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2025-12-31-accounts

The Ecclesiastical Parish of

St Paul’s Egham Hythe

Annual Report and Financial Accounts

of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31[st] December 2025

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St Paul’s Egham Hythe Parochial Church Council

Parish Church:

St Paul’s Egham Hythe in the Runnymede Deanery Diocese of Guildford

Address:

St Paul’s Egham Hythe Thorpe Road Staines Middlesex TW18 3HJ email: office@speh.org.uk website: www.speh.org.uk

Incumbent:

The Revd Rosemary Hoad email: vicar@speh.org.uk

Bank:

The Co-operative Bank, PO Box 250, Delf House, Southway, Skelmersdale, WN8 6WT Account Name: St Paul’s Church, Egham Hythe Sort Code 08-92-99 Account No: 67215168

Independent Examiner:

Moore Accounting Services Ltd 17 Warwick Close Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 3AL

“The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Paul, Egham Hythe” has been on the Register of Charities as a separate entity since 1[st] July 2019, registration number 1184186. Members of the PCC are trustees of the charity.

The Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, Revd Rosemary Hoad, in “promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical”. The church building and hall are located at St Paul’s Church, Thorpe Road, Staines TW18 3HJ. The accounts relate to the financial year January 2025 to December 2025.

Charity Registration Number: 1184186

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Membership of the PCC

The membership is partly ex-officio and partly elected at the Annual General Meeting in accordance with Church Representation Rules. PCC members are usually elected for a three-year term of office. Membership from the APCM in April 2025 was as follows:

Vicar/Chair of PCC Revd Rosemary Hoad Associate Priest Revd Sue Loveday Diocesan Synod Steve Baynes (term expires 2027) Deanery Synod Steve Baynes (term expires 2026) Graham Rule (term expires 2026) Churchwardens Steve Baynes Valerie Monk Other PCC Members Alison Bingham (term expires 2027) Victoria Diplock (term expires 2028) Leigh Doe (term expires 2027) Ben Niblett (term expires 2028) Diane Oliver ( resigned Jan 2026 ) Christine Oxenham (term expires 2027) Emma Sterry (Treasurer) (term expires 2026) Nicola Rule (resigned Oct 2025) Gregg Thompson (term expires 2028)

The following appointments were made by the PCC: Lay Vice-Chair of PCC: Steve Baynes Treasurer: Emma Sterry PCC Secretary: Alison Bingham Safeguarding Officer: Gill Whittingham DBS Evidence Checker: Diane Oliver Electoral Roll Officer: Christine Oxenham

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Overview of 2025 (Revd Rosemary Hoad, Vicar)

We were delighted for Josh and his family when he was appointed as vicar of St Peter’s Burnham, following his great curacy with us – but very sad that it was time for him to leave Egham Hythe. His departure inevitably left a big hole, and alongside other team changes, our weekday ministries have been particularly stretched.

Yet we’ve also been so blessed. At the beginning of the year we prayed “the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Matt 9: 37-8) . We’re seeing this prayer answered, with a number of new people arriving and all kinds of fresh ministries emerging. This has been particularly noticeable on Sunday mornings, with teams developing around different aspects of church life and worship. The prayerful, careful way in which a hospitable space is prepared, people are welcomed, the service is streamed, music, readings and prayers are provided, Communion is administered and people go home refreshed in body and soul is heartening and much appreciated.

I’m particularly grateful to my clergy colleague Sue Loveday for her dedicated, thoughtful and constant ministry. We mourn with her for her husband Malcolm who died on New Year’s Eve. His funeral in Chertsey attested to his many gifts and ministries on a wide canvas, but he was also very much a part of our church family life here, and he leaves a lasting impression, of which the beautiful gold cross he crafted is a lovely visual reminder.

This was a year of new wardens – thank you to Steve and Val for stepping into the big boots to fill after Di and Liz came to the end of their time in that role. It was a year in which we had the second round of the Diocesan ‘Parish Needs Process’ which includes the Archdeacon’s Visitation. This was a steep learning curve - particularly for Val undertaking the role for the first time. The detailed work involved, including a complete overhaul of all our policies, was impressively completed.

Open Space activities during the week continue to be an inspiration, bringing us into contact with many people on the fringes of the church, building places for community, and especially for children and young people. Josh’s departure meant we could not continue Youth Space weekly, but a monthly offering has continued, with our team here working in partnership with the Diocese, thanks to the leadership of Sarah McNulty. This is an important area of ministry and we continue to explore ways to increase this offering and further develop the good relationship we have with Magna Carta school.

Messy Church and Stepping Stones continue to draw younger children and offer quite different pictures of worship as part of the mix. Tea and Chat provides a hospitable space particularly for some of our older members, with a gentle reflective communion space that is much appreciated. It’s important to recognize that for many people these weekday offerings are church, and we’re seeing a growing sense of responsibility and commitment to serve from those who attend.

Discipleship has been an important part of our journey this year, and I’m also pleased that we were able to offer Alpha in the autumn, and to see three people Confirmed at the end of November.

St Paul’s has a strong ethos of inclusion, justice and care for the community and world. We’re pleased to host the evening session of the Runnymede Foodbank, and grateful to the volunteers from Vineyard as well as St Paul’s. Our Eco Team have been very active this year and we’ve been made one of the Guildford Diocese ‘Net Zero Pioneers’. Making sure our building is as energy efficient as possible is good for Open Space as well as the planet.

We’re disappointed that our funding application with Your Fund Surrey to improve the facilities in the church has stalled, and there’s more work to be done in relation to grant applications before we can move forward. In the meantime, we have secured some funding for improving the servery area, so hope to do this in 2026.

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I’m grateful to Emma our treasurer for all her work on the accounts which follow. We have once again managed to break even, paying our Parish Share, regular costs and also covering the cost of some additional work needed to remove historic asbestos. Many thanks to all who support this church financially, enabling us to serve God and this community here in Egham Hythe.

