## **ANNUAL CHURCH MEETINGS** Sunday, 27th April 2025 # **ANNUAL MEETING of PARISHIONERS for the ELECTION of CHURCHWARDENS** in the Church at 12.15 **ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING** in the Church at 12.30 ## **Meeting Documents** APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 1 of 38 ## **Contents** |**Contents**|**Contents**|| |---|---|---| |**Annual Meeting of Parishioners for the Election of Churchwardens**||**Page**| |1|Agenda|3| |2|Minutes of the 2024 meeting|3| |**Annual Parochial Church Meeting**||| |1|Agenda|5| |2|Minutes of the 2024 meeting|6| |**Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for 2024**||9| |1|Administrative information|10| |2|Structure, governance and management|10| |3|Objectives and activities|10| |4|Electoral roll|10| |5|PCC membership|11| |6|Review of the year January – December 2024|12| |7|Report of the proceedings of the Parochial Church Council|12| |8|Churchwarden’s report for 2024|13| |9|Safeguarding report for APCM 2025|14| |10|Deanery Synod report 2024|14| |11|Fabric report|15| |12|Children’s Work APCM 2025 Report|16| |13|Relationship between St. Mark’s Parish Church and|17| ||St. Mark’s CE School|| |14|Annex – Reports of Church Groups for 2024|17| |A1|Church Hall Committee|17| |A2|Music|18| |A3|St Mark’s Floral Team|18| |A4|St Mark’s library|19| |A5|St Mark’s website|19| |A6|Social Committee|21| |A7|Church Cleaning|22| |A8|St Mark’s C of E Primary School|23| |**Financial**|**Statement for the Year Ending 31st December 2024**|29| |Report|of the Independent Examiner for the Year Ending 31 December 2024|30| |1|Financial Statement for the Year Ending 31 December 2024|31| |2|2024 Income|32| |3|2024 Expenditure|34| |4|2024 Statement of Assets and Liabilities|36| |5|Movements in Restricted Funds During the Year 2024|36| |6|Forward to 2025 and further years|37| |7|Bank Account Functions|38| APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 2 of 38 # **The Parish of St Mark South Farnborough** # **Annual Meeting of Parishioners for the Election of Churchwardens Sunday 27th April 2025 at 12.15 in the Church** ## **Agenda** 1. Opening Prayer 2. Apologies for absence 3. Minutes of the meeting, Sunday 17[th] of March 2024 4. Election of Churchwardens _________________________________________oOo___________________________________ ## **Minutes of the 2024 Annual Meeting of Parishioners for the Election of Churchwardens** ## **Sunday 17th March 2024 after the 10.30 Eucharist in Church** **Present:** Revd. Phil Roche, (Chairman) and 36 parishioners. **Opening Prayer** , it was decided by the Chairman to forgo the opening prayer as all had attended the 10.30 am Eucharist immediately before the meeting. **Apologies for absence** were recorded from, Mrs Ann Ient, Mr Michael Evans, and Mrs Sue Evans. ## **Minutes of the previous meeting** The minutes of the previous meeting held on Sunday the 17[th] March 2024 had been distributed previously and were approved as a true record of the proceedings. Proposed by Mrs Daryl Bates, and seconded by Mrs Christina Fane Gladwin with all present in favour. Before the election of the Church Wardens, the Chairman asked those present at the meeting if they objected to including the votes of people on the Electoral Roll who could not attend in person. He also asked if those present had any objections to accepting “postal votes” from persons on the Electoral Roll. After a short explanation, it was explained that a 2/3 majority of those present was required to pass this motion. Proposed from the Chair, that St Mark’s Church accept “postal, and proxy” votes for matters arising out of the Meetings to Elect Church Wardens, and matters arising from the Annual Parochial Church Meeting. Votes for, 29 Votes against 0 Abstentions 1 Six people attending were not eligible to vote. This being the result of the vote, it was decided to allow postal and proxy votes for the meetings to elect Church Wardens, and the Annual Parochial Church Meeting starting in 2025. APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 3 of 38 ## **Election of two Churchwardens** There were three nominations for the position of Churchwarden, there being only two vacancies it was decided to hold a paper vote, and voting papers were distributed. e nominations were: - - Mr Deglan Rowe, proposed by Mike Palmer and seconded by David Jennings, - Mr Michael Palmer, proposed by Colin Lagor and seconded by Paul Collins, and - Mrs Hilary Bellamy proposed by Mick Smith and seconded by Chris Wright. The voting papers were counted, and the results are as follows: - - Mr Deglan Rowe 25 votes - • Mr Mike Palmer 7 votes • Mrs Hilary Bellamy 22 votes This being the result of the vote, Mr Deglan Rowe and Mrs Hilary Bellamy were duly elected to serve as Church Warden for the period of one year. The Chairman thanked Mike Palmer for standing as Church Warden after the death of Mrs Phillipa Nicholas, and being a steadying influence on the Parochial Church Council. There being no further business the meeting closed at 12.45 pm APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 4 of 38 # **The Parish of St Mark South Farnborough** ## **Annual Parochial Church Meeting** # **Sunday 27th April 2025 in the Church following immediately after the meeting to elect Churchwardens** ## **Agenda** 1. Apologies for absence 2. Minutes of the previous meeting Sunday 17[th] March 2024 3. Election of the Honorary PCC Secretary 4. Election of the Honorary PCC Treasurer 5. Election of Parochial Church Council Members 6. Aldershot Deanery Synod and election of Deanery Synod Representatives 7. The Electoral Roll a) acceptance of the Roll - b) appointment of an Electoral Roll Officer 8. Financial Report from the Treasurer 9. Independent Examiner a) Note of thanks - b) Appointment of the Independent Examiner - 10. Safeguarding 11. Report on the Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council for 2024 12. Report on the Fabric, Goods and