## **Parish of Wigan West** Trustees Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council **For the year ended 31[st] December 2024** |**Index**|**Page**| |---|---| |Aims and Objectives
Achievements and Performance
Ministry Reports
Financial Review
Fixed Assets and Reserves Policy
Risk Management and Safeguarding
Plans for the Future
Structure, Governance and Management
Reference and Administration Information
Declaration|**3**
**4-5**
**6-22**
**23**
**23-24**
**24-25**
**25**
**26-27**
**28-30**
**31**| |Balance Sheet|**32**| |Statement of Financial Activities|**33**| |Notes to Financial Statement|**34-40**| |Accounting Policies|**41**| |Independent Examiners Report|**42**| Page 2 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Aims and Objectives of The Parish of Wigan West** The Ecclesiastical Parish of Wigan West was formed in January 2020, bringing together three former Church of England parishes: St Matthew’s Highfield, St James with St Thomas Poolstock and St Paul’s Goose Green. For a number of years it has been, and continues to be, an excellent example of what the Church of England calls a ‘mixed ecology’ of church, offering traditional Anglican ministry as well as new worshipping communities, Lighthouse, Wellspring and Shine linked to our primary schools, and diverse thriving social justice and community ministries. Wigan West is led by Hub Leader Rev Fran Humphry and is one of the seven parishes that make up Church Wigan led by Team Rector Neil Cook. The shared vision and hope of Church Wigan is ‘Through Jesus, transformed people, transformed places’, based on Isaiah 35:1 ‘The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.’ We want to see the Kingdom of God ‘in Wigan as in heaven’, so our mission is to work with God in growing disciples of Jesus in Wigan West. This is in harmony with the vision of the Diocese of Liverpool. Our aims and objectives as a Parish are: - for our traditional congregations to be refreshed and grow as disciples. - to continue to grow new worship communities throughout the West of - Wigan, following the leading of the Holy Spirit. - to continue to develop our food provision and social justice ministries. - to serve our local schools as clergy and lay leaders and teams, as foundation - governors and with a flourishing worship community in each of our church primary schools. - to encourage generous discipleship, offering our time, talents, and finances. - to live out the mission of Church Wigan: ‘we join in with what God is doing - to grow disciples of Jesus among all the people of Wigan Deanery.’ ## **The general functions of the PCC are stated within section 2 of the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956.** West Wigan Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the Team Rector and Hub Leader in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social, and ecumenical. The PCC is responsible for the maintenance of St James with St Thomas, St Paul’s and St Matthew’s Churches and St Paul’s Church Hall. St Matthew’s Parish Hall is leased to the Highfield CIC, who have responsibility for the maintenance and upkeep of the building, with reasonable access granted to the PCC for parish activities. ## **Members Statement** When planning our objectives for the year, the PCC gave consideration to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. Page 3 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Achievements and Performance** ## **Mission priorities** The mission of the parish is led by the Hub Leader, Fran Humphry, and the Hub Leadership Team, and carried out by a large, committed and very wonderful group of lay leaders and volunteers. In early 2024, the PCC agreed the following priorities: 1. To prayerfully discern where God is leading us and what he is asking us to do. 2. To boldly and successfully conclude the Right Buildings review, including mission plans that lead to a sustainable future. 3. To identify new people to help lead worship in the parish. 4. To offer Christian introduction courses (‘Alpha’) in different contexts. ## **Key Developments** It is impossible to describe all the activities in such a diverse parish in a brief report. However, there have been developments in the key spheres of missionministry, people and buildings. ## **People** In June the parish celebrated two ordinations: of Rev Sam Swan, assistant curate who became priest, and Rev Alison Brown, who became the first distinctive deacon in the Diocese of Liverpool. Based in St James, Alison’s diaconal ministry focuses on expanding ministry in the community, building on her excellent work as local missional leader. A bittersweet experience was saying farewell to some important ministers. Rev Mark Wade and his family moved to an important new ministry in Truro Diocese in August after seven years of faithful and fruitful service in the parish in which they played crucial role in developing the ‘mixed ecology’ of ministry. Also, Gordon James, the well-respected licensed reader at St James, moved