Membership 2025-6 (Christine Oxenham)

At the APCM in April 2025 there were a total of 80 people on our Electoral Roll. This consisted of 59 residents and 21 non-residents. During the year we welcomed eight further people but said a sad farewell to one, RIP. Therefore the year ended with a total of 87 people – 63 resident and 24 non-residents.

Wardens’ reflections: (Steve Baynes and Val Monk)

2025 has been a year of change, with two new Churchwardens taking over from two exceptionally dedicated and experienced Churchwardens, Di and Liz, to whom we are very grateful. A large gap to fill. Thankfully Steve has previously been a Churchwarden at St Paul’s which made up for Val’s lack of knowledge of the workings of the Church and the wider CofE. Two Churchwarden training days have been attended and online courses taken to bring the wardens up to speed with current Diocesan expectations and support. Initial focus was largely administrative, revising and creating policies and other preparation for the Archdeacon’s Visitation. With that out of the way we began working on additional engagement and events, with Prayer Breakfasts and the “Summer Lovin’” Church clean up. Both were well attended, have been repeated and will continue to happen. We are very thankful for the help and support that we have received and keen to continue to help Rosie and the Church to drive ministry, volunteering opportunities and community engagement through the delivery of the Church Development Plan in 2026.

Parish Needs Process and Church Development Plan: (Rosie Hoad)

In 2025 it was Runnymede Deanery’s turn for the Diocesan Parish Needs Process (PNP). This was the second cycle of the PNP, which included conversations between one of the Diocesan Mission Enablers (Victoria Ashworth), firstly with the incumbent and then the PCC. It includes reviewing and progressing the Church Development Plan, and in this cycle the theme of ‘discipling the core’ was an integral part. The process concludes with the Archdeacon’s Visitation so that the practical work of that is connected to the on-going mission and ministry of the parish.

The three core areas of the Church Development Plan continued to be:

These connect with the Guildford Diocesan transforming church/transforming lives vision focus on: Growing Disciples, Growing Diversity and Growing Community.

Within each of the core areas specific goals were set for short, medium and longer term, and the PCC continues to use this tool as a way to focus the vision and mission of St Paul’s.

Archdeacon’s Visitation: (Val Monk and Steve Baynes)

The visitation was conducted by Archdeacon Martin Breadmore on 18[th] September in the church vestry. He “came away energised after hearing of all that the Lord is doing in your parish and encouraged after seeing your visionary and ambitious Church Development Plan.” A review of the formal documentation (policies, logbook etc) was successfully completed. Our Safeguarding measures were reviewed positively, and we were encouraged to continue to focus on this vital area.

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Much of the meeting discussed the mission and ministry of the church and the Archdeacon was especially pleased to see the rise in the number of volunteers and the increase in the number of those volunteers who are actively organising and leading activities. He “was particularly struck by the fact that the church culture is being changed for the good and that the spiritual temperature continues to rise.” We celebrated the fact that the church is a safe and trusted space for the community. Overall, it was a successful Visitation, with continued support for our Church Development Plan and the invitation to continue to access Diocesan Mission Enabler support if required.

Reflections on 2025 (with thanks to a number of contributors)

The following short reflections on aspects of ministry in 2025, written by a variety of people, have been broadly grouped into those three core areas from the parish vision.

Faith and Worship

Baptism and Confirmation:

In 2025, we had 10 baptisms and at the end of November 3 of our members were confirmed by Bishop Paul. One of the candidates, Karen, says “I was confirmed with two others in November 2025 by Bishop Paul. It was witnessed by my St Pauls family and some of my family members. The service to me felt very spiritual and extremely moving. The support I received from Rosie and Bishop Paul was encouraging and enlightening.”

If you are interested in Baptism for yourself or for children or thinking about Confirmation speak to one of the clergy or email office@speh.org.uk.

Weddings

There was one wedding at St Paul’s in 2025.

Funerals

Three funerals were conducted by the parish clergy in 2025. We were also very sad to say farewell to Malcolm Loveday on New Year’s Eve.

Sunday Services

Worshipping together and sharing Communion is an important way that we are formed as the body of Christ in this community and sent out to serve. Our Sunday worship is important both to those who attend in the building and those who join us on-line. It’s an intentional, inclusive, intergenerational space to which all are welcome.

Music at St Paul’s: (Becky Brent)

Once again we have had a variety of musical offerings this year. The music group have continued playing monthly, with Alison and Sarah also leading other services on their own. Ann has played the organ and piano once a month. The Christmas Choir formed again for Carols by Candlelight, with Alison organising and encouraging the group in the run up to the service and then we were grateful for Jamie coming back to lead and play on the day. Royal Holloway Chapel Choristers came to lead a service in September, and it has been lovely to have this rich variety of music in our church again this year.

Tech Team: (Steve Baynes)

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This ministry has grown over the last year with a cohort of eight regular members and a more devolved leadership. This has allowed for the team to take a strategic approach as to how we best use technology in our worship - both online and in church. Better cameras, a permanent tech desk and use of screens are on the agenda for 2026. Our Zoom Room congregation continues to join our worship from home and thanks are due to Kate and Clare for heading this up.

Zoom Church: (Clare Quarman and Kate Nibblet)

Zoom church continues to be used and appreciated by those who cannot get to church in person, both short and long term. We worship together with the streamed service from St Paul's and are very grateful to the Tech Team for making this happen so reliably. Afterwards we chat and support one another, and the children enjoy sharing what they've been up to.

Readers and Intercessors (Ben Niblett)

We've had a good range of voices reading and leading intercessions this year, including some new ones. Many thanks to all our readers and intercessors, and if you'd like to try either, please let me know.

Lent Group (Ben Niblett)

We ran the Prayer Course, from 24/7 Prayer, over Lent with a group of 6-8 people meeting on Monday evenings in church. Each week we watched the video, discussed it, and prayed. As the course went on we prayed more. We found it very helpful, for people who'd been praying all their lives and people just discovering it, and as it's an 8-week course we continued meeting after Easter till we finished.

Servers (Lacie)

We’re delighted that one of our teenagers, Lacie, has been very regular in serving at Communion during 2025. Lacie says “I love being an altar server because I get to help make sure young children have a role model. I love meeting new people and holding the processional cross.”