Ornaments of the Church 13. Reports from Church Groups 14. Any other business, to _be notified in writing to the Chairman not less than seven_ days before the meeting - 15. Closing Prayer APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 5 of 38 ## **Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, The Parish of St Mark, South Farnborough** ## **Sunday the 17[th] March 2024** Immediately following the meeting to elect the Churchwardens. **Apologies for absence** : as for the previous meeting, with the inclusion of David Jennings. ## **Minutes of the previous meeting** Minutes of the previous meeting held on Sunday the 23[rd] of April 2023 had been previously distributed and were approved as a true record of the proceedings. Proposed by Christina Fane Gladwin and seconded by Jaqui Nicol. All present in favour. ## **Election of the Honorary Secretary** There was one nomination for the post of Honorary PCC Secretary, Mr Colin Lagor nominated by Hilary Bellamy and seconded by Chris Wright. There being no further nominations from the floor, Mr Colin Lagor was duly elected to serve as Honorary PCC Secretary for one year. ## **Election of the Honorary Treasurer** There was one nomination for the post of Honorary Treasurer, Mr Mick Smith, nominated by Deglan Rowe and seconded by Hilary Bellamy. There being no further nominations from the floor, Mr Mick Smith was duly elected to serve as Honorary Treasurer for the period of one year. ## **Election of four PCC Members** There were three vacancies as a result of members resigning since the APCM last year, and one vacancy from a member whose three-year term is at an end. There were four nominations to fill these vacancies: - - Mrs Rebecca Hartley, nominated by Chris Wright and seconded by Hilary Bellamy - • Mr Chris Wright, nominated by Colin Lagor and seconded by Daryl Bates - Mr David Jennings, nominated by Mike Palmer and seconded by Anne Rowe - Mrs Daryl Bates, nominated by Hilary Bellamy and seconded by Mike Palmer There being no further nominations from the floor, all four were elected to serve for three years. ## **Aldershot Deanery Synod report** Is attached as part of the 2024 APCM document pack. Mr James Podger has resigned as a Deanery Synod Representative. This creates one vacancy for the Aldershot Deanery Synod. There were no nominations for this vacancy, so a volunteer will be sought from the “New PCC” to serve until the APCM 2025. There were no questions to Mrs Gibbon’s report. APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 6 of 38 ## **The Electoral Roll** - **a) Composition:** Mrs Judith Gibbons reported that there were 63 members on the Electoral Roll at the date of the 2024 APCM, and there were 56 at the close of the 2023 parish year. The breakdown is:39 members within the Parish, and 24 outside of the Parish. Next year, 2025, the Electoral Roll is disbanded, and a completely new roll will be established. **b) Appointment of Electoral Roll Officer:** Mrs Gibbons agreed to continue as Electoral Roll Officer, but did ask for some help in the coming year. She was proposed by Deglan Rowe and seconded by Jim Ennis. All present in favour. ## **Finance Report** The Treasurer’s report and the 2024 accounts are part of the 2024 APCM document pack. There were no questions to the report ## **Independent Examiner** **a) Note of thanks:** - A note of thanks was sent to the Independent Examiner of the Accounts, Mr Patrick Brown. **b) Appointment of an Independent Examiner:** Mr Patrick Brown will be willing to continue as the Independent Examiner for our accounts for one final year, then he will retire, so we will need to start looking to find another Independent Examiner. ## **Safeguarding** Report is part of the APCM document pack. There were no questions to the report. ## **Report on the proceedings of the Parochial Church Council** This report is attached as part of the 2024 APCM document pack. There were no questions to the report. ## **Fabric, Goods and Church Ornaments** The report is attached as part of this APCM pack. The Quinquennial Inspection is due this year on the 17[th] April. Thanks are due to Hilary Bellamy for arranging to have work done on the fabric of the building. There were no questions to the report. ## **Reports from Church Groups** ## **Hall.** The Hall Manager’s report is attached to this document pack. Daryl reported that she intends to retire as Hall Manager at the 2025 APCM, and the PCC will have to investigate how the hall is managed after her resignation. She pointed out the importance of a properly maintained and managed hall as it brings in between half and two thirds of the total Church income. ## **Any other Business** The Chairman offered a vote of thanks to Paul Collins who provides the music for all our Worship. There being no further business, the meeting closed with prayers from the Chairman who gave thanks for the building we worship in, and the people who regularly attend. Time of closing 13.00pm. APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 7 of 38 ## **THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK** APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 8 of 38 ## **Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for 2024** APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 9 of 38 ## **Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for 2024** ## **1 Administrative Information** ## **Information** St Mark’s Parish Church is situated on the corner of Reading Road and Alexandra Road, Farnborough, Hampshire. It is part of the Diocese of Guildford, within the Church of England. The Parish has administrative support as and when required. The address for correspondence is: - St Mark’s Church Parish Office Reading Road Farnborough Hants GU14 6ND The Parish became a fully registered charity, registration number 1188893, with the Charity Commission on 3[rd] April 2020. ## **2 Structure, Governance and Management** The method of appointment