2023-12-31-accounts

Of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of

All Saints, Waldron & St. Bartholomew’s, Cross in Hand

Registered Charity no. 1184369

For the year ended 31st December 2023

CONTENTS

Page
1-4	Trustees annual report
5-6	Financial Review – Treasurer’s Report
7	Statement of fnancial receipts and payments
8	Statement of assets and liabilites
9-12	Notes to the accounts
13	Report of the independent examiner
14-	Appendices - reports

Website: www.waldronchurches.org.uk The Revd George Pitcher – retired 5.11.2023 Incumbent: Now in interregnum

Independent Mr N Rayment examiner: 61 Oaklands, Westham, Pevensey East Sussex, BN24 5AW

Bankers: Lloyds Bank, Tunbridge Wells

All Saints, Waldron & St Bartholomew’s, Cross in Hand Trustees Annual Report for 2023

Charities Act Annual Report 2023

1.Reference and administrative information

i) Administration address:-

c/o Brambles, Dern Lane Waldron, Heathfield, East Sussex TN21 0PN

ii) Charitable Status of the parish

The parish is a charity, registered with the Charity Commission and our number is 1184369

iii) Name and address of Independent Examiner

Nicholas Rayment 61 Oaklands Westham, Pevensey East Sussex BN24 5AW (01323 763385)

iv) Name & Address of Primary Bankers

Lloyds Bank plc 82 Mount Pleasant Road Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1RP

2. Structure, governance and management

Administration was the responsibility of the Priest-in-charge; Rev. George Pitcher (non-stipendiary priest) together with the Churchwardens and Parochial Church Council (PCC) following the relevant legislation and the Canon Law of the Church of England,and working under the authority of the Bishops of the Diocese. The Churchwardens are given responsibility for the day to day administration, good order and diary management of the parish. Applications and administration for Baptisms Weddings and Funerals are passed to the Rector from the Pastoral team. The parish is in the diocese of Chichester and the Episcopal Area of Lewes and Hastings. Since November 2023, and following the retirement of Rev. Pitcher, the churchwardens have been appointed as sequestrators and are responsible for the parish under the guidance of the Archdeacon of Hastings.

i) How the PCC is constituted

The PCC and Churchwardens are elected under the terms of the Church Representation Rules 2006 (Schedule 3 to the Synodical Government Measure 1969 as amended by Statutory Instrument 2004 No 1889.)

The Priest-in-charge served under licence from the Bishop; Churchwardens and Deanery and Diocesan Synod delegates are the subject of separate elections to their posts. All of these then serve on the PCC ex officio . Churchwardens are elected annually, and lay members of the Deanery Synod for a three year term. The appropriate number of members of the church are also elected for a three year term with 1/3 standing down each year, but being eligible for re-election. The electorate comprises those persons on the Electoral Roll; all church members are encouraged to register and to consider standing for election to the PCC.

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ii) List of members in the year 2023

Ex-officio members;- Revd. George Pitcher (Priest –in -charge and Chairman)( Retired 5.11.2023) Mrs Sarah Mackenzie (Churchwarden) Mr Ian Dixon (Churchwarden) and (Treasurer) Mr Tim Williams (Deanery Synod) (see below as well) Mrs Mary Everett (Deanery Synod) (see below as well)

Elected members;-

Mrs Penelope Mayfield ( Secretary) Mrs Mary Everett Mrs Carollyn Stanbridge Mr Timothy Hough (See Reader, also) Mr Richard Maylam (See Reader, also) Mr Martin Tunstall Mr Roger Clark ( Safeguarding) Mr Tim Williams Mr David Mattinson Mr Andy Delves ( See Reader, also) Mr Peter Venn

Appointed Members ;

Mr Timothy Hough (Reader) Mr Richard Maylam (Reader)(now resigned) Mr Andy Delves (Reader)

iii) Committees of the PCC The PCC’s Standing Committee, which is the only committee required by law, has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings subject to any directions given by the Council. This consists of the Priest-in-charge, the Churchwardens, the Secretary, the Treasurer and one member from the PCC. A finance sub-committee monitors the income and expenditure of the PCC. The PCC also oversees the stewardship of the church buildings and fabric. Other groups who operate under the authority and directions of the PCC have their activities summarised in the appendices to this document.

iv) Induction and training of PCC Members All members of the PCC have their duties and responsibilities explained to them including their duty of care and the implications of the Charities Act 2006 and SORP 2005. This also includes Safeguarding issues. They are regularly updated on changes to rules, regulations and law.

