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2025-12-31-accounts

The A453 Churches of south nottinghamshire

Barton | Gotham | Kingston | Ratcliffe | Thrumpton

CHARITY COMMISSION REPORT AND ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of The A453 Churches of South Nottinghamshire (The 453 Churches) is a registered charity, number 1189059

THE A453 CHURCHES (BARTON | GOTHAM | KINGSTON | RATCLIFFE | THRUMPTON)

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

Correspondence Address: The New Rectory
39 Leake Road
Gotham
NG11 0HW
Bankers: Lloyds Bank
PO Box 1000
Andover
BX1 1LT
Independent Examiner: Conrad Oatey
7 Hall Gardens
East Leake
LE12 6NA

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THE A453 CHURCHES (BARTON | GOTHAM | KINGSTON | RATCLIFFE | THRUMPTON)

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

CONTENTS

PAGE
Structure, Governance and Management 3
Annual Report 4
Finance Report 7
Independent Examiner's Report 8
Accounts 9

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THE A453 CHURCHES (BARTON | GOTHAM | KINGSTON | RATCLIFFE | THRUMPTON)

Structure, Governance and Management

The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of The A453 Churches of South Nottinghamshire (The 453 Churches) is a registered charity, number 1189059 (registered address The New Rectory, 39 Leake Road, Gotham NG11 0HW). The Parochial Church Council (PCC) registered as a charity in April 2020.

As a church within the Church of England, the A453 Churches is constituted within the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956. Members of the Parochial Church Council are either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules and, by dint of membership, become the charity’s Trustees. All Church attendees are encouraged to register on the Church Electoral Roll and to consider standing for election to the PCC. PCC members are required to complete a HMRC Fit and Proper Persons Declaration.

The PCC has met approximately every three months. The PCC is responsible for policy approvals and decisions, approval of significant non-routine expenditure, identification, assessment and mitigation of risks, and other significant decision making including the ratification of any proposals submitted by church sub-committees. Our Safeguarding Officer continues to ensure that the PCC complies with its duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

During the year the following served as members of the PCC:

Incumbent (Chair): Revd Richard Coleman
Reader: Mr David Smith
Churchwardens: Mrs Anna Marsden
Mrs Diana Beeby
Mrs Sue Davies
PCC Secretary: Revd Richard Coleman
Parish Safeguarding Officer: Mrs Anne Farnsworth
Deputy Lead Recruiter: Mary Stephens
Treasurer: Mr Phil Harrison
Representatives on the Mrs Janet State Until APCM
Deanery Synod: Mrs Julie Moore Until APCM
Mrs Georgina Draycott From APCM
Mrs Sonya Hawkins From APCM
Elected Members: Mrs Carole Edis
Mrs Pat Harrison Until APCM
Mrs Anne Farnsworth
Mrs Julie Moore From APCM
Mrs Angie Howard
Mrs Bridget Plimmer
Mrs Georgina Draycott
Mrs Chris Pilnick
Mrs Erica Turner

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THE A453 CHURCHES (BARTON | GOTHAM | KINGSTON | RATCLIFFE | THRUMPTON)

ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

Annual Report

Introduction and Background

During 2019 the five separate parishes of Barton-in-Fabis, Gotham, Kingston-on-Soar, Ratcliffe-on-Soar, and Thrumpton made the decision to join together into a single parish, The A453 Churches of South Nottinghamshire. This occurred on 1st June 2019. The A453 Churches PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the Incumbent, Revd Richard Coleman, in promoting the whole mission of the Church - pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. It also has oversight of the financial affairs of the parish churches of St George’s Church Barton-in -Fabis, St Lawrence Church Gotham, St Winifred’s Church Kingston-on-Soar, Holy Trinity Church Ratcliffe-onSoar, and All Saints Church Thrumpton and responsibility for the maintenance of the buildings. St George’s Church Barton-in-Fabis has connected charities:

The Unknown Donors Charity (216015)

Church Lands (216015-1) - income to be spent on the upkeep of the church.

Objectives and Activities

The A453 Churches has a public duty and charge to the “cure (care) of souls” for the Ecclesiastical Parish of The A453 Churches of South Nottinghamshire. The overall ministry and work of the PCC and the Clergy routinely embraces this charge. All of the Churches services and activities are accessible and open to the general public living within and beyond the Parish boundaries. As an Anglican church we serve parishioners through the arrangement of baptisms, funerals, and weddings. Additionally at Christmas, Easter and Harvest we run specific services and events for the wider community and on Remembrance Sunday we meet our civic responsibilities to the Parish. When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our communities through:

To facilitate this work it is important that we maintain the fabric of our five churches.