of PCC members is as set out in the Church Representation Rules. The PCC would normally operate with sub-committees: Finance, the Fabric/Quinquennial and Hall Management which are chaired by one of the Church Wardens. The Executive Committee would consist of the Church Wardens, the Treasurer and, until 31[st] October 2024, the Priest-in-Charge. There were financial meetings and to discuss procedure with work on the quinquennial report to review progress. ## **3. Objectives and Activities** ## **PCC Role** - Work with the Incumbent to promote the Church in the Parish, and its mission and how to improve this. - Care for the Church and its future and structure. - Promote links with St Mark’s School. - Ensure that all who wish to contribute to church life have the opportunity to do so. At the end of October 2024, Rev Phil Roche resigned as Priest-in-Charge, leaving a vacancy. The Council has since been guided by Archdeacon Catharine Mabuza, and Area Dean Gemma Foster. _Colin Lagor, PCC Secretary_ ## **4 Electoral Roll** The reported/ recorded number of persons on the Electoral Roll last year was 63 persons. Since that report, one person was added, and two people were removed. The figure at the time of writing THIS report is therefore 62. APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 10 of 38 Given that a complete revision of the Roll is required this year, before the APCM, and reviewing the outgoing Roll, I fear that there will be quite a reduction in this reported number when the new Roll is published. _Judith Gibbons_ ## **5 PCC Membership** The membership from March 2024 to March 2025 was: |**Position**|**From 2024 APCM**|**At 2025 APCM**| |---|---|---| |Priest-in-charge|Rev Phil Roche (1)|Vacancy| |Lay Minister|Mrs Helen Roche|Vacancy| |Churchwardens|Mr Deglan Rowe
Mrs Hilary Bellamy|Mr Deglan Rowe
Mrs Hilary Bellamy| |Aldershot Deanery Synod|Mrs Judith Gibbons (2)
Vacancy|Vacancy
Vacancy| |Honorary Treasurer|Mr Michael Smith (3)|After Michael Smith’s resignation,
Chris Wright was appointed
Treasurer but resigned in November
2024. Michael Smith was then
reappointed as acting Treasurer.| |Honorary Secretary|Mr Colin Lagor|Mr Colin Lagor| |Elected Members
(Full council = 9 members|Mrs Daryl Bates (6)
Mr Jim Ennis
Miss Angharad Nicholas-Podger
Mrs Margaret Lapwood (4)
Mrs Christina Fane Gladwin
Mrs Hilary Bellamy (5)
_(1) Revd Phil Roche resigned_
_from his post as Priest in_
_Charge October 2024_
_(2) Mrs_
_Judith_
_Gibbons_
_resigned from the PCC in_
_December_
_2024,_
_thus_
_leaving a second vacancy as_
_Deanery_
_Synod_
_representative_
_(3) Mr Michael Smith resigned_
_as Treasurer in July 2024._
_(4) Mrs_
_Margaret_
_Lapwood_
_resigned from the PCC in_
_December 2024_
_(5) Mrs Hilary Bellamy was_
_elected as Church Warden at_
_the 2024 APCM_
_(6) Mrs Daryl Bates’ term of_
_office was up at the APCM,_
_she was reelected to serve_
_for a further 3 years_|Mrs Daryl Bates
Mr Jim Ennis
Miss Angharad Nicholas-Podger
Mrs Christina Fane Gladwin
Mrs Rebecca Hartley
Mr Chris Wright (*)
Mr David Jennings (**)
_4 Vacancies_
_(*) Mr Chris Wright was appointed_
_Treasurer in September 2024 but_
_resigned as Treasurer and from the_
_PCC in November 2024_
_(**) Mr David Jennings resigned_
_from the PCC due to relocation in_
_October 2024_| APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 11 of 38 ## **6 Review of the year January to December 2024** Until October 2024 our part-time priest, the Rev Phil Roche was in attendance for most of the Sunday services and also of assistance on other days. Rev Phil also made himself available to deal with correspondence as and when it was received. There were numerous activities during the year and attendances appeared to be improving. The Children’s Den was supported by our families and Mary and Angharad assumed responsibility for the children’s activities. Phil had already indicated that he intended to leave the Parish in July 2025 with a view to hopefully a new Priest-in-Charge being appointed who could allocate more time in the Parish. The vicarage itself remained let out. Although the ultimate intention is to re-appoint a full-time vicar and take back the vicarage, current finances do not allow for this to happen. We met with Adam Hieke of Nye Saunders who made the five yearly inspection of the church on 17[th] April 2024, and we later received his Quinquennial Report. He was pleased to note that much had been done already – in particular the church seems to be water-tight. More detail appears in the Fabric Report, In late summer as a result of discussions with the diocese Phil decided to resign from his position with effect from 31[st] October 2024. The Area Dean, the Rev Gemma Foster, became responsible for running PCC meetings and liaising with the two Church Wardens. As of the end of 2024 it was hoped that a new Priest-in-Charge/vicar could be appointed in the New Year. _Deglan Rowe, Churchwarden_ ## **7 Report on the Proceedings of the Parochial Church Council for St Marks’ Church South Farnborough 2024-2025.** The Parochial Church Council consists of six ‘Ex Officio’ members who serve for 1 year only, 2 Church Wardens, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and 2 Deanery Synod members, plus the Priest in Charge who is the Chairman and the Lay Minister. Revd. Phil Roche resigned as Priest in Charge at the end of October 2024 leaving the post vacant, subsequently Mrs Helen Roche resigned as Licensed Lay Minister. Revd. Gemma Foster (Rector of Cove, and Aldershot Area Dean) is acting as Chairman of the Council until the appointment of a new Priest. The main body of the Council consists of 9 elected members who serve for 3 years, there were 4 vacancies which were filled at the APCM. During the past year there has been much change in the make-up of the PCC, Mr Mick Smith resigned as Treasurer and his place as Treasurer was taken temporarily by Mr Chris Wright, who subsequently resigned from the Council. Mrs Judith