2021-12-31-accounts

Annual Report of the PCC 2022

The Parish of St Mary’s Church Charlbury with All Saints’ Church Shorthampton

This report is offered by the Parochial Church Council (PCC) to the Annual Parochial Church Meeting as a record of its activities for 2022.

Registered Charity number 1193530

Contents

ntents
Year Summary	3
Structure, Governance and Management	5
Safeguarding	6
PCC Membership 2022	8
Attendance and Church Registers	9
Achievement and Performance - PCC Reports
Churchwardens	10
Fabric	12
Faith Development	13
Children and Young People	14
Deanery Synod	16
Other Church Activities
Cornerstone	17
Font Café, House Group	19
Choir and Organist	20
Bell Ringers	21
Stay and Play, Memory cafe	22
Flower Arrangers	23
The Leaflet, Sacristans, Prayer Shawl Ministry	24
Churches Together in Charlbury	25
Fundraising	27
Christmas Tree Festival	28
Friends of Shorthampton Church	30
Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride	31
Reverse Advent Calendars, The Children’s Society	32
Financial Review	33
Appendix 1: 2022 Financial Statements:
Financial statements	35
Independent Examiner’s Report	39
Appendix 2: APCM 2022 - Minutes	40
Appendix 3: APCM 2023 - Agenda	43

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Year Summar y

2022 has been a year of consolidation to some extent, mainly because our Vicar, Revd Dr Canon Sally Welch moved to pastures new in July, when she became a residentiary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. We were all sad to see her leave, but we wish her well in her new role.

During the interregnum we have been ably led by our two excellent and committed Churchwardens, Dine Glasgow and Paddy Gallagher, and assisted by the PCC. Their experience and knowledge has kept us on the right path.

As the year progressed, social distancing restrictions were relaxed and our worship returned to some sort of normality, while still recognizing that some people wished to sit separately. This relaxation of the distancing rules allowed the distribution of Holy Communion, while still being by intinction, to be less time consuming and flowed more freely. Our congregation numbers are gradually increasing, and have reached two thirds of the numbers pre-Covid-19.

Our worship services followed the usual pattern with some additions. On 5[th] June we celebrated HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with a Civic service, and on 18[th] September we held a Commemorative Service to mark her death. This was attended by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire, Margie Glasgow, and the Revd John Witheridge, a King’s Chaplain. Since Sally’s departure, we have been most fortunate to have the help of three local retired priests, Revd Elizabeth Koepping, Revd Brian Ford and Revd John Partington, to assist with Sunday services. We are most grateful to them for their time and experience. During the interregnum we have also invited visiting preachers, once a month, so that the congregation experiences a wider range of preaching styles.

Civic service for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Ignite Service

The long-standing contemporary Sunday evening service, ‘Ignite’ has now become a regular monthly event, drawing a small but faithful congregation from Charlbury and surrounding villages. Our thanks to Doug Paton and his musicians who lead and promote this worship for St. Mary’s. Choral Evensong, which takes place four times a year, continues to provide traditional worship for a growing following. Our Remembrance Day Service in November was led by the Bishop of Dorchester. Our organist and choir are the bedrock of all our worship; it is so easy to take them for granted as they are always ‘there’. It is good to have the opportunity each year to thank Richard, Denise and the choir most sincerely for their time and their dedication to leading and enhancing our worship.

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Baptism numbers increased markedly during the year as people began to organize family events once more. My thanks to Elizabeth Koepping who helped me with these. Our regular Sunday Club, which is held during the Parish Communion, continued despite small numbers. The inventive content of the activities offered never ceased to amaze me as Christine Pearce and David Nicholls, week by week, year by year, give of their time and expertise to nurture the faith of our children no matter how many attend.

Baptism at St Mary’s

Messy Church continued to thrive, being held six times during the year. The ‘Covid-19’ formula worked well, i.e. each family occupying a separate table as their ‘base’ from where they experience craft activities, worship and food! We are grateful to John Partington for leading the worship/story element since Sally’s departure, and to Jo Paton and Liz Partington who organise the practicalities of which there are very many, both obvious and hidden. The Churches Together in Charlbury Holiday Club was again hosted by St. Mary’s and was fully booked. As in previous years it was paired with the Community Centre afternoon activities so those children who attended both were accompanied to the Community Centre when church activities ended, thus providing four full days of childcare.

At the moment our congregation has rather a high average age; this necessitates and generates a fair amount of hospital and home visiting for pastoral support, home communions and funerals. It has been my privilege to be able to spend my time meeting this need for the past twenty years, and I hope, for one further year. If anyone has slipped through the net and needs visiting please let me know.

Thank you to all at St. Mary’s who work so hard to ensure our worship is the best we can give and personally, I thank you all for your kindness and support, especially during the interregnum.

Jan Fielden Associate Priest [e-mail]

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Structure, Governance and Mana ement g

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. Members of the PCC are either ex-officio (as office holders) or elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) by members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All who attend our services or are members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the electoral roll.

The PCC are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. The full PCC met six times during 2022. Sub committees met and reported back to the PCC.

Administrative information

The Parish of Charlbury with Shorthampton comprises St Mary the Virgin Church, Charlbury and All Saints’ Church, Shorthampton. It is part of the Chipping Norton Deanery in the Dorchester area of the Diocese of Oxford. The correspondence address is The Parish Office, c/o The Vicarage, Church Lane, Charlbury, Oxfordshire, OX7 3PX. [e-mail] 01608 810230.

The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and Charlbury with Shorthampton is registered with the Charity Commission. Registered Charity Number: 1193530.

All Saints’ Church, Shorthampton

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Safe uardin Re ort g g p

St Mary’s Charlbury and All Saints Shorthampton are committed to safeguarding children and young people, vulnerable adults and those in abusive relationships. We aim to create a safe environment where children and young people are nurtured and protected and where all people, especially those who may be vulnerable for any reason, are able to worship and pursue their faith journey with encouragement and in safety. All staff and volunteers in roles which involve working with children or vulnerable adults are recruited according to the House of Bishops’ Safer Recruitment Practice Guidance. For those in eligible roles this includes the parish undertaking checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

To support parish safeguarding work, the diocese now uses Safeguarding Dashboards, developed by Clearly Simpler Limited. The purpose of the system is to make safeguarding administration and governance streamlined for all parishes. St. Mary’s Charlbury and All Saints’ Shorthampton are engaged with the parish dashboard system and are fully up to date with the current requirements including the safer recruitment of all volunteers.

Training

Training for our clergy, staff and volunteers in Safeguarding matters is mandated by national Church of England requirements. The level of training required depends on the role being performed. The management of Safeguarding training for clergy is undertaken by the diocese, but the responsibility for ensuring our staff and volunteers are trained remains with the PCC and Parish Safeguarding Officer. We endeavor to ensure that all of our staff, volunteers and clergy are up to date in their training. The Parish Office keeps up to date records on the type of training required for each level of volunteer.

The Parish Safeguarding Policy Statement is on display in both churches.

The parish follows the national legal and procedural framework for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and Church of England policy and practice. It has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

A copy of The Parish Safeguarding Handbook is available from the Parish Office 01608 810230 [e-mail]

We will act promptly on any complaints made and work in close partnership with police and social care services where children or vulnerable adults have been harmed or are at risk of harm or mistreatment. We provide safe recruitment, training and support to our voluntary and paid workers with children and vulnerable adults. We care for those who have been abused in the past and minister appropriately to those who have abused.

What to do if you have a safeguarding concern

If you have information about a safeguarding situation where a child or adult is in immediate danger, or requires immediate medical attention, call emergency services on 999.

If you do not think there is a risk of immediate harm, you should still speak to an official about your concern as soon as possible.

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For general queries and advice contact the Parish Safeguarding Officer, Catherine Goyder (01608 811020; [e-mail]).

if you have urgent safeguarding concerns, or need to make a disclosure regarding church -related abuse, please make direct contact with the Safeguarding Team at the Diocese of Oxford (01865 208295; [e-mail]; Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm and Fri 9am-4.30pm).