Alpha (Ben Niblett)

We ran an Alpha course in the autumn, with 13 participants. The aims were to be confirmation preparation, which worked well; to open that up to more people, which worked well for one person finding us online and for several church members taking part and getting deeper into faith; and to build a team who can run it again, which worked too. We met on Monday evenings in church, plus one Saturday Holy Spirit awayday at a venue in Chertsey. We enjoyed getting to know each other better over meals, listening to a talk each week, and then asking questions and having some very good discussions. People didn't want to go home at the end. It was great sharing the talks among a big team, so we had several voices, and everyone's preparation work was manageable. In the same way it was great to share the catering round a team, so we had a variety of meals, and nobody had too much work to do. It would be great to do it again in the next year or two, and now the format and the team are organised we could publicise it more, and further ahead. Thanks to all our speakers, cooks and coffee makers, and to everyone who prayed, and everyone who took part.

Prayer Breakfasts (Steve Baynes)

The Prayer Breakfasts were reintroduced in 2025 and happened twice in the second half of the year. They have proven to be a great way for the Church community to pray together, to get to know each other on a deeper level and to drive a sense of community and mission. The food preparation has purposely been kept simple to make sure that the focus was on discussion and prayer, which worked well. We are confident that the introduction of an improved servery in 2026 will allow for such events to be easier to run and thus enable us to do them more frequently.

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Mothers’ Union (Patricia Davis)

We are a small group, with Pat as the Branch Leader. Barry usually takes us to the meeting at Guildford Cathedral where we join with all the other branches. Last July we hosted the garden party at St Paul’s, and Steve Baynes gave a talk about how he became a Christian. We had a raffle which made £76 - Steve gave half to a cancer charity and the rest went to St Paul’s.

Brass and candles (Barry Davis)

We usually carry out this on a Saturday morning. Pat cleans the brasses while I trim the candles. I change the candles as they require changing - the candles usually last about 3 months.

Gardener Group (Gregg Thomson)

Group members included Gregg, Janet, Karen, Kate, Diane, Anne and Val.

We now have 4 rainwater barrels which was enough to provide sufficient water to keep the plants watered during the hot dry periods of the year. A silver birch tree and a variegated Holly tree was planted near the picnic area. Several shrubs and bulbs were planted in the rose garden and car park garden. Including golden rod, ferns, verbena alchmilla mollis, choisia, sweet peas, brunera, gladioli, pulmonaria, variegated lavenders, Oriental poppies, Lamium, tiarella, sabirican Iris, geraniums and heuchera.

We have maintained the pots on either side of the main entrance doors with tête-à-tête daffodils, petunias, begonias, pansies, trailing ivy, euphorbia, and heuchara. The rose garden has been weeded and edged to keep it tidy. The eucalyptus tree was pruned as well as the tree of heaven on the north side of the church.

We obtained a pile of wood chips from a tree surgeon operating in the Magna Carta school grounds. These have been used as a mulch to keep the weeds down and to help stop the spread of mud by school children walking between the church and church hall. The church building perimeter has had weeds removed and replaced with wood chips. Karen repaired and painted the fencing along the St Paul’s Road.

Youth and Children

Stepping Stones (Nicola Rule)

Our toddler group – Stepping Stones - continues to be run by a small team in the church building each week during term time. We start with a service suitable for the group with some songs and musical instruments, a story and prayer. We then have an open play time with the toys and ride on toys which are greatly enjoyed by the children. We have a craft or activity with a takeaway scripture relating to the story or theme. Our numbers have been smaller this year, but we have found this gives a greater opportunity to connect with the families who attend. We have also continued to welcome new families. It is a joy to be part of the team and to be able to welcome so many local families into St Paul’s on a weekly basis.

Messy Church (Nicola Rule)

We hold Messy Church monthly after school. It’s particularly aimed at primary school aged families, though younger children also attend. Wherever possible the dates are co-ordinated with Goldy Play so that they are around two weeks apart. We have regular families who attend and enjoy the crafts, story, food and the music from our resident DJ Francis, which is always lots of fun. Many of the families who come and enjoy the time

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also help to tidy up and reset the church space at the end of the Messy Church session, which is a real blessing.

Godly Play (Nicola Rule)

Godly Play is a Christian movement which is centred on childhood spirituality. We continue to run our Godly Play session during the service one Sunday a month for children aged 4-14 years. We welcome families into church and then walk across to the hall after lighting the Christ candles (one for church and one to take with us) for the story and response time. We have welcomed some younger children this year, and some of our older children have moved on. We enjoy sharing a feast together with space for the children to share a prayer together, before returning to the church to ‘change the light’ from the living flame to the smoke which reminds us that we take Christ with us wherever we go. We have continued to add to our stories this last year. And now have a full set of the six parable stories. Our numbers are usually between 8-12 children.

Youth Space (Steve)

With Josh’s departure Youth Space was placed on hold at the back of the 2025 academic year. We were fortunate to have support from the Diocese in the form Sarah McNulty the Youth Catalyst lead in Runnymede. Her availability, along with other members of the church, allowed us to restart this ministry in September albeit only once a month. This has had an impact on numbers but there are still double figures attending each session. There are currently embryonic conversations with Runnymede Borough Council about legacy funding which may support Youth Space in the future.

Easter Activities and schools

It continues to be a great privilege and encouragement to welcome the children from Thorpe Lea and Hythe schools (over 600 children) for our Easter Activities. There are all kinds of activities that explore the events of Holy week and Easter through a range of crafts and activities, a prayer space, foot washing, making Easter Gardens, and exploring Communion and Passover.

We also have several other visits from the primary schools, ranging from a summer concert, Harvest and Remembrance services, Christingles as well as various Christmas Carol Concerts and involvement at the Christmas Tree Festival. Magna Carta school very much appreciate the work of Youth Space. We’re so grateful to Helen Claringbull for her work with us at the Christmas Tree Festival, and this year we also hosted a Christmas concert for the school.