3. Objectives and activities

i) Primary Objective

The primary objective of the Parish of Waldron is the promotion of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. The PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.

4. Achievements and performance

i) Church attendance and electoral roll totals There are currently 116 entries on the Church Electoral Roll of which 40 relate to people not currently residing within the parish (March 2023 revision) (116 in March 2022). The average Sunday attendance was 66 (57 in 2022)

n.b. calculated by adding all of the Sunday only worshippers EXCEPT Easter Sunday and dividing by 51 225 came to Church over the Christmas Period, plus 29 children. (67 in 2022) 170 attended the Easter Sunday Services

The PCC met on 7 occasions in 2023 –, 17[th] February, 1st May, 5[th] June, 28[th] July, 8[th] September, 24[th] October and 20[th] November. Attendance as recorded in the minutes.

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ii) PCC Meetings

iii) Review of Activities During the course of the year, the PCC :-

Continued to build on the successful integration of the congregations of the two churches with newer members readily accepting the use of both churches as a regular occurrence, which is evidence of good progress in this area. For those unable to attend church services, strenuous efforts are made to maintain contact via telephone calling and other technical options. Home communion was offered on a number of occasions.

We were delighted to have 10 weddings in our churches during the year along with 6 Baptisms. Additionally, 7 Funerals took place.

Once again, we were delighted to host the very successful school leavers service at St Bartholomew’s Church. We also welcomed local school children to an Easter event in St Bartholomew’s church.

We continue to see good use being made of our Alleluia Room, with a regular twice weekly day centre for the elderly now part of the programme. We continue to encourage use of the facility by the local community and we have welcomed a number of other groups for their activities, something we look to build on. On a number of occasions. we were delighted to offer the facility to our Church of England school.. We were also delighted once again, to welcome the Haymakers Nursery to All Saints when they presented their nativity play.

The PCC approved the creation of a further garden area near the Alleluia Room which could be enjoyed by passers by and especially those who visited the graves in the adjacent churchyard. We are grateful to volunteers for maintaining the garden areas.

We continue to maintain and develop an active working relationship with the local Cof E school where we have representation on the Board of Governors and our Priest in Charge made regular visits to join in the collective worship. We have continued to be represented at collective worship following his retirement. Safeguarding issues are covered at each PCC meeting and we are pleased to report that there have been no instances that required reporting.

iv) Church Groups – see separate reports in the appendix Cross in Hand Church of England Primary School – appendix 1 Dallington Deanery Synod – appendix 2 Churches Together in Heathfield & District – appendix 3 The Choir - see Music report appendix 4 Parish Prayer Group – appendix 5 Pastoral & Fellowship – appendix 6 Friends of Waldron Churches – appendix 7 Freewill Offering - appendix 8 Family Support Work – appendix 9 Bell Ringers – appendix 10 Parish Pealers – appendix 11 “Lost & Found” – appendix 12 Connected Charity see appendix 13 for a report on Waldron 800 Trust

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5. Rector’s Review 2023

As previously stated, our Rector, Rev. George Pitcher, retired on 5[th] November 2023. Consequently, on this occasion, there are no comments in this section. However, the report includes many references to the activities within the Parish during the year and the ongoing health of the Parish generally.

6. Churchwardens’ Report – 2023

2023 was a year of further recovery following the effects of the Covid pandemic as we saw church attendance returning to the pre-Covid levels and welcomed new members to our congregation. However, the announcement by our Rector that he would be retiring in November created quite a challenge for the Parish as we countenanced a future without a priest.