All phone or email referrals to the safeguarding team must be followed up by completing the Safeguarding referral form (Microsoft Word or as a PDF) and returning it to [e-mail].

At other times:

For urgent safeguarding enquiries outside of operational hours, please call our partners Thirtyone:eight on [phone] for confidential advice, guidance and support.

Finding Support

We understand that reporting abuse may be very difficult and distressing and it may add to your hurt by our not being able to immediately assist you. Therefore here are the contact details of other agencies that are available to assist either on a 24-hour basis or through specialist helplines and services:

NSPCC Child Protection Helpline : 0808 800 5000 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are worried about a child.

Child-line : 0800 1111 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are a child or young person and are worried about anything.

National Domestic Violence Helpline : 0808 2000 247 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are experiencing domestic abuse.

Samaritans Helpline : 08457 90 90 90 (open 24 hours). Phone if you feel you are struggling to cope and need someone to talk to.

Action on Elder Abuse Helpline : 080 8808 8141 (free phone Monday to Friday 9-5pm).

If you have lived with experience of abuse from within the Church of England, you may prefer to call the dedicated telephone NSPCC helpline, which is independent of the Church. Call 0800 80 20 20 .The NSPCC helpline is also available to anyone wishing to provide information or to raise concerns regarding abuse within the Church of England. The helpline is there for you whether you are reporting issues relating to children or adults or seeking to whistleblow about poor safeguarding practice. Your call is confidential, and your concerns will be taken seriously.

Catherine Goyder, Safeguarding Officer [e-mail]

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PCC Membership 2022

The following have served as members of the PCC:	The following have served as members of the PCC:
Incumbent	Revd Dr Canon Sally Welch (Chair)
	Vacant from July 2022
Associate Priest	Revd Jan Fielden
Curate	Revd Tish Bird
Churchwardens	Dine Glasgow (Vice Chair)
	Paddy Gallagher
Hon. Secretary	Mary Bentall
Ex-officio	Peter Durrant (Hon. Treasurer)
Co opted for SH	Amanda Cooper
PCC Safeguarding	Rachel Gallagher
Deanery Synod
Representatives	Paddy Gallagher
Until 2023	Roy Scott
	Sarah Witheridge
Elected Members
Until 2023	Liz Partington
	Ann Roberts
	Kris Silvester
	David Vernon-Jones
Until 2024	Janet Barnett
	Daniela Jenkins
	Helene Provstgaard
	Jenny Welsh
Until 2025	Mary Bentall
	Anna Fairhurst
	Libby Hanks
	Mike Summers

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Attendance and Church Re isters g

The average Sunday attendance (all Sunday services) was 80 adults and 6 children at St Mary’s and 12 adults at Shorthampton. The numbers for Christmas, Easter and other occasions are detailed below:

Christmas and Easter	Attendance	Communicants
St. Mary’s (Easter)	91	90
Shorthampton (Easter)	23	23
St Mary’s (Christmas 24/25 Dec)	700	132
Shorthampton (Christmas Day)	45	45

Special Services	St. Mary’s	Shorthampton
Harvest	60	23
Thanksgiving for the Departed (All Souls)	23	-
Remembrance Service	76	-
Carols by Candlelight	520	45
Children’s Messy Nativity	54	-

Church Registers	St. Mary’s	Shorthampton
Baptisms	9	3
Marriages	2	0
Blessing of Marriage	0	0
Funerals in church	12	1
Funerals at crematorium	2	0
Burial of ashes	3	0

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Achievements and Reports

PCC Reports

Churchwardens

In last year’s report we mentioned that 2021 was a remarkable year for us. Little did we know then about the challenges that 2022 were about to bring. The year started well with services returning to normal after Covid-19. Easter was a wonderful time with the church beautifully decorated by our ever faithful and hardworking flower team.

Our treasurer, Peter Durrant, set us a fundraising target of £10,000 for the year. Our efforts got off to a good start with a very successful church fete in May where, as before, the highlights were the teddy bear zip line and the school art competition. Later in the year we trialled two new initiatives; providing the tea tent for the Charlbury Beer Festival and an Antique Roadshow in St Mary’s. Rounding off the year with a quiz and the Christmas Tree Festival helped us to comfortably achieve Peter’s target.

In July we were all delighted for our Vicar, Sally, when she was appointed Canon at Oxford Cathedral, although we were obviously very sad to lose her. We will be forever grateful for all that she did for us in Charlbury. She leaves us with our love, prayers and hope for great success in her new position. We then entered a period of interregnum with all of its challenges.

Sally’s last service

The Churches Together in Charlbury Holiday club went ahead without Sally and was very successfully organised by Rachel Gallagher and her merry team. Likewise, Sue Hadley jumped in to run Stay and Play after Sally left and kept it humming along beautifully. And, where would we have been without Jo Paton helping us hold everything together? Though churchwardens do get their fair share of work during an interregnum, Jo has done a ton of heavy lifting and we were so blessed to have her wonderful help.

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We are also blessed to have a wonderful ministry team with our Revds Jan, Elizabeth, Brian and John. They all got to work immediately with the aim to continue all of our services as normal. This was a considerable task and we are most grateful for all of their dedication and hard work. We were also fortunate to have visits from several guest preachers including Gavin, Bishop of Dorchester. We helped celebrate former Archdeacon Judy’s retirement as Archdeacon and at the same time welcomed her to her new home in Charlbury. On the same day, we also helped Jan celebrate 20 years of ministry, a wonderful achievement and incredible contribution to our churches.

Celebrating Jan’s 20 years of ministry and Archdeacon Judy’s retirement

In the second half of the year our minds turned to the appointment of our new Vicar. The vicarage was refurbished, including the installation of a new kitchen. Multiple meetings were held to discuss what sort of vicar we needed. This included a meeting where the whole parish was invited after one of our Sunday services. Advice received from many directions helped us to construct what we hope is a tempting Parish Profile.

We now look forward to whatever 2023 throws at us in the fervent hope that our new vicar will be in post by the end of July.

Dine Glasgow [e-mail]

Paddy Gallagher [e-mail]

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Fabric

We had a fabric meeting in August 2022 which was the first in person since March 2020. As a consequence, this report will be a general catch up on what has been happening at St Mary’s and All Saint’s.

The planning for the new disabled loo and enlarged kitchen have moved on apace and we are now in the stage of getting quotes for the work. Another major effort was the replacement of many of the light bulbs which had failed. This involved the hiring of a scissor lift for a week and help from bell ringers and others. Some units needed replacing, and the persistent fault with the porch light was finally addressed. The PA system has been upgraded with a new mixer desk and CD player. We have also purchased a catering oven which will eventually fit in the new kitchen, but has been used already to produce hot food for a quiz night. We have had problems with the church clock. At one point it stopped altogether, but when this was fixed, trouble developed with the quarter chimes. The clock is long overdue for a maintenance visit which will be arranged. Felling of the tree adjacent to Ivy Cottage was completed, this had been a long term problem and was finally condemned by the tree surgeons. Finally a major clean up of the belfry was undertaken, details of this can be found in the bell ringers report.

St Mary’s Church tower

All Saints’

The French drain has been totally replaced. This was a long and difficult job which we hope will deal with the persistent damp in the walls. We have also completed the installation of a compostable loo in the old boiler house, which now looks very attractive. The roof has had a new coat of Smart Water and a fallen section of the churchyard wall repaired.

Both St Mary’s and All Saints’ have received maintenance visits to the roof alarms.

Mike Summers [e-mail]

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Faith Development

The Faith Development committee had a bit of a quiet year in 2022 as we waited for Covid-19 restrictions to ease so we could organise services or events such as discussion suppers. By the time restrictions had eased sufficiently, we were essentially on our way into an interregnum which further affected our plans. Despite those setbacks, we did manage a few victories to celebrate.