Uniformed Organisations

We continued to work closely with the leaders and young people in the Scouting and Guiding units in Egham Hythe. This included parade services for Mothering Sunday, Harvest and Remembrance Sunday, and the popular Friday night event in the Christmas Tree Festival. Rosie also regularly attends the Air Training Corps as their chaplain, and we hosted their very well attended presentation evening in November.

Hospitality

Tea and Chat (Pat and Barry Davis)

We meet in church for Tea and Chat on Thursdays in term time from 1pm. We have tea and cake/biscuits and the chance to catch up or meet new friends. At 2pm there is a reflective Communion service for all who would like to stay, which is much appreciated. Barry and Graham usually give lifts to those who need it.

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Eco Church: (Kate Nible�)

This year we have focussed on working towards the A Rocha eco church gold award, par�cularly thinking about community engagement and making our church environment nature friendly, with thanks to Gregg and Janet for all their hard work on the church grounds. At our season of crea�on service the church family reflected together in why caring for crea�on is important as part of our faith and took prac�cal ac�ons using pledge postcards. We are also pu�ng together a church net zero plan, using the energy audit previously completed to decide on next steps to becoming net zero, in line with the Church of England’s decision to be net zero by 2030. This will involve changing our hea�ng system to electric and considering altera�ons to reduce heat and energy loss.

Foodbank (Ben Niblett)

The foodbank has had a busy year, providing food and groceries for around 550 people. It's continued to be a good collaboration between St Paul's, Riverside Vineyard, and Runnymede Foodbank, with several volunteers from St Paul's, and some foodbank users also coming to services and other events. It serves people living in Egham Hythe, and as it's the only foodbank venue open in the evening, it also serves people from around Runnymede. The Christmas party on the Tuesday night of the Christmas Tree Festival was a highlight. It's good news that 7% fewer people used Runnymede foodbank overall in 2025 than in 2024, which was 5% fewer than in 2023; we hope the day will come when we're not needed any more.

Hall (Diane Oliver)

The hall is a good source of income, contributing to continuing the ministry of St Paul’s church. The concerns of the last report were that a couple of hirers had moved, but I’m pleased to report that prayers were answered and new hirers joined last year and early 2026. Therefore, the hall is back to capacity.

The income from regular groups is approximately £14047, with ad hoc bookings and parties generating a further £1210. We sourced a new paid cleaner for the hall and vestry (on Fridays). The costs for energy (approximately £1957) and cleaning (£2524) mean a net income of around £10776.

Most hirers are local to, and serve, our community. Many groups are serving the vulnerable and I request that their space is respected and treated confidentially. Sundays are reserved for church events, Godly Play; Baptism parties etc, and therefore the hall is unavailable for public hire. Saturday afternoons are the usual “Party Slot”.

Managing the hall includes: communicating with hirers and potential hirers; raising invoices and ensuring payments received; issuing keys and having them returned; ensuring hall is clean and has stock of supplies; checking the heating is working and programmed for events; frequent and periodic checks to ensure hall secured properly and everything suitable and appropriate for next hire; problem resolution and on-call.

2025 Christmas Tree Festival: (Steve Baynes, Katharine Stearn)

The Christmas Tree Fes�val con�nues to evolve with more events being curated by the local community. The opening morning was well a�ended with much discussion between local groups and a�endees. Thursday morning’s Na�vity for Stepping Stones and the popular A�ernoon Tea were again thoroughly enjoyed. A welldeserved thank for all those that made both those days so welcoming – not least to Helen Claringbull at TMCS for arranging the student choirs for entertainment.

The Scout’s Friday night pantomime was standing room only, drawing its biggest audience to date. It has become an event full of fun and fellowship as all ages join in par�cipa�ng and watching in a truly community

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driven event. With Godly Play and handbell ringing sessions on Saturday and our Chris�ngle service on the Sunday we welcomed over 750 people into church over the 5 days.

(Chris�ne Oxenham)

so kindly donated an excellent selec�on of prizes and to everyone who purchased �ckets. The Christmas puddings also proved very popular with a total of £224 raised. Thank you to everyone who purchased the puddings. I do hope they were enjoyed by your family and friends

The fundraising this year went towards the cost of the asbestos removal work carried out to make our church a safer place.

SP@pub: (Steve Baynes)

Our monthly socials continued at the Thames Side Brewery and gather a good number from both inside and out of the church. The social side of the event has led to spiritual opportunity as four ‘regulars’ a�ended The Gathering 25. This group is s�ll developing its ministry focus with the aim of providing a service thread for the community. Monthly reminder emails are sent out to our congrega�on database, and everyone is welcome.

Pastoral Care

It continues to be encouraging to see the pastoral care that members of the congregation offer to one another, a true expression of being the body of Christ. We have also provided visits and Home Communion to those whose ill health or changing circumstances has meant that they are no longer able to attend on Sundays. Offering lifts to church is also a practical way that we provide support for some members of the church who would struggle to attend services in person, whether for the Thursday Tea and Chat, Sunday 10am services or other ad hoc occasions. Thanks to Barry and Graham for their regular care in this way.

Welcomers (Chris�ne Oxenham)

Thank you to Mary, Sally and Selwyn for joining me as welcomers for our Sunday service and other key events. This is a brilliant way of ge�ng to know people whilst suppor�ng our clergy and wardens.

If you would like to join the team, please do talk to anyone of us, we will be more than happy to guide through what we do. You can help whenever you can so please don't think you will have to make a commitment to dates or a rota.

Volunteers: (Val Monk)

During 2025 we have been excep�onally thankful for the level of engagement from both current and new congrega�on members offering to spend significant amounts of their �me ac�vely helping to organise and manage work on behalf of the Church and in service to God. This has meant that garden and building maintenance has been completed, an Alpha course run, the Youth Space restarted, the foodbank hosted, Tea and Chat, Stepping Stones, Messy Church and Godly Play have inspired children and supported adults, candles managed and brass polished, the hall has served the community and turned a profit for the Church, the Sunday services have had music, refreshments and varied intercessions, Christmas puddings have been sold, schools hosted with engaging ac�vi�es and more - the list is long and varied. Managing to do this a�er the loss of our fabulous curate Josh was no small feat and testament to the engaging mission and service of the Church and its community.