Having said that, we were greatly encouraged by the support of the broader congregation and also, that of a number of retired priests who offered assistance as the year drew to an end.

This meant that we were able to provide our usual pattern of services each Sunday and, indeed, we have now settled into a regular programme whereby the Eucharist is offered on three of the four Sundays each month with a Morning Praise on the fourth. We also provide a Holy Communion (bcp) service at 0800 every Sunday.

With the assistance of a retired priest, we have also been able to offer a monthly communion service at the local Holy Cross care home

On a secular level, the Parish was much involved in celebrating the King’s coronation during the year with a street party in Waldron village centre attended by virtually the whole village population.

We once again, organised a number of coffee mornings, some with entertainment, as part of our fund raising activities although they also provide a wonderful opportunity for people to come together socially. In addition, we have established a regular mid week coffee morning for anyone who cars to drop in and these are growing in popularity.

The Alleluia Room provides much needed 21[st] century facilities and, importantly, a social area for both the congregation and other community groups. Usage continued to increase throughout the year as we reached out to the wider community and our school. Our plans to instal toilet facilities at All Saints started to come together with the appointment of an architect and we look to see this come to fruition during 2024..

Our churches could not function without the support of many volunteers and we extend our thanks to everyone who contributes in so many different ways. It is impossible to name them all, but we are extremely grateful to Rev. Desmond Burton, Rev. Simon Hobbs and Rev. Lucy Murdoch for their ongoing support. We also thank Peter Lawrence for his ongoing work in maintaining the choir and playing the organ for us, well supported by David Oakenfold. In fact, David has been contributing a growing amount of time to us which is a relief to Peter.. Additionally, we should mention the considerable contribution to our church life from Brian Tompsett, the Tower Captain, who supports us in very many ways usually not seen by most of us.

We look forward with optimism as we enter a time of interregnum, confident in the great support we have already received and anticipate in 2024. We wait to see what the year brings forth!

Sarah Mackenzie and Ian Dixon

4.

7. Financial review and future plans

We entered 2023 in a healthy position financially and were able to conclude the payments for the Alleluia Room which came in exactly on budget.,

We remain extremely grateful to all those who make regular contributions to our funds through the Parish Giving scheme. Annual income from this source, coupled with the Gift Aid recovery, covers the annual contribution which we make to the Diocese. It should be mentioned that we have, once again, offered to increase that contribution over and above what was requested in order to support those parishes who would e struggling.

Having said that, we then needed to cover all of the related costs of running the parish through other means and significant donations along with fees and cash collections served us well. Re-introducing regular coffee mornings also helped with income as did the fact that we now receive all of the distributable income from the Waldron 800 Trust. Higher interest rate also boosted interest earned on our deposit account. Notably, contributions from Friends of Waldron Churches and the Clock Benefaction Fund covered some essential repair work at our churches.

It was pleasing to see that, in the main, our estimates of expenditure were broadly correct. However, the increasing cost of oil and greater use of the Alleluia Room contributed to much higher energy costs than we had anticipated and this will continue to be a challenge. We have made arrangements for a further three year fixed cost for gas and electricity to run from May 2024 when the current agreement ends. Additionally, we started to make more use of a range of organists who all needed to be paid an honorarium for their occasional services; this increased our music expense and will do so again in 2024.

The year end situation showed a modest shortfall of around £1,300 although this was after a significant expense on the plans for new toilet facilities at All Saints. This will be the subject of major fund raising in 2024 as we seek to bring these plans to reality. Overall, due to the uplift in funds held by FOWC, there was an excess of income over outgoings of some £9,000 or so.

Overall assets were valued at £149,000 which includes the Friends of Waldron Churches balances of some £47,000 and, also items that we can not access for various reasons. Our readily available assets were around £57,000.

We remain mindful of the fact that virtually all of the work of our parish is done voluntarily; our only personal payments are honoraria for organists.

Ian Dixon – Hon. Treasurer

5.