The house group continued to grow thanks to the wonderful leadership of Liz Partington. The home group ended the year with a solid, core group and regular attendance of eight or more.

During Easter Week, Sally ran a local retreat that was well attended and thoroughly enjoyed. The Journey to the Cross programme offered participants a reflective and spiritual experience in the light of Christ’s final days.

Journey to the cross retreat

What began as a discussion supper in St Mary’s, exploring the issue of refugees, morphed into a joint St Mary’s/CRAG discussion with dinner in the Memorial Hall. The event was an excellent example of our reaching out to, and working with, our local community. Though we certainly intend to hold future discussion suppers in St Mary’s (especially once the new kitchen is built), we will not hesitate to cooperate with local groups if the opportunity arises.

Dine Glasgow

[e-mail]

Cross made from the Red Cedar tree in St Mary’s Churchyard

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Children and Young People

Sunday Club

2022 has been a year of cautious return to our pre-pandemic pattern of worship, as the Covid-19 risk reduced. We began the year with the children outside in the churchyard or in the chapel, gradually spending more time with the adults in the main church. We have tried to keep the best of what we learnt in the more separate sessions, especially by making opportunities to be outside wherever possible. A few things the children particularly enjoyed this year were:

• Walking down to the Mill Field for the Baptism of Christ. We read the Gospel there and threw blossom into the river as a blessing of the waters, then came back to church to make a flapping dove puppet

• Relay races (a ‘donkey’ race for Palm Sunday), tag games, treasure hunts, hide and seek and sheep searches around the churchyard

• We usually take the Gospel of the day as our starting point, but a series of readings from Revelation gave us a chance to look at some of imagery. This included a close look at pictures of the four living creatures from the Coventry Cathedral tapestry, and then designing our own fantastic creatures

• Making a farewell card for Sally and presenting it to her at her last service. We are so grateful for all she has done for the children

• Finding slow worms under the reptile survey sheets in the churchyard. The children were very excited to find a young slow worm in the chapel itself one Sunday, and to help return it safely outside

• Decorating a tree for the Christmas Tree Festival, based on Isaiah’s Peaceable Kingdom

• Two of our regular children reading so well at the Christmas Eve family carol service.

Thank you to everyone for being so supportive, throughout the pandemic and always. It’s lovely to be back as one family again.

Christine Pearce: [e-mail] David Nicholls: [e-mail]

Children’s craft

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Churches Together in Charlbury Holiday Club

A successful holiday club was run in August, with fifty children and several troublesome (wooden) sheep, joining us at St Mary’s for the Churches Together in Charlbury Holiday Club ‘Down on the Farm’. Over four mornings, children and adults alike enjoyed stories, songs, drama, crafts, games and lots of fun, based on the themes of The Good Shepherd, The Lost Sheep, The Bread of Life and The Prodigal Son. A special service on the Sunday was an opportunity for families and our regular congregations to share in what the children had been doing, and included the ever popular slideshow of photos taken by Paddy during the week. Once again, we are grateful to the Community Centre, who this year increased the number of children they could take for afternoon sports sessions to 30.

Messy Church

Messy Church continues to attract a large number of families from Charlbury and the surrounding villages. We have a good cross section of different people represented; the majority are not yet part of the regular Sunday 9.45am congregation. Messy Church took place six times during the year, and activities included decorating homemade cakes for Mother’s day and joining in the messy nativity story.

Messy Mother’s Day Messy Nativity

Messy Church ‘does what is says on the tin’! It is an informal time of worship where we provide crafts for families to do together which help to illustrate the Bible story or theme. We enjoy singing songs - often with actions - and we share tea and cakes together. We are grateful to John Partington for leading these sessions during the vacancy, and to the team of willing volunteers who help with music, crafts and refreshments.

Liz Partington and Jo Paton [e-mail]

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Deanery Synod

The Chipping Norton Deanery Synod met three times during 2022.

At the March meeting, Associate Archdeacon David Tyler spoke about the challenge of keeping small rural churches open. The Oxford diocese is not in the dire financial straits affecting some dioceses. Only four churches in the diocese have been closed in the last 10 years, and only then because they requested it.

Bishop Steven visited the deanery in May to see the work of FarmED at Ascott-underWychwood and to attend a service at Woodstock. A deanery choral evensong was held at St Mary’s Church, Charlbury on 19[th] June to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

For the June meeting, the talk given by Bishop Steven at diocesan synod about climate change was discussed, as was parish share and the challenges churches experienced re-opening after Covid-19.

A further choral evensong was held at Fifield in October.

At the November meeting, same sex relationships were discussed following Bishop Steven’s essay entitled “Together in Love and Faith.”

There was good news about the reduction of parish share by 2% next year.

2023 is election year for the Deanery Synod and parishes are encouraged to ensure that they are well represented.

Paddy Gallagher, Deanery Synod Rep [e-mail]

St Mary’s Church

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Other Church Activities

Cornerstone

Cornerstone has been open at the Corner House in Charlbury since August 2020. Since then we have been able to support the sharing of many tonnes of local and surplus produce, provide local households in need with weekly food support, offer learning support for primary school children in our after school Learning Cafe, run a school uniform exchange programme, provide flowers and help expand the availability of second hand books in the Corner House, by housing children's books and games and fiction for adults.

2022 was a successful year for accessing grants to enable our work at Cornerstone to continue, with over £19,000 being received. We were successful in securing a number of grants from the Containing Outbreak Management Fund (COMF fund) administered by Good Food Oxfordshire, along with grants from the Doris Field Charitable Trust, Charlbury Green Hub, Oxfordshire Community Foundation, Oxford Diocese, West Oxfordshire District Council and the Wilderness Festival. Thank you to all who have supported us with grants, but also to all the local residents who donate to Cornerstone online or drop money in our box in store to help us cover our costs.

We were invited by the Town Council to create a display for their meeting in April to increase awareness of what we do, and many useful conversations were had with local residents. Cornerstone and the Town Council, represented by Dan Raymond-Barker, had a productive meeting with the Co-op in Charlbury in May. Since then from their charity fund the Coop have been able to provide a selection of products for the Cornerstone larder. We are delighted that donations in the food bank basket in Co-op are now being given to Cornerstone. Many thanks to the Co-op and to local residents for their donations.

Co-op donations Spring flowers

A working party of Cornerstone, All Together in Charlbury and the Town Council was established and conscious that we are all currently experiencing significant price increases which are likely to continue for some time, the group gathered together useful information to help anyone wondering how to manage increasing pressures on their finances. There is now a dedicated noticeboard and a display stand of leaflets at the Cornerstone project, as well as information on relevant webpages. We have met with Citizens Advice to discuss support available to Charlbury residents. A number of households have been referred Household Support Fund for a small grant.

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On 17th May we were delighted to be part of the visit of HRH The Countess of Wessex to Charlbury. Her Royal Highness was introduced to Revd Sally and Jo and then had a tour of Cornerstone, talking to volunteers and seeing food parcels, book recycling and hearing about learning cafe with primary school children. Many thanks to Margie Glasgow, Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire who accompanied the Countess on her visit.

HRH The Countess of Wessex

Our volunteer numbers have increased over the year, with people helping in store and driving to collect surplus food or deliver food parcels. Without our amazing volunteers we would be unable to be open six mornings a week. Volunteers have had access to free food hygiene and health and safety training which a number were able to take up. We had a Duke of Edinburgh student help us on Saturdays and we were able to provide a work experience placement with the Corner House for a Chipping Norton school student.

The autumn saw a bumper number of apples brought into Cornerstone for sharing locally. Many thanks to Christine Elliott for her tireless work picking apples, pears and plums and to the many other individuals who have donated apples, quince, pears, plums and surplus local produce.

