
## **TRUSTEES REPORT The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Matthew, High Brooms (Also known as St. Matthew’s Church, High Brooms) For the period January to December 2022** 

Here at St. Matthew’s Church, we welcome everyone who comes to worship at our church and who attends and makes use of the groups and community projects we run. We are committed to enabling as many people as possible to become part of our church community at St. Matthew’s, High Brooms. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) and Leadership Team maintain an overview of worship, ministry and outreach throughout the parish and consider how our worship services and activities can involve the many groups that live within our parish. 

The mission statement of St. Matthew’s Church is ‘Igniting Passion for Jesus’ and we aim to do this through: 

- Worship and prayer - we hope to bring people to faith through our services; 

- Reaching out to our community - including maintaining and developing links with key community members; 

- Supporting the work of mission agencies around the world. 

To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of St. Matthew’s Church and St. Matthew’s Church Hall and that we continue to stay up to date with policies and procedures which keep everyone safe. 

## **WHAT WE DO** 

2022 was a year of new freedoms and normality following Covid, but also of new challenges, both nationally and globally, and also locally within St. Matthew’s Church. 

During 2022 we were able to continue to build and grow our services, groups and activities following Covid lockdowns, and we also started up new initiatives, like the warm space, to help meet new needs in the community. 

As this report shows, much of what we do as a church is only possible because of the support and commitment of those in our congregation and community. 

None of the activities and services which St. Matthew’s Church runs would be able to happen without the many volunteers who give their time and energy. We are immensely grateful to all our volunteers, especially as we have gone through another year in which so many have faced so many challenges. 

## **Mission & Vision** 

As well as the PCC, St Matthew’s Church has a Leadership Team which meets to plan and develop the ministry of the church. We also have various forms of Ministry Groups that meet regularly to pray and plan for mission and ministry in the church, including youth ministry, children’s ministry, women’s ministry, fabric, finance, community larder, pastoral care and worship. 

At the beginning of 2022, the PCC and the Leadership Team spent a morning together, looking at what areas of church life we wanted to focus on for the year, and developing some priorities to help shape the direction of planning and activities during the year. The following three priorities came out of this: 

- Youth – to find and establish routes to grow relationships / community among our youth in church. 

- Fellowship – Planning and using social events to give opportunities to build relationships. 

- Bethel – Following the success of the community larder in the Bethel building, we will continue to explore the development of the building as a church and community resource in conjunction with the Bethel Trust. 

All of these priorities shaped what we did in 2022 and will continue to shape our planning for 2023. 

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## **1. Worship and prayer** 

## **Sunday services** 

2022 was a year of settling into a new pattern of worship services here at St. Matthew’s Church, following Covid lockdowns and people’s nervousness at coming back into church regularly. 

Following the decision that was made towards the end of 2021, the 5pm service (more traditional and liturgical) and the 7pm service (an informal service with café style layout and mainly attracting younger adults) restarted in early 2022, each once a month to start with. This pattern of once of month worked well for these services and the numbers attending were good, so it was decided halfway through the year that we would continue with this pattern of services. 

Therefore, during 2022, we had our weekly 10am service and then 3 other monthly services on different weeks (8am communion, 5pm service, 7pm service). This has worked well, as most Sundays in a month have two different services for people to choose from. 

The 10am service is still a hybrid service every week, with the decision being made to intentionally keep live-streaming this service indefinitely, as well as other key services like Christmas and Easter. We have a family service on the first Sunday of each month at 10am, as well as on all the Sundays through the summer holidays, where all ages stay in church together for a more relaxed, informal and fun service. 

The average weekly attendance for our different services in 2022 is as follows: 8am communion – 6 adults 10am service – 60 adults and 20 children 5pm service – 14 adults 7pm service – 17 adults 

We also had an average of about 20 people watching our 10am service live online each week, so we therefore had a combined weekly average of about 90 adults and 20 children across all our services, both in person and online. 

## **Electoral Roll** 

At the end of December 2022, the number of names on the Electoral Roll of St. Matthew’s Church was 114, which includes 3 additions and 12 deletions during the year. The Electoral Roll was revised before the APCM in April 2022 and there were no changes for the rest of the year. 

The number of people on the Electoral Roll is used to calculate the number of representatives we have on Deanery Synod. Electoral Roll additions, deletions and rolling totals are reported at each PCC meeting. 

## **Special services** 

Christmas and Easter are special times in the church calendar. 

Easter 2022 was our first normal festival since Covid, and we returned to our full programme of services in church and online. We had a Palm Sunday family service with a baptism, a Tenebrae service on Maundy Thursday, and then family services on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We reached about 200 people on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, which was a real encouragement. 

All our Christmas services were also in church and streamed online, with 550 people coming through the doors across the Christmas week, and a further 180 views of our Christmas services online.  There was a real sense of joy during the Christmas week, and of the community of High Brooms being able to come together to celebrate Christmas once again. 

On Remembrance Sunday, St. Matthew’s Church held a Remembrance Day service in the morning and a memorial service in the afternoon. These services were well attended and appreciated. 

We also held a special family service for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, with lots of fun activities about the Queen and prayers for Her Majesty. 

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## **Life Events** 

Life events were finally back to normal in 2022, and therefore people were keen to have the services which had been postponed due to Covid. 

Seven baptisms were carried out in 2022, all for young children. 

5 funerals were conducted by our clergy during 2022 – all at the cemetery / crematorium. 

There were two weddings at St. Matthew’s Church during 2022, both for long-standing members of the church. 

## **Prayer meetings** 

A worship and prayer evening was run by a couple in the church once a month, meeting in their home. This was a chance for people to pray and to worship in a smaller group. 

Unfortunately the couple left St. Matthew’s Church in the summer of 2022, so this meeting stopped happening. 

## **Home Groups and Pods** 

There are 6 Home Groups at St. Matthew’s Church, which meet weekly or fortnightly during the day or in the evening. These groups enable people to worship and pray together, explore their faith, ask questions to gain a greater understanding of both the Bible and Christianity and form a closer relationship with God and each other. 

There are also numerous Pods, which are smaller prayer groups. These form out of existing friendships and connections and help people to further grow in their faith and deepen relationships with God and each other. 

## **Revive Women’s Ministry** 

The women’s ministry at St. Matthew’s Church is another way of helping people to feel supported and to build relationships. 

During 2022, the team who organise Revive events reduced significantly, so only two events were held throughout the year. 

In March, they held a walk with a coffee shop at the end, to give women the opportunity to build relationships and support each other. 

In November 2022, Revive ran a Christmas Wreath Making evening, which was well attended and was a great way to invite people from midweek groups into church for something different. 

We want to say thank you to those volunteers who have stepped down from the Revive committee this year, for all their hard work and commitment over the years. 

