ST MARY'S CHURCH, KINGTON PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL Registered Ihatity oumber 1185453 TRUSTEES. ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS for 2020 St Marf5 Church is situated in Kinglon. in the Kington and Weobley Deanery in the Diocese of Hereford within the Church of England. The correspondence address is Church Office. The Vicardge, Church Road, Kington, HR5 3AG. The PCC is 3 body corporate {PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church RepsentatIOn Rules 20111 and is now registered with the Charity Commission IRegistered charity number 11854531. As Charity Trustees. all PCC members should be mindful of the Charity Commission's six core principles for charity trustees, which are as follows: l. Ensure your chority is carrying out its puryM>sesfvr the public benefft. 2. Comply WiTth YourcharltS governiTng dotument ie PCC Meosure ond Church Rep Rules- ond the wider low. 3. Art in your chorit5 best interests. ie. by moking sure that you actfor the church ond not t7ny conflicting interes¢ eg o reloted school or other orgonis(rtion. ensure thot the decisions are yours. not those influenced by others. 4. Manage your charirfs resources responsibly. 5. Act with reosonoble core ond5kiTII. 6. Ensure your chority is occountabla PCC members who have served at any time Sin the Annual Church Meeting 2019 until the Annual Church meetings in May 2021 are: Licensed aergy: Assistant Curates: Revd Benedict Griffith (Chair) Revd Linda MacDemiott Revd Paul Buckingham Mr Rob Maccurrach Licensed Reader Churchwardens: Mi55 Ann Edwards Mr Rodney Bowdler (Wice Chairl Mrs Eileen Thomas Isacristanl Mrs Bev Fensom Ideputy sacristan and deputy churchwarden) Mrs Penny Halcrow {PCC Secretary) Mrjohn Hakrow. Mr Philip Sell Mrs Deborah Horne. Mrs Alliwn Wright Mrs Janet Price. Mr Malcolm Price, Mrs Margaret Cooke, Mr Nick Cooke Deanery Synod Representstives: Elettsd members: 2018 2019 2020
Structure, governance and management The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At St Marfs. the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent (our vicar). assistant curate5. churchwarden5, the reader licensed to the Benefice, parochial representatives elected to the Deanery Synod. and members elected by those on the electoral roll of the church. Al members of the congregation a encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including decidirsg on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the normal pattern of meetings for the PCC had to be abandoned. Two meetin8S were held in January and March, in the Parish House as usual, with an attendance rate of 68%. Once we were able to meet again, albeit having to abide by Covid regulations {social distancin& wearing face masks etcl the Annual Church meetings were held in the Church on ottober 13 wtth a PCC meeting in the Church on Dember 15 The Standing committee met three times (Sept. Nov and Dec). principally to discuss the sale of the property owned at Bradnor Green. Aims and Purposes St Marfs (Kingtonl PCC has the responsibility of c(TroperatinB With the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church. pastoral. evangelistic. social and ecumenical. The PCC is also responsible for the Maintenan ofthe Church and ofthe Parish House. Objertives and Artivities The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at the church and to become part of the parish community at St Marfs. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish. Our services and worship put farth into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. We try to enable everybody to Itve out their fatth as part of our parish community through= o Worship and prayer; leaming about the gospel and developing their knowledge and trust in Je5US. o Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish. o Missionary and outreach work. To facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of the Church of St Mary and the Parish House. Worship and Prayer The PCC is keen to offer a range of services over the course of the year that our community find both beneficial and spiritually fulfilling. However. due to the pandemic. the normal pattern of services had to be abandoned after March 23" While the Church was in complete lockdown. the vicar led a live streamed service every Sunday morning from his Study. Once churches could be reopened. then it became possible to live stream the Sunday moming service from St Marfs. Much work had to be done to make it possible for members of the congregation to attend seNices, bearing in mind the need for ensuring that everything was Covid safe. This included the need for regularly sanitising everything and the requirements for social distancing and wearing fa coverings. The March 2020 revision ofthe electoral roll showed a net gain of 5 members. 9 new members joined the ro51. and sadly, 4 members died, so for 2020- 2021 we have 123 members. 40 male and 83 female. During 2020, there was one wedding in St Marfs Church. Twenty three funeral services were condurted by members ofthe ministryteam.