Over the year the number of households we support increased, with 25 households being supported in the run up to Christmas. Families were also given vouchers to help them purchase gifts for their children. We continue to coordinate with the Branch charity in Chipping Norton to access some of their services, rather than try to duplicate them here. At Christmas, along with the Community Centre we had a Christmas tree in Cornerstone, decorated with tags marked with Christmas hamper items. Visitors to Cornerstone were able to take a tag and bring us back Christmas foods to go in Christmas hampers made up by the Branch. They kindly provided hampers to households in need, including those we support in Charlbury. School uniform boxes were created in the summer for children attending Charlbury Primary School where finances were an issue for parents.

A number of people have been kind enough to donate their energy rebates to us over the year - we are very happy to receive more of these. Details of how to donate can be found at https://www.charlburychurch.co.uk/cornerstone

Thank you to everyone who has taken the Cornerstone project to their heart and to everyone who has supported us in some way.

Jo Paton, Cornerstone Manager [e-mail]

Christmas tree for hamper donations

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Font Cafe

Font Café continues to be a very popular place to meet friends and enjoy barista style coffee and delicious home-made cakes. The Memorial Chapel provides a safe space for parents/carers to meet and chat and there is a wide range of good quality toys for the children to play with.

We have had some new faces joining us this year, which is encouraging, and we continue to see people using the cafe as a venue for meetings. Do consider this next time you need to discuss something and remember we have free Wifi.

We must thank our team of hard-working volunteers and cake bakers. It is worth noting that the cakes are so delicious that some people like to take another piece home in a takeaway box to eat later! At the end of the morning any leftover cakes are given to Cornerstone.

Liz Partington [e-mail]

Font café

House group

We are pleased to have welcomed some new members into the house group which meets once a month at Dine and Margie Glasgow’s house. As a result of our now being a bigger group, we often break up in pairs to discuss particular questions and then ‘feedback’ into the main discussion.

During the spring we had some interesting sessions on the theme of ‘Spirituality and Personality’ which linked into Sally’s Holy Week series on ‘Journey to the Cross’. We followed this up by having a meeting at which we each talked about a method of Bible Study, or a particular book, that has helped us in our Christian life.

Later in the year we looked at biblical teaching about refugees, based mainly on the book of Ruth, but in our meeting just before Christmas we thought about Jesus as a refugee. These studies have challenged us to realise afresh that we all are temporary residents here on earth. During one meeting we shared some details about our own family histories and it was very striking to realise that, not only were very few of us born locally, but several of our members were born abroad and several more had parents or grandparents who were not born in the UK. Thus we came to understand that migration and change are a natural part of life and that this awareness should inform our attitudes to refugees and anyone who moves into our town or country.

On a lighter note, we have also enjoyed a couple of ‘Pot Luck’ suppers, hosted by Mary and Angus Bentall, which have been good fun and enabled us to chat over delicious food and drink. We are always pleased to welcome new members so do speak to Liz or Dine if you are interested to find out more.

Liz Partington [e-mail]

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Choir and Or anist g

This has been a busy year for the choir with a Taizé service and four Choral Evensongs in addition to the regular Sunday Communion Service. 2022 was the 150th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ birth and we sang his hymns throughout the year, as well as a special Evensong with his canticles, anthem, hymns and organ voluntaries. The choir also sang for the two Civic Services for HM the Queen, one to celebrate her long reign and sadly another in September at her death.

Splitting the Christmas Eve evening service into two has given more opportunities, and at the 6pm Five Lessons & Carols service we sang four choir carols for the first time. The new grand piano came into its own for John Rutter’s famous Angels’ Carol and, the next day, for Gustav Holst’s lively Christmas Day which has become a choir tradition.

We were saddened by the death of Christopher Davies who sang tenor. We were invited by his extensive family to sing at his funeral. His life had been very interesting and we were often regaled by tales of his many adventures.

Richard gave an organ recital for the Charlbury Festival which was very well received by the lunchtime audience. A BBQ in Maureen’s garden with the bell ringers has become a regular part of our social calendar, we try to celebrate any significant birthdays, and a Christmas tree was decorated for the Christmas Tree Festival.

We are always keen to welcome new members – you don’t have to attend every week and we welcome all abilities, young and old. Choir practice is at 7pm on Fridays, or do approach Denise or Richard for a chat at the Sunday service.

Denise Summers [e-mail] Richard Fairhurst [e-mail]

Platinum Jubilee at St Mary’s Church

The Shorthampton Singers is a small choir of volunteers organised by Amanda (organist Shorthampton), who came together during covid to sing at the Candlelit carols when no one else was allowed to sing. In April the group performed Stainers Crucifixion at All Saints’ Church as part of the Lenten contemplations organised by Sally.

Amanda Cooper [e-mail]

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Bell Ringers

With the two “lost” years to Covid-19, it is difficult to remember what happened when, even what year we’re now in. However there were some significant events which will always be fixed in the mind, I am talking, of course, of the death of HM the Queen. The protocol to be followed was laid down in operation London Bridge. Following this we rang half muffled, for the announcement, the community service, and a quarter peal before the funeral. The flag was also flown at half mast for a period.

Luckily, 2022 marked the return of regular practice nights, although it was a slow start as some ringers were still absent. The belfry was also suffering from neglect, and much bird incursion had taken place with the resultant detritus. The PCC agreed to engage someone to clean up the mess, but he gave up half way, so the bell ringers set to and completed the job. We also replaced the bird defences with finer mesh and so far this seems to have proved successful, we wait and see what spring will bring.

Encouragingly, we have seen two or three new recruits join us who are getting on well with learning to ring; we still have room for more. During Street Fair we ran an information and recruitment table at the church gate. We also entertained the street with a performance on hand bells from the main stage to illustrate what we had done during the Covid-19 lockdown. Several expressed interest but have yet to take up the option of seeing if they would like to try it.

A regular feature now is the hoisting of the star on the church tower for Christmas and the running of the teddy bear zip wire for the Church Fete, both appreciated by the community.

Mike Summers [e-mail]

Teddy zip wire from St Mary’s Church tower at the Fete

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Stay and Play

After Sally’s departure, I have taken over running the weekly Stay and Play group at the Bowls Club. We meet between 9.30am - 11am every Friday in term time, for children 0-4 taking part in crafts, play and songs. I have followed Sally’s lead of having a theme for the sessions each week such as the seaside, farmyards and seasonal celebrations. Attendance varies but we typically have 5-12 families joining us. Parents get a much needed cup of tea or coffee and the children get fresh fruit as a snack too. Thank you to the loyal volunteers who help each week and to all of the wonderful families who make the sessions so special! The Bowls Club have also made us very welcome – they are planning an extension this Spring which will provide us with some better storage space for all our toys.

Sue Hadley [e-mail]

Stay and Play toys

Memor Café y

The Memory café for people with dementia and their carers is held on the first Monday of the month at the Bowls Club, where there is ample parking and a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere. It’s great that some participants, whose dementia is in its early stages feel able to come unaccompanied. A selection of activities are on offer from craft activities and word games, to flower arranging and beetle drives. We all join together towards the end of the session for a cream tea. My thanks to our faithful helpers who help to make the afternoon a sociable time.

Jan Fielden

[e-mail]

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Flower Arrangers

We are very fortunate to have a generous, talented and enthusiastic team of flower arrangers at St.Mary's and Shorthampton. Throughout the year the churches have flowers, which enhance worship and give a welcome to visitors. Some have been given in memory and if you would like to commemorate a loved one, do contact Jo Paton in the Parish office.

The whole team come together to decorate for Easter, Harvest and Christmas.

We have made a commitment to be as sustainable as possible. Trying not to use floral foam, and returning to methods that our mother's used. Large vases and chicken wire. Also we try to use local growers, and our own gardens, for much of the foliage and flowers.

We would like to recruit more volunteers. If you would like to join us, or learn more, please contact Hilli Waller through the Parish Office.