## **Link Mission Partners** 

St Matthew’s Church continues to have Missionary Links with Geita in Tanzania, Ruth Radley at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Life & Soul locally in Tunbridge Wells. We also support Tearfund and Nourish Foodbank as a church. 

During 2022, Pat Blanchard retired from working with CMS in Peru. She came to visit in May and said goodbye to us as a supporting church. 

Following this, we have taken on a new mission partner to support as a church – Sam and Abby Baguma and their two girls (Rachel and Rebecca) who live and work in Uganda. Sam works for Mission Aviation Fellowship, and Abby teaches in the girls’ school. The Bagumas visited us in August 2022, to share about MAF and about their lives in Uganda. We are looking forward to supporting them going forward. 

A Mission Prayer Meeting is held once a month for anyone who would like to hear updates and pray for all our mission partners. These are now hybrid meetings, which means some of our mission links who are not local can still join in the meetings by Zoom, and this has made the links stronger than before. 

## **Retired Clergy** 

Richard Arding joined St. Matthew’s Church in September 2018 and has been actively involved in St. Matt’s and helping other churches in the area as requested. He has been a great help in covering services during Chris’ study leave over the last year. 

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## **2. Youth and children** 

Reaching out to children and young people and helping them to feel like they belong to our church family is very important to us as a church. 

During 2022, St. Matthew’s Church employed a Children and Families Minister (Lois Fryett). There was no Youth Minister in post for the whole of 2022, but thanks to Lois, Berti from Tunbridge Wells Youth For Christ, and a small but dedicated team of volunteers, we have been able to continue and grow our youth provision during the year. 

All our children and youth groups have been running in person throughout 2022, and we have seen growth in the numbers of children being part of these groups, and in the volunteer teams running them. We have been offering Sunday morning groups for primary school aged children and for youth every Sunday (except family services), and midweek groups for children in school years 3-6 and young people in secondary school, as well as a toddler group for preschool children and their carers. 

On Sunday mornings, families start off in church altogether, and then the children and young people go out to their groups after the first song. Primary school aged children are all in a group together, and were meeting in the Bethel Hall during 2022. Young people in secondary school met in the youth office each Sunday. We also have a dedicated space on a Sunday morning for parents to be with their preschool children during the service, where there are toys and where the service is live on a TV for them to watch. These groups have been focusing on helping the children and young people to build friendships and bringing them closer to God in a fun, relaxed environment. 

Our midweek clubs for children in church and in the community ran throughout 2022 in the church building and have grown steadily throughout the year. 

Lois was running these groups during 2022, helped by Berti from Youth For Christ and groups of volunteers. 

Deeper (for school years 3-6) meets on Mondays after school and has lots of fun activities for the children to do, as well as giving them toast and squash. An average of 12 children come each week, and these are a mixture of children from church families and children from the community. 

Ignite is our group for secondary school age young people. They meet on Tuesday evenings, and one of the successes of this session is that they share a hot meal together and have time to chat and build relationships. Ignite is run in conjunction with Berti from Tunbridge Wells Youth For Christ, and we are so grateful for everything he has put into the group. Ignite has an average of 14 young people each week, and it is growing as they are bringing friends along. Again, these are a mixture of church young people and those from the community. 

Ignite ran some special events in 2022 for the young people, including a pancake evening, boating at Dunorlan Park, a campfire, fireworks and ice-skating. 

We also run a baby and toddler group on Thursday mornings, for preschool children and their parents or carers. The group is very relaxed, with lots of time and space for the children to play and the adults to connect with each other over refreshments. We then have a story and song time at the end, with biscuits for the children. The toddler group sees an average of 23 children a week, with their carers. 

All these groups are great at nurturing and encouraging the children and young people who attend, but they are also great opportunities for us to then invite families to key services at church throughout the year, or other events we are running. 

Thank-you so much to Lois, Berti and Tunbridge Wells Youth For Christ, and to all the volunteers who have been involved in this work throughout the year. 

We really appreciate all our volunteers who kept all the groups going during the year and who went above and beyond to make sure we could still welcome children and young people into our church each week. 

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## **3. Reaching out to the community** 

St. Matthew’s Church is a key part of the community of High Brooms. The Covid pandemic and the more recent cost of living crisis have increased the needs in our community, and we have been trying to work with our community to meet some of those needs. 

## **Community Larder** 

## **(written by the community larder team)** 

St. Matt’s Community Larder opened in November 2020 and has been open every Friday morning since in the Bethel Hall. This is only possible because of the dedication of a committed group of around 35 volunteers from the church and community. These volunteers cover a wide range of activities, including multiple supermarket collections, unloading FareShare deliveries, serving visitors on Friday mornings and packing up the Bethel Hall after the larder has taken place. 

When the larder first opened, we obtained almost all our food via Fareshare and supermarket donations, but the last year has seen a very different picture. Supermarket donations have dropped off very markedly, and Fareshare deliveries are also very erratic and not always useful. Meantime, the numbers of people accessing the larder have escalated with the cost-of-living crisis, and we are regularly seeing 90-100 visitors each week. 

We have therefore had to source food by other means and are buying in supplies each week. Thankfully, we have received generous financial donations from both individuals and organisations, as well as some grant monies, and some from our own fundraising at a Christmas event. We have also been blessed by large amounts of food donations from the local schools’ harvest festivals. 

Once a month we have a member of Crosslight charity available to help individuals with financial worries. Look Ahead have also helped some individuals in particularly difficult financial situations. 

The cafe area has become increasingly busy, and we are greatly encouraged by a developing sense of community and welcome and friendship. We are very pleased more church members have found time to drop in. Greg Clark MP has also visited. 

We are so grateful for what we feel is a God sent opportunity to put the good news of Jesus into practical action in this way. 

We cannot tell what the future will hold, but we will continue from week to week, all the time we have our brilliant team of volunteers and enough resources to supply food. 

## **Warm space** 

One of the new initiatives that started nationwide in the autumn of 2022, was the idea of warm spaces, for those who couldn’t afford to heat their homes during the winter. St. Matthew’s Church opened a warm space in November 2022, on Wednesdays from 10am to 4pm in our church centre.  We are so grateful to all the volunteers who have committed their time to make this happen. The warm space offers somewhere warm to be, but also hot drinks and a hot soup and roll lunch, all for free. We also have board games and newspapers for people to use, and people to chat to. Once the warm space had started, we were able to partner with Embark21, a charity supporting people’s emotional and mental health. Jill from Embark21 is in the warm space for a couple of hours each week, running art activities. This attracts not only her own clients, but anyone using the warm space can take part as well. 

Although this initiative was set up to meet the need of giving people somewhere warm to be, we have found that it meets other needs more, like giving people a place to meet others, and supporting people with their mental health. 

## **Pastoral Care** 

The pastoral care team at St. Matthew’s Church has continued to work very hard through 2022 to ensure the holistic care of individuals in need. This includes hospital visits, home visits where people are ill, suffering or unable to leave their homes, provision of cooked meals, coffee mornings and generally being available to listen. One of the members of the pastoral care team does odd jobs for those who are unable to do them. 