Mission and Evangelisrn Helping those in need is a demonstration of our frdith. Through various special collections and donation5. £2.229 was sent to various charities. Through the Deanery. we continue to support the Diocesan Train-a-Priest scheme in Tanzania. OLr parish magazine keeps our parishioners infom)ed of the important matters affecting our Church as well as providing a valuable source of community infomation. As mentioned in the churchwardens, report. alternative arrangement5 had to be made for the Parish News for several months during the year. Ecumenical Relationships St Mary's is a member of Churches Together in Kington and we have continued to maintain good relations with the other member Churches. DEANERY SYNOD Three members of the PCC continue to sit on the Deanery Synod. with both a clergy and a lay representative from Kington serving on the Deanery Stonding Committee and on the Deanery Mission and Pastoral Committee. The Deanery Synod provides the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider struttures of the church. drawing together the thoughts of the Church's life in the Deanery and considering matters referred to it from the Diocesan Synod and General Synod. Unfortunately, all the planned Deanerysynods had to be cancelled. However, the Deanery leadership team have been much encouraged by the amount of work done in Parishe5. Benefices and at Deanery level responding to the demands of Covid-19 as well as the continued work of the church which has helped all communities. A meeting of the Kington & Weobley Deanery Mission and Pastoral Committee was held by Zoom in November 2020. An Outline draft ofthe Deanery Mission Action Plan, the re5uSt of much work bythe De3Dery leadership team, was presented and well accepted. It was agreed that the draft MAP would be presented at Deanery Synod on 14th January 2021. Also discussed was the proposal from the Diocese to transfer the Magnis Benefice from Hereford Deanery to Kington and Weobley deanery. This proposal has since beet7 Withdrawn. PARISH HOUSE It was possible to keep the Parish House open for the first three months of 2020. generating income from the hiring out of the hall. A detailed risk assessment was carried out in April 2020 and Special Condttions of Hire during Covid-19 drawn up, but sadly, this, together wtth the government guidancellaw on numbers pemiitted to meet together etc made it impossible to reopen the Parish House. Fortunately, a discretionary supwrt grant of £1,334 was received fro Herefordshire County Council. awarded to compensate in part for105s of income due to Covid regulations. This was recewed in February 2021. The building is regularly checked and the water system flushed through all points of use. The emergency lights and smoke alarms have been tested regularly. The annual ser11 of the boiler and cooker was carried out by British Gas. The boundary fen to the car parking area has been replaced and the car park itself has now been cleared and levelled and completed with 3 stone surface. Overhanging trees have been cut back. The upstairs window atthe east end of the building has been repaId and the pigeon loft has been cleared of jackdaws, nests.
A new ten year lease for the rent of the Parish House from the Diocese has been agreed and signed. (This lease dates from March 2019}. Penny Halcrow (Secretary to the PCC} ST MARY'S FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31- DECEMBER 2020 2020 has been an extraordinary year. It was the year in which the Covi(K19 pandemic put a stop to much of the fund raising activity. I give my thanks to all those generous souls that have kept giving money through the Parish Giving Scheme, standing orders. envelopes. the contactless devi and cash in liberal quantities. Church is not about money but money enables u5 to do things that would otherwise be impossible. The total receipts for the year amounted to £85,088.69. Unsurprisingly. it was considerably smaller than the 2019 receipts l£l(XJ,068.87) and with payments being El(JJ.856.05 meant that there was an excess of payments over receipts of £15,767.36. This looks worse than it is because a Itttle more than £7,6(K) was Spent on fencing and resurfacing the Parish House car park. This is not something that we will have to spend in 2021. Given our current cash resetves we can accept this shortfall for six more years before the relevant bank accounts are empty. This assumes that reiptS and payments continue at their current level. It is comforting to reflect that the generosity of Maggie Edwards means that next year there will be extra income of £168.(YK) from the sale of her cottage and the coppice that She left to the Church in her will. am convinced that prayer and generosity on our part will mean that we will survNe. l.one givesfreely. yet grow5 all the richer,. rJnother withholds what he should give. ond only suffers Wont. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who woters will himse£f be wotered.- PROVERBS 11.24-251 The Parish Giving Scheme IPGSI continues to be a SucsS. Many have index linked their donations so that our income keeps pace with our costs. Of course we have not been able to run many of the fund raising activittes but the Bonus Ball continues to raise a useful sum and our thanks go to Bev Fensom for faithfully managing this and bringing in much needed extra funds to the tune of £943.20. 1 was so surprised by Trish Maccurrach's plant sales. By putting a small stall on Cutterbach Lane and stocking it with plants grown in the garden. along with some market sales she raised £981.101 The big expense that we have every year is made direttly to the Diocese of Hereford. In 2020 we gave the sum of £41.000 which pays for the things that the diocese does for u5. Ben's and Linda's salaries come from this. We are proud that. despite the difficulties of the year, we met the cofflmitment that we made. Reserves At the end of December 2020 our cash reserves stood at £47.033.29. This sum is arrived at by subtractin8 the liabilities (see Balance sheet) from the total cash funds held in our bank accounts and in hand. N A Cooke (Treasurer) 22. February 2021.