away. Neither can be directly replaced, which inevitably has placed more burden on the ministry team led by Rev Fran. However, our many committed lay leaders and volunteers continue to provide sterling service to the church and community. Key volunteer teams have engaged in the Church Wigan ‘Greenhouse’ programme which equips them to discern and plan missional growth. ## **Mission-ministry** As well the important traditional Church of England ministry we offer, such as weekly public worship, baptisms, weddings and funerals, Wigan West reaches out in service to our local communities in the following broad areas: - _Community/social inclusion._ These include our friendship/bereavement groups, coffee mornings and warm spaces which are open to all, plus faithbased groups such as St Paul’s Mothers Union branch. The established Faith Page 4 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Café at St James continued to grow in 2024, introducing an act of worship, and a new Wednesday lunchtime café at St Paul’s, called Pots of Tea, was launched at the end of the year. The churchyard chaplaincy ministry at St Matthew’s has forged new connections with churchyard users, and the dementia-friendly ministries based at St James remain important. A creative new development at Lifelines Choir is the writing and performing of own songs based on the psalms, led by musical director David Goulden. ▪ _Schools and families._ We continue to develop exceptional partnerships with our church and community primary schools, which includes the school-based worshipping communities Wellspring, Lighthouse and Shine, and the Open the Book team which resource collective worship. St Paul’s and St James’ schools both received excellent reports from their SIAMS inspections into Christian distinctiveness. Furthermore, Little Stars toddler group continues to serve 20 families weekly and a series of summer holiday-based activities, from trips to the seaside and free weekly BBQs, brought joy to many local families. - _Social justice._ Tom’s Pantry continued to play a key role in food security, supporting families in need and tackling ‘holiday hunger’. The Christmas Day Dinner at St James hosted 75 people, including rough sleepers and other local vulnerable people. ## **Buildings** 2024 was a landmark year for two important events: the conclusion of the 18 month long Right Buildings review, and the opening of St Paul’s Church following reordering. Also, an important project was begun to fund the restoration of the bell tower at St James, including an English Heritage Day in September with the support of the Lancashire Association of Bell Ringers. In April the PCC recommended that all three church buildings be retained, and this was accepted by the Joint Council of Church Wigan. Work has begun on sustainability, which included a vision day at St Paul’s which invited the community to contribute ideas for how the church can be used as a community asset. Moreover, a community survey about use of St Matthew’s Church was distributed to 88% of households in the area, from which over 150 responses were received. This intelligence will inform mission planning in 2025. In October we celebrated the reopening of St Paul’s as an attractive, multifunctional faith and community hub, and already it has started to attract users from the wider church, Council, school trust and concert providers. Our two parish halls continue to be crucial and in-demand community assets. Since becoming a CIC (‘community interest company’ designed to create social value for local people) St Matthew’s Parish Hall is thriving, and St Paul’s Hall was used by 15,300 adults and children in 2024. Page 5 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Ministry Reports** A selection of reports gives a flavour of the ministries of Wigan West: ## **St James With St Thomas Church** During the year, the congregation have settled well into the pattern of worship, with a Service of the Word in week one, baptisms in week two, child friendly Holy Communion week three and Sung Eucharist on week four. We have seen in a reduction in our baptisms since St Paul’s reopened after their building had been re-ordered. When we have no baptisms, we have a further Service of the Word. Our congregational numbers have been steady with a slight increase in numbers. We have Open Table at St James’ once a month and this is popular with the LGBTQI community and regular members of St James congregation. We have a monthly Deeper Discipleship group that meets in church on a Sunday evening. The introduction of afternoon tea straight after the service for our Patronal Festival once again proved extremely popular and we had our second Christmas Fair after a few years of not having one. Again, these have proved popular and people like the fellowship that these opportunities provide as well as raising much needed funds. Our Junior Church needs some extra volunteers to ensure our children have Junior Church on the weeks when they aren’t in the main service. Next year