Gibbons resigned as the only Deanery Synod representative, Mr David Jennings resigned from the Council due to relocation, and Mrs Margaret Lapwood resigned from the Council. This has had a marked effect on the remaining members of the Council. Mr Mick Smith agreed to return to the post of Treasurer to complete the 2024 Accounts. We have two vacancies for Deanery Synod Representatives and have 4 vacancies on the general Council. It is important to the running of the Parish that these vacancies are filled at the 2025 APCM. During the past year, the PCC has met for six ordinary meetings, 2 special meetings and 1 meeting with the Archdeacon of Surrey and the Aldershot Area Dean. In addition to these there have been 2 “Vacancy” meetings. APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 12 of 38 Subjects discussed included: - - The Quinquennial Inspection and Report. - Approving the Schools application to become part of the “Prospect Academy Trust”. - Discussing St Mark’s Church becoming a member of “Inclusive Church”, and its subsequent joining. - The need for a Treasurer as Mr Mick Smith intends to stand down at the APCM 2025. - The need for someone to take over as Hall Manager and Bookings secretary as Mrs Daryl Bates has indicated her intention to retire at the APCM 2025. - Approving the Accounts before sending for Examination. - Formation of the new sub committees. - Approving the Review Report and APCM packs before publication. - Meeting with the Archdeacon of Surrey and Aldershot Area Dean, following the resignation of Revd Phil Roche. In addition to the above subjects, they discussed the day-to-day maintenance and running of the Church and Church Hall. _Colin Lagor, PCC Secretary_ ## **8 Churchwardens Report for 2024** As stated above, we continued with a Priest-in-Charge, the Rev Phil Roche in situ. The pattern of services was to continue the main 10.30 am service with the 8am service once a month, with breakfast between the two services. We did also organize some 8am services mid-month, to see how well they would be attended and at least one evensong service. The Church was also open on Friday mornings for prayer and Crafty Coffee, which appeared to be gathering support. The year started with a Games Evening on 27[th] January. Volunteers assisted with maintenance of the Church Hall and the grounds. We also saw more members of the congregation able to assist in serving at Communion and occasional preachers, the occasional preachers consisting of David Jennings Jim Ennis, Angharad Nicholas-Podger Deglan Rowe and Daryl. Bates. It was good to see better involvement within the Church in the running of services. Colin and Neo continued to assist at ‘front of house’ and Paul Collins provided the music welcoming us into Church and during the services. Judith held the usual Pancake Party, which was well attended, and we held an Ash Wednesday evening service in the Church. On 29[th] February 2024 we celebrated the life of Gwen Miller who had passed away aged 102. Gwen had been attending St Mark’s since her birth and was a real character who could recount stories of life in England both before the Second World War and after it. Rev Phil Roche organised a Lent to Ascension Course in the evenings and Daryl Bates chaired the Ascension Course during the day with lunch afterwards. Easter is always celebrated very well at St Mark’s Church and is indeed known for this elsewhere. Jim Ennis provided a Taize reflection; Phil led the Maundy Thursday service and the Church was also beautifully decorated. Easter Day was celebrated with a Dawn Service and Easter celebrations in the Church, with breakfast. APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 13 of 38 Church life continued with an Ascension Day service in May and the Flower Festival on 31[st] May for the week. There was then the Summer Fair in August 2024 and on 6[th] October we were pleased to welcome the Bishop of Dorking, the Very Reverend Paul Davies, who conducted a Confirmation Service at St Mark’s. As Phil left the Parish on 31[st] October 2024 we were then left without a priest. We were pleased to receive support from our neighbouring Churches, and in particular, Richard Cobbold, Mark Chester, Steven Mourant, Thea Edwards Mark Rudell, Bruce Nicol and the relatively new Archdeacon of Surrey, Catharine Mabuza. Towards the end of the year we held an Advent Festival, with the Church decorated with Christmas boxes provided by various sources, including the school. The Cecilia Singers rejoined us for an evening of entertainment. At Christmas we were pleased to have a Carol Service with Mark Chester. As we had no priest available for Christmas Eve, we decided to not hold a service, but instead we had a very good attendance on Christmas Day morning itself. It has been good to see how the team has worked together, particularly after 31[st] October 2024 and particular thanks go to Mick Smith who returned back to resume his role as Treasurer and due to his hard work placing everything in good order for the Finance Report 2024 to be completed. This was no easy task as we had been effectively without a treasurer for a number of months _Deglan Rowe and Hilary Bellamy, Churchwardens_ ## **9 Safeguarding report for APCM 2025** At St Mark's, we fully endorse and comply with the principles of "Promoting a Safer Church". In the past year we have: - Reviewed and updated our Safeguarding Policy - Undertaken training for the PCC and Safeguarding Officers - Reviewed and made the safeguarding page oof our website more user friendly with links to necessary and helpful information. - Effectively managed Safeguarding from the parish, diocese and national alerts. - Maintained regular contact with the diocesan Safeguarding Advisor. - Safeguarding as a standing agenda item at PCC meetings. - Distributed both Church of England and Hampshire County Council Safeguarding Literature. From April we will be attending Safeguarding workshops online with the diocesan Safeguarding Team. ## **IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS ABOUT SAFEGUARDING, PLEASE CONTACT US ON 07725261208, OR SPEAK TO THE CHURCHWARDENS OR PCC MEMBER.