Sarah Witheridge [e-mail] Hilli Waller [e-mail]

Easter flowers

Flowers for HM the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

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The Leaflet

The leaflet continued to be produced and distributed to over 1500 homes in Charlbury and surrounding areas six times during 2022. The Leaflet provides a tangible invitation to the work in the community by Charlbury Churches. Special thanks to Jo Paton for assembling and editing the content – particularly during the interregnum. Also to our team of over 50 volunteers. Our thanks to those who have stood down from the team during 2022, some having volunteered for many years, and a warm welcome to newcomers. And also special thanks to the hard work of Leah Fowler and Liz Walton without whom it would not be possible to produce and distribute the Leaflet.

Phil Roberts

[e-mail]

Sacristans

The Sacristans team remains very small; former members of the team are either unable to do this duty or have taken on other tasks.

Leah prepares and clears the 8am and 9.45am services on Sundays, Jenny Welsh covering when Leah is away. Janet Barnett has done the 9am service on a Wednesday and changed the seasonal Altar Frontals. Leah has also prepared the communion box for Shorthampton when there is a Communion Service there.

Easter and Christmas services were also covered and Leah and Mary Bentall have prepared and helped at Baptisms.

The former team were very pleased to prepare and cater for the first Lent Lunch after lockdown.

Leah Fowler [e-mail]

Pra er Shawl Ministr y y

The Prayer Shawl Ministry continues to flourish; many shawls and scarves have been made and distributed by a small team to bring comfort to people who are ill or bereaved or otherwise in need of comfort. One scarf given to Mike Williams happened to be in the Welsh rugby colours so he is able to use it as a Prayer Scarf and also when he is watching the rugby on television. The ministry is able to show care in a tangible way to others and has been very appreciated by the recipients

Leah Fowler [e-mail]

Prayer shawl

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Churches Together in Charlbury

In 2022 Churches Together in Charlbury resumed most of the activities we were organising and taking part in before the Covid-19 pandemic started. The only event we had to cancel was the service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in January, due to be held in St Teresa’s. An upsurge in Covid-19 cases after Christmas made it unwise to gather together in a limited space.

Lent can be a busy time ecumenically in Charlbury. We started with the World Day of Prayer service held in St Mary’s. This year the service had been prepared by women in our own country and because it was held so close to St David’s Day, we decorated the church with daffodils. It took place at a time when the thoughts and prayers of all of us were with the people of Ukraine, invaded by Russia only 10 days before, and special prayers were said for them.

Prayer station for the Ukraine

March continued with Lent lunches held in a different church each week, raising money for Christian Aid’s work in Afghanistan, and with Lent talks on the theme ‘Who is my neighbour?’, held in the Friends Meeting House. Local people were invited to speak on topics ranging from legal work with asylum seekers to coping with anxiety about environmental loss and climate change. On Good Friday about 30 people took part in ‘Walking the Way of the Cross’ with hymns and readings at each of the five Charlbury churches, finishing at the Methodist Church for prayers followed by coffee and hot cross buns.

In May we organised the Christian Aid Week appeal in the way we introduced in 2021, delivering envelopes to every house in Charlbury and asking people to bring their donations to their local church or to Cornerstone in the Corner House. This has proved nearly as successful at fundraising as calling back to ask for donations and is much easier for volunteers as they only have to visit a house once. A Christian Aid Week service was held in St Mary’s led by the Quakers focusing on the environment and people suffering the effects of climate change. Our worship was enhanced by silence and by a beautiful setting with a small tree on which prayers were hung.

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The end of July brought the Holiday Club in St Mary’s, ably led by Rachel Gallagher with support from all the local churches. The church was converted into a farmyard for the week and 50 children attended.

Then in September Churches Together ran a stall at the Street Fair, with a generous selection of home-made and home-grown food. Takings from the stall help to support the community through the Corner House and Memorial Hall.

CTC Stall at Street Fair

In October we held a service for One World Week in St Mary’s. The Baptist Church planned the service and invited a visiting speaker from the Mission Aviation Fellowship. This was followed by a short AGM. At the AGM we appointed the Revd Elizabeth Koepping to the chair. Louise Littledale, who had been in the chair throughout the pandemic, had recently moved to Bristol to be near her family. Her contribution to Churches Together was greatly appreciated and she will be very much missed .

In December we produced a greeting card with all the Christmas services listed, which was delivered to every house in Charlbury with the Leaflet. We also took part in the Christmas Tree Festival at St Mary’s and promoted a ‘Reverse Advent Calendar’, collecting food and other useful items for the Porch Day Centre, helping homeless people in Oxford.

The last word goes to Louise Littledale from a message she sent to the AGM. She said “I shall look for an ecumenical group in Bristol where I am now living because it seems more important than ever that Christians of every denomination should support each other and that we should all work together with all people of good will, of all faiths and none.”

Rosalind Scott – Secretary to Churches Together in Charlbury [e-mail]

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Fundraising

Fundraising played a more pivotal part in 2022 than in any year I can remember. The PCC was faced with the daunting goal of raising £10,000, through events that might be grappling with Covid-19, to balance the annual operating budget. I am most pleased to report that we rose to the occasion with a Churchillian effort, a combination of old and new events, and a legion of volunteers to make it all happen. Covid-19 did slow us down in the first part of the year, but we picked up the pace markedly with an early Church Fete in May that was a rousing success with teddy bears zip lining, bric-a-brac selling briskly, and the school’s art festival in the Memorial Chapel attracting lots of generous punters. Paddy and Rachel did a wonderful job of marshaling the forces.

In June, we ran our first Tea Tent at the Charlbury Beer Festival which exceeded our expectations – who knew that a beer festival could attract so many tea, coffee, and cake consumers? Libby and Nigel Hanks and Daniela Jenkins did an amazing job of starting from scratch to organise a mountain of cakes, brownies, and cookies alongside a wonderful team of volunteers over a very long day. We hope the Tea Tent will be a staple fundraising event in future years. Our annual quiz had a few false starts due to Covid-19, but came through in spades once we were finally able to hold it in November without health restrictions.

St. Mary’s was buzzing and nearly full to capacity as Patrick Derham drew rave reviews again as our incomparable quiz master. The delicious food was cooked in a new oven (supported by a donation from the Beer Festival) by no less a celebrity than Oxfordshire’s Lord Lieutenant!

Tea tent at the Charlbury Beer Festival

Following on the heels of the Quiz was our first Charlbury Antique Roadshow, the brainchild of John Partington and Bespoke Auctions. Again, without a previous playsheet to work from, we created an event that drew people into St Mary’s for most of the day as locals hoped to find hidden gems in their private collections. While people waited to have their items appraised, they partook in cakes, coffees, and teas served by a great team of willing volunteers. To cap off the year, we hosted another incredible Christmas Tree Festival. Hilli Waller managed everything from afar with key contributions from Denise Summers, Sue Woolley, Libby Hanks, Mary Bentall, Maureen Sparling, Liz Partington, Paddy Gallager, and Peter Durrant. The festival included a terrific jazz evening and the Wychwood Chorale, both of which drew large crowds. What a year! And now, on to 2023!

Dine Glasgow [e-mail]

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Christmas Tree Festival

December’s annual Christmas Tree Festival brought charities, groups, clubs and businesses together in efforts to decorate a tree. Over forty unique, beautifully decorated trees graced St Mary’s and the churchyard, bringing light and joy into our community throughout the festive period.

Four years on, the Christmas Tree Festival has proved an effective means of fundraising for the church – with over £15,000 collected since the inaugural festival in 2019. It is also an innovative way to bring outsiders into the church, while drawing our community together. The decorative trees mark a time when barriers dissolve and our everyday lives sparkle amidst a little Christmas magic.

That sense of togetherness warmed the crowd at our successful Friday night ‘Jazz&Trees’ party, with guests enjoying bubbly, tasty food, and jazz. Wychwood Chorale kindly donated their time and talent with a wonderful concert on the Saturday. Proceeds were shared between the church and CRAG. We were delighted to support such a valuable local charity. Our café also served hot drinks and cakes to many people throughout the first weekend.