Worship and Prayer

The number of people on the Parish Electoral Roll during the year was 84 (101 in 2024) and the average weekly attendance at Sunday Services, counted during October was 92 (89 in 2024), but this number increased at festivals and family services. St Lawrence Church Gotham is open on a Saturday morning providing refreshments and is well attended by an increasing number of people from the village. Our Family Fun Service, which is held once a month at 4pm continues to be run by lay people in the Church has a steady core of people attending. We continue to have a number of lay people who lead services on a regular basis at all five churches. We also have 4 lay people preaching regularly each month. Our online service continues to be available via our website which has attracted people from the wider community; and for the church members who are not online we have continued the printed service sheet and sermon for them each week.

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Pastoral Care

Some members of our Parish are unable to attend Church due to sickness or age. Revd Richard Coleman has visited all Church members who have requested it, to celebrate Communion with them in their homes, hospital or care home. Anne Farnsworth has continued to organise volunteers to visit or telephone all who are sick or unable to get out for any other reason to keep them in touch with Church life. Around half of our combined congregations are members of one of our four lay-led Bible study groups which also provide pastoral care to members of the group, and it has been a delight to see people growing in their knowledge and love of Jesus through these groups. We continue to support the Foodbank in Clifton with food and other products that they need on a weekly basis. The Rector, along with Anne Farnsworth, is also able to hand out Foodbank vouchers to folk in the five villages who are referred to them.

Mission and Evangelism

Our parish magazine (circulation c.1,200 households), named “Connection”, continues to be an important means of promoting the Church’s mission, work and activities to the local communities as well as providing articles of interest to the communities. We have a Welcome Pack which is delivered to people moving into the villages and which provides details of both church and village activities that folk may be interested in joining. Our community cinema is still appreciated by those who come. Due to our licence we are unable to advertise the names of the films outside of the church and so we have to give clues as to which film is being shown. We are also unable to charge for entry but can and do charge for refreshments. Our Opening The Book team have been going in to Gotham Primary School once a month to take assemblies in the school, which is much appreciated by staff and pupils. Our group of five churches, along with seven other churches in the local area, continue to financially support a Schools Worker at East Leake Academy; the weekly Youth Group which she runs at Gotham straight after school on a Tuesday has a regular core of 15 young people along with about half a dozen occasional attenders. This year we collected 118 shoeboxes, which will go to bring joy to children who wouldn’t normally receive anything at Christmas as well as providing them with the opportunity to learn about Jesus for themselves. At Easter time we collected 50 Easter eggs for the men at The London Road Project, who were very appreciative. In September we ran the Bereavement Journey Course again with 4 people, 2 of whom are now attending Gotham Church. Gotham Church has continued to host a number of groups in the Church who have remained in the Church despite the Memorial Hall now having been rebuilt following the fire in 2024. Gotham Church has also hosted a Police talk on fraud and scams.

Cherub’s Play Café

In 2022 the Gotham Local Management Group took the decision to sell the Church Hall, which suffered from disrepair and obsolescence, only being used by Little Cherubs Toddler Group. The proceeds of the sale are restricted for Ecclesiastical purposes only. Little Cherubs Toddler Group relocated to the Church and changed their name to Cherub’s Play Café. Cherub’s Play Café continue to meet on a Friday morning during term time with slightly lower numbers than last year due to new 2 year old funding now available for families who go back to work. Run by Anna Marsden, Fiona Coleman, Elaine Inskeep and Louise Third, they continue to provide a well resourced toddler group. The Bible and song time continue to be very popular and a good number of families stay right to the end of each session to join in with this. A lot of the Christian songs have been learnt and remembered by the children and parents who happily sing along.

Deanery Synod

Two members of the PCC sit on Deanery Synod. This provides the PCC with an important link between the Parish and the wider structure of the Church of England.

Ecumenical Relationships

The Anglican church is the only church in the villages, but prior to the Covid lockdowns, once a month, St Lawrence Church Gotham was made available for a Methodist service. This offer has not been taken up by the Methodist circuit since the pandemic ended.