** _Jim Ennis & Shiroma Perera_ ## **10 Deanery Synod report** I took over the role of deanery Synod representative late in the year so this will be a short report. There have been three meetings. The first meeting I attended looked at the change of Rural dean to the Rev. Gemma Foster and reports from the deanery parishes. The second meeting at Tongham focussed on The Green Church initiative which was APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 14 of 38 interesting. The final meeting I attended with Hilary and Deglan and this focussed on parish Development Plans. I will be giving up the role following the APCM and handing over the reins to two other willing volunteers. _Jim Ennis Deanery Synod Representative_ ## **11 Fabric Report** It has been a very busy and productive year regarding maintenance and repairs to our much-loved Church. Many of the priority safety issues on the Quinquennial Report have also been addressed, with more work still in process. I am pleased to say that much of the necessary pointing has been replaced. Several historic roof leaks have been repaired, and resulting damage to internal paintwork required remedial internal painting, which has been completed. Both the front and rear Church doors have been stripped and treated. An electrical upgrade, including boxing in the servery, was undertaken and the servery has also been repainted. Some crumbling stonework has been repaired, with further work planned. A defibrillator has also been installed in the Church entrance. Various other works, too numerous to mention, or not necessarily listed, have been completed without further costs. Very importantly, as the Church Hall supplies our main source of income, some works have also been included, keeping the Hall in good repair to be worthy of future hire, i.e.: New lighting An electrical update with new circuit boards. However, more work is required and currently quotes are in hand for new/repair of stage curtains and new a new/repair of the Hall floor. I can quite honestly say that it has given me great pleasure in being involved in the under-budget completion of this work! ## **11.1 St Mark’s Quinquennial Report 2024** A quinquennial inspection was done on 17[th] April 2024, the report written April to June 2024, which identified a list of works that must be completed within five years. The most urgent have been prioritised and completed, with other works pending. An historic item of asbestos was safely removed, transported to Basingstoke and disposed of by specialists. The disposal certificate is available on request. APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 15 of 38 Crumbling stonework at upper right of the vestry door, and which had started to dislodge, has been made safe. All outstanding stonework is scheduled for repair/remedial work, including the finial on the vicarage side as noted in the report. The finial above the north side of the church door has been repaired. Ingress of water in the Northwest corner of the Baptistery deemed to be historical and repainting is scheduled. Baptistery roof tiles replaced and stonework repaired after attempted theft of lead. All church guttering has been cleaned and is in good order. An annual inspection and maintenance schedule has been arranged. Further non-urgent stone work repairs have already been undertaken. The roof of the coal cellar was deemed to be unsafe. This has been caused by the garden planted on the roof of the cellar with small tree roots compromising the integrity of the roof coupled with retention of water in the soil and plant roots. This is being addressed with the guidance of the local borough council’s structural surveyor. Church and Church Hall Electrical upgrade with certification. This includes all circuit boards that have now replaced to comply with current regulations. _Hilary Bellamy, Churchwarden_ ## **12 Children’s Work APCM 2025 Report** Over the past 12 months the children and youth ministry has grown not only in size but also reputation. The work we do on a Sunday morning, ensuring the children are kept in the service while learning about God’s work through craft and fun activities has proven to be popular not only among our regular and sporadic attendees but also visiting clergy and the Diocesan leaders with regards to children and youth work. With the encouragement of Rev Phil Roache and his wife Helen, LLM, I was asked to take on this role and with the help of Mary and support of others including Judith and Becki “The Den” is now firmly a fixture a part of St Mark’s and our 10:30 service. With the logo of St Mark’s featuring a lion it seemed only right that the children’s area should carry that theme and with Marcus the lion already in place, “The Den” was the name decided for the new children’s area. The hope is that in the near future, the area will be spruced up with new floor coverings and furniture with money raised at events and donations given specifically for the work of children’s area. The Lion Trail has been a welcomed addition especially by some of the families who are new to church and also the school who are using it as part of their curriculum this term. This trail is a series of wired lions that are located around the church placed at areas of interest or importance. Each lion begins with the letter “M” and is named after a character from the Bible and comes with a laminated picture explaining the character backstory and why the lion is placed where they are. The children of “The Den” start their sessions either reading the Gospel or Psalm the craft or activity relates to for the day which enhances the understanding. The activity they complete is shared with congregation at the end of service and they then share a prayer. Topics covered over the last