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## **Hubs** 

Hubs are small groups based around a shared hobby or interest. These mostly involve church members but are also great places for people to invite friends to. These didn’t really happen much during the two years of Covid; however, some have now restarted in person. The groups that have been running during 2022 are knitting hub, sewing bee hub and table tennis teams. 

## **Social Events** 

One of the priorities for 2022 was building relationships through social events. Our church community has changed over the last couple of years, with some people leaving and new people joining, and it was felt that helping people to make friends and feel like they belong to the church community was important. In 2022 we held various events to do this – a church picnic, a BBQ with one of our mission partners, a church walk and coffee, a bring and share Harvest lunch, a men’s day to Hastings, and an evening ‘Eating Out’ meal in church. All of these events gave opportunities for friendships to grow. 

## **Community Events** 

Our community events were back up and running in 2022 in person, and it was lovely to be able to invite people back into church without any restrictions. 

Rosemary and her team ran several coffee mornings during the year for older members of the community, as well as a Macmillan Coffee Morning in September. 

The local churches table tennis league used the church building for practices and matches, and a local choir also met in the church for rehearsals. 

## **School links** 

St. Matthew’s Church continues to maintain good relations with St Matthew’s High Brooms CE Primary School. In 2022, we were able to welcome the school back into church for services in person, which we did at Easter and Christmas, and for a year 6 leavers’ service in the summer. Chris Wicks (our vicar) started taking regular assemblies again from the autumn term of 2022. 

3 members of the church served as Governors at the school during 2022 – two as foundation Governors (Chris Wicks and David Johnson) and one as an associate Governor (Lynn MacKay). 

## **Support for charities** 

At Harvest, food gifts were collected for Nourish Foodbank and an offering was taken for Tearfund. 

Our Christmas offerings in 2022 were sent to Tearfund, to help children who had been orphaned through the Covid pandemic. 

Support continues for a number of local, national and international charities and organisations through the tithe that St. Matthew’s Church gives each year. 

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## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** 

St. Matthew’s Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of working alongside the Incumbent, the Reverend Christopher Wicks, in promoting within the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church, including pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical activities. 

The PCC also has the responsibility for the maintenance of St. Matthew’s Church and St. Matthew’s Church Hall in High Brooms. 

St. Matthew’s Church is situated on High Brooms Road in High Brooms (correspondence address: St. Matthew’s Church, High Brooms Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN4 9BW). It is part of the Diocese of Rochester within the Church of England. 

The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and a charity currently registered with the Charity Commission (registered charity number 1185772). Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. PCC members as at the APCM of May 2022 are: 

## **Ex Officio Members:** 

The Reverend Christopher Wicks Incumbent David Johnson Church Warden Brian Hobden Church Warden Hannah Mwesigwa Secretary (also employed as Operations Manager) Kate Whitehead Treasurer **Elected Members:** Mary Wilson Deanery Synod representative Michael Southwick Suzanne Owen Ian Wilson Julia Church Graham Church Matthew Taylor 

**Other key office holders in the church, but not on the PCC are:** Clergy – PTO: Rev Richard Arding Operations Manager (employed): Hannah Mwesigwa Children’s Minister (employed): Lois Fryett Pastoral Assistant Carole Wicks 

|**The following roles are appointed**|**by the PCC:**|
|---|---|
|Parish Treasurer:|Kate Whitehead|
|PCC Secretary:|Hannah Mwesigwa|
|Safeguarding Officer:|Julia Church|
|Recruitment Officer:|Elaine Latchford (until April 2022)|
||Hannah Mwesigwa (took over in April 2022)|
|Health and Safety Officer:|Michael Southwick|
|Banks:|Lloyds TSB Bank Plc, Nat West Bank Plc|
|Independent Examiner:|David Stephens FCCA|
|Patronage Board includes:|Church Pastoral Aid Society|



## **Induction and Training of Trustees** 

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

All new Trustees (PCC members) are provided with a link to the Charity Commission’s publication: “The Essential Trustee: What you need to know” which provides guidance to all Trustees on what is involved in being a Charity Trustee.  All new Trustees are provided with Guidance Notes covering the various meetings throughout the year and other responsibilities of PCC members plus a copy of the booklet jointly produced by the Charity Commission and The Church of England entitled “Trusteeship – An Introduction for PCC Members”. 

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## **PCC Meetings** 

The full PCC of St. Matthew’s Church met seven times during 2022 with an average level of attendance of over 90%. All of these meetings were held in person. Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has a number of committees each dealing with a particular aspect of parish life. These committees, which include worship, children’s ministry, youth ministry, mission, pastoral care, community larder, fabric and finance, are all responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly with minutes of their decisions being received by the full PCC and discussed as necessary. 

**A Standing Committee** is required under Church Representation Rules and has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the PCC. 

|The Standing Committee which was agreed at the APCM of May 2022 consists|The Standing Committee which was agreed at the APCM of May 2022 consists|The Standing Committee which was agreed at the APCM of May 2022 consists|of:|
|---|---|---|---|
|Incumbent|Chris Wicks|Secretary|Hannah Mwesigwa|
|Church Warden|David Johnson|Elected member|Ian Wilson|
|Church Warden|Brian Hobden|Elected member|Graham Church|
|Treasurer|Kate Whitehead|||



The standing committee carried out three electronic votes during the period 2022 and had one in person meeting. 

## **Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM)** 

The APCM was held on 25[th] April 2022 at St. Matthew’s Church. At this meeting, Church Wardens were elected and sworn in, and Lay Representatives to the PCC were elected. Sidespeople were appointed for the coming year and the Independent Examiner was also re-appointed for 2023. 

## **Reporting Public Benefit** 

The trustees of St. Matthew’s Church, High Brooms, are aware of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit and have had regard to it in their administration of the charity. The trustees believe that, by promoting the work of the Church of England in the Ecclesiastical Parish of St. Matthew, High Brooms, it helps to promote the whole mission of the Church (pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical) more effectively, within the Ecclesiastical Parish, and that in doing so it provides a benefit to the public by: 

1. Providing facilities for public worship, pastoral care and spiritual, moral and intellectual development, both for its members and for anyone who wishes to benefit from what the church offers; and 2. Promoting Christian values and service by members of the Church in and to their communities, to the benefit of individuals and society as a whole. 

## **Major Risks** 

The Trustees consider that major risks have been identified. Those which are not covered by insurance through EIG plc are namely Health & Safety and Safeguarding. These topics are reviewed regularly by the PCC. The PCC has complied with the duty to have due regard to the House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and the PCC complies with GDPR guidance. 