St. Marfs Church, Kington Balance Sheet as ut 31" December 2020 RtglrtereddfItyn0. 1185453 20 U45H FiIMDS HSBCcurrentuttount I2&15 311611) CBFDEp05it1618026(k7lDJ- CopittilReserve Ctjsh andcheoues inHond Totulcushfunds &n8. 6.622.16 77.678.49 59.428.09 6B.146A9 84.3CQ.65 1,650 Glt7xo smith Kline shores (EBowen teque5t) 24195. 195. 293S3.50 29.353.50 69 LESS: Li¥knlitie5 Loons Ilntere5tfree) 11s(x).ry)I 11stx).irf)I 120AOI 12LYM(I)I 121SIK).fX>I ISQ ADTr. ENDOWMENTTRVFuMDs In¥e5tmentassets BillPrice Bequest {485 utd UtilitlessfesJ KJI Prite 8equv5tlCBF InvestrnentFundJ_ 1371S M Edwords, BequestlC8F In¥e5trnent Fundl..6(X115 Mag6ie Ed¥vards' Beque5tlowoitiRg reinstre[Jtl Gregory Trnst {C8F Investment FundJ...- 12895 Gregory Trnst {Lknceson CBFFund}...1452D 4348.51 &385.86 1499.66 20.(XX).(xI 4575.49 7.t46. 2.338.82 20.(XM). 49.475.45 4.303.75 <303.75 91415.50 88.539.81 Note.. Endowmenttrustfws C?nt bespent. Onfythe interest ard dmdenosfrty)) themcan Freeholdproperty- 8rodnorCottoye NET ASSETVALUE Of FVPIDS 168.(XM). 168.(XX).(M) 70.IXX). 70,(KX).(N) 329.25& 250.693.96 Represented by". fjENERAi FUND. openlng Add.. 1nve5tmentA55etrevglvgbonlEndownni *6SK) RevulvGIiOJ) of BrodnorCortO9e Exte55 or lilefi(it} of IncorDeoverEAperrfrttsre Ti>tal fhange in Restricted and tle5i8nated furtds 197.973.81 11281011 98.(XX). 116,153.761 19.115.(YJl 21KI.113.89 15,125.01 2.575.33 19.840.42 267.4Z2. 197.973.81 RE51RICTED FUNDS Fobricfund 4L81&50 17.5L6.( 41.24824 9.824.39 5932358 51.on.63 Note.. Restricted fund5aTe re5trittedbythe wypose forwlwth the fvnds were rassed. The PCC has 5perxJ them purpose. DESIGWATEO FUNDS Pon5h House 11303.16) 164.591 Kington Kgnguroo Mission Support 5Africon Otphoncge{Preriou5Blessirtos} Fomily serlre Note". The PCC hasfilll control ovef desIatedlurxl Tware desÈqnated forour¢onvenience 119.321 221.03 L107.13 63.61 1.405.91 2.511ffj6 J.405.91 1.64752 Totsl CUTreThta55ets
St. Mary's Church, Kington FKial StateMentsthe 31# Dwn¥ber Z020 Retered tharity no. 1185453 RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT Vohjntary reoipts Regular Giving Gift-uthdplunnEdgiving Income tfjx recovered gift-oidedplonned givin9 CG5h tollfttioFtS (rt5ervi Oonution5 through Porish Givinqsthe IncoF tox recoveytd thmugh P(71ish Gmngsdfrffi Othervolwrtary retripts 4.995_10 59 3.698.33 4.3 L173.(M) L4 &68Z.67 &7 9.195.64 9.2 1,079.85 1.1 3.099.30 3.1 14398.76 18A 428839 43 L683_93 Z.0 2259ts.17 2&5 5.29138 6.2 39.431.91 44.744.61 ZiU).W 2.4 O.(X) (LO GruntforPoNsh House OtherGmnts (Induding VA TrefvndIrn liOtiigiD2018J SuFtdry Doootr)ns Don(rtTons."ContodlESS Easy Fundmi5iAJg Burton Communion Group Charity ColknlK Funerul, EddifJg orjd charity(olleLThns ReIporn artitle$for generngfund5 Ponsh News-soles ond odvefts Rents/Hire of Churth PFUPÉrty Church 0. 0.0 3.(XX).(KY &5 L618.47 L9 280.09 0.3 o.(M) 0.0 L525.31 1.5 70.40 Qi 63.61 267.25 0.3 1.5S2.71 8.585.28 4.387.78 4.4 6.IW.34 7.485.(¥1 I(¥50 &1 0.0) 940.(K> 0.9 Cottoge Porish Hottse I963 >9 {7930 11.8 L[54. 12 FundRotsAng Generul Chrirtm05 TreeFestwcl &17951 &1 470_s8 50.