year include Easter, Ascension, Trinity, St Peter and St Paul, Harvest, Noah’s Ark, Creationtide, I am statements, Advent, Christmas, APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 16 of 38 Epiphany, Miracles of Jesus including the feeding of Five Thousand and Calming the Storm and the Sermon on the Mount. Our work was shared with the local community with the Christmas Eve Crib Service which saw a large attendance from St Mark’s School children and other local schools. It was an event that was enjoyed by all and even saw a real-life baby play the Baby Jesus. Planning is already under way as to what we can do this year not only for the major events but also in trying to engage new children, families and volunteers to the work of “The Den”. _Angharad Nicholas- Podger, Lead for Children & Youth Ministry_ ## **13 St. Mark’s APCM Report - Relationship between St. Mark’s Parish Church and St. Mark’s CE School** St. Mark’s Church hosted school services for Easter, Year 6 Leavers and Harvest. The Church was also used as the venue for the Key Stage 2 Show Performance in July 2024 and the School Nativity Performance in December 2024. Pupils from the school once again contributed artwork for the Advent Festival, and the Reception class children visited the church to see all of the wonderful creations in December 2024. Collaborating on these events allows the church to welcome school families on a regular basis, and encourages the children to make links between the school and their local church. Whilst Rev. Phil was in post, he held a place on the school governing body and also regularly attended at school to lead and support the weekly pattern of Collective Worship. In July 2024, Deglan Rowe resigned as a foundation governor after many years supporting the school and holding a strong link between the school and the church; Deglan was recognised by the Diocese for his dedication in this role. The governing body is still being chaired by Michael Hartley, a member of the St. Mark’s Church congregation. Angharad Nicholas-Podger, our children’s leader, also spent time in Emerald Class during Advent to share the Church of England’s ‘Bright and Calm’ Advent campaign. Following a school inspection by Ofsted in May 2024, in which the school received a ‘Good’ grading, the school also received a visit from the Schools Inspectorate for Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS). The subsequent report highlighted the strength of the relationship between the school and the church, commenting that “considerable investment from leaders and foundation governors has ensured that this relationship is highly valued and productive”. Congregation members contributed to the school’s fundraising by baking cakes and treats for the school’s weekly T-Set bake sale. The Church Christmas Fair hosted stalls from the St. Mark’s Primary PTA in the church; this strengthened the bond between the two groups, and allowed for shared resources, supporting collaboration and fundraising efforts on both sides. As we look ahead to 2025, the school is going through the process to join the Prospect Academy Trust, allowing the current leadership team from Frimley Junior School to continue sharing their expertise and working with staff and pupils at St. Mark’s School. The ‘Lion Trail’ that has been introduced in the church building will be used for school pupils to explore the church building as part of the KS1 RE unit on places of worship. _Becki Hartley_ ## **14 Annex – Reports from Church Groups for 2024** ## **A1 Church Hall Committee** I had hoped that this was to be my last report, but it would seem that God has other ideas! The Hall continues to flourish. There are always some changes but many of the hirers I have now known for over 13 years. The hall is used by diverse groups of people, starting with the Baby Clinic, toddler APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 17 of 38 sessions, Rainbows, Brownies and continuing up to the more senior members of the U3A. We provide a space for Community groups such as the Nepalese community and those seeking help in a number of ways. Running the hall is now a much larger responsibility than when I started. It is necessary to be aware of many more legal requirements. Following an incident in 2024 it was necessary to re-write our terms and conditions of hire. At the moment, I do my best to be the administrator, general maintenance operative, health and safety expert, groundswoman, and anything else that needs doing. I should like to thank Colin Lagor for giving us a new microphone which is a great improvement to the sound system. Thanks also to Hedley, Jason and Arthur for help with maintenance and those few who volunteer on Work Days. The Hall is indebted to Mrs Shanti Gurung (and family) who clean it with such dedication. I am very thankful to have Hilary’s enthusiasm in getting quotes so we can begin to consider what needs to be done in the next year. In particular, we are considering the state of the hall floor and curtains. I really do hope that I am not still writing a report this time next year. _Daryl Bates_ ## **A2 Music** Paul Collins has played the music for all of the l0:30 Eucharist and other services for the reporting period 2024 to 2025. Paul's system is based on a Denon Professional Blu-ray / SD player and a l2 inch television. It uses a large keyboard-amplifier and loudspeaker that is matched to St. Mark's church and is positioned in the Chancel to emulate the sound of the church pipe organ. The system was first used for Eucharist services in 20l2. It is basically a computer-based music player. One advantage of using a computer is that any music can be played and there are no unnecessary interruptions during worship. The hymns are chosen by Michael Hartley who also plays the piano for services and directs the St. Mark’s pop-up choir for special occasions. _Paul Collins_ ## **A3 St Mark’s Floral Team** Another “Decorative” year seems