## **Responsibilities of the PCC** 

In preparing the accounts of the PCC, the Trustees must make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent, follow suitable and consistent accounting policies, follow applicable accounting standards, subject to any material departure disclosed and explained in the accounts and must apply the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate. The PCC is also responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable it to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. It is also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. 

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## **OUR STAFF** 

The PCC of St. Matthew’s Church employed 2 members of staff during 2022. Hannah Mwesigwa was employed as the Operations Manager and Lois Fryett was employed as the Children and Families Minister. 

The Vicar of St. Matthew’s Church is the Rev. Christopher Wicks, who is employed by the Diocese of Rochester. The vicar took a period of study leave during 2022, from May to July. 

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## **WARDEN’S REPORT - OUR BUILDINGS** 

## **Report by the Church Wardens – David Johnson and Brian Hobden** 

## **Church Fabric, fittings and ornaments** 

The fabric of the Church is in generally good condition. Following the storm in February, a few tiles were missing in the roof above the Church Centre and had to be replaced. In November there was some ingress of water as a result of cracked lead sheeting in the valley gutter above the hospitality area. A new sheet of lead was installed which resolved the leak. 

The fridge-freezer in the kitchen was found to be faulty and was not reaching the appropriate temperature. A new fridge freezer was purchased, the cost of which was largely met by a generous donation. 

A working party was held during November during which gutters and gullies were cleared, the extractor fan beneath the cooker hood was cleaned, child proof locks fitted to kitchen cupboards and finger guards fitted to the Church Centre door. The Boiler Room was also cleared of rubbish and tidied. 

Work was carried out to the church Wi-Fi equipment to provide a better signal to both the Church and the Church Centre – allowing guest Wi-Fi to be opened up.  We are grateful to MF Telecoms for donating the equipment and associated engineering time. 

In November we began providing a Warm Space in the Church Centre on Wednesdays between 10am and 4pm for anyone who was having difficulty in heating their home. Free tea and coffee was served and at lunch time hot soup and a roll were made available to those who wanted it. 

## **Church Hall fabric** 

There was a leak from the water heater in the adult toilet which was replaced by a new heater. 

After the storm in February a few loose and missing tiles were replaced on the main roof. 

The electrical distribution board was replaced, and emergency lighting updated to meet current regulations. The fluorescent tube lights in the hall were changed to LED lights. 

## **Health and Safety report** 

There were no Health and Safety matters to report. 

## **Thanks** 

We would like to thank all those that have volunteered within church over the last year. We would also like to thank Hannah Mwesigwa for picking up the additional workload during the vicar’s study leave period. 

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## **SAFEGUARDING** 

## **Report by Julia Church – Parish Safeguarding Officer** 

I have been Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) for St. Matthew’s Church since November 2021. I oversee all safeguarding issues in the parish with the Vicar, Operations Manager and church wardens support. My role includes being the contact person for anyone needing to report safeguarding issues or wanting advice, dealing with any safeguarding incidents within the church, keeping up to date with guidelines from the Diocese and Church of England, and making sure the children and young people in our groups know who they can talk to if they feel unsafe in any way. 

Elaine Parratt stepped down from the safeguarding administration role earlier this year.  The operations Manager now oversees all DBS checks and training updates for all church employees and volunteers. Everyone that works with children, young people or vulnerable adults in the parish must have a current DBS check and training to the appropriate level before they are allowed to work or volunteer with groups. 

Hannah is doing an amazing job at keeping track of all the training that is required by us all, so please, if you are due to do any courses or training modules, could you please complete those as soon as you can. 

## **Safeguarding Issues** 

There was one ongoing safeguarding issue during 2022 that continued to be dealt with by the PSO, Vicar, Operations Manager and one of the church wardens with some much-valued advice and support from the Diocesan Safeguarding Lead, Greg Barry. 

There have also been a few very small safeguarding issues that were discussed with the Diocesan Safeguarding Lead. These issues have all been reported and filed but no further action has been taken. 

## **Volunteer recruitment** 

Safeguarding is always considered in the planning of all groups and activities that involve children, young people and vulnerable adults. We are continuing to recruit much-needed volunteers to help with all our groups and in turn, each of these volunteers needs to be DBS checked before starting to help. 

At our PCC meetings, all the names of the people who have applied to be volunteers with children, young people and vulnerable adults and have had DBS checks are put before the PCC for their approval. Safeguarding is included on the agenda at every PCC meeting so that updates can be made regularly. 

## **Safeguarding Training** 

All those who become volunteers in a role requiring some safeguarding training are advised of which modules to do and how to do this. The Church of England safeguarding training needs to be refreshed every three years, and most of our volunteers have now completed their refresher courses. 

Safeguarding training completed in 2022: Basic module – 19 people Foundation module – 21 people Leadership module – 5 people Domestic Abuse Awareness module – 10 people Safer Recruitment module – 1 person Great work everyone who completed these modules. 

In 2022, 16 DBS checks were carried out. We had 6 renewals and 10 new checks. Thank you to all our new and old volunteers – we couldn’t do without you! 

## **Conclusions** 

Safeguarding for all children, young people and vulnerable adults continues to be a major part of our church family life and it is all our responsibilities to ensure that we are all kept safe. Please can I urge anyone who feels uncomfortable or sees an incident that they feel unhappy with to contact myself or Chris immediately. We have excellent support at the Diocese to discuss any issues or concerns if we feel we need to. All matters disclosed to us will be kept confidential. Safeguarding is never straight forward but always much better if shared with the correct professionals so that resolutions can be found. 

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## **DEANERY SYNOD REPORT** 

**Report by Mary Wilson - Deanery Synod representative on the PCC** 

In 2022 Tunbridge Wells Deanery Synod met 3 times under the joint chairmanship of Rev. Douglas Wren, Area Dean and Andrew Smith, Lay Chair. 

**The first meeting of the year was held on 23[rd] February** and was hosted by Christ Church, Southborough. 

1. **Tunbridge Wells Youth for Christ** (Karen Cox) gave input about their current activities which support young people – both churched & non-churched. Their Youth Centre in Grosvenor Road opened in April 2021. Young people from different schools are dropping in after school for activities, chat & building relationships. They also gave details of the joint churches events and resources they facilitate including ‘the Noise’, live music events and prayer meetings for youth leaders. 

2. ‘ **Living in Love & Faith’** initiative. Nick Cornell reported back on the process so far. The Deanery ran the LLF course with people from different churches within the Deanery from which there was very positive feedback. The House of Bishops will receive national feedback which will then be considered by the General Synod in 2023. 

