church 

- Wooden racking was made and installed in the corridor outside the office to store all the Larder store cupboard items. Many thanks to Sherwood Man’s Shed for arranging this. 

## In addition: 

- There have been a couple of working parties to have general clear-ups both inside and outside of church 

- A morning for leaf clearing and gutter clearance was arranged by the Churchwardens 

- Christmas Lights were put up around the church to light up the area 

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## **Voluntary Helpers** 

The PCC wishes to extend their enormous thanks to all people who have helped in the smooth working of the church and although there are too many voluntary workers across the Parish to mention everyone, it is these people who are the backbone of Parish life. These include children and youth workers, flower arrangers, cleaners, our gardener, the music group, life group leaders, providers of tea/coffee, event organisers, sides people/welcomers, people who carry out any pastoral care, people on the prayer teams, those on the reading and prayer rota, plus many others. 

We are extremely grateful for everybody’s time/skills/efforts during 2023. 

## **Stewardship/Financial Review** 

A big thank you to the congregation for their generosity and faithful giving to the work of Christ Church over the last year particularly in light of the financial challenges we still continue to face. 

Your giving has allowed us to continue to support our Mission partners as well as our own outreach groups within Christ Church.  We have also been able to continue the Community Larder which helps so many local families. 

The Parish Giving Scheme whereby an external company deals with all the regular direct debits and associated gift aid is working well for us and the majority of our regular givers have signed up to this. 

Our income for 2023 (including restricted funds) was £171,352 and our expenses were £171,481 meaning that we made a small loss of £129. However, this figure should actually show an operating loss of £6,268. In the final accounts, a realignment of an income account from a creditor account and some corrections in the Trade Creditors amounts were made. Even so, we believe that this is another good achievement due to the amount which had to be paid to gas works and repairs during the year. We were again blessed by some large generous one-off gifts. 

Our reserves remain healthy and we have sufficient reserves for 3 to 6 months of expenses. Our reserves policy states that “it would be wise, in case of unforeseen expense or temporary reduction of income, to maintain reserves of unrestricted net current assets, insofar as these are within the PCC’s control, at 

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a level of between three and six months “normal” expenditure, ie, excluding items of large special or project expenditure.” 

In addition our Restricted Project Funds now stand at £44,411. (This is money which has been stipulated can only be used for building/lighting/re-ordering projects). 

A copy of our independently reviewed accounts for 2023 is available on our website. 

The Trustees Report and Financial Accounts adopted by the PCC on 22nd April 2024 and approved at the APCM on 28th April 2024. 

Signed on behalf of the PCC: 

Rev Nick Cornell 

Date 22[nd] April 2024 

20 



# **The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Christ Church, Southborough** 

**Charity no 1184093** 

**Annual Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31st December 2023** 



## **CHRIST CHURCH, SOUGHBOROUGH PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL** 

## **YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023** 

## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES** 

|**Notes**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Year to**<br>**Year to**<br>**Year to**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Year to**<br>**Year to**<br>**Year to**|
|---|---|---|
|**INCOMING RESOURCES**|**31.12.23**<br>**31.12.23**<br>**31.12.23**|**31.12.22**<br>**31.12.22**<br>**31.12.22**|
||**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**|**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**|
||||
||||
|Donations and legacies<br>2(a)|97,729<br>3,973<br>101,702|87,079<br>1,976<br>89,055|
|Income from charitable activities<br>2(b)|32,317<br>407<br>32,724|26,384<br>-<br>26,384|
||||
|Investment income<br>2(c)|36,041<br>885<br>36,926|20,788<br>6,828<br>27,616|
||||
|**TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES**<br>**RESOURCES USED**|**166,087**<br>**5,265**<br>**171,352**|**134,251**<br>**8,804**<br>**143,055**|
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
||||
|Charitable activities<br>3|167,240<br>4,241<br>171,481|147,469<br>6,087<br>153,556|
||||
|**TOTAL RESOURCES USED**|**167,240**<br>**4,241**<br>**171,481**|**147,469**<br>**6,087**<br>**153,556**|
|**NET INCOMING/(OUTGOING)**<br>**RESOURCES**<br>**Transfers between funds**<br>**Net movement in funds**<br>**Balances at 1.1.23**<br>**Balances at 31.12.23**<br>10|||
||||
||**(1,153)**<br>**1,024**<br>**(129)**|**(13,218)**<br>**2,717**<br>**(10,501)**|
||||
||||
||14,760<br>(14,760)<br>-|-<br>-|
||||
||13,607<br>(13,736)<br>(129)|(13,218)<br>2,717<br>(10,501)|
||||
||875,027<br>59,058<br>934,085|888,245<br>56,341<br>944,586|
||||
||888,634<br>45,322<br>933,956|875,027<br>59,058<br>934,085|
||||