----- Start of picture text -----
Christmas Tree Festival
at St Mary’s Church
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Wychwood Chorale
concert
----- End of picture text -----

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Christmas Tree Festival in the snow

We are so grateful to our sponsors, local and further afield, as well as to the community of Charlbury for their support. They are listed below – without their contributions the festival would not exist.

As always, our wonderful team of organisers threw themselves into setting up and running the festival – full of Christmas spirit and cheer despite the various difficulties encountered. Thank you to all of them!

Along with the donation to CRAG, the money raised will help St Mary’s remain an inspirational place to visit, find peace, worship, join together, and reflect. The stonework of the building has a wonderful story to tell about the role St Mary’s has played, and continues to play, in the life of Charlbury. We need to support our church and ensure that it stays at the heart of our community.

Sponsors of our 2022 Christmas Tree Festival

Mama Festivals Lycetts House & Carriage The Bull Finders Keepers Shaw & Co - Andrew Cotswold Frames Lipcote Marcia at Amarelo Cuisine

Hilli Waller [e-mail]

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Friends of Shorthampton

Funds: Despite the health of our bank balance last year, we have recently incurred substantial (albeit planned) costs with the French drain (£16,400) and the pews(£5,000) It was agreed that an upgrade from the old Victorian pews at the back of the church would be something to show for peoples’ generosity in recent years. Fortunately, we managed to raise over £6,000 at a drinks party held at Ditchley Park in September 2022 which has kept us in the black.

The Churchyard : Perry and Co. builders have done an excellent job on the French drain and the discarded pile of grave stones were manfully re-arranged by Paddy with the help of Ben the stone mason who also did some running repairs on other headstones. Although we are told that the amount of burial space left is minimal (demand is also minimal!) last year we did initiate constructive talks with the Cornbury Estate Installation of the French drain about an extension into the adjacent paddock but have not got any further.

The Interior : Recent evidence of water ingress is concerning. Close examination is needed over the doom painting (ie bellcote) and also through the bell pulls. Richard Lithgow( the restorer) has agreed to pop in (FOC) and measure the damp levels, before advising on any sort of maintenance program. Re-decoration is a priority but not possible for at least another year or two.

Organ : In spite of the ‘damp blaster’ the lower organ manual is still causing problems rendering it unplayable. At the time of writing the organ engineer is due to look at it.

Future Fund Raising for 2023.

The Friends committee are planning an exclusive concert on Sunday 22nd October at 7pm featuring Craig and Claire Ogden with other musicians and readers. There is also a plan to re-introduce a small subscription to be on the Friends list. This always used to be the case but has lapsed. We now have our own bank account which should make it a great deal easier to monitor payments and will be sending out a letter very shortly. We are also going to introduce a QR code donation facility within the church itself because our constantly updated postcards and leaflets do attract a small income.

Newly restored gravestones

Amanda Cooper [e-mail]

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Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride

Despite the solemn news of the death of HM the Queen just two days before the 2022 Ride and Stride, it was decided that the event should go ahead in a quiet and respectful way. All five churches in Charlbury and Shorthampton duly opened their doors and welcomed walkers and cyclists throughout the day, raising an impressive total of £1136.

Alongside the Ride and Stride event, St Mary’s also hosted the despatch of the now annual Children’s Bike Rally, so there was comparatively little quiet in the churchyard. More children than ever took part - 65 plus supporting adults - raising money in equal measure for Charlbury Primary School and Oxford Historic Churches Trust. Basil Eastwood returned from his new home in Bristol to supervise the two events and as a parting gift raised a considerable sum in donations riding his electric bike around his new patch, visiting churches in Bristol city centre.

The 2023 Oxford Historic Churches Trust Ride and Stride will take place on Saturday 9th September. We look forward to walking or riding again and raising funds to preserve our beautiful historic churches.

Georgie Slack [e-mail]

Children’s

bike rally

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Reverse Advent Calendars

14 bags/boxes were received this year and were taken to the Porch, Oxford. The Porch is very grateful for all the food boxes we send. The Women’s Institute hats from the Christmas Tree Festival are a great addition and many will be in use during the cold weather.

Churches Together in Charlbury [e-mail]

Reverse advent calendar boxes

The Children’s Societ y

The Children’s Society was begun in 1881 by a Sunday School teacher who wanted to help his poorer pupils. It still operates through the Church of England today. Last year, here in Britain, the Society worked directly with 11,500 vulnerable children all suffering because of poverty or neglect. Most of them are teenagers between 10 and 18 years old. Help is especially given to those teenagers who’ve been in care, as they leave that safe place to try to become independent. It also campaigns for lasting policy improvements, to help all vulnerable children in Britain today.

Almost 50 households in and around Charlbury hold a Children’s Society Box. Small change is added to the box gradually throughout the year. In addition, an increasing number of people now choose to donate by cheque. This year the box opening was on Saturday 19[th] November. The contributions were counted and the event included the sale of Flamingo Paperie cards. The box opening morning is always a happy, social occasion with coffee, tea and biscuits available for those who would like them.

In addition, on February 22[nd] there was a collection for the Children’s Society at the Christingle Service and a collection was made at the Holiday Club Service in August.

The total amount raised this year was a wonderful £1234.22p.

Thank you to everyone who has supported this excellent cause this year.

Rachel and Paddy Gallagher [e-mail]

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Financial Review

Overview

2022 was a year of uncertainty for PCC finances. The ending of Covid restrictions brought hope that a more normal level of service might be achieved within the parish, but this was quickly tempered by concerns about the impact of the war in Ukraine, particularly on the cost of utilities and the effect this might have on how the 2 churches were able to operate. However, it was also a year where the facilities at both churches were improved and where the Cornerstone initiative continued to get considerable support from parishioners and thus was able to continue to provide help to a surprisingly large number of families who continued to need support during the difficult economic times. Overall the value of parish funds decreased by 17%. This was largely due to some considerable expenditure from the two fabric funds which was used to provide much needed maintenance for both churches, and some long needed enhancements to their facilities. The General Fund, which covers the day to day operational costs of the of the parish, also fell in value by about 17% although it still continues to meet the PCC policy of maintaining a balance equating to at least 3 months operational expenditure – but only just!

Unrestricted Funds

Unrestricted Funds comprise: (1) the General Fund, which is used to cover operational expenditure, and (2) designated funds, which finance particular church activities. General Fund

Income held up well during the year, despite Covid-19 restrictions remaining in place far longer than had been anticipated at the start of the accounting period. It was particularly pleasing to see the church facilities being used more frequently than in the recent past, thereby generating more income from church bookings, but also producing higher than expected collections at services. In addition, there were a number of very successful fund raising activities which more than met expectations. Sadly, any increase in income was more than offset by some larger than anticipated expenditure on long awaited maintenance and upgrade projects, to include a new website and repair of high level lights at St Mary’s, and the purchase of new furniture for All Saints’. However, we were fortunate in being in a contract for gas and electricity that only ended in September 2022. As a result, the impact of higher utility costs was limited to the last 3 months of the year -- but this provided a foretaste of what could be expected in 2023.

Designated Funds

Designated Funds comprise:

• The Font Fund which receives takings from the weekly Font Café and uses this income to support initiatives to develop the church’s mission in the parish. The re-opening of the café once Covid restrictions were lifted was widely welcomed in the parish and the café is now well attended, generating some useful income.

• The Commemoration Flowers Fund which raises money for the purchase of

• church flowers in memory of loved ones. There has been little activity.