(0 0.1 &982.24 9LI 2.4.07 1.436.02 1.4 Purish IIou5V 18,639.09 30.539.26 Restrictedjunds Orgon FomilyServKe FubricFund 931.35 627U 0.6 O.W D.0 2.Cfj 0.3 1.21L35 8O).O) 0.8 IA27.88 ReiptsIrorn Churth tFvlties Fee5 Kington Kongortx) Club eIptS from irwestments Dep051tAccountjnt$t Dividendsfrom ifr7VeStnts Sundry Ret¢ipts 532&LKI 63 21.47 0.0 s.() 6.0 173.68 0.2 S.349.47 6.139.6B 331.23 0.4 584.29 0.6 3.208.08 354131 3.262.32 3.3 3,846.61 5its LTnd Chyrth lunth Mi55ion Support Clergyond odmin e¥pen5e5 (fvrnOyffpLts in benefi) Insumnte dtsin ondotherincouE L076.20 926.10 L3 1,029.fA) 1.0 150.fy) Qi Ll 014.42 7.1 4.132.54 4.1 o.(x) 0.0 OtherrEwpts 312. 8.329.28 1,878.35 1.9 7.191.49 TOTAL RECEIPTS i(K> 85.(.69 IOOJ)68.87
St. Mary's Church. Kington Row5tÉredtrttyw 1185 RECEIPTS AND PAYMEp¥fs ACCOUP 2W592 2 227J5 LLW Z2X 4410 35 YU7 (hurthIrSeYrls I.725 18 4441. 4270.7B 4.4 4A9127 46 fj¢¢ 4.GtsL61 4.7 L6a73 L7 16&15 Q.Z 15.27 S3Ag D.1 14 JI 5Y4m Q 17.7S4.59 1.694.J9 1.7 28am 02 2Wfv42 LI 363 03 453.18 0.5 Curate Ir).SG 4A24 75&87 126.39 921C6 Q9 1327111 3.7Its3 J.iEJA 3.78PAPB dmknlstr* 4J44Ag 5,667.66 2927 ?on.92 9.24&26 1579m 3.5 1.1 lJ29.W L2 3J74AWJ 5.45 Q3 232.35 Q2 55&38 IY&76 Ifj 7.74LIO 7 03 51?.i4 rfj o IL15IFI 351LL7 IL4 9tsty) tt9 4467.46 1. tuj ao ¥93-93 17 61.14 726 03 fyStrn(t ¢Jm oj) (o 00 21& 75 1>5Tr 161492 t642SJJ 1.7 Llal.g) Ll 126L28 4.7S%S7 97.912.Ql 1Th]53.76) WJ
Restritted and Designated Funds 2020 Fabric 41?48.24 2J)58.14 II¥AutE dated 719120201 536.40 prildrf R(¥rf HEpkitS 11520 2020Totais 17rfy.74 Rtstred Pawnent5 Brht Ft*ward 2019 9A24.39 Thtr¥Par 931.35 Nèt Ifn OKiSbnaS Tm Fe5tsBI 5.74934 te01 Irc¢n (lS$Tee Festivi 202UTata15 7.).69 17505.r• tk5i8Wte Mission Su F¢ardInA 2019 221.03 2020Totals 926.10 D7.13 In on Kan ar( Club BroLyht F(¥wardfr(Th 2019 2020Toials 21.47 67.14 164991 Fami Servi &rht Fin¥3tdfr(x)1 20J9 I.rfS.91 202DTats 1,405Si Precious Blessin S African O ha oJ)J 63.61 202QTrta15 63.61 OA 65.61 Parish House Or¢whl F<wward ftm 2019 6.74&46 2020 Tatals IL15&62 13J03.161
Fund Raising 2020 Reslricled Beetle Com. Shop [49 1,968.49 Christmas TTee Festival 4.870.58 4.870.58 4.870.S8 StsNlry t**uritYIS 1.61&47 1,618.47 Fete o. Borws Ball 13SI20 1,410.C 943.20 Donati¢)n Box in (hjrch 267.20 267.20 Furxl Raisi Parish Hj5e 5QDJ GwdBox (c13ctIj 414.(A) 1133_911 Parish News 5.3C&C 2.913.50 2,392.50 Peerie Boxes 252.50 2S2.$0 QR gilre(gi.netI 12.12 12.12 Othpr FLind Rai51 790.92 1724.921 Totsl 17J04.65 5.52&42 11,776.23 4870. Community Shop (29° January- 5° February 2019) Date Item Payments Balance Tota15 L%8.49 0.11 ¥968.49 Sales 1505.99 Extra sa$ IA bit more w¥K)neyon Mon &Wed) Raffle 3.50 263. Tc¥nbJla Donations 130.CKJ So the total for the week is £1968.491
Parish House Receipts and Pa ments 2020 20 RECEIPTS Hire 1.054.(4J 4.793. Grants f und Raising IA1&02 6,2CfJ.82 PAymEs Upkeep Repairs m3irrtenae MajLY repairs liDc. fkc(ntionl IuranCe 1017.28 55638 1291.50 Iy8.76 7.741.10 3.014.68 305.45 232.35 Gas 517_24 Electriaty Water 620.85 83.55 230.03 Other Fund Rassing 11.153.62 150. 7.605.41 Excess IDeliciti Recps ¢F4er Pdymerts 110,049ffjZI 11395.591 Balance Brought fonwafd from 31st Deth 2019 ance at 31st Dember 2020 6,746. 13303.161 aior Expenditure G M Joe (Parish Fb)LEe car park slaUr M J jOS (Parish Fkyjse fencifjgl M J J(5 (Parish H(yJ5e lencir*l VAT 3.571_ 3.410_ BleT reaCerneDt 3.014.68