1 



## **CHRIST CHURCH, SOUTHBOROUGH PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL** 

## **BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2023** 

|||**31.12.23**|**31.12.23**|**31.12.22**|**31.12.22**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**||**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**||
|||**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**||**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**||
|||**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**||**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**||
||**FIXED ASSETS**<br>**Notes**|671,400<br>-<br>671,400||671,400<br>-<br>671,400||
||Tangible fixed assets<br>6|||||
|||||||
||**CURRENT ASSETS**|||||
||Debtors<br>7|2,367<br>-<br>2,367||1,573<br>1,573||
||Bank<br>8|241,943<br>45,322<br>287,265||227,997<br>65,393<br>293,390||
|||244,310<br>45,322<br>289,632||229,570<br>65,393<br>294,963||
||**CREDITORS:**|||||
||Due within one year<br>9|27,076<br>-<br>27,076||25,943<br>6,335<br>32,278||
|||||||
||**NET CURRENT ASSETS**|217,234<br>45,322<br>262,556||203,627<br>59,058<br>262,685||
|||||||
||**CREDITORS:**|||||
||Due after more than one year|-<br>-<br>-||-<br>-<br>-||
|||||||
||**NET ASSETS**|888,634<br>45,322<br>933,956||875,027<br>59,058<br>934,085||
|||||||
|||||||
||Represented by:|||||
||**FUNDS**|||||
|||||||
||Funds|888,634<br>45,322<br>933,956||875,027<br>59,058<br>934,085||
||**Total**<br>11|888,634<br>45,322<br>933,956||875,027<br>59,058<br>934,085||
|||||||
|||||||



Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 22nd April 2024 and signed on its behalf by: 

Chair of Trustees Rev Nick Cornell 

2 



## **CHRIST CHURCH, SOUTHBOROUGH PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL** 

## **YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

## **1.  ACCOUNTING POLICIES** 

The PCC is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102.  The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of PCCs together with applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice as the applicable standard to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (SORP(FRS102)). 

## **ASSETS** 

## **Consecrated and benefice property** 

In so far as consecrated and benefice property of any kind (i.e. the church and vicarage) is excluded from the statutory definition of 'charity' by Section 10(2) (a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011 such assets are not classified in the financial statements. 

## **Moveable church furnishings** 

These are capitalised at cost and depreciated over their useful economic life other than where insufficient cost information is available.  In this case the item is not capitalised, but all items are included within the Church inventory. 

## **Tangible fixed assets for use by the charity (functional fixed assets)** 

Larger items are capitalised and written off over their useful lives. Smaller items are written off as incurred. 

Any expenditure on maintenance or improvements on fixed assets is written off as incurred. 

## **Short term deposits** 

These are the cash held on deposit with the Diocese. 

## **FUNDS** 

## **Unrestricted Funds** 

These represent the income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC. 

## **Restricted Funds** 

These are income funds that must be spent on restricted purposes and details of the funds held and restrictions provided are shown in the notes to the accounts. 

**Endowment Funds** These are restricted funds that must be retained as trust capital either permanently or subject to a discretionary power to spend capital as income, and where the use of income or other benefit derived from the capital may be restricted or unrestricted. 

## **INCOMING RESOURCES** 

The financial statements include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body nor those that are informal gatherings of church members. 

## **Voluntary income and capital sources** 

Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving under covenants or gift aid donations is recognised when received. Income tax recoverable on gift aid donations is recognised when the related income is recognised. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its entitlement and the likely amount due. 

Funds raised by church events and activities are accounted for gross, i.e. before any associated expenses. 

## **Other ordinary income** 

Rental from the letting of church premises is recognised when the rental is due. Parochial fees due to the PCC for weddings, funerals etc. are accounted for when the event occurs. 

## **Income from investments** 

Interest is accounted for when received. 

## **RESOURCES USED** 

## **Grants** 

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation on the PCC. 

## **Activities directly related to the work of the Church** 

The Diocesan Parish Offer in respect of clergy and diocesan costs are accounted for when paid. Any additional amounts agreed by the PCC but not paid across as at 31st December are shown as creditors in the balance sheet. 

## **DEBTORS** 

Amounts owing to the PCC at 31st December in respect of income tax fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectable. 

## **Diocesan Church Repair Fund - Quinquennial Funds** 

The Diocesan Church Repair Fund consists of funds designated by the PCC for future repairs. 

A contribution rate into the fund is agreed to pay for these repairs.  The repairs specified in the survey report are funded by the Diocesan Church Repair Fund.  Where insufficient funds are available, a loan (currently interest free) may be obtained from the diocese which is repayable over five years. 