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Financial Review

Each church has a number of ways of raising funds throughout the year but despite these efforts there is still great concern especially with the ability to pay the ever increasing Parish Share, the majority of which provides the stipends and housing of the Clergy. We are grateful to the villagers who continue to support the churches both financially and also with practical help throughout the year. St Lawrence Church Gotham continues to make good use of its building and the flexibility that the reordering in 2010 provides - being able to accommodate differing groups from the Memorial Hall within the Church could not have been done without it.

Reserves Policy

It is the policy of the PCC to look to maintain unrestricted funds which are sufficient to cover the general upkeep and running of each church and to maintain the fabric of the building. It is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies. The level of reserves is monitored and reviewed by the PCC on an ongoing basis.

Volunteers

We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make our Churches the lively and vibrant communities they are. In particular we want to mention our Churchwardens Anna Marsden, Diana Beeby and Sue Davies and the Deputy Churchwardens Carole Edis, Anne Farnsworth, Angie Howard, John Collins and Erica Turner who have worked so tirelessly on our behalf. And to also thank our treasurer, Phil Harrison, for his continuing efforts with the accounts.

Signed on behalf of the Parochial Church Council on 24th April 2026 by:

Revd Richard Coleman (Rector & Chairman of the PCC).

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THE A453 CHURCHES (BARTON | GOTHAM | KINGSTON | RATCLIFFE | THRUMPTON)

FINANCIAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025

The A453 churches have now been combined as a single parish and single charity since July 2019. As the individual churches have drawn closer together the PCC has elected to report as a single entity with one set of accounts with a single independent examination. The PCC would like to thank Conrad Oatey, of St Mary’s Church, East Leake for agreeing to act as independent examiner for 2025. The 2024 accounts have been restated to reflect this change in reporting. This change has also drawn attention to different accounting treatments in place across the charity which will be aligned in 2026.

The combined total of unrestricted income for the benefice for the year ended 31st December 2025 was £108,368 and restricted income amounted to £13,727, giving total income of £122,095 from normal church activities, which is a decrease of 9% from last year. Within total income the total for planned giving reduced again to £63,374 (including Gift Aid) from 110 donors, 7 fewer than last year. Collections at services amounted to £14,358 (excluding Gift Aid) an increase of 9%. Fundraising activities raised £16,531, including £5,883 of grants towards repairs at Ratcliffe.

Parish share was the biggest cost and the payment of £61,150 was 86% of the allocation made by the Diocese (an increase of 3% on 2024) and 59% of our total unrestricted income. Repair and maintenance costs are always significant as our church buildings are all Grade I or II Listed. These costs totalled £25,523 in 2025, including window repairs at Ratcliffe in excess of £15,000. Other significant costs were insurance at £11,065 and gas / electricity costs of £12,223 for the year.

Total expenditure amounted to £131,338 resulting in a net deficit in the charity of £9,243. This is an improvement on the deficit in 2024 of £13,888, although there remain challenges to reach parity. The change in accounting treatment in 2025 has presented new opportunities to reduce expenditure in the years ahead.

Total unrestricted cash (bank balances and Church Of England Deposit Funds) at 31st December 2025 amounted to £65,692 (£64,623 in 2024) and restricted cash amounted to £212,517 (£218,760 in 2024), most of that being funds from the sale of the Church Hall at Gotham.

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Independant Examlnerfs Raporttotho TNstO68 of THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF TrtE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF THE A453 CHURCHES OF SOUTH NOTnNGHAMSHIRE I report on the accounts of the church forth• y88r ended 31 December 2025 Rospec￿ ro¥pon8lbllftlos 0ftn￿O6$ and examlnor The church'8 tTustses ar6 responsible forthe preparntlon otth8 a¢¢ounts. The Church's trustee8 con8iderthat an audit is not required for this year (under section 4312) of the Charitles Act 1993 Ithe 1993 Act) and that an independent oxamination 18 ngeded. It Is re8ponslbllltyto: examine the accounts (under sectlon 43(3118) of the 1993 Act); to followthe procedures18id down in the Genergl Directions givén bythe Ch8rsty Commissioners {under $￿tion 43(7)(b) ofthe 1993Ait and to state whether partl¢uiar matters have come tri my attention. Ba$ls ot 1ndopendontwim1nw￿ roport My examlnatlon wa$ carrled out In 8c¢ordance with the Ganeral DiTectlons given bythe Charlty Comml88ioner8. An ￿MI￿atIOn includes a revlew ofthe accountlng records kept ty the church and 8 comp8ri80n of the accounts presented wlth those records. It also Includ88 consideratlon of any unu8U81 rtems or disclosures in the accounts. and seeklng expL8n8tlons from you as trustees concemlng ary such matters. The procedure8 undertgken do not provide 811 the evldence th81 h%￿Uld be requlred In an 9udft, and con8equgntly I do not expre38 an audlt oplnlon on the vlewgfven tythe e¢count& Indopondont oxamlnor's •tat8mont In eonnectlon with my examination. no matter hE48 cometo my attention: (11 ￿th1¢h give8 me reasonable cause to believethat in any materlal re9pectthe requliements to keep e¢countin8 record8 in 8ccord8nce with Section 41 ofthe 1993Act: and to prepare &ccounts %thi¢h a¢¢ord with the 8ccounting records end ￿MplYW1th the accountlng requiTements ofthe 1993 Act h8ve not been mgt; or {2) to ￿thICh, In ry opinion. attention Should be drawn in ordertg enable a proper undorstsnding of tho accounts to be reached. Conr8d Oatey Awil 2026 7 HaUGarden$, East Leake, LE12 6NA

THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF THE A453 CHURCHES OF SOUTH NOTTINGHAMSHIRE Receipts and Payments Account For the period from 01 January 2025 to 31 December 2025

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Group 2025 Group 2025 Group 2025 Group 2025 Group 2024
General Designated Restricted Total Prior year
Fund Funds funds funds total funds
Receipts
-
Planned giving 43,034 4,375 47,409 49,362
- -
Collections and other giving 14,358 14,358 13,223
-
Other voluntary receipts 3,063 1,030 4,093 4,218
Gift Aid recovered 14,753 - 1,212 15,965 18,368
Other receipts 5,832 - 77 5,909 6,638
- -
Net receipts from church activities 7,363 7,363 5,461
-
Activities for generating funds 10,648 5,883 16,531 27,198
Investment Income and Interest 5,716 3,601 1,150 10,467 10,376
Total receipts 104,767 3,601 13,727 122,095 134,844
Payments
Cost of generating funds 249 - - 249 -
Missionary and Charitable Giving 764 - - 764 2,446
Parish Share 61,150 - - 61,150 65,485
- -
Clergy and Staffing costs 3,988 3,988 5,226
Church Running Expenses 37,749 7,686 19,752 65,187 75,254
Total payments 103,900 7,686 19,752 131,338 148,412
Excess / (deficit) of receipts over payments before transfer
867 (4,085) (6,025) (9,243) (13,568)
Transfers
Gross transfers between funds - in 400 200 - 600 1,220
Gross transfers between funds - out (200) (400) - (600) (1,220)
-
Unrealised Gain / (Loss) on investments (3,034) (218) (3,252) 2,267
Excess / (deficit) of receipts over payments before other
gains 1,067 (7,319) (6,243) (12,495) (11,301)
Net movement in funds 1,067 (7,319) (6,243) (12,495) (11,301)
Reconciliation of funds
All assets at 01 January 2025 64,625 91,263 218,760 374,648 385,949
All assets at 31 December 2025 65,692 83,944 212,517 362,153 374,648
Represented by
Unrestricted Funds
General fund 65,692 - - 65,692 64,623
Designated Funds
Gotham - Bell fund - 1,315 - 1,315 -
A453 churches - Fabric funds - 82,592 - 82,592 91,214
Flower fund - - - - 13
Little cherubs - 37 - 37 37
Restricted Funds
Gotham - Agency collection - - 45 45 45
Gotham - Bell Fund - - 1,171 1,171 1,142
Gotham - Childrens activities - - 161 161 161
Gotham - Church community clock - - 2,128 2,128 4,608
Gotham - Fabric/repairs - - 2,819 2,819 1,378
Gotham - Garden of rest - - 292 292 251
Gotham - Restoration 2025 - - 161 161 -
Gotham - Ukraine Refugee Support Fund - - 548 548 548
Gotham - Church hall sale funds - - 172,537 172,537 172,537
Ratcliffe - Altar Window Fund - - - - 5,957
Thrumpton - Church and Churchyard - - 10,628 10,628 10,649
Thrumpton - Stained Glass Window - - 1,040 1,040 1,040
Kingston - Babington Memorial Repair Fund - - 8,450 8,450 8,542
Barton - Dorothy Wilkinson Charity residual - - 12,537 12,537 11,903
Total 65,692 83,944 212,517 362,153 374,648
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