we will be celebrating our 160[th] Anniversary of serving the people of Poolstock so events will be planned for next year to make sure we celebrate this well. **Rev Alison Brown, Deacon** ## **St Matthews Church** The pattern of worship has continued in the same format as the previous year, but with some changes to services mid-week. Please see the outline of services below. First Sunday: 10.30am Holy Communion (CW), Second Sunday: 9am Holy Communion (BCP), 10.30am Family Parade Service Third Sunday: 9am Holy Communion (BCP), 10.30 am Holy Communion (CW), 12.30pm Baptisms, Fourth Sunday: 9am Holy Communion (BCP), 10.30am Morning Praise, Fifth Sunday: Hub service. The first Thursday of the month: 10.30am Holy Communion (CW). Every other Tuesday of the month: SHINE based in Highfield St Matthew’s Primary School. As in previous years, attendance at the Sunday services has been fairly stable. Sadly, some stalwart members of our congregations have died but we have also seen some new faces attending more regularly at both the 9am and 10.30am Holy Communion services. There remain concerns about the decrease in attendance of some children and their families from the monthly Parade service. We continue to provide refreshments after the 10.30 am services which is valued by a number of congregation members as an opportunity to meet socially. We are also pleased that the number of families attending SHINE has grown. Page 6 Parish of Wigan West 2023 During 2024 two new worship services were introduced: Wednesday 6pm: Evening Prayer and on the third Thursday of the month at 11.45am: Thursday prayers. These were introduced to allow time during the week for people to come into church and pray. Although only small numbers attend these services they include people who do not come to any of the regular pattern of Sunday worship. The importance of building up the involvement of lay people within all the services has remained a priority. We have a rota of people who welcome people at the start of each service, a rota of people who read the lessons and the baptism team is well established. We also have volunteers who have taken it upon themselves to organise the tidying up of the church building, cleaning of the church building and general maintenance so that there are clearer and more efficient systems in place for the use of space within the church building and for storage of resources. The main drive this year for St Matthews Ministry Team (SMMT) has been its response to the feedback from the Right Buildings Review in September 2023. Working with Rev Fran Humphry and following the guidance given by Church Wigan we have now set out initial plans on how we would like to see the church buildings being used in the future. We have also corrected elements of the Right buildings review that we believe were in error and as such are now situated in the amber rating of the review. Below is an outline of the main actions that have been completed this year under the auspices of the SMMT: - During the spring and early summer months we trialled opening the church on a Saturday from 10am to 2pm to allow people to some in and spend some quiet time in the church building. This relied on volunteers working in pairs to stay in church for a couple of hours so that the building could be left open. Very few people used this opportunity to come into church unless there was a purpose to being there. The decision was made to stop this in July 2024 and rethink our approach. - We have started a book swap scheme, we have invited couples married at St Matthews to send in photographs of their wedding day to be displayed to promote links with the community and explored other ideas of how the church building can be used. - In June 2024 we invited representatives from St Thomas the Martyr Church, Upholland to speak to us about their experience of setting up a community hub within their church building. This proved to be motivational meeting which gave us more clarity on finding our way forward in making better use of the church building. - In September we launched our questionnaire, both in paper and electronic form, with the aim of delivering this to as many homes within the original St Matthew’s Parish as possible. The aim of this questionnaire was to find out from the community how the church building is seen and to explore possible ideas of how it can be used in the future. Responses to this questionnaire have made clear that the church building is important to many people in the community and there is definite support for making Page 7 Parish of Wigan West 2023 daily use of the church building as a community hub which would offer a variety of activities for people in the community to become involved with. - Following this questionnaire we have applied for a temporary faculty to remove some pews on the North side of the church building, opposite the memorial chapel, to make a café area which could be used for refreshments following services and which may be open at certain times during the week. We