## **Pensions** 

PCC contributes to a pension scheme for its lay staff.  Contributions are accounted for as they are paid. Contributions paid in the year were £720 (2022: £ 675). 

3 



## **CHRIST CHURCH, SOUTHBOROUGH PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL** 

## **YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

## **2.  INCOMING RESOURCES** 

||**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Year to**<br>**Year to**<br>**Year to**||**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Year to**<br>**Year to**<br>**Year to**|
||**31.12.23**<br>**31.12.23**<br>**31.12.23**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**||**31.12.22**<br>**31.12.22**<br>**31.12.22**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**|
||**2(a)  Donations and legacies**|||
|||||
|||||
||Donations<br>Income tax recoverable|75,104<br>3,973<br>79,077<br>17,770<br>-<br>17,770<br>4,855<br>-<br>4,855<br>-<br>-<br>-|70,726<br>1,976<br>72,702<br>16,353<br>-<br>16,353<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>-|
||Grants received|||
||Legacies|||
|||**97,729**<br>**3,973**<br>**101,702**|**87,079**<br>**1,976**<br>**89,055**|
|||||
||**2(b)  Income from charitable activities**|||
|||||
||Church activities|32,317<br>407<br>32,724|26,384<br>-<br>26,384|
|||||
|||||
|||**32,317**<br>**407**<br>**32,724**|**26,384**<br>**0**<br>**26,384**|
||**2(c)   Investment income**|||
|||||
||Property Rental Income|27,734<br>-<br>27,734<br>8,307<br>885<br>9,192|18,771<br>6,629<br>25,400|
||Interest||2,017<br>199<br>2,216|
||**TOTAL INCOMING**|**36,041**<br>**885**<br>**36,926**|**20,788**<br>**6,828**<br>**27,616**|
||**RESOURCES**|**166,087**<br>**5,265**<br>**171,352**|**134,251**<br>**8,804**<br>**143,055**|



4 



## **CHRIST CHURCH, SOUTHBOROUGH PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL** 

## **YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023** 

## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

||**3.  RESOURCES USED**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Total**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**31.12.22**<br>**31.12.22**<br>**31.12.22**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>32,937<br>32,937<br>8,823<br>8,823<br>2,304<br>2,304<br>67,452<br>67,452<br>4,105<br>6,013<br>10,118<br>7,000<br>7,000<br>13,133<br>74<br>13,207<br>4,485<br>4,485<br>525<br>525<br>6,705<br>-<br>6,705<br>**147,469**<br>**6,087**<br>**153,556**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**|||
||**Charitable activities**|**31.12.23**<br>**31.12.23**<br>**31.12.23**|||
|||**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**|||
|||35,116<br>35,116<br>11,381<br>11,381<br>2,657<br>2,657<br>66,711<br>66,711<br>17,341<br>485<br>17,826<br>9,292<br>-<br>9,292<br>12,309<br>513<br>12,822<br>5,062<br>5,062|||
||Staff costs||||
||Utilities||||
||Insurance||||
||Parish share||||
||Repairs & renewals||||
||Church costs||||
||Church activities||||
||Property costs||||
||Independent examination<br>Mission giving<br>**TOTAL RESOURCES USED**|650<br>650<br>6,721<br>3,243<br>9,964<br>**167,240**<br>**4,241**<br>**171,481**|||
||||||
||**4.  GRANTS - Missionary and charitable giving**||||
||||||
||Paid to organisations<br>Acting as Agent|**2023**<br>**2023**|**2023**||
|||**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**|**Total**||
|||**£**<br>**£**|**£**||
|||6,721<br>3,243|9,964<br>-||
|||6,721<br>3,243|9,964||
||||||
||||0||
||||||



||**2023**|**2023**|**2023**||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**||
||**£**|**£**|**£**||
|Paid to organisations|6,721|3,243|9,964||
||||-||
||6,721|3,243|9,964||
|Acting as Agent|||0||
||||||



## **5.  STAFF COSTS  AND PAYMENTS TO MEMBERS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL AND RELATED PARTIES** 

|**Staff costs (excluding clergy)**<br>Wages and salaries<br>Employers NI<br>Employers pension contributions<br>No employees earn more than £60,000.||
|---|---|
|||
||**2023**<br>**2022**|
||34,396<br>32,262|
||0<br>0|
||720<br>675|
||35,116<br>32,937|
|||
|||
||**Number of employees**<br>**2023**<br>**2022**|
|||
|Administrator|1.00<br>1.00<br>1.00<br>1.00|
|Youth worker||
|Total|**2.00**<br>**2.00**|
|||



## **Payments to members of the Parochial Church Council and related parties** 

None of the trustees have been paid any remuneration or received any other benefits from the Charity (2022 - none). No trustees' expenses were incurred in the year (2022 - none). 