to have flown past. Since last year’s report was written we have achieved a number of noticeable “positives”. Lent 2024 saw the continuation of my Lenten Tableaux, which I began about 6 years ago. The tableaux proved a little more difficult to achieve in 2024 as there was a request not to use my traditional “sackcloth and ashes” approach. I did manage SOME degree of success however. Decorating for the Easter Services was a wonderful experience, with participation from a super mix of our “flower ladies” AND “novices” of all genders and ages. It was a very positive experience. End of May, beginning of June saw our first ‘Flower Festival’ for well over 10 years. It was a beautiful spectacle on the theme of “An English Country Garden”, with participation at various levels, and from a APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 18 of 38 number of flower teams from our fellow Deanery churches. It was a LOT of hard work, but WELL worth it. During the festival it was thrilling to find many of our participants tackling their projects WITHOUT the use of floral foam (e.g. Oasis). I have been trying this for a couple of years now, and whilst the trend is spreading rapidly in Churches all over the UK, I have not enforced it at St Mark’s. Our “week by week” floral decor relies strongly on a small team of ladies, who very generously offer their time AND equally generously provide the necessary flowers without asking for payment. I cannot thank them enough. We could not make St. Mark’s beautiful without these contributions. Don’t forget, that should anyone need a memorial in flowers at any time, they only have to let us know. It is NOT necessary for monetary contributions to be offered, but obviously we would never say “No” to any such. I hope that we can continue to make St Mark’s, florally, a beautiful church. _Judith Gibbons_ ## **A4 St Mark’s Library** Thanks to all who have made enquiries about the Church Library. I try to display books about upcoming seasons and festivals on the top of the bookshelves. We have been fortunate to receive some generous additions to the library, firstly from Jim, which is a fascinating book about the hidden treasures in churches and cathedrals across the country entitled. “Steeple Chasing”. Paul and Helen Prescott gave us a variety of books which adds to the diversity of the library so we are grateful for those. I also added two books, one by Rev Richard Cole called “Bringing in the Sheaves” describing his experiences as a Priest. And, on a lighter note Derek Nimmo’s “Oh Come ON All Ye Faithful” which is hilarious. Up to now, since I took over the Church Library, we have not used the ‘Loaned Books’ Notebook but I think it might be a good idea if we started using it again. Any suggestions as to how I can improve the library would be very welcome. _Jacqui Nichol_ ## **A5 St Mark’s Website** ## **https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/** APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 19 of 38 ## **At a glance:** I took over the management of the St Mark's website after the previous website manager left both their position and the church. With over a decade of experience in CMS (Content Management System), website management, and digital content, I volunteered to assist the team by handling updates and adding new content. No formal handover or training was provided, I was granted access on August 28, 2024. As a result, this report focuses solely on the work I’ve completed since taking over Immediate changes in the 1st month: **Content Management System** First week: Analysis of strengths and weaknesses, test support team, product capabilities, features, etc. **Home Page: Changes, Improvements and Fixes to Content and Design** First days: A number of improvements were made to the home page including: Pictures on homepage updated, including picture of the church (on-site photography, replacing tired old image, with a nice angle, blue sky etc). Branding, formatting, hyperlink formatting copy all cleaned up, including paraphrased long copy to make it easier to read, scan to read. I restored font sizes to default font sizes to make the text easier to read and ensure consistency across the page. I restored font colours to ensure consistency across the page. Fixed spelling and grammar, and in places I felt relevant, re-wrote and improved some of the descriptive words on the page. Removed, deleted and then re-built blocks previously built incorrectly on the home page. Removed blue box borders on each widget all over the home page. **Sitewide: Fixed the main navigation menu** The font size was reduced so that it appears on one line. The design is now much cleaner and easier on the eye. **Sitewide: New Features tested and released** Enable breadcrumbs, introduced search and Favicon created, adopting the Church of England for consistency. **Sitewide and Top Level Pages: Mobile UX Fixes and Enhancements** When accessing the website on a mobile device, some top level pages would not display correctly, or load at all - these were fixed as a priority. **Home Page and Top Level Pages: Removing images where text is more appropriate** The site can take a great deal of time to load due to it being image heavy. Some text used in images could not be changed with the text editor. Moving forward, to streamline updates and improve layout and design, I increased the use of copy on the website and reduced the use of extensive images. **Top Level Pages: Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation and Inconsistencies Fixed** I caught and fixed spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors on top-level pages. The website has many inconsistencies and errors in the code. I continue to correct these as I go along, page by page, widget by widget, and text by text. **New Functionality Enabled: Links** I've enabled 'Links'; you will see the new 'Links' page in the Navigation Menu. ## **Noteworthy Projects Completed to Date after