have also asked representatives from St Thomas the Martyr to make enquiries with the Post Office to explore the feasibility of having a post office counter in the church building. We have also been reviewing the many suggestions made by people in the community of the activities they would be interested in supporting should these be situated in the church building. - In November 2024 an Autumn Fayre was held in the church building, organised by volunteers from our congregation. The aim of this event was to showcase how the church building could be used for one off events whilst raising some money for church funds. - The Graveyard ministry has continued to thrive with more volunteers helping and they coordinate their ministry when volunteers are helping to tidy the graveyard as well. This contact with people coming to the graveyard is proving to be an important role in terms of the outreach of the church. It is from discussions about this ministry that the Wednesday Evening Prayer and third Thursday Prayers outlined above came into being. - Discussions have continued in how to involve Highfield St Matthew’s school more through music. The choir from the primary school came and sang as part of the Music for a Summer’s evening celebration and the Carol Service at Christmas and songs that are sung in school and other modern worship songs have also been introduced into the monthly Parade, either for singing or to accompany an activity that is taking place. - Social Media plays an important part in communication of church events and activities, and school newsletters, the weekly notice sheet and the new notice board are being used on a weekly basis to keep the congregations and community informed of upcoming events. In August 2024, the Rev Mark Wade and his family left Wigan West hub to move to a parish in Cornwall. He is very much missed as he was the driving force for a number of initiatives being actioned in our hub during his time with us. The Rev Fran Humphry has been appointed at the Hub leader. Unfortunately, the diocese have not replaced Mark and at the time of writing this report this remains the case. We are extremely grateful to Fran for her leadership and commitment to this hub but we are also concerned about the workload she now has to face along with additional workload on retired clergy, non-stipendiary clergy and lay ministers within the hub. Looking to 2025, we would like to see the diocese maintain its commitment to two full time clergy for each hub in Wigan so that Fran has the support she needs. Page 8 Parish of Wigan West 2023 We are praying that the initiatives we are exploring following the questionnaire may become a reality, for example the café area in church. We pray that as part of our mission and service to the local community the church building starts to be used on a more regularly on a weekly basis and for one off events. ## **Colin Hesketh, Lay reader** ## **St Pauls Church** St Paul’s Goose Green is one of the three churches in the Parish of Wigan West. St Pauls church building closed for worship from July 2023 until July 2024, for repairs to be carried out and for reordering of the interior of the building. For the first 6 months of 2024 worship continued in the church hall. The congregation remained at 40-45 weekly After all the necessary permissions had been obtained, all of the pews were removed from the nave to be replaced by chairs. A meeting room and a kitchen were created towards the rear of the nave and the previously partitioned vestry was opened up to create a larger meeting room. The church re-opened for worship in July 2024 and was rededicated by the Bishop of Liverpool in October 2024. Regular Sunday services are held weekly at 10.30am and monthly at 9.00am The Sunday services are varied, week one Baptism are held, week 2 Holy Communion and weeks 3 and 4 Service of the Word. Weeks two to four there is an average congregation of approximately 45. On baptism days the congregation numbers vary depending on the number of children being baptised. There is a regular service of Holy Communion on Wednesday mornings 3 weeks out of 4 at which the attendance has on average 10 people who do not attend any other service. In October, a community café was opened on Wednesdays after the midweek communion. The church building has been made available for use by community organisations and for hire by Wigan Council for meetings as well as Church Wigan Training events and concerts by a local Brass Band and bookings taken for more events in 2025. The Sunday and Wednesday congregations have shown the beginnings of growth in numbers. Mid-week activities included :- Small groups meeting for bible study and prayer ## Mother’s Union A friendship group ‘Friends Together’ meeting monthly in the church Hall for a meal and fellowship A craft group meeting monthly in the church hall. A mother and toddler group weekly in the church hall. Page 9 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Members of the St Paul’s congregation are very involved