3. **Intergenerational Worship -** Cheryl Trice [Diocesan Team Lead, Children & Young People’s Mission & 

a) Taking stock ‘post-pandemic’ – there are glimmers of hope that signs of mental health & wellbeing are gradually improving. There is a huge ‘drop-off’ of volunteers across churches – people are tired / worried about health. 

b) Cheryl is passionate about Intergenerational Worship - Church that is our relationship with God & people without segregation – broad & diverse. It is a challenge & people can be apprehensive. 

c) We discussed what ‘church’ is, our own experience of church & how that has affected the views & vision we have. 

d) Stepping stones towards Intergenerational Worship: Positive interactions, Developing connections, Fostering interdependence, Empowering people, Accommodation, Explore further with CYP Team. 

e) We were then asked to discuss ‘What does intergenerational church look like to you?’ 

f) Taking it forward: looking at the direction & flow of ministry. Learning & teaching both ways.  A sharing of life - sharing stories that foster faith. Everyone should feel part of the tribe/community. Taking stock – listening to God’s leading as a church. In the ‘not perfect’ God meets with us. The challenge of developing community. 

**The second meeting of the year was held on 15[th] June** and was hosted by King Charles the Martyr. Began with fellowship over a meal followed by thoughts from Archdeacon Sharon Copestake (Archdeacon of Tonbridge). She reflected on things she has learnt after being 6 months in post: 

- Church wardens are amazing – make sure you appreciate them! 

- Clergy are awesome - & tired – hold them. 

- Lay people are also great. 

- Church is about doing God’s work – building the Kingdom. 

- It’s a large archdeaconry, she’s done 700 miles a month. 

- “You cannot give what you do not have” [P Scazzero] 

- We don’t pray enough – she needs people to pray for her (& Sam in the office). 

- We’re all different & it’s important to listen to others’ stories (Active listening). 

- Meeting fatigue is a thing! Also, decision fatigue. 

- There can be a problem with trust between parishes and Archdeacons so a need for transparency & relationship. [Relationships & spirit of trust need to be built]. 

- Parishes are the building block of the Church of England. 

Questions: Sharon mentioned liking problem solving, managing change and being strategic. Her main priority is to see growth and flourishing centred on the Kingdom of God.  She diaries in Quiet days and a retreat. 

**The third meeting of the year was held on 8[th] November** and was hosted by St Peter’s Church, Pembury. 

This was a meeting of 3 deaneries (Tunbridge Wells, Paddock Wood and Malling) to meet the new Bishop of Rochester, Jonathan Gibbs. 

Firstly the 3 Areas Deans each gave a short input highlighting particular features of their deanery: - 

12 




**Malling** has 24 parishes & a planned new church in Kings Hill - St Gabriel’s. The parishes are a mix of rural & small towns. There has been a lot of reorganisation with new teams being established. There are local secondary schools & care homes which are just outside of their deanery, so they liaise with Canterbury diocese on how they offer ministry/support. 

**Tunbridge Wells** has 15 parishes (19 benefices) and the Church of England secondary school Bennett Memorial School – lead school of the Tenax Trust. There is diverse churchmanship. Although mainly affluent, the poor are also there – Community Larders have been established by a number of churches to meet the increasing needs. 

**Paddock Wood** is a mix of villages and small towns that surround Paddock Wood. Characterised by clergy & laity working together. One current challenge to respond to is the large amount of new housing being built in and around Paddock Wood. 

Secondly, the Bishop was interviewed via a ‘Desert Island Discs’ style format followed by questions from the Area Deans & Deanery Synod Representatives. Some highlights: 

He believes that ‘Hope’ is very important – it’s what we have to offer the world. 

His ‘special’ verse: John 10:10 “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full”. The hope we have is the power of God to transform our lives and to see people flourish. Three key words of vision/priorities for the diocese – Change, Serve, Grow. 

With numerical decline in church attendance and ageing congregations, ‘Growth’ is the biggest challenge. We need to re-engage with the communities we are set in, get outside our churches, make relationships and in practical ways make the love of Christ known e.g., Larders / Warm spaces. 

Mission & Evangelism won’t happen by accident – needs to be intentional. 

Preaching & Teaching – we need to equip people to be confident to speak about their faith. Our churches should be rooted in the community, outward looking and reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. 

Links with Church schools are valuable – need to be built on trust and relationship. How can we support our Bishop? Pray for “wisdom to listen, courage to lead & a heart to serve”. 

13 




## **Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Matthew, High Brooms Charity No: 1185772** 

## **Notes to the Financial Statements for the twelve months ended 31 December 2022** 

## **1. BASIS OF PREPARATION** 

These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts. 

The PCC is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of PCCs together with applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice 2016 as the applicable standard to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (SORP(FRS102)). 

## **2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES** 

## **ASSETS** 

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

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

Tangible fixed assets for use by the charity (functional fixed assets): Larger items are capitalised and written off over their useful lives. Smaller items are written off as incurred. 

Short term deposits: These are the cash held on deposit either with the Diocese or at another bank. 

## **FUNDS** 

Unrestricted Funds: These represent the income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC. These include amounts designated by the PCC for fixed assets for its own use or for spending on a future project and which are not included as 'free reserves' as disclosed in the trustees' report. If part of an unrestricted fund is earmarked for a particular project it may be designated as a separate fund, but the designation has an administrative purpose only, and does not legally restrict the trustees' discretion to apply the fund. 

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

Endowment Funds: These are restricted funds that must be retained as trust capital either permanently or subject to a discretionary power to spend capital as income, and where the use of income or other benefit derived from the capital may be restricted or unrestricted. Full details of all their restrictions are shown in the notes of the accounts. 

## **INCOMING RESOURCES** 

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

14 




Voluntary income and capital sources: Collections are recognised when received by, or on behalf, of the PCC. Planned giving under covenants or gift aid donations is recognised when received. Income tax recoverable on gift aid donations is recognised when the related income is recognised. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its entitlement and the likely amount due. Funds raised by church events and activities are accounted for gross, i.e. before any associated expenses. 

Other ordinary income: Rental from the letting of church premises is recognised when the rental is paid. Parochial fees due to the PCC for weddings, funerals etc. are accounted for when received. 

## **RESOURCES USED** 

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

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

## **DEBTORS** 

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

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

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

## **2022 Accounts commentary** 

The accounts are presented for the PCC’s approval. During the year ending 2022 the PCC recorded a surplus of £9,269 (2021: deficit of £4,640) on day-to-day activities. In addition, at the end of the year, the PCC received a very generous legacy of £84,571 giving a final overall surplus of £93,841. 

Regular giving fell during the year but was boosted by ad hoc donations. Unrestricted voluntary income, not including the legacy, decreased by £2.2k year on year to £144,076 but this included two one-off donations totalling £10.6k including gift aid, received in Nov/Dec (2021: unrestricted voluntary income decreased by £8,781). Restricted giving/income increased in 2022 to £24,485 (2021: £14,131). This is due to the continually growing Community Larder and the successful fundraising. Also included within the restricted funds is a donation towards children and youth activities (£100). 

Total costs decreased by £3,504 year on year to £173,982 (2021 expenses decreased by £24,021 – however, significantly higher expenses were incurred in 2020 compared with previous years, mainly driven by quinquennial remedial works). Unrestricted expenses in 2022 were £10,793 lower than in 2021 whereas restricted expenditure increased by £7,289. 