Independent Examiner's Report to the PCC of St Mary's. Kington, Herefordshire This report on the accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2020, which are set out on the three pages [entitled Receipts And Payments Account {Deficit for the year £16, 153. 76}, and Balance Sheet as at 31" December 2020 INet Asset Value of Funds £329,258. 19}], is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (he Regulations") and s.43 of the Charities Act 1993 (Ihe Acf). Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the Examiner As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. It is my responsibilty to issue this report on those accounts in accordan with the terms of the Regulations. Basis of this report My examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison ofthe accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the eviden that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent Examiner's statement In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention: (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep proper accounting records; and - to prepare proper accounts from those records and to comply wtth the requirements of the Act and the Regulations have not been met" or (2) to which. in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. £ S/nknA Chris H.E. Smith F.C.M.A.. The Old Vicarage Lyonshall 01544 340598 107785 708603 22" February 2021
. VICAR'S REPORT To misquote tyrics from the musical Brigadoon: Ivhat a year this has been. what a rare mood we're in." Although we may not universally Sha the sentiment expressed in the next line of this song ("iVs almost like bein8 in love'l, I'm reasonably conVind that the vast majortty of us and indeed our fellow citizens of the planet would agree that thi5 has indeed been a quite remarkable year and although you may not describe your own personal mood a5 'rare' I'm sure that it's not nomial eitherl Over the past few days I've been hearing prtrtournament reports for the US Masters Golf Tournament at Augusta Georgia. Golf aficionados will know that this 15 an annual event with the 2021 Competition being played just five months after its predecessor. As I write this annual report I feel some considerable fellow feeling with the golfers preparing for the excitement of Augusta. I think that it would be reasonable to conclude that not even the gloomiest of prophets could have predicted accurately what an extraordinary year 2020 would prove to be. or indeed. that at least part of 2021 would be more ofthe same. When. at some unspecified time in the future we can look back over the past year. I'm conVind that in common with governments here and across the world we also will conclude that there were things that we