in activities which take place in the rest of the parish such as the food pantry and Faith Café both held in St James ## **Ann Birch, Churchwarden** ## **St Matthew’s churchyard ministry** The team has continued to grow and as often as often as possible, meet at the back of church to offer a drink, a listening ear, a chat or just information about services to people who visits the graves of their loved ones. We have received mixed responses to this but even if they cannot stay, people always appreciate that we are there. On key days like Mothering Sunday or Christmas, as the churchyard is busier, we offer flowers and prayer cards. The church building is open too, so people can go inside to light a candle or simply sit in the quiet space. In the summer months, we have a growing team of volunteers in the churchyard who attend regularly to tidy and garden. On those Saturdays we offer refreshments to them too, and it is a joy to see the fellowship and the presence of being church outside, meeting people where they are. ## **Lighthouse** Lighthouse now has several overlapping cohorts who attend one or more of our weekly gatherings, some of whom also engage elsewhere in Wigan West but many who do not. In the past year five new families have joined us, bringing our total to roughly 40 families. This growth now means we have a higher number of families for whom Lighthouse is their only expression and experience of church. Of these 40 families around half are in regular attendance at some Lighthouse even each week, and others attend or engage in more sporadica ways. The majority of families are represented by a single parent at our gatherings, leading to a high ratio of children to adults. There has been continued growth in our presence on the estate of Worsley Mesnes where we are based, we are known to the community and have a good reputation as Godly people who are present, reliable and willing to help, we are known to a lot of the children on the estate through our active presence in school and people will knock at our doors if they need support. ## **Lighthouse regularly gathers 4 times a week:** - Tuesday after school in St James, with a meal. We have over 100 people in regular attendance; 40% Adults, 60% children and this represents around 30 households. - Friday evening worship night in homes. Approx 5 families in regular weekly attendance. - Sunday lunchtime to eat together. - Sunday afternoon service in the school hall. The number of families attending has doubled since our launch in April 2024, and we are slowly seeing more attend who do not engage with church elsewhere and have no previous experience of church. Page 10 Parish of Wigan West 2023 We also serve the community in various ways: - Pop up classroom at school pick up - Collective worship and easter experience in school - Collecting and picking up washing - Weekly food shopping - Emergency food parcels Going forward as a worship community we feel we are best placed to serve on the estate on the ground in practical ways to support the community in Worsley Mesnes. We are growing deeper relationships with our members, and seeing more and more ‘unchurched’ people really engage with teaching and discipleship content. ## **Jes Rusling Lighthouse Leader** ## **Shine** Leaders - Revd Sam Swan, Sarah Murphy, Elizabeth Gaskell, Gary Humphry, Claire Halliwell Shine began in 2023 and continues to meet on a Tuesday afternoon in St Matthew’s Highfield Primary School from 3.30pm – 5pm. This is still on a fortnightly basis. As a team, we continually strive to remember our values and purpose for meeting and ministering in the way we do: to have fellowship with the children and parents/carers through crafts and conversations, to share fellowship through food, and to share the gospel with all. We recognise the skills we each bring and complement one another through them. We continue to have regular team meetings to plan sessions, and resources are seen as a priority. During these meetings, we also check in with one another on a pastoral level. This also extends to the end of each session, where, as leaders, we reflect on what has happened and pray together, recognising anything that might be a concern or focusing on particular themes. We continue to have an excellent relationship with St Matthew’s Highfield, and Shine is seen as an important part of the life of the school. It is advertised and viewed as an important link; subsequently, we have more direct access to parents and carers. A staff member regularly calls into the sessions after school), which benefits the children and adults' confidence. We are continually looking to cement this partnership between the staff and Shine as the Worshipping Community becomes a positive link for all. A strong relationship with older children (particularly years 5 and 6) has continued flourishing as many have continued to attend after applying for secondary schools and recently secured their place. This shows their commitment, and they are willing to walk alongside the