There have been no transactions with persons or entities that are closely connected to the charity or its trustees (2022 - none). 

|**6. FIXED ASSETS**|**Land and**<br>**Total**|
|---|---|
||**Buildings**|
||**£**<br>**£**|
|**Cost**|671,400<br>671,400<br>0<br>0|
|Brought forward<br>Additions||
|Carried forward|671,400<br>671,400|
|||
|**Depreciation**|0<br>0<br>0<br>0|
|Brought forward<br>In year||
|Carried forward|0<br>0|
|Net Book Value||
||671,400<br>671,400|



Property cost £36,400 (70% ownership) was donated by the previous charity at cost. No depreciation is provided as the current value is greater than cost. 

5 



**CHRIST CHURCH, SOUTHBOROUGH PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL** 

## **YEAR ENDED 31ST DECEMBER 2023** 


## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** 

|**7.  DEBTORS**|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**Endowment**<br>**2023**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**Funds**<br>**£**|**2022**||
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**||
|Prepayments<br>Other debtors|453<br>-<br>-<br>453<br>1,914<br>-<br>1,914<br>-<br>-|315<br>1,258||
|||||
||2,367<br>-<br>-<br>2,367|1,573||



|**8.  CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND**<br>**Bank accounts**<br>DBF Building Fund<br>DBF Church Repair Fund<br>DBF General Account<br>DBF Tithing Account<br>Lloyds Current Account<br>Lloyds Savings Account<br>Affirmative Deposit Account<br>DBF 54 HPR|**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|**£**|
||||
||||
||||
||28,437|27,552|
||20,958|19,789|
||7,967|7,719|
||14,211|13,768|
||2,859|12,242|
||72,764|78,093|
||132,137|126,517|
||7,932|7,710|
||287,265|293,390|
||||



Of the total, £241,943 is for unrestricted purposes, and £45,322 for restricted purposes. 

|**9.  CREDITORS DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**|**2023**||**2022**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**£**||**£**|
|Creditors and accruals|16,970||18,106|
|Tithe|10,106||8,974|
|Other creditors|-||5,198|
||27,076||32,278|
|Of the total, £27,076 is for unrestricted purposes.||||



|Of the total, £27,076 is for unrestricted purposes.||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|**10.  ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUND**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|||**Total**|
||**Funds**|**Funds**|||**Funds**|
||**£**|**£**|||**£**|
|Fixed assets|671,400||-||671,400|
|Current assets|244,310|45,322|||289,632|
|Current liabilities|(27,076)|-|||(27,076)|
|Fund Balance|888,634|45,322|||933,956|
|||||||



## **11. FUNDS** 

||**11. FUNDS**||
|---|---|---|
|||**Balance**<br>**Movement in Funds**<br>**Balance**|
|||**1.1.23**<br>**Incoming**<br>**Outgoing**<br>**Transfers**<br>**31.12.23**|
||Unrestricted funds|**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**|
||General fund<br>New toys fund|875,027<br>160,200<br>(167,240)<br>14,760<br>882,747<br>-<br>5,887<br>-<br>-<br>5,887|
|||875,027<br>166,087<br>(167,240)<br>14,760<br>888,634|
||Restricted funds||
||Friday Lunch Club Fund<br>Lighting Fund|1,017<br>407<br>(513)<br>-<br>911<br>118<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>118|
||Screens|1,530<br>-<br>-<br>-<br>1,530|
||Building Project Fund|41,633<br>1,615<br>(485)<br>-<br>42,763|
||54 HPR<br>Gift day|14,760<br>-<br>-<br>(14,760)<br>-<br>-<br>3,243<br>(3,243)<br>-|
|||59,058<br>5,265<br>(4,241)<br>(14,760)<br>45,322|
|||-|
|||934,085<br>171,352<br>(171,481)<br>-<br>933,956|
||||



54 HPR is a fund relating to 54 Holden Park Road, a property owned 70% by the PCC. Previously this was treated as a restricted fund, but it has now been established that it is not restricted, so the balance on the fund has been transferred back to general funds. 

6 



## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of the** 

## **Parochial Church Council of Christ Church Southborough** 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31[st] December 2023. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. 

## **Independent examiner’s statement** 

I have completed my examination.  I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: 

- the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or 

- the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or 

- the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. 

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 to be reached. 

## Signed:  Zachary Ramsden 

Name: Zachary Ramsden FCA 

## Chartered Accountant 

63 Deakin Leas, Tonbridge, Kent TN9 2JT 

Date: 25[th] April 2024 