We have begun to document repeated jobs, which will enable others to more easily step into roles or ac�vi�es, growing in service, faith and community engagement. We hope that this will help more people to confidently serve the Church and God at St Paul’s in ways that suit their lives, skills and capabili�es.

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Parish Safeguarding Policy Statement

At the PCC meeting held on 14[th] May 2025 the PCC of St Paul’s Egham Hythe adopted the Church of England “Promoting a Safer Church” Policy Statement, national policies and Practice Guidance approved by the House of Bishops. This policy statement actively underpins all safeguarding work within the church, and details are available on our website: https://speh.org.uk/safeguarding

The PCC is committed to the safeguarding, care and nurture of everyone within our community, and will ensure that we will

  1. Adopt and implement the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policy and practice guidance.

  2. Promote and publicise the ‘Promoting a Safer Church’ policy statement and ensure all church officers have access to it.

  3. Have a plan in place that sets out, in line with national and local priorities, how the policy will be put into action.

  4. Ensure that any person who works with vulnerable groups is aware of and abides by national and local safeguarding guidance.

  5. Review the policy regularly to ensure best practice.

“Promoting a Safer Church” sets out the Church of England’s commitment to making the church a safer place for all. The Policies and Practice Guidance apply to all Church bodies and officers. All authorised clergy, bishops, archdeacons licensed readers and lay workers, church wardens and PCCs are required by section 5 Clergy Disciplinary Measure to have “due regard” to safeguarding guidance issued by the House of Bishops.

The Policy Statement, Policies, Guidance and Protocols are available to view on the diocesan website at www.cofeguildford.org.uk/safeguardingpolicy

Safeguarding and Inclusion (Safeguarding Officer Gill Whittingham)

Roles and responsibilities

No safeguarding incidents were reported during 2025. A new Church Safeguarding officer was appointed by the PCC and her contact details are displayed in the church and on the website. Safeguarding continues to underpin all activities at St Paul’s and is an agenda item for every PCC meeting. All members of the PCC are DBS checked and have updated their training in processes and procedures.

There was a change in the DBS checker system. Safeguarding materials, including those suitable for children and young people, continue to be displayed on the website and around the church building.

The Parish Safeguarding Dashboard, set up by the Diocese continues to be a valuable tool. It helps us keep abreast of the mandatory requirements of Safeguarding, and our progress in fulfilling them, and guides us towards good practise in managing Safeguarding within our church setting.

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Managing risks within St Paul’s Church (Victoria Diplock)

Risk assessments are a statement of intent for how we plan to operate church events and activities safely. They should be reviewed regularly but are a living document that need to be amended and adapted as the needs of our church and community change. As our core team has evolved since last year’s annual review of risk assessments, we have identified the most appropriate members of our church community who are involved in church activities and key events to best advice on the needs and arrangements necessary to minimise risk.

A lead person has been identified on each risk assessment as a link person between the risk assessment team and the activity or event, yet all group leaders and volunteers at activities and events are equally responsible for ensuring that they read and follow the risk assessment. We are happy to share our risk assessments with any member of our community who would like to see them as we all play a role in reducing risk as we take care of each other within our community.

Existing risk assessments were annually updated in September 2025 for the following activities and groups: The Sunday Service, Stepping Stones, Messy Church, Zoom Church, Transportation, Tea and Chat, Home Visiting and Godly Play. The 2025-26 risk assessment for Youth Space was written by Sarah McNulty, Youth Catalyst Project Hub Leader for the Diocese, who is leading Youth Space for us this academic year. She liaised with me; to consider the risks we had previously raised that are unique to our setting.

Due to a few younger members of our church community, below 18, who wanted to play an active role in the Tech Team, additional work was undertaken in this area. A separate Tech Team risk assessment has been drawn up to support safe working practices, particularly with a safeguarding focus. Hosts continue to use the larger service checklist for key events in church, negating the need for a separate risk assessment and additional risk assessments have been undertaken for key events such as our Easter activities and Christmas Tree Festival.

Due to the evaluation of asbestos sites within the church premises and consultation with a specialist asbestos company, emerging risks were identified and acted upon by the Church Wardens to reduce exposure until removal could safely be arranged. This was done in liaison with the PCC, Hall Manager and users. The Churchwardens reviewed the fire signage and evacuation routes to ensure that it remains up-to-date, consistent and clear. I would like to extend my thanks to former Churchwarden, Diane Oliver, as she steps down from the PCC for her commitment to health and safety in her various roles and support in managing risks across the church buildings.

PCC Report

The PCC met whenever planned, almost every month of the year with a small break over the summer. It has an agenda and minutes for each meeting, as required, and reviews mission, safeguarding, fabric/maintenance and finance in every meeting. It has covered all required governance items and taken time to pray and reflect on the mission of the Church and the growth required to deliver the Church Development Plan (CDP). The CDP was revised during the year to ensure it has short-, medium- and long-term goals over the next three years, enabling the PCC to continue to focus on clear objectives. All required roles in the PCC have been filled, although some changes have occurred in membership over the year. We thank all those who have given their evenings so generously over the years to guide and protect St Paul’s by being active members of the PCC. A

13

particular thank you to Nicola Rule and Diane Oliver who stepped down during the course of the year. Their contributions have been essential to the smooth and safe running of the Church.

Church Fabric

The Church building and Hall remain a safe and warm place to hold events for the Church community and public. During 2025 we had one set of major works. This involved removing asbestos from the boiler room ceiling, a complex job considered to be high risk and carried out under negative pressure in an environment with hundreds of school children passing daily. The professional team understood the risks, guarded their equipment at key times to ensure continued safety and completed the work to plan. The total cost of removal of the ceiling, lower grade Artex in the hall stairs and broken soffits was covered by the Church funds, with several larger donations and the takings from the raffle and Christmas pudding sales.

The West door was seen to loosen slightly but a virtual review by an expert has ascertained that this is not a health and safety risk and remediation is simply to slightly fill the stonework on the arch. The wood will expand and shrink over the seasons so additional bracing would damage the door. We have therefore taken the decision to continue to monitor the door rather than to take action at this time.