younger children, regularly help with crafts and encourage their peers. Page 11 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Numbers have remained steady, and we have seen growth over the last year, and a good partnership with the parents has continued. We have had more than 30 children during some sessions. As leaders, this encourages us, and we are confident that the Gospel is being delivered in various ways through conversations, teaching, fellowship, and crafts. The use of school equipment (projectors and screens is a significant advantage), and this aids teaching and reflection. Children are signed in by their parents/guardians at the start of each session by one of the leaders, and they stay for the duration of Shine. As a leadership team, one of our recent priorities has been to encourage more input for people to share, particularly for the Christian aspect (different voices and approaches – guest speakers). This is already happening and has been a great success. Recently, we have had speakers talk on Lent, Ash Wednesday, Easter (due to the school calendar) and how we can be a part of this season individually and collectively. One of the things we are hopeful for, particularly for children in year 6, is to look at how a transition can happen as they approach Secondary School. This conversation could happen with the Next Generation Team and at suitable youth evenings and events. During Shine, we have already made links with the Next Generation Team, and Andy Brown has already spoken to the children about possible future sessions. We are expanding on this as we increase the number of invited speakers in this area. We are mindful that future links with St Matthew’s Church, St Matthews School, and the community are essential. We try to link the talks with the life of the Church and key events. The Collective Worship within the school is also a continued positive link as the teaching within the life of the school at the beginning of the day often develops into conversation when the children meet in Shine. We recognise the need to engage with parents and carers to participate in the sessions more (whether that be by sitting with their children or actively engaging). We have seen positive signs in that some are willing to help with the running or cleaning at at the end of sessions. This is a reminder for us as leaders, to continually make those links. We are also mindful that we don’t want the same leaders doing the same roles or feeling overwhelmed. Shine is an important ministry and we want it to continue as one. We do continue to have funds in the Shine budget. As it is very sustainable, we have not spent large amounts of the budget. We have purchased some sound equipment and discussed reviewing what we need. This is under regular review. More recently, some of the leaders from Shine have attended the Greenhouse Sessions and met with the Lighthouse Leadership Team to observe how we can improve/deliver differently. Networking in this way has been invaluable and is something we want to continue to do. Page 12 Parish of Wigan West 2023 We also want to look towards fundraising and how this will enable us to do more mission. We are very grateful to St Matthew’s Highfield Primary School for allowing us to continue meeting and ministering within the building. A personal thank you goes to the whole Shine Team. Without their skills, drive, passion and enthusiasm, we would not be able to do this ministry. From preparing food and drinks, organising crafts, and delivering talks and engaging with families. We hope and pray that we will continue in this area. ## **Revd Sam Swan** ## **Wellspring** The wellspring leadership team is Adam Rigby, Lucy Haigh, Kim Robinson, Pam Wilkinson, Jimena Hill, and Janet Lavin. Last year we lost 3 members of the team, Alison Jackson has been at St James School, Rev Mark moved to Cornwall in August and Darren Speakman stepped back. We meet monthly for a review and once a year for a vision day. We have joined the Greenhouse workshops led by Church Wigan. This year Lucy, Jimena and Hayley Heaton completed paediatric first aid certifications. Jan Lavin, Janice Smith and Sandra Molyneux obtained level 2 food hygiene certificates, and we have received a 5-star rating from environmental services again. Jan & Jimena are still valuable Acts 435 advocates. Lucy, Kim, Jan, Jimena and Janice are receiving Chaplaincy training. We have gone down from 24 last year to 15 active volunteers at present helping speak, manage the welcome desk and kitchen, and provide activities for the children. We pay for a sports coach through Fit 2 Play and although Mr Saunders has recently moved on, we have a replacement Sports Coach which is great. We currently have 79 people on the terms register and weekly attendees average 50 which is approx. 25 adults and 25 children. There is a core of approx. 