Annual Financial Report

Of The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of

All Saints, Waldron

& St Bartholomew’s, Cross in Hand

Registered Charity no. 1184369

For the year ended 31st December 2023

CONTENTS
Page
7	Statement of fnancial receipts and
	payments
8	Statement of assets and liabilites
9-12	Notes to the accounts
13	Report of the independent examiner

6

Waldron P.C.C.

Summary of Financial Receipts and Payments

Summary of Financial Payments	Receipts and	Receipts and
Income & Endowment from;	Unrestricted				TOTA L	Total
	Gener al	Designat ed	Restricte d	Endow ed	All funds	All Funds
	Fund	Funds	Funds	Funds	2023	2022
Donations and Legacies Fees Other trading activities Investments Other receipts/FOWC	55,8 31	1,500			57,33 1	69,471
	3,73 1				3,731	2,234
	1,23 6				1,236	116
	1,44 0		10,880		12,32 0	10,390
Total received	62,2 38	1,500	10,880	0	74,61 8	82,21 1
Expenditure on;
Cost of raising funds Charitable costs Trading costs Otherpayments
	55,3 57	2,568			57,92 5	67,708
	5,55 0	1,500			7,050	28,996
Total Paid	60,9 07	4,068	0		64,97 5	96,704
Reconciliationof funds
Net Income( or net expenditure)	1,33 1	-2,568	10,880	0	9,643	- 14,493
Transfers between funds/ movement in investments
Net movement in funds	1,50 1	-2,568	10,880	-846	8,967	- 15,627
Bankaccountat 1January	55,6 66	8,050	48,505	27,88 4	140,1 05	155,73 2
Bank accounts at 31 December	57,1 67	5,482	59,384	27,03 9	149,0 72	140,10 5

Note 1; Designated payments relate to heating and organ repairs

Note 2; Endowed funds relate to Parish Silver and Clock Fund. Restricted funds are

Waldron P.C.C.

Statement of Assets & Liabilities

Statement of Assets &	Statement of Assets &	Statement of Assets &	Statement of Assets &	Statement of Assets &	Statement of Assets &	Statement of Assets &
FOWC/ Heating/ Organ funds and stained glass window Nore 3; (Endmnt) This was a drawing from the clock fund held at the Diocese/ net change N.B. The general fund includes M&G investments/Lloyds bank and CBF Deposit Fund 7 Liabilities Unrestricted Total Total Gener al Designat ed Restrict ed Endow ed All Fund s All Funds Note s Fund Funds Funds Funds 2023 2022 Assets Bank Current account ( Lloyds) 1248 0 1248 0 1114 9 Bank account - Organ Fund - NatWest 2750 2750 3750 Bank account- Heating Fund - Natwest 2732 2732 4300 CBF Deposit Fund 3986 0 3986 0 3986 0 PCC owned bank balance 5234 0 5482 0 5782 2 5905 9 Friends of WaldronChurches 47384 4738 4 3650 5 Total bank and deposit accounts 5234 0 5482 47384 1052 06 95564
Bank Current account ( Lloyds) Bank account - Organ Fund - NatWest Bank account- Heating Fund - Natwest CBF Deposit Fund PCC owned bank balance Friends of WaldronChurches	1248 0				1248 0	1114 9
		2750			2750	3750
		2732			2732	4300
	3986 0				3986 0	3986 0
	5234 0	5482	0		5782 2	5905 9
			7 47384		4738 4	3650 5
Total bank and deposit accounts	5234 0	5482	47384		1052 06	95564