• The Legacies Fund , established in 2019 to ensure that legacies were used to sustain and strengthen the Church ministry and facilities, in line with the wishes of the donors, has not been used during 2021

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Restricted Funds

Restricted Funds comprise the following:

• The St Mary’s Fabric Fund was used to pay for enhancements to the sound

• system in the church, and for the preparation of architect plans for the proposed kitchen expansion which, is it hoped, can be started in 2023

• The All Saints’ Fabric Fund was well used during the year, primarily for the

• building of a French drain around the church, designed to overcome the perennial problem of damp in the church, but also for the installation of a compostable lavatory in an outbuilding (with the help of a grant). The roofs of both the porch and the outhouse/lavatory were also fully replaced.

• The Cornerstone Fund was well supported by the local community, and by a

• number of grant-making organizations, and has been well used throughout the year. The project is widely recognized as fulfilling a much needed role within the town of Charlbury and it continues to seek new ways of providing support. During the year, it has expanded its operations to include, through the Learning Café, after -school tuition for children identified by their teachers as requiring extra help, and the purchase of school uniforms for families who would otherwise struggle to meet the cost.

• The Music Fund was established to account for donations to support the

• choir of St Mary’s. It has not been used during the reporting period.

• The Memory Café Fund has continued to use a grant of £1750, received from

• the Diocese in 2021, to run a monthly Café to provide support and counselling for those members of the parish with memory loss, often through dementia.

Outlook for 2023

Financial Strategy and Management

Given the current economic climate, the focus for the General Fund will be on maintaining control – indeed minimising -- expenditure. The impact of greatly increased utility bills has already been felt and the situation is unlikely to improve during 2023. At the same time, it is hoped that the resources of the Fabric Funds, which have been built up over previous years, together with new grants and donations, will allow some long-planned enhancements to the 2 churches – most notably the installation of a new kitchen facility at St Mary’s – to go ahead.

2023 Budget Forecast

The PCC has approved a budget for 2023 which is largely in line with General Fund expenditure in 2022, but which assumes a 115% increase in charges for gas and electricity. In order to have a balanced budget, it has been necessary to set a much higher than normal target for fund raising. The PCC recognizes that, should this target not be achieved, it may be necessary to reconsider the requirement to hold 3 months expenditure in reserve.

Peter Durrant, PCC Treasurer [e-mail]

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Appendix 1: 2022Financial Statements

Parish of St. Mary’s Charlbury with All Saints’ Shorthampton Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2022

STATEMENT Of FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

The attached notes form part of these financial statements:

See Note 3 for movements in unrestricted and restricted funds during the year. See Note 4 for details of agency collections.

See Notes 5-7 for more detailed breakdowns of income and expenditure.

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Parish of St. Mary’s Charlbury with All Saints’ Shorthampton Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2022

NOTES

Note 1. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 using the Receipts and Payments Basis.

Note 2. Figures shown for 2022 have ben revised to be consistent with the revised nominal accounts categories that were introduced in 2009.

Note 3. The distribution of monetary assets between unrestricted and restricted funds and the movement in funds during 2022 is shown in Table 1 below.

Note 4: Agency operations are activities that are not included in the Financial Statements since money received is paid over in full to a third party. In previous years, this has included money collected by the PCC on behalf of the Diocese for wedding and funeral fees as well as fees for the vergers, organist and gravediggers. This year, there are no agency operations, and the entry of £126 in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities was an incorrect entry.

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Parish of St. Mary’s Charlbury with All Saints’ Shorthampton Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2022

Note 5: Table 2 shows income and expenditure during 2022 broken down between the different fund groups. The General Fund is used primarily to finance the PCC’s operational costs.

Note 6: Table 3 shows the distribution of capital spending on building repairs and improvements.

37

Parish of St. Mary’s Charlbury with All Saints’ Shorthampton Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2022

Note 7: The General Fund is used primarily to finance the operational budget of the PCC. Table 4 provides a more detailed breakdown of General Fund income / expenditure by category.

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Parish of St. Marfs Charlbury with All Saints, Shorthampton Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2022 Independent Examinerfs Report to the PCC of St. Marfs Charlbury with All Saints, Shorthampton Thls report on the financial statements of the PCC for the year ending 31" December 2022. which are set out in Appendix I to the PCC Annual Report for 2021, is in respect of the examination carried out in accordance with Church Accounting Regulations and Section 43 of the Charities Act 1991. Respective Responslbllltles of the PCC and the Examiner As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements. You consider that the audit requirement of the Regulations and the Section 43121 of the Act do not apply Ilncome/expenditure above £250.CrfXII. It is my responsibility to issue this report to those financial statements in accordance with the terms of the Regulations. Basls of thls Report My examination wa5 Carried out in accordance with the directions given by the Charity Commission under section 4317lb of the Act to be found in the Church Guidance 2C(J6 edition issued by the Archbishop's Council. The examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC. It also includes consider ing any unusual terms Of disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations frorn you as trustees conterning any such maiters. The procedure5 undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts. Independent Examlnerfs Statement In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention; {il which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with Section 41 of the Act and to prepare financial statements whlch comply with the Act have not been met- or lill to which in my opinion. attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to have been reached, However. it is recommended that, on monthly basis. the Church Wardens should be required to confirm in writing that they have seen details of all transactions undertaken during the preceding month arbd are satisfied that they are correct, authorised and approved,. such iecord5 to be made available at future annual examinations, Mr Tony Morgan Independent Examiner 22 february ZOZ3

Appendix 2: APCM 2022 Minutes

Meeting of Parishioners 2022

The meeting of Parishioners was held at St Mary’s Church, Charlbury on Sunday 10th April 2022 at 11am. Rev. Dr. Sally Welch took the chair, welcomed everyone and opened the meeting with prayer.

Election of Churchwardens. Both churchwardens are willing to stand again. Patrick (Paddy) Gallagher was nominated by Leah Fowler and seconded by Mike Summers. John (Dine) Glasgow was nominated by Andrew Bird and seconded by Denise Summers. They were duly elected. Sally expressed her thanks for all they do for the church.

Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Sally welcomed everyone to the meeting and opened it with a prayer.

Apologies for absence were received from Daniela Jenkins, Sarah Potter, Liz and John Partington, Roy and Rosalind Scott, Mary and Angus Bentall, Ros Roberts, Brian Ford, John (Dine) Glasgow.

Approval of Minutes of the APCM of 2020 and 2021. This was proposed by Basil Eastwood and Seconded by Mike Summers. All were in favour.

Report on changes in the Electoral Roll . This year there are 110 members compared with 111 in 2022.

Annual report of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) 2021/2022 The booklet containing the report has been compiled by the Parish Administrator.

Vicar’s Report; You can find everything I want to say in the Vicar’s section of the annual report. I think all that I need to add at this point is my thanks.

At Messy Church for Mothering Sunday, we looked at the story of the ‘big picnic’ as found in John’s gospel. If you remember, Jesus has been speaking all day to a huge crowd of over 5,000 people, and by the end of the day all are tired and hungry. Jesus turns to the disciples to find food for the crowd, and they are at a loss until Philip is addressed by one small boy who offers his picnic of fives loaves and two fish. After being blessed and broken by Jesus the food is divided and there is enough for everyone.

It’s a story of sharing, of everybody contributing what they can and we looked at all the personnel involved – Jesus, Philip, the boy. And as it was Mothering Sunday we then remembered that someone had to have made that boy’s lunch. Someone had thought enough to anticipate every possibility and had ensured that their beloved child would not go hungry. This led us to think of all the people in the church whose work is not always visible, but without whom things would not run as smoothly – Janet the verger, Leah the sacristan, Jo in the office, Mike who is always there when you need something fixed, the flower team, the welcomers, the bellringers who not only ring the bells but put out the tables for Font Café, the refreshments team, the Friends of Shorthampton led by Amanda and all those on the reading and intercessions rota.