should have done differently or even not done at all. I have always followed the maxim that as long as you do what you honestly believe to be right at the time then you're probably not far wron& hindsight notwithstandingl I believe implicitly that is equally true of our response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Church buildings across the benefice were closed as ordered in March and they remained 50 until we were convinced that they could be re-opened safely. I think that it is an incredibSe testimony to our remarkable churchwardens that during the most recent lockdown, all of our churches have remained open forwor5hip. I'm deeply grateful to Rev Linda who gained an additional first in being one of the Covid-19 ordination5, not what she, or indeed, any of us were expecting. She has continued to gtve of her best throughout an extraordinary year. Thanks to her Competen with new technologies we were able to begin live streamin8 worship in March of last year and have continued to do so. I want to pay particular tribute to Nick Cooke, our excellent treasurer who has also turned his talents and worked tenaciousty to establish a secure signal to allow us to live stream servi5 from the Church. Yes, there have been teething problems along the way. but we have persisted and I think that all will agree that we now have a relatively secure service to allow us to offer worship remotely to anyone who would like to join us. The only shame is that to obtain a microphone capable of reproducing the sound from our organ would cost £7cK)! Throughout the past year, endeavouring to ensure that people don't feel ignored has been a considerable challenge. The Parish News and its temporary replacement. "Not the Parish News." have ensured that month by month, as many households as possible. have been infornied about what the church and equalty the community have been doin& despite the considerable obstscles that have been in place. I need to pay tribute to Freda Lymath our editor and also to Will and Fiona Shone for their efft)rts especially with Not the Parish News, but also in providing an online edition of Parish News since its return. We should also acknowledge gratefully the work done by Ann Edwards, Rodney Bowdler and others in posting copies of the magazines when we h3ven't been able to deliver and also to our incredible band of deliverers who've delivered Safe when thays been possible. I'm delighted to report that by the time you read this. essential works on the church roof will have begun. Once again, thanksare due to Rodney who has been leading on this. With the roof repair work completed, we'll be able to progress the vital work needed on the organ, having already raised nearly £20. 000 la fifth of the final costl our5elve5- a tremendou5 achievement in wt5elf. I'm equally hopeful that the re-ordering work in the North Nave will a150 take place this year, enabling us to have both a more flexible worship space than we currently do. and also facilitating the use of that incredible area for Tn0 community events.