Wedding fees not yet received Local authority grants for churchyard Gift Aid recoverable	Wedding fees not yet received Local authority grants for churchyard Gift Aid recoverable	Wedding fees not yet received Local authority grants for churchyard Gift Aid recoverable	Wedding fees not yet received Local authority grants for churchyard Gift Aid recoverable	Wedding fees not yet received Local authority grants for churchyard Gift Aid recoverable	Wedding fees not yet received Local authority grants for churchyard Gift Aid recoverable	Wedding fees not yet received Local authority grants for churchyard Gift Aid recoverable	Wedding fees not yet received Local authority grants for churchyard Gift Aid recoverable
Debtors M&G Charifund
	4827				4827	4657
Investments at market value	4827				4827	4657
Parish Silver at Chichester 2400 0 2400 0 24000 Stained Glass Window 12000 1200 0 12000 Clock Benefaction Fund 3039 3039 3884 Investment assets at cost 12000 2703 9 3903 9 39884
Total assets	5716 7	5482	59384	2703 9	1490 72	14010 5
Gas - credit balance -114 Liabilities Electricity/gas used since last billed 45 400 (est.) Loohire 110
Total liabilities					41	400
Assets less liabilities 1490 31

The Financial Report for the year ended 31st December 2023 including the notes following,

was approved by the PCC and signed by Sarah Mackenzie, PCC Deputy Chairman

….................................................................

..

Notes to the Annual Financial Report

3 Analysis of total received

		Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Unrestricted	Restric ted Fund/s	Restric ted Fund/s		Endow ed Fund/s	Total All Funds 2023	Total All Funds 2022	Not es 1 2 3
		Gene ral Fund	Designa ted Funds
Planned giving (excl. tax refunds) Planned giving (no tax refunds) Loose cash collections GP Retirement Gift Aid recovered Donations Insurance claim FOWC FOWC - uplift in funds held Events income Grants		£ 24,801 1,200 6,343 1,865 7,370 6,816 1,440 1,484 4,418		£ - - - - - - -		£ - - - - - -		£ - - - - - - -	£ 24,801 1,200 6,343 1,865 7,370 6,816 - 1,440 10,880 1,484 4,418	£ 25,818 1,200 5,683 9,685 9,177 4,461 100 10,490 9,970 3,235
Donations and legacies		55,73 7		-		-		-	66,617	79,819
Fees for weddings & funerals		3,731		-		-		-	3,731	2,234
Charitable activities		3,731		-		-		-	3,731	2,234
Proceeds of events with trading/sales Concert income Small items sales (cofee/candles/Bible study notes etc) Room/hall hiring fees Magazine/bookstall income				- - - - -		- - - - -		- - - - -	- - - - -
Other trading activities		0		-		-		-	-	-
Bank & CBF deposit interest Clock Benfaction Fund Letting of investment property		1,533 1,237 0		-		-		- - -	1,533 1,237 -	143 116
Investments		2,770		-		-		-	2,770	259

Donation to AS building fund	0 1,500			1,500		4
Total received on all funds	62,23 8 1,500	-	-	74,618	82,312

Note 1 - Retirement collection for G Pitcher ( see expenditure as well)

Note 2 - Relates to Coffee mornings

Note 3 - Relates to payments from Waldron 800 Trust Note 4 - Donation towards toilet installation costs

9.

Notes to the Annual Financial Report Analysis of total paid:

Analysis of total paid:
	Unrestricted					Restric ted Fund/s		Endo wed Fund/ s		Total All Fund s 2023	Total All Fund s 2022	Note s 1 2 3
	Gener al Fund		Design ated Funds
Cost of fundraising activities/events Other appeals expenses		£ -		£ - -		£ - -		£ - -		£ - -	£ -
Cost of raising funds		-		-		-		-		-	-
Charitable grants and donations Parish share to Chichester Diocese Salaries and honoraria incl NI Clergy and other people's expenses Mission & evangelism costs Music costs Jubilee expenses GP Retirement Fund Printing & photocopying Water/gas/electricity /oil Other regular church running costs Church maintenance & redecoration Organ New building work FOWC - Interest Insurance	31,000.0 0 2,418.00 1,672.0 0 1,988.0 0 1,183.0 0 493.00 5,671.0 0 1,489.0 0 3,987.0 0 1,398.0 0 5,550.0 0 4,058.0			- - - - - - 2,568 - - - 1,500 -		- - - - - - - - - - - -		- - - - - - - - - - - -	- 31,00 0 - 2,418 1,672 1,988 - 1,183 493 8,239 1,489 3,987 1,398 7,050 4,058		29,0 00 2,49 6 4,26 6 1,51 6 10,0 45 688 4,02 7 1,45 7 9,08 2 1,23 0 28,9 96 3,94