We plan to continue working on the fabric in 2026 with replacement of the soffits and boiler room ceiling and the installation of the new servery. Over the course of 2025 further tiles on the Church roof have become cracked and fallen away, posing a potential issue were there to be a leak. In 2026 we plan to remediate this. In addition, we are investigating a rising barrier for the car park and improving line markings in order to alleviate tension between hall users and parents, and increase the safety of the car park at school drop off and pick up.

Maintenance:

In 2025 all required maintenance was completed, including fire extinguishers, PAT testing, lightning rod testing, organ service and boiler services and maintenance. In addition, volunteers led activity to source new bark for the paths, paint the gates, paint and fix the north side wooden fence, paint the vestry and southeast hall, and a multitude of smaller jobs. We thank the maintenance team for all their help and support in these activities. In addition, we are thankful to the late Malcolm Loveday who spent a great deal of time maintaining St Paul’s over many years. He will be remembered by many in the Church and through his work, including the creation of the gold cross above the high altar, lovingly made from reclaimed wood and a true reflection of our Church’s ethos.

Policies:

During the first half of the year a full policies review was undertaken, with policies revised or created to ensure legal and Church standards are met, our own inclusive ethos is represented, and the Church Development Plan can be confidently delivered. This is now a policies log which will be reviewed annually by the PCC to assess for completeness and revision requirements. A public set of policy documents can be found at the entrance to the Church on the bookcases, and a full set in the office, as well as a set on the office shared drive.

In addition, the safeguarding officer and vicar reviewed the parish dashboard, and 100% of the required safeguarding actions were completed. Posters were put up to ensure visibility of the PSO role and the engagement of the wider community in safeguarding.

Open Space Facilities Project

14

In 2023 the PCC had agreed to seek the relevant consents and funding for the Open Space project to include the following:

  1. Build an extension at the north-west corner of the nave to provide:

  2. toilets, including one for the disabled, with baby changing facilities

  3. a kitchen capable of providing cooked food and catering for large events in the church

  4. a small café area and meeting space

  5. access from the church and the exterior

  6. Build porches to improve the west and south nave entrances so that they are more open and fully accessible, while also improving them as fire exits and reducing heat loss.

  7. Provide water and drainage services to the south west corner of the nave so that a servery can be created.

  8. Reduce the choir pews in the chancel to make that a more flexible space, particularly for schools use and concerts.

  9. Create storage space in the north transept, ideally repurposing the surplus wood panelling from the reduced choir stalls, including the memorial plaques.

  10. Relocate the World War Two memorial name plaques to a suitable location to be determined.

Planning permission and church Faculty consent were granted, but sadly the plans stalled when Your Fund Surrey changed their goalposts, and this has not yet been resolved. The decision was taken in 2025 to apply for a smaller fund to enable the servery to be developed as a first step, and with money awarded for this it is hoped that this work will be completed in 2026, while we continue to seek other avenues for the wider project. We continue to serve the community in the church space through the week and to work as effectively as possible within the constraints we have. Do pray for this project, which would help us to grow and develop our weekday ministries, and particularly to reach out to those who are more marginalized.

Runnymede Deanery Synod (Steve Baynes, Deanery Synod Lay Chair)

The three Deanery Synod mee�ngs had the topics of ““Reports from Mission Fields in Runnymede” which looked at the role chaplaincy played in the Deanery, “Inves�ng in the Core – Prac�cal Approaches” looking at inter parish collabora�on and “Growing Intercultural Churches” discussing Racial Diversity in Church as their main agenda points.

All three mee�ngs were open to the public and detailed minutes are available via the Deanery Administrator runnymededeanery@gmail.com and on the deanery website. Steve Baynes con�nued as Lay Chair.

Guildford Diocesan Synod (Steve Baynes, Diocesan Synod Lay Member)

The three Diocesan Synod mee�ngs had the topics of Racial Diversity, the Diocesan Board of Educa�on, Net Zero, the Youth Catalyst Project and the 2025 Budget as their main agenda points. Steve Baynes con�nued as a laity member.

Financial Review (Emma Sterry, Treasurer)

Total receipts of £95,281 (unrestricted funds £77,724, restricted funds £17,527 and designated funds £30) of which £27,567 was unrestricted planned voluntary donations and a further £8,708 was from Gift Aid. Restricted grants and donations of £17,527 were also received, towards curate housing and removal of asbestos found in the church boiler room and soffits.

Total expenses were £93,877 which includes £45,927 Parish Share of Diocesan expenses, £146 contribution to Deanery expenses, £5,633 curate housing and £1,822 community meals expenses.

15

Total funds decreased by £15,054 due to losses on the Endowment Funds of £16,458.

We are very grateful to all who financially support ministry at St Paul’s. Regular giving through the Parish Giving Scheme is the best way to give if you can. The church pays no fee for this so the total amount you donate comes to St Paul’s and PGS administer the Gift Aid donations for us each month. You can find out more at www.parishgiving.org.uk (our details are Egham Hythe St Paul PGS 170617192).

There are several other ways to give, including via a QR code and through our website. It really helps if taxpayers sign a Gift Aid declaration so we can claim back the tax on both regular donations and one-off donations.

Please consider joining those who support St Paul’s Church, so that we can bless the community we serve. For more information, please get in touch with the treasurer or wardens and we can help you look at which option is most suitable for you.

Collections for charities in 2025 totalled £636 (2024: £1,055) this is broken down between

Bishop of Guildford Foundation £40 Children’s Society £76 Christian Aid £520 £636

Grants received in 2025 totalled £9,230 (2024: £25,830) this is broken down between

Diocese of Guildford
Diocese of Guildford		 £8,750
Towards curate housing
£480
Towards Eco Survey
£9,230

Reserves Policy

The Parochial Church Council has set reserves target of 2 months of unrestricted expenses. This is equivalent to £13,366. It is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies. The balance of the free reserves at the year-end was £28,922 which is higher than this target.