Despite the foregoin& iys important to remind oursefves that the mission and ministry of the church to the community it serve5, is about more than the church building ak)ne. although that in itself is an important and powerful a tool for mission. Due to Coronaviws restrictions much of our regular work in the community has been curtaileij over the past year, particularly in relation to Kington Court and The Garth although their residents. staff and families have remained firmly in our prayers. Thanks to Zoom and Micr050ft Teams, assemblies have continued at Kington Primary School and Governors. Meetings at Lady Hawking School. Indeed. I felt very honoured to be invited to participate with Kington Primary School in the Hamiony in Herefordshire Project of which the Primary School is very much in the vanguard. I've already noted my gratitude to Ann and Rodney. our two outstanding Churchwardens but. I'm convinced that very few are aware a51 am of how much we OV to them fortheir unstinting and gracious leadership and very sage counsels. All of us owe them both an incalculable debt of gratitude. Our delayed APCM13St year was shocked and saddened to discover that Penny Halcrow has deoded to step down as PCC Secretsry. I don't as yet know who will be willing and able to step into the considerable breach that Pennvs departure as PCC Secretary causes. suffice it to say that Penny has been an astounding PCC Secretary and I find the idea of not having the enormous benefit of her skills. dedication and counsel a decidedly unwelcome prospect. However. I do need to express my most profound gratitude to her for her herculean efforts on our behalf. She will be a very hard att to follow! Gill Pennell, Lesley Walters and the flower arranging team have manufactured their own particular kind of magic, keeping the Church looking bright and cheerful with flower5 as alway5. managing to ensure that all of the major festivals have been accompanied with the stunning floral displays we've come to be so familiar with. Eileen and Beverley have managed, through very trying circumstsnce5, to keep the altars looking impeccable and have organi5ed seNers. aderS and intercessors where possible. My thanks are also due to all who offer their gift5 for these vitally important ministries. Philip Sell our hugely talented Direttor of Music has shown quite how atlept he is at reswnding to the unexperted and the occasions when we've had some of the choir have been extremely precious. If you've been through the churchyard anytime since Palm Sunday, you can't have failed to notice our incredible Easter Garden. Malcolm Price was both the brains behind it and the creator of all of the "scenery," ably assisted by Michael Horne and Linda Ellams who painted the tomb for us 50 brilliantty. Thanks are also due to the gardening team. My profound thanks for such an innovative reminder of Easter seem inadequate. I'm sure that we often overlook Beryl Thompson's ministrations which ensure that the brass always gleams. but wouldn't we notice if she didn'tl ! I must also record our thanks to Jean and Frank Williams and Nick and Margaret Cooke for their unstinting work in the Garden of Remembrance and Dennis and Irene Phillip< long year5 of service with the Parish News and especially the advertising. Those of you who heard the bells ring out on Easter morning would. I'm sure. have been delighted to hear their joyful sound after such a long period of silen. John Clayton our brilliant tower captain, together with his team of ringers. also deseNes our m05t grateful thanks. Won't it be lovely when we'll be able to hear al16 bells ringing out again? As you can see from my previous comments. St. Marfs Church is truly blessed to have the services given so freely and so cheerfully by so many people in so many different ways. Each and every one of them is using their own special gifts and talents for the Glory of God and the benefft of us all. To all of tse I've thanked already and especially to those I haven't, please do know that you afe valued and cherished because all of us together achieve so much more than we ever could apart. Wtth all of you, the Church is in good hands and good heart and we travel joyfully wherever God is leading us land here I mi5qUOte Buu Lightyear in Toy Story)"through Covid and beyond l !" Rev Ben Griffith
CHURCHWARDENS. REPORT- JANUARY TO DECEMBER 2020. What a strange year it has been! It was October 2020 before we were able to hold our Annual Parochial Church Meeting with reports for 2019. Consequently reports for that meeting were extended to cover the months of 2020 up to October. 2020 was a year when we missed the part played by the retired Clergy who Irve among us and we have felt real deprivation because our Choir have not, except for a very brief period. been allowed to assemble and sing. Special thanks go to Phillip afid Ben for the music they have shared with u5 at 5ervice5. We rejoitr that we have been able to be part of St. Marf5 *rvices throughout the lockdown. Ben led the way with a service Streamed from his study Sunday by Sunday. Then with the help and perseverance of Nick. the Church itself became equipped so that a service could be live streamed from within the Church. Our weekly Sunday SeNice at 10am has been streamed and it has been good to know that many were united in worship if not in person. Christmas wa5 fast approaching and strict and limiting rules were in force. Sadly the Hospice did not hold their Tree of Light Services across the County but, nothing daunted. we launched ourown Memory Tree adjacentto the Garden of Remembrance. therebyensuring that memories could be recorded even if