0 Examiner's and other fnancial fees 0.00 -	0 Examiner's and other fnancial fees 0.00 -	-	-	-	3 -
Charitable costs	60,90 7.00 4,068	-	-	64,97 5	96,7 46
Cost of events with trading/sales Costs of concerts Hall maintenance & redecoration Church Hall utilities Church hall running costs (other) Magazine/bookstall costs Other trading costs	- - - - -	- - - - -	- - - - -	- - - - -
Trading costs	- -	-	-	-	-
Other payments				-
Total paid on all funds	60,90 7 4,068	-	-	64,97 5 96,7 46

Note 1; Purchases re retirement gifts to Rev G Pitcher ( balance cleared in 1/2024) Note 2; Significant increase in oil costs and utilities generally

Nore 3; Relates to costs incurred in planned new toilet installation at AS

10.

Notes to the

Annual Financia l Report

Staff costs

Wages, salaries and honoraria Employer National Insurance Employer pension contributions		2023 £ - - -		2022 £ - - -
		-		-

11.

Notes to the Annual Financial

Report

Statement of funds

Report Statement of funds
	Balance s b/fwd 01-Jan- 22	Incom e	Expendit ure	Transfer s, other gains and losses	Balances c/fwd 31 Dec 2023
Clock Benefaction Fund Parish Silver at Chichester	£ 3,884 24,000	£	£ - -	£ (846)	£ 3,038 24,000
Total of all endowed funds	27,884	-	-	(846)	27,038
St Bart's Building Fund All Saints Heating Fund Friends of Waldron Churches Stained Galss window	- 4,300 36,505 12,000	10,880	- (1,568) - -	- - - -	- 2,732 47,385 12,000
Total of all restricted funds	52,805	10,88 0	(1,568)	-	62,117
General fund Change in investments Designated organ fund	55,676 (10) 3,750	63,738 -	(62,407) (1,000)	170	57,007 160 2,750

Total of all unrestricted funds	59,416	63,73 8	(63,407 )	170	59,917
Total funds	£140,1 05	£74,6 18	£(64,97 5)	£(676)	£149,07 2

12.

Independent examine¢s report To the PCC of the Parish of All Saints, Waldron (All Saints Church Waldron, St BarthoIome￿S Church, Cross in Hand) This is rny report to the Parochial Church Council ol the Ecclesiastical Parish IPCCI of All Saints Church, Waldron and St Bartholomew's Church, Cross in Hand on the annwl report for the year ended 31, December 2023. Respertive responsibillties of trustees and examiner The PCC members are responsible for the preparation of the annual reports. The PCC member5 consider that an audit 15 not required lor this year under section 144 of the Charities Art 20111"the Charlties Act-l and that an independent examination is needed. It 15 rny responsibility to.. examine the accourts under settion 145 of the Charities Act. to follow the procedures laid down in the general Directions given by the Charity Commissitsn (under section 14515llbl of the Charities Att, and to state whether particular matters have corne to my attent￿on. Basis of independent examinerfs Statement My exatnination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Cornmi5sion. An examination includes a review ol the accounting record5 kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presenied with those record5. It also include5 consideration of any urnusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such rnatter5. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence ihar would be ￿quIred in an audit. and consequently no opinion is given as tD whether the accounts pre5ernt a 'true and fairf view and the report is limlted to those matters set out in the siaternent below. Independent examiner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter ha5 corne to my attention which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in, arny material respect, the requirements.. to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act," and to prepare accounts which accord with the accountin8 records and comply with the accoLnting requirements ol the Charities Act have not been rnet.. or 2. to which, in rny opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. ExamSnerfs slgnature..... ... Exarninerf5 name N R Royment Date 12 Mar¢h 2024 Relevant professional qualificationlsl or bodv Examlnerfs address 61 Oaklands, Westharn, Pevenseyj East Sussex. 8N24 SAW 13.