Today I am bringing them all to mind again, as we are grateful for every task that is carried out within this community, whether it’s a highly visible one such as Jan, Elizabeth, John and Brian do by sharing the ministry of this place, the work of the choir and the organist, the churchwardens, or the less obvious ones that I have already mentioned. St Mary’s and All Saints’ have a fabulous, warm hearted, generous, loving community. Thanks to your work both in the church buildings and in the town, in Cornerstone and the Bowls Club, we are recognised as playing an important part in making Charlbury the vibrant, supportive community it is. I am enormously proud of our parish, and profoundly grateful to have played my part in making it what it is today. Revd Sally Welch

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Financial Statement This has been a seemingly positive year with the accounts painting a very healthy picture. It reflects plenty of fund raising and a big effort to keep expenditure down. However this has mostly been with the restricted funds. The general fund – the day to day running of the church - has broken even but in not quite so healthy. Peter is confident that we can achieve our planned budget but it will require some fund raising. He also wants to encourage everyone to use the Parish Giving Scheme. It was a good year last year and with these things in mind it should be a goodish year this year.

A question was asked about heating bills. Our contract lasts till September. After that it will take a hefty increase in cost but this has already been budgeted for. Acceptance of the financial statement was proposed by Peter Durrant and seconded by Basil Eastwood. All were in favour.

Safeguarding - Safeguarding Report

St Mary’s Charlbury and All Saints’ Shorthampton are committed to safeguarding children and young people, vulnerable adults and those in abusive relationships. We aim to create a safe environment where children and young people are nurtured and protected and where all people, especially those who may be vulnerable for any reason, are able to worship and pursue their faith journey with encouragement and in safety.

All staff and volunteers in roles which involve working with children or vulnerable adults are recruited according to the House of Bishops Safer Recruitment Practice Guidance. For those in eligible roles this includes the parish undertaking checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). To support parish safeguarding work, the diocese now uses Safeguarding Dashboards, developed by Clearly Simpler Limited. The purpose of the system is to make safeguarding administration and governance streamlined for all parishes. St Mary’s Charlbury and All Saints’ Shorthampton are engaged with the parish dashboard system.

Training

Training for our Clergy, Staff and Volunteers in Safeguarding matters is mandated by national Church of England requirements. The level of training required depends on the role being performed. The management of Safeguarding training for Clergy is undertaken by the diocese, but the responsibility for ensuring our staff and volunteers are trained remains with the PCC and Parish Safeguarding Officer. We endeavor to ensure that all of our staff, volunteers and clergy are up to date in their training. St Mary’s acts as a host for Diocesan training sessions. The Parish Office keeps up to date records on the type of training required for each level of volunteer. The Parish Safeguarding Policy Statement is on display in both churches.

The parish follows the national legal and procedural framework for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults and Church of England policy and practice. It has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

A copy of The Parish Safeguarding Handbook is available from the Parish Office 01608 810230 [e-mail]

We will act promptly on any complaints made and work in close partnership with police and social care services where children or vulnerable adults have been harmed or are at risk of harm or mistreatment. We provide safe recruitment, training and support to our voluntary and paid workers with children and vulnerable adults. We care for those who have been abused in the past and minister appropriately to those who have abused.

What to do if you have a safeguarding concern

If you have information about a safeguarding situation where a child or adult is in immediate danger, or requires immediate medical attention, call emergency services on 999.

If you do not think there is a risk of immediate harm, you should still speak to an official about your concern as soon as possible.

The Parish Safeguarding Officer is Catherine Goyder who can be contacted on 01608 811020 or by email [e-mail]

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Call 01865 208 295 or email [e-mail] for urgent safeguarding concerns Mon-Thurs 9am-5pm and Fri 9am-4.30pm. All phone or email referrals to the safeguarding team must be followed up by completing the Safeguarding referral form (Microsoft Word or as a PDF) and returning it to [e-mail]. At other times

For urgent safeguarding enquiries outside of operational hours, please call our partners Thirtyone:eight on [phone] for confidential advice, guidance and support.

If you have information or need to make a disclosure regarding church related abuse, please make direct contact with the Safeguarding Team at the Diocese of Oxford on 01865 208295. If you have lived experience of abuse from within the Church of England, you may prefer to call the dedicated telephone NSPCC helpline, which is independent of the Church. Call 0800 80 20 20 The NSPCC helpline is also available to anyone wishing to provide information or to raise concerns regarding abuse within the Church of England. The helpline is there for you whether you are reporting issues relating to children or adults or seeking to whistleblow about poor safeguarding practice. Your call is confidential, and your concerns will be taken seriously.

Fabric, goods and ornaments of the church. Paddy reported that all that is needed to be said is in the annual report. It can either be read in the paper copy or to be found on the church website.

Deanery Synod Report. This is also found in the annual report .

Elections and Appointments:

Election of Honorary Treasurer Peter Durrant was proposed by Patrick Gallagher and Seconded by Maureen Sparling. All were in favour

Election of Honorary Secretary

Mary Bentall was proposed by Patrick Gallagher and Seconded by Denise Summers. All were in favour. Elections to the PCC

Libby Hanks proposed by Paddy Gallagher seconded by Andrew Bird Michael Summers proposed by Paddy Gallagher seconded by David Vernon-Jones Anna Fairhurst proposed by Paddy Gallagher seconded by Leah Fowler Mary Bentall proposed by Cara Williams seconded by Maureen Sparling There was unanimous approval of these appointments

Appointment of Sides persons. The following were proposed by Rachel Gallagher and seconded by Ann Roberts

9.45 Parish Communion – Liz and Bob Tait, Zilvia Pumfrey and Heather Arthur, Nigel and Libby Hanks, David and Sarah Vernon Jones, Liz and John Partington, Mary Bentall and Margaret Morgan, Georgie and Stephen Slack. There was unanimous approval of these appointments. Appointment of Independent Examiner of Accounts After many years of examining the church’s accounts Hugh Belshaw is stepping down. Sally expressed a big thank you to Hugh for his patience and meticulousness – it has been much appreciated.The PCC will be giving Hugh a very nice present in recognition of his service. We now need to look for a new independent examiner for this year’s accounts.

AOB From Sally - I thought we would end on a high, by introducing the new website at the end of the meeting. You may know that a new website has been under development for a while, hampered as most projects have been by Covid-19, it is now almost ready to go live. I just wanted to say a big thank you to Maureen who designed our original website and has managed it with Mike Summers for all these years. Really grateful to you, Maureen – another one of those invisible tasks that make such a valuable contribution to our community.

It was suggested that it might be an idea to alter the timing of the APCM – next year perhaps holding it as 10.45 instead of 11 o’clock so people have less time to wait after the morning service.

The Bike Rally is to be taken on by James Styring on behalf of the Town Council. The Ride and Stride needs a new St Mary’s champion to drum up support.

The meeting closed with the Grace

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Appendix 3: APCM 2023 Agenda

Meeting of Parishioners

The Meeting of Parishioners will be held in St. Mary the Virgin, Charlbury on Sunday 2nd April 2023 at 11am.

Agenda

• Election of two Churchwardens - all those on the Church Electoral Roll and residents of the parish, whose names are entered on the register of local government electors, are entitled to vote.

This will be followed immediately by:

The Annual Parochial Church Meeting

Those entered on the Church Electoral Roll may participate in and vote in the meeting. Other members of the parish may attend, with the agreement of the meeting, but not vote.

Agenda

1. Apologies for absence

2. Approval of minutes of the APCM for 2022

3. Report on changes in the Electoral Roll

4. Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council (PCC) 2022

5. Vicar’s report

6. Financial statement

7. Fabric report

8. Safeguarding

9. Deanery Synod report

10. Elections and Appointments

11. Election of the Honorary Treasurer

12. Election of the Honorary Secretary

13. Election of representatives to the PCC

14. Election of representatives to Deanery Synod

15. Appointment of sides persons

16. Appointment of Independent Examiner of Accounts

17. Any Other Business

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Charlbury and St Mary’s Church

Annual Report of the PCC 2022 Charlbury with Shorthampton

Photographs © St Mary’s Church, Charlbury and All Saints’ Church, Shorthampton’s congregations. March 2023

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