The balance of £33,288 in the restricted fund is retained for church fabric £21,439, community meals £822, ministry support £3.241, office equipment replacement and admin support £1,098, church hall repairs £352, money held on behalf of Churches Together for flood relief £1,008, donation of £1,000 for a hardship fund and youth outreach project £3,328.

Looking forward

Parish Share for 2026 will be £47,811 (2025: £45,927) and we continue to be supported under the transitional arrangements to new Parish Share scheme for this year, total cost for full-time incumbent for 2025 is £72,528.

As previously, funding for major expense projects will need to be assessed thoroughly by the PCC or the Standing Committee prior to committing to undertaking. Researching of grant income to apply for will have to form part of any consideration of projects.

Through prayer we achieved many good things in 2025 and we need to continue that prayer and hard work in 2026, but the PCC remain positive in the belief that God will provide.

16

Independent Examiner’s Report to the members/trustees of St Paul’s Church, Egham, Hythe.

I report on the accounts for the year ended 31[st] December 2025 as attached hereto.

Respective responsibilities of the Trustees and Independent Examiner

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

It is my responsibility to:

Basis of Independent Examiner’s Statement

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission.

An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the management committee concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in a full audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the accounts.

Independent Examiner’s Statement

In connection with my examination, no matters have come to my attention

  1. which give me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

  2. to keep accounting records in accordance with s.130 of the 2011 Act; or

  3. to prepare accounts which accord with these accounting records have not been met; or

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

Moore Accounting Services 17 Warwick Close, Maidenhead

22nd March 2026

17

Statement of Financial Activities

For the year ending 31 December 2025

Note
INCOME AND
ENDOWMENTS
Voluntary Receipts
2(a)
Activities for generating
funds
2(b)
Income from investments
2(c)
Church activities
2(d)
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE
Church activities
3(a)
Raising funds
3(b)
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
NET
INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
BEFORE INVESTMENT
GAINS
NET GAINS ON
INVESTMENTS
NET
INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
TRANSFER BETWEEN
FUNDS
NET MOVEMENT IN
FUNDS
Total funds brought
forward
Total funds carried
forward		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Designated
Funds
Endowment
Funds
Total
Funds
2025
Total
Funds
2024
£
£
£
£
£
£
43,334
15,469
0
0
60,803
84,736
28
1,130
0
0
1,158
1,238
11,566
928
30
0
12,524
12,555
20,796
0
0
0
20,796
22,102
77,724
17,527
30
0
95,281
120,631
79,611
13,679
0
0
93,291
106,291
587
0
0
0
587
531
80,198
13,679
0
0
93,877
106,821
(2,474)
3,848
0
0
1,404
13,810
0
0
0
(16,458)
(16,458)
9,212
(2,474)
3,848
0
(16,458)
(15,054)
23,021
0
1,000
(1,000)
0
0
0
(2,474)
4,848
(970)
(16,458)
(15,054)
23,021
31,396
28,441
7,432
411,677
478,945
455,924
28,922
33,288
6,462
395,219
463,891
478,945

18

Balance Sheet

As at 31 December 2025

Note
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible
Intangible
9
CURRENT ASSETS
Stock
Investments
Debtors and prepayments
4(a)
Short-term deposits
Cash at bank and in hand
4(b)
LIABILITIES
Creditors – amounts falling due within one year
5
NET CURRENT ASSETS/(LIABILITIES)
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES
Creditors – amounts falling due after one year
TOTAL NET ASSETS
PARISH FUNDS
Unrestricted
Restricted
Designated
Endowment		 2025
2024
£
£
0
0
395,219
411,677
395,219
411,677
0
0
0
0
3,287
845
0
0
77,791
70,515
81,078
71,640
12,405
4,371
68,673
67,269
463,891
478,945
0
0
463,891
478,945
28,922
31,396
33,288
28,441
6,432
7,432
395,219
411,677
463,891
478,945

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 11[th] February 2026 and signed on its behalf by The Revd Rosemary Hoad (PCC Chair)

The notes on pages 20 to 25 form part of these accounts.

19

NOTES TO ACCOUNTS

1 Accounting Policies

The PCC is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102 and registered with The Charity Commission as number 1184186. The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of PCCs, and with the Regulations’ “true and fair view” provisions. It is also the first year they have been prepared under FRS102 (2016) as the applicable accounting standards and the 2016 version of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP(FRS102)).

Funds

Unrestricted Funds

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

Designated Funds

These are income funds from the unrestricted funds which the PCC have designed for a future project and which are therefore not included in its “free reserves” as disclosed in the trustees’ report.

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 2 funds which are held for our benefit by Guildford Board of Finance at CCLA Bank, namely Budgen Fund and Picher Fund. The income from the Budgen Fund is unrestricted, the income from the Pilcher Fund is restricted to be used to alleviate hardship in the parish.

20

2 Income and Endowments

2(a)
Voluntary
Gift Aid donations
Tax recoverable
Other
Collections
Grants
Curate Housing
Eco Survey
Office equipment
Youth ministry
Community Meals
Donations
Legacies
2(b)
Activities for generating funds
Fundraising
2(c)
Income from investments
Dividends on CCLA Investment Fund
Bank and CCLA Deposit Fund interest
2(d)
Income from church activities
Fees for weddings and funerals
Church hall hire income
Total Income		 Unrestricte
d Funds
Restricte
d Funds
Designate
d Funds
Endowmen
t Funds
Total
Funds
2025
Total
Funds
2024
£
£
£
£
£
£
27,567
0
0
0
27,567
29.925
8,708
0
0
0
8,708
8.886
0
0
0
0
0
20
3,416
0
0
0
3,416
3,854
0
8,750
0
0
8,750
15,000
0
480
0
0
480
0
0
0
0
0
0
2,000
0
0
0
0
0
5,830
0
0
0
0
0
3,000
5,643
5,239
0
0
10,882
16,551
0
1,000
0
0
1,000
0
45,334
15,469
0
0
60,803
84,736
Unrestricte
d Funds
Restricte
d Funds
Designate
d Funds
Endowmen
t Funds
Total
Funds
2025
Total
Funds
2024
£
£
£
£
£
£
28
1,130
0
0
1,158
1,238
1,238
0
0
0
1,238
1,656
11,439
0
0
0
11,439
11,172
127
928
30
0
1,085
1,383
11,566
928
30
0
12,524
12,555
2,073
0
0
0
2,073
1,755
18,723
0
0
0
18,723
20,347
20,796
0
0
0
20,796
22,102
77,724
17,527
30
0
95,281
120,631