in a different way. Mafty took up our invitation to purchase a star on which to record the name of a loved one to hang on the tree. From the money raised we sent £275 to St Michael's Hospice which they much appreciated. Standing splendidly lit in the churchyard, the Tree became a welcoming beacon to St. Mary'5. Our Lych Gate was transformed into the Stable in Bethlehem and we gathered there at 4pm on Christmas Eve for our annual Crib Service and yes, being outside, we were able to sing carols. A Midnight Eucharist took place on Christma5 Eve, as did our Family Eucharist on Christmas Day. We owe a great debt of giatitude to Rev Ben and the Rev nd3 who worked tirelessly to ensure that. despite restrictions, Christmas carried its real message for us in 2020. As Wardens we have tried to keep a watchful eye on the Church building. All the annual servicing of electrical appliances and the like has taken place including much additional work in 5anitising. We do thank all who helped with this, especially the team who always tumed up to help on their appointed day, week by week. I think I worked out that we did that for 23 weeks. Parishioners, whether churchgoers or regular readers. appreciated being able to receive the "Parish News" or "Not the Parish News" each month. whether through the post, by collecting it or through modern technology. We extend a huge thank you to all who contributed to this in whatever way and we all enjoyed the interesting reflective items sent for inclusion. We were spared a really hard winter for which we were grateful as we await repairs to the roof to begin. Regular Meeting5 such as Churches Together in Kington. Friends of St. Mary's. and Deanery Meetings have eithef been put on hold or taken place as Zoom meetings. The Bun alow Barton Lane Kin on Following the advice of our Agents. Messrs. Cobb Amos. the Vicar and Churchwardens decided to market the property under the following three options=_ l) The Bungalow and Coppice 21 The Bungalow and Garden 31 The Coppice only. We received ? total of eight offers in all three categories and accepted an offer of £175,(KK) for the Bungalow. Garden and Coppice from Mr & Mrs Roberts.
The PCC received objections fmm several members of The Coppicers" (two of whom were members of the PCCI who felt that in view of the fact that they had been managing the coppi for some five years Irent free), they earned the right to purchase the coppice outright. We instructed our agents to approach Mr & Mrs Roberts to explain the situation and asked if they would be prepared to puichase just the Bungalow and Garden. They reluctantly agreed and made an offer of £160,000. The Coppice was then offered to the "Coppicers" ond an offer of £8.CNXS was made. Both revised offers were accepted. Our solicitors were instructed to proceed with the contract to Mr & Mrs Roberts, for the Bungalow and Garden. at a revised price of £160,000. They were also instructed to proceed with a contract for the Coppice only. at a purchase price of £8.(XKI and the title holders being°Maggie's Patch Community Coppice Trust.- It is envisaged that signed contr4Cts will be forthcoming in April 2021. Roof re airs The contract for the extensive roof repairs. at a cost of £82.OtJ) {including VAT) is to be started on April 12, 2021 by Pritchard's of Hereford. Hannah Vernon, our Grants Advisor, has approached several of the Grant Funding Trust5 in an attempt to raise monies towards the cost of repairs. She is still awaiting several replies - the delay is due to Covid 19 restrictions. We feol that it is true to say that through the generous time given by. first and foremost. the Revd Ben. to planning and providing for worship to continue in as meaningful a wayas he could, we are ready to look upward and onward as soon as restrictions allow. We could mention many names of others who have contributed so much to ourwell being, but because of the danger of omitting a name we say, with great sincerity, how much we appreciate all the support that h85 been given to St. Mary's and to us during this difficult year. Howeverwe must mention "Mrs Vicar" who has, throughout these months, been willing to join with us all to help wherever a helping hand was needed. Thank you, Jean. Ann Edwards and Rodney Bowdler. Churchwardens. Approved by the PCC on 2&" Rp. -l 2&21 and signed on their behalf by the Revd Benedict Griffith {PCC chairman}
St Mary’s Kington Financial Report
This can be found in the Trustees’ Annual Report.
Independent Examiner’s Report to the PCC of St Mary’s, Kington, Herefordshire
This report on the accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2020, which are set out on the three pages [ entitled Receipts And Payments Account {Deficit for the year £16,153.76}, and Balance Sheet as at 31[st] December 2020 {Net Asset Value of Funds £329,258.19} ], is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 (“the Regulations”) and s.43 of the Charities Act 1993 (“the Act”).
Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the Examiner
As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those accounts in accordance with the terms of the Regulations.
Basis of this report
My examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
Independent Examiner’s statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements
– to keep proper accounting records; and
– to prepare proper accounts from those records and to comply with the requirements of the Act and the Regulations have not been met; or
(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Chris H.E. Smith
Chris H.E. Smith F.C.M.A., The Old Vicarage Lyonshall 01544 340598 / 07785 708603 22[nd] February 2021