Unrestricted income/expenditure resulted in a surplus of £86,370 (£1,798 before the legacy). Restricted income/expenditure resulted in a £7,471 surplus. £13,296 is now held for restricted expenditure. 

The PCC has retained reserves, in cash, of £280,830, as at 31 December 2022. This is a sound financial position and meets the reserving requirements set by the PCC. 

## **Kate Whitehead - PCC Treasurer** 

15 



19nilin9PG5Fion foTJe5U5
DECLARATION
The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees, Report above.
Signed on behalf of the PCC:
Rev. Christopher Blairwicks
(Chair)
Date (of the APCMI: .................
16


## **ANNUAL ACCOUNTS** 

## **Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Matthew, High Brooms Charity No: 1185772** 

**Notes to the Financial Statements for the twelve months ended 31 December 2022** 

## **1. BASIS OF PREPARATION** 

These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts. 

The PCC is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of PCCs together with applicable accounting standards and the Statement of Recommended Practice 2016 as the applicable standard to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (SORP(FRS102)). 

## **2. ACCOUNTING POLICIES** 

## **ASSETS** 

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

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

Tangible fixed assets for use by the charity (functional fixed assets): Larger items are capitalised and written off over their useful lives. Smaller items are written off as incurred. 

Short term deposits: These are the cash held on deposit either with the Diocese or at another bank. 

## **FUNDS** 

Unrestricted Funds: These represent the income funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC. These include amounts designated by the PCC for fixed assets for its own use or for spending on a future project and which are not included as 'free reserves' as disclosed in the trustees' report. If part of an unrestricted fund is earmarked for a particular project it may be designated as a separate fund, but the designation has an administrative purpose only, and does not legally restrict the trustees' discretion to apply the fund. 

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

Endowment Funds: These are restricted funds that must be retained as trust capital either permanently or subject to a discretionary power to spend capital as income, and where the use of income or other benefit derived from the capital may be restricted or unrestricted. Full details of all their restrictions are shown in the notes of the accounts. 

## **INCOMING RESOURCES** 

1 




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

Voluntary income and capital sources: Collections are recognised when received by, or on behalf, of the PCC. Planned giving under covenants or gift aid donations is recognised when received. Income tax recoverable on gift aid donations is recognised when the related income is recognised. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its entitlement and the likely amount due. Funds raised by church events and activities are accounted for gross, i.e. before any associated expenses. 

Other ordinary income: Rental from the letting of church premises is recognised when the rental is paid. Parochial fees due to the PCC for weddings, funerals etc. are accounted for when received. 

## **RESOURCES USED** 

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

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

## **DEBTORS** 

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

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

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

## **2022 Accounts commentary** 

The accounts are presented for the PCC’s approval. During the year ending 2022 the PCC recorded a surplus of £9,269 (2021: deficit of £4,640) on day-to-day activities. In addition, at the end of the year, the PCC received a very generous legacy of £84,571 giving a final overall surplus of £93,841. 

Regular giving fell during the year but was boosted by ad hoc donations. Unrestricted voluntary income, not including the legacy, decreased by £2.2k year on year to £144,076 but this included two one-off donations totalling £10.6k including gift aid, received in Nov/Dec (2021: unrestricted voluntary income decreased by £8,781). Restricted giving/income increased in 2022 to £24,485 (2021: £14,131). This is due to the continually growing Community Larder and the successful fundraising. Also included within the restricted funds is a donation towards children and youth activities (£100). 

Total costs decreased by £3,504 year on year to £173,982 (2021 expenses decreased by £24,021 – however, significantly higher expenses were incurred in 2020 compared with previous years, mainly driven by quinquennial remedial works). Unrestricted expenses in 2022 were £10,793 lower than in 2021 whereas restricted expenditure increased by £7,289. 

Unrestricted income/expenditure resulted in a surplus of £86,370 (£1,798 before the legacy). Restricted income/expenditure resulted in a £7,471 surplus. £13,296 is now held for restricted expenditure. 

The PCC has retained reserves, in cash, of £280,830, as at 31 December 2022. This is a sound financial position and meets the reserving requirements set by the PCC. 

**Kate Whitehead - PCC Treasurer** 

2 



ignilin9PG5sion foTJe5U5
P¥ochlal Church Council ofst Matthew High Brooms-Ch¥ity No: 1185772
BALANCE SHEET at 31 Deceml)er 2022
Flxed Assets
)re
2022
2021
CurrentAssets
Notè
Debtors & Prepayments
Short tem de￿6rts
£11913
£27.761
£195,453
£109fi99
Repair funds
£2S266
£19.429
Cash at bank and In haNI
£70320
£48999
Toialturr¢ntasstts
£303.453
£205.887
Cred*orsn*blties:
Falling due within ￿e year
£22.623
£18,898
N￿cuRRENT ASSETS
£280,830
£186.989
FUNDS OF THE OIARITY
un￿$￿Itted
£267534
£132%
£181.164
£502S
£0
Enrknvment
£280,830
£186,989
Prlnt n¥r*
Ire¥ (M5 Wk*s
27
Kate Whttel*•d
Z3

P¥ochial Church Council of St Matthew Hi8h 8roDms- Ch¥ity No: 1185772
STATEMENTOF FINANaAL AcfiviTIES
For thè montsÈndÈd 31 DtombÈr 2022
2022
2021
Endowmeftt
Un￿5111(ted
Funds
Restrkted
Furtds
Endowment
Funds
Unrestrlctsd
Funés
Resirkted
nés
TOTAL
COMWG RESOURCES
Noie
Volvntsry Income
vlt*s for Inco
IncomefTom Investrrthis
Incomefrom church ￿t1vht￿es
Ila)
Ilbl
Ilcl
Ildl
228.647
163
873
13h55
14.433
243.080
163
873
23.707
J46288
669
284
11.474
5.143
963
151.431
1.632
284
19.499
IOn52
8.025
To
243338
24A85
267 J23
158.716
14.131
172A47
RESOURCES EXPEND
P￿Ish shae
Sa&rtes. honorarta
c￿RY & staff ￿penSeS
Church runfiln£ eAp&)ses
Church ￿tI￿ty g4pen5e5
M￿s￿n g￿n8￿d don3￿0￿5
Hall eApenses
4or to church
4or to hal
M4or repairs to p￿0￿￿e
Ne* bulldlng I￿rk
Other
21al
21bl
21cl
2101
21el
62K*JO
46537
4,646
21￿02
2*10
8,710
IOA63
62￿￿)
46.537
4.646
21B02
19A24
8.710
lo￿63
62.000
38.822
3.828
15A83
1.782
14.952
4.487
26.008
62.tXIO
38,822
3,828
17.477
9.913
14.952
4,487
26.008
1594
8.131
17P14
2181
21hl
21k)
Totsi
156
17
14
173 982
167 761
177
86
NEf InCOr￿n8 resources btfore otherfo£o8nL%ed gans
and losse5
Gans on In¥e5tmeni assets
f)n Ilsposal
f)n malu*kJn
NEf MOVEMET IN FUNDS
TRANSFERS BETWEEN FUNDS
BALANCES BROUGHT FORWARD AT
I JANUARY 2022
BALANCES CARRIED FORWPAO AT
31 DECEM8ER 2022
86370
7A71
93I41
f9.046J
4.406
f4.640J
86370
7.471
93￿41
f9.046J
4.406
0.00
f4.640J
181.164
502S
186.989
190210
1.419
191.629
267
34
13
96
280
30
181 164
25
186
89