the 1st Month:** APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 20 of 38 **Phase 1 Homepage Redesign Completed** I’ve re-structured and re-organised content and blocks on the home page. The most frequently changing items should move nearer to the top of the page so that the user does not need to scroll down a long way on each visit. - https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/ **New Section Created for Latest News** I created a new section needed to accommodate the need for news, announcements and updates. Now, to date we have close to 20 pages in this section. It is continuing to grow and is now one of the most popular sections on our website for our visitors. - https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/latest-news/ **Sitewide CSS Stylesheet Fixed, Updated and adopted** I fixed and implemented the CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) stylesheet. CSS is a file that controls how a website looks. It sets things like colours, fonts, spacing, and layout, separating the design from the content. CSS helps make sure the design is consistent across all pages and easier to update. It also makes websites look better, load faster, and work well on different devices, like phones and computers. Basically, CSS is important because it improves how a site looks and feels for users. Previously the CSS was not adopted or acknowledged across the website. _This work included the roll out of a newly designed, styled Call To Action (CTA) Button style on the site which is in use in a number of pages of the site already._ **Events Calendar Fixed, Updated & Improved** There were several issues with the Events Calendar which have been fixed, including CSS, layout, formatting etc.- https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/calendar/ ## **St Mark's Church Hall Section Fixed, Updated & Improved** - https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/st-marks-hall/ ## **Life Events Section Fixed, Updated & Improved** 1. https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/life-events/ 2. https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/life-events/baptisms/ 3. https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/life-events/weddings/ 4. https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/life-events/funerals/ **New Slider Image Gallery added to the Home Page** More fresh content, updated regularly, has been included on the home page. **Safeguarding Page Updates** Updated, live and in progress. https://www.stmarksfarnborough.co.uk/safeguarding/ ## **Several Support Tickets Raised and Completed** _Nikos Patsalides_ ## **A6 Social Committee** It is rather difficult to give a full report on this as I was not involved for many months and was not aware that the Committee could be re-instated from November 24 onwards. The highlight of last year was undoubtedly the Flower Festival in May-June. This was organised beautifully by Judith on the theme of a Cottage Garden. We also had an excellent Harvest Lunch and an entertaining Tear Fund Quiz. Once again, the Christmas Festival was another example of Judith’s creativity both in planning and execution. Her ideas and encouragement are wonderful. We were delighted to share the Christmas Fair with the School and with this and the Cecelia Singer’s Concert we were able to increase the attendance at the Festival. APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 21 of 38 In 2025 we are planning the usual monthly breakfasts as well as a Teddy Bear’s Picnic, Jane Austen themed Tea Party, Summer Fair with the School, Harvest Supper and Games Evening. We thank everyone for their continued support and look forward to all these events. _Daryl Bates_ ## **A7 Church Cleaning** In the absence of anyone being officially in charge of this, I have been asked to write a report. During the last year there has been some disruption in the regular cleaning of the Church following the resignation of the previous organiser. Since then, the Church has been cleaned by a number of people at different times. I can name the following who have all helped: Hilary, Colin and Carole, Peter and Christina, Yvonne, Lynda, Judith, Sally and myself. I apologise if there are others I should have mentioned. All these people have done a great job and the Church always looks clean and well loved. However, we need someone to take responsibility in the future, in order to prioritise what needs to be done and what purchases need to be made. _Daryl Bates_ APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 22 of 38 **A7 St Mark’s C of E Primary School** APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 23 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 24 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 25 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 26 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 27 of 38 ## **THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK** APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 28 of 38 DIOCESE of GUILDFORD PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARK SOUTH FARNBOROUGH (0108) Financial Statement and Treasurer Report Year Ending 31st December 2024 PRESENTED TO THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARK’S SOUTH FARNBOROUGH (0108) 27 April 2025 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 29 of 38 ## **Report of the Independent Examiner for the Year Ending 31 December 2024** APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 30 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 31 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 32 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 33 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 34 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 35 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 36 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 37 of 38 APCM Documents 2025 Final v2 Page 38 of 38