21

3 Expenditure

3(a)
Church
activities
Diocesan Parish Share
Deanery Parish Share
Other ministry costs
Church running and
maintenance
Curate house
Outreach activities
Training
Grounds upkeep
Hall running and maintenance
3(b)
Raising funds
Stewardship costs
Fundraising costs
Total Resources Expended		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Designated
Funds
Endowment
Funds
Total
Funds
2025
Total
Funds
2024
£
£
£
£
£
£
45,927
0
0
0
45,927
44,807
146
0
0
0
146
146
2,346
0
0
0
2,346
5,407
27,777
3,985
0
0
31,762
23,433
2,046
5,433
0
0
7,679
21,821
154
2,015
0
0
2,169
7,841
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
288
5,307
0
0
0
5,307
2,548
79,611
13,679
0
0
93,291
106,291
0
0
0
0
0
0
587
0
0
0
587
531
587
0
0
0
587
531
80,198
13,679
0
0
93,877
106,821

Volunteers run the church office and clean and maintain the church for which we are hugely thankful for.

22

4 Current Assets

4(a)
Debtors
Funeral fees
Planned
Giving
Hall hire
Gift Aid
4(b)
Cash at bank and in hand
Co-Op Bank
Current
Account
Co-Op Bank
Current
Account
Co-Op Bank
Deposit
Account
CCLA Bank
Deposit
Account
CCLA Bank
Deposit
Account		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Designated
Funds
Endowment
Funds
Total
Funds
2025
Total
Funds
2024
£
£
£
£
£
£
0
0
0
0
0
254
820
0
0
0
820
0
1,236
0
0
0
1,236
46
1,230
0
0
0
1,230
545
3,287
0
0
0
3,287
845
29,571
6,330
765
0
36,666
30,640
0
1,047
0
0
1,047
1,162
10,581
2,360
5,000
0
17,941
17,814
0
0
697
0
697
667
0
21,439
0
0
21,439
20,511
40,153
31,176
6,462
0
77,791
70,795

5 Current Liabilities

4(a)
Amounts failing due within one
year
Accruals for running costs
Accruals for ministry costs
Accruals for outreach costs
Accruals for repair costs
Money collected on behalf of
others
Parish Share		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Designated
Funds
Endowment
Funds
Total
Funds
2025
Total
Funds
2024
£
£
£
£
£
£
1,572
0
0
0
1,473
1,019
250
0
0
0
722
544
60
225
0
0
864
0
5,520
0
0
0
5,520
0
409
369
0
0
778
253
4,000
0
0
0
4,000
0
11,811
594
0
0
12,405
3,459

23

6 Funds

The restricted funds comprise the church fabric bequest fund, the community meals project, ministry support (curate housing) fund, admin support fund, hall vandalism fund, youth ministry fund, hardship fund and flood relief money held on behalf of Churches Together in Surrey after the floods of February 2014.

The designated funds comprise organ repairs and maintenance, bequest designated for a families and youth worker.

The endowment funds are managed on behalf of the parish by Guildford Diocesan Board of Finance as custodians.

7 Summary of Fund Movements

4(a)
Unrestricted
General Fund
Restricted
Rosewarne
Bequest
Restricted
Community Meals
Restricted
Ministry (housing)
Restricted
Admin support
Restricted
Hall vandalism
Restricted
Flood Relief
Restricted
Youth ministry
Restricted
Hardship Fund
Restricted
Clark Bequest
Designated
Organ Fund
Designated
Families and Youth
Worker
Designated
Hardship Fund
Endowment
Pilcher Fund
Endowment
Budgen Fund		 As at 1
January
2025
Incoming
Resources
Resources
Expended
Investment
Gains
Transfers
As at 31
December
2025
£
£
£
£
£
£
31,396
77,724
(80,198)
0
0)
28,922
20,511
928
0
0
0
21,439
1,418
1,176
(1,822)
0
0
822
483
10,438
(7,679)
0
0
3,241
1,098
0
0
0
0
1,098
352
0
0
0
0
352
1,008
0
0
0
0
1,008
3,521
0
(193)
0
0
3,328
0
0
0
0
1,000
1,000
0
1,000
0
0
0
1,000
667
30
0
0
0
697
5,000
0
0
0
0
5,000
1,000
0
0
0
(1,000)
0
6,798
0
0
(272)
0
6,526
404,878
0
0
(16,186)
0
388,692
478,945
95,281
(93,877)
(16,458)
0
463,891

24

8 Prior Period Comparative SOFA Restated

Statement of Financial Activities

For the year ending 31 December 2024

INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS
Voluntary Receipts
Activities for generating funds
Income from investments
Church activities
TOTAL INCOME
EXPENDITURE
Church activities
Raising funds
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
BEFORE INVESTMENT GAINS
NET GAINS ON INVESTMENTS
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
TRANSFER BETWEEN FUNDS
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Unrestricted
Funds
Restricted
Funds
Designated
Funds
Endowment
Funds
Total Funds
2024
£
£
£
£
£
49,176
34,309
1,250
0
84,736
1,238
0
0
0
1,238
11,277
1,245
34
0
12,555
22,102
0
0
0
22,102
83,793
35,554
1,284
0
120,631
68,300
37,506
485
0
106,291
531
0
0
0
531
68,831
37,506
485
0
106,821
14,962
(1,951)
799
0
13,810
0
0
0
9,212
9,212
14,962
(1,951)
799
9,212
23,021
0
0
0
0
0
14,962
(1,951)
799
9,212
23,021
16,434
30,392
6,633
402,465
455,924
31,396
28,441
7,432
411,677
478,945

25