P¥ochial Church Councll ofst MatthewHigh Brooms-Ch¥ltyNo: 1185772
INCOME
2022
2021
Unrestrtted
Funds
Restrkted
Funds
Endowment
Funds
Unrestrfrttd
Funds
Restrkted
Funds
ndowmEnt
Funds
TOT
l{al V0￿￿ty¥ Income
Gift ￿ded donations
Other donatlons
Tax ie£overab
coll￿10n5 at sw*e5
Grants
LeEacle5
TOT•L
Ill￿35
4212
263OS
2324
5248
3,132
i.oii
1162B4
7344
275lS
2J24
SP42
84
71
243
113.041
5J93
26.268
lJ70
315
1.475
2.380
688
I14￿1?
7.673
269S6
1370
91S
5.042
600
84
228
71
14
33
151
31
Ilbl A¢iwes forynerath¢hKome
Fundfasing
her income
163
163
669
963
1.632
TOT
163
163
669
963
l{cl tr•comÈ fffjm kn*stmènts
Dlvidends and Intertst
TOT
873
873
873
873
284
284
284
284
Ildl kncomè frnfflchutth
477
8930
2027
477
8930
2127
1267
8.610
934
1267
8.610
934
Mall knlng5
Childrw &Youih
Church ￿1$
Pastoral
Conmnuniry ethts
Cornrnnity Ladw
TOTAL
1.171
250
lJ71
250
io
52
23,707
664
10.052
IOJJ52
8.025
8,025
13ffi55
11,474
19,499
TOTAL
243338
24A85
267*23
158,716
14,131
172A47

Parochlal Church Council ofst Matthew Hl8h 8rooms-Chawlty No: 1185772
EXPENSES
2022
EffidC￿mÉrt1
Funds
2021
iihrtstrkt•d
Funds
R*itrltt*d
Funds
T07
TOTAL
Fvnds
Funds
Funds
Churth
21al Partsh share
21bl S*¥*s, and honorarf•
21¢1 Ckn & slaff eX￿Se$
PatsonaÈe
Traknln8
Ploblle5
Other Wc¥op•ise5
Other erryloywt costs
62AIOO
38A22
62ml
38A22
46517
46.537
3327
3S
192
114
979
46
3327
Js
191
114
979
3,181
120
409
118
3J81
120
409
118
28
28
21dl Church runnkngeApense5
Op￿￿On$
Fabric
Wo(shlplserte5
CaiwnE
Govunw
Oth
Ctturch utlltty bll
Cost ol fundr*slne
2.712
6,778
l.S59
744
S23
2.712
6.778
1.559
744
523
2,348
5.363
2.243
174
2J48
SJ63
3A36
174
844
1594
.119
9.119
4.188
366
357
4.188
366
357
17.477
367
21JOI
367
21 J02
i￿94
21el Church actJ%ltye4penses
Chlbjren & Youth
Pastor*
Churth
Coft*))untyèrtnis
Comiunty L¥der
1.904
785
194
2fv98
785
6S8
1.074
51
658
si
121
121
20
24
16%20
17
14
16
19
8.710
IOh63
8.131
io
8.710
IOJ63
2111 Mlssbn 8Mngand don*￿nS
21RI Hall etpen5e5
21hl Maloc repars to chur(h
2111 Mah)c r￿ar5 to hall
2UI rep*rs to par50naee
21kl NewbuikllnE X)rk
2111 Other
14J52
4A87
26008
14.952
4*87
26,t
J7
J4
17J 982
167 761
177 486

P*ochlal Church Councll ofst Matthew Hl8h Brooms-chalty P40: 1185772
Notestothe STATEMENT OF FINANOALACTIVITIES
For the months ernled 31 L*ember 2022
I RESTRicfED INCOME
Donaticffis lincludlng Grft Aldl and gTrnts totslling tothe value of £3071 have teen glven I￿ardS Church fuel costs ar*J set upof a Warm Spa￿.
t)onalicffl5 lincluding GrftAidl and erants totsllin¢ £11262 ￿Ve given to Silpfththe costs of the Communrty tsrtler. In add￿¢)￿, a furt￿rE101)s2 has been
eived as a Corttribubon towards food.
UNRESTrICTEDINCOME
Towards the end of 2022 a very Be￿rouS le8acy of £B4.Sk was receNed, with other￿￿￿f dmations of c£lOk linch￿n$ 8rft aidl.
Ila) GRANTS
Community Larder recefved £2.329 in grants.
£2.713 was received in8rants towards 2023 enefgy costs.
21al PARISH SHARE
The pansh Sha￿ was set at£62k for2022.
21bl STAFF COSTS AND PENSION
Durin8 the year the PCC emplcyed a faMil￿S & chiklren wther. an C￿rationS mana8er a thaner. Pkne ofthese empk4ees ean￿￿ more than £&)Im p.a. ￿truSteeS
recevied remunernkn fortheirservtes as trustees. Totsl Stsff Costs *Ere".
Gross SaLar*s indL*Jln8 reduThJar
EmF4oyer Nl
pens￿ Cosis
45329
46537
All empkwees are entitled a defined benefft pensKffi scheme adminlnste￿d ty The National EMp￿mentSavln8s TrtGtINESTI. The PCC meets its autoenrc4ment
ot4¥atiMs for all eligib￿ stsff.
The in￿aSe in salary costs1£39k in 20211 of £7.8k is to afklitrml ￿dY￿ja￿ costs and abo increased hcwrs worked the Chiklren & Families Minister)Nl the
Operats'ons Mana8er throUgh￿t the yearto supportChiW￿ft and ycth wor*.
21d) CHURCH RUNNINGEXPENSES
GcNemance: indudes IrKlependent EyamK*rfs fee of £450.

2(el CHUROI ACTIVITY EXPENSES- RESTRICTED
No devebpment of online proviskjn has ￿en required in 2022,. therefore, £525 remains towards providing online servKes.
A totsl of £16￿16 has been spent cm) expeftses ￿latinE to the Community Larder, leaving a further £4A98 towards 2023 Costs(£9,7￿ w) totsl, I￿￿dIre previous yeats'l
The £3071 ￿pIed ttrwards energy costs for use in 2023.
£194 of restrkted giving has been spent on Children and Ythjth costs with £0 caThied forward.
Online AV wisk)n
Community Larder
Energy costs
Children & Yothh
525
9.7CQ
3JJ71
13296
21fj MISSIONARY ANDCHARITABLE (aviNG
fy•nts of£l,OC¥)•y m(Ye made perKrfI
Lrfe & s￿11
Grants of< £l,OLKI math kn the for mks
other￿ganisatIOns/£ha￿t]eS
Other indr¥idua
6.170
940
8.710
3 PCC Members
It is a ccmmcffj Pfdcttt, for ￿3$C•S of expedi￿￿ and value for morw, f¢y members lor other church members} to be requested to make wrchases CM) tehalf of the PCC for
whKh are later ￿lMt￿r5ed of dccumentstion. AU s￿h transac1K￿$ a￿ recorded in the accwnts and ac£(xJnted fly uftder￿ ￿￿vant hea(Js ofeXpenditu￿.

19nilin9PG5Fion foTJe5U5
Parochial Church Council of St Matthew High Brooms-charity No: 1185772
Notrstothe STATEMENTOF FINANaALAcnviTIES
For the twel¥• NK)nths ended 310ecember 2022
4 DEBT0￿ & PREPAYMENTS
2022
£11,913
£0
13
2021
£27,761
£0
£27 761
Tax reco¥wab
Other <lOOO
Éli
S SHoKfTERM DEposris
2011
£195.453
£195
53
2021
£ 109.699
£109
99
D8F kcount
6 REp￿R FU140S
2022
£io,oso
£15.216
£25
66
2021
£5.005
£14.424
£19
29
Church
Hall
7 CASH AT BANK & IN H¥lND
1022
£0
£80
£0
É135
É36521
£25.825
£8,225
£34
20
2021
£76
É79
£100
£0
£24,393
E19.602
É4.383
£366
48
99
Breakfast Café
Cash c¥d . Communrty L¥der
Cash card . Lo&5
ta5h card . Hannah
Lloyds
Nat Wesi
Lloyds - Lardef
Petty Cash
£70
CREDITORSILWAILIIKS
Faling vlthln one year
PA￿ . HMRC1p￿$￿)n
Late invoice5
￿the￿￿Mark•d *6ng
Insurance
Chward blll
Other <£l.000
2012
£1313
£5.853
£8.206
£3200
E233
£3.758
£22
23
2021
É1,088
£4.050
EIO.017
£0
£218
£3.526
£18
98

19nilin9PG5Fion foTJe5U5
IndeFendent EyAmin8f s Report to the PCC of St Matthew (High Broom8)
I report on th8 acuunts of the PCC for the year ended 31•t December 2022.
Resp9dive re$pongbililies of Trustees and Examiner
The th8rity's trustees are ￿SponSIble for the preparation of the a¢xounl$. The charitys trustees
ojnsider that an audit 1$ not required for this year under Sedion 145 of the Charits'es Act 2011
(the 2011 Act) and th* an indopendent exa￿￿nation 15 needed.
It is my responsibility lo..
8xamine the accounts under Section 145 of the 2011 Ad,.
to follow the pro￿dureS laid dovm in the General Direthons given by the Charity
Commisstoner under S8c#ion 14515} Ib} of the 2011 Act", and
to stste ￿ether partiabl8r matters have o)ma lo my attents'on.
8asis of Indep8ndent Examinerfs Report
My examination was carried out in a02)rdan￿ wth the general diredions given by the Charity
Commission. An examination indudes a review of the accounting records kept by the tharity
and a ojmparison of th& a¢xounls pr&sented wth those récords. 11 also indudes cL)nsderalion
of any unusual items or disdosures in the ac￿Unts and the seeking of explanations from you as
trustees conLYning any suth matters. The proceduras undertaken do not provide all the
evidence that would be required in an audit, and cx)nsequently no opinion is given as to %thelher
the accounts present a 'tru8 and fair and the report Is limited lo those matters set oul in the
staterr￿nt below.
Independent Examinels Statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has ￿rne to my attention..
1. 14Vhich givos m reasonable cause to believ8 that. in any material respect. the
requirements..
to keèp accounting records in ac£ordance wth sedion 130 of the 2011 Act,. and
to prepare accounts accord ￿th the a￿untIng reo)rds and to comply with
th8 ￿Counting requirements of Ihe 2011 Acl have rnl b88n ma( or
2. To wfiith. in my opinion. attenlion stKJuld be drawn in order to enable a proper
undorstanding of tho ac￿uTrts to be reathed.
11 2rJz3
Dated
David Sl8phens FCCA
13 Nth￿andS Road
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
TN4 9AS
10

Indtyendent Eyaminerfs Roport lo Ihg PCC of Sl Matthew (High Brooms)
I report on the actyunts of the PCC for the year ended 31° De¢¢mb8r 2022.
Respective responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The tharity's trustees are responsble for the preparation of the accounts. The Charity's trustees
Ct)nsid8r that an audit is not required for this year under Section 145 of the Charilios Act 2011
Itha 2011 A¢tl ond that an independent examination is needed.
11 is my responsibility to..
examine the attounts under Seclion 145 of the 2011 Ad.
to follow the procedures laid in the General Diredions given by Ihe Charity
Commis&oner under Section 145{51 {bl of the 2011 Ad.. and
lo stale vknelher parti￿lar matters have com8 lo my attention.
Ba%s of Indep8ndent Examinels Report
My examination ￿as carried out in aCa)rdan￿ wth the general directions given ty the Charity
Commission. An examination indudes a review of the accountsng recL)rds kept by the charity
and a CL)mparison of the aLxounls presenled wth those records. 11 also indudes con%deration
of any unusual or disdo$ures in the accoufts and the seeking of axplanalions from you as
trustges concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the
ev?dene8 that would be required in an audit, and consoquontly no opinion 1$ given a$ lo whether
the accounts present a 'true and fair and the report 1$ limited lo those matters set out in the
stalemnl below.
Independent Examine¢s Slateffent
In ojnnection with examination. no matter has oJm8 to my attention..
1. Which gives m reasonable cau$fr to believe that. in any mat¢rial respecl, the
requirements..
to keep accountsng reccrds in a1xordan￿ with sethon 130 01 the 2011 Act; and
to prepare accounts vh)ith accord wlh the aco)unling records arKI to con4)ly with
the a￿UntIng requirements of the 2011 Act have ￿1 been met,. or
2. To vknlch. in my opinion, attentton should b6 dra￿ in order lo enable a proper
understanding of the accJJunts to be reached.
11 2r)23
Dated
David Stephens FCCA
13 NevAands Road
Tunbridge Wells, Kent
TN4 9AS