20 families who come each week including babies, toddlers, primary school, high school, college students, parents, carers, and grandparents. We have continued to submit referrals to charities, The Storehouse, Toms Pantry, Salvation Army, Acts 435 and BrickByBrick meaning we can support our families in many practical ways. We have had successful grant applications from Liverpool Diocese Feast of Fun and HAF (Holiday Activity Fund) for an Easter Story Trail, 1 Summer BBQ, a Parish fun day at Bispham Scout Camp, Wigan Council Brighter Boroughs for a Coach Trip to the beach and 10ofThose for Easter and Christmas books. In November we were awarded £5600 from the National Lottery which makes us financially viable for 2025. We have been able to pay towards hall rent for the first time and have money for emergency relief packs and to give volunteers a small thankyou gift voucher at Christmas as well as the usual food and sports coach costs. At Christmas we collected and delivered 15 food and toy hampers to our families Page 13 Parish of Wigan West 2023 with donations from Toms Pantry and Salvation Army and we also collected and delivered a car full of treat and gift hampers to Coops Foyer. We ran a successful Alpha after Easter where we had 14 guests. During the sessions we have been asked to talk about ‘Self compassion’ and the after-life, and so we have followed a course ‘Living life to the Full’ and explored what the bible tells us about Self compassion, ghosts, angels and heaven. We have also been following Lectio Divina, we have had an in-depth bible study 2- 3pm following on from the Alpha Course, followed by a light version of the topic during the wellspring session. We have just started using Right Now Media and have a 10 min videos on ‘What is a Christian’ followed by a set of questions. We ended last year with our first interactive nativity play which was a real joy. Jimena Hill has been leading the group discussions and has made progress making the group feel more as one by bringing everyone together in one circle rather than trying to manage many small groups on tables who didn’t always get involved with topic discussions. We had Maya from the Next Gen team lead a group of around 5 high school children however recently for a number of reasons all the leaders agreed we didn’t feel wellspring was the right environment for a youth group whereas the Hawkley Lunch club and Illuminate at St Marks are better equipped. ## _**Lucy Haigh, Local Missional Leader**_ ## **Tom’s Pantry** We now have approximately over 200 members who attend the pantry regularly, with 15 new members joining in October, 3 in November and 2 in December. In the period from October to December, we gave out 657 food hampers. We are now averaging 55 shoppers per week. The estimated saving on a shop at Tom's is £35 As always God provides for His pantry and as we struggle to keep up with demand the food does come in, so we are always thankful for God's abundant blessing on the work. Tom's Pantry also supplements the pantry with free meals for families during the holidays and at the end of the year we could bless people who treat hampers and a Christmas Feast, enjoyed by about 100 people. It is a direct command of Jesus that we feed people and Tom's Pantry delivers this. It is also a place where people can encounter Jesus in a new and imaginative way. We look forward to next year so we can feed the people of our community spiritually as well as physically. We continue to provide whatever we can in all aspects of church and pantry which has been further helped by the multi bank and brick ## **Tracy Mathioudakis** ## **Lifelines Dementia Friendly Café** Page 14 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Lifelines Dementia Friendly Community Café meets on the first Friday of each month. During the winter months because people have wanted to continue to meet, we introduced hot meals with the café rather than just cake. This proved to be extremely popular and is something we will plan for future winter meets. Activities at the café have been varied, an afternoon tea to celebrate 12 months of King’s Charles being on the throne, musical bingo, ordinary bingo, and quizzes being the most popular. Our numbers are steady, and we have only had a few newcomers to the café. ## **Lifelines Dementia Friendly Community Choir.** The choir is as popular as ever with a respectable number of people attending. The choir is fully inclusive and welcomes anyone who wishes to sing. We have had three young adults with Autism attending and they mix well with everyone else. During the last 12 months the choir have been invited to sing at The Well for Bishop John and manged to put on a concert in October which raised some funds to secure the future of the choir. We had to change our rehearsal day from Friday to Monday around September time and thankful this did not affect our numbers. The choir meets twice a month and has about twenty regular attenders. They sing a mixture of secular music and have done so songs that Mr David Goulden has composed himself based on the psalms. The choir also went to the local Iceland store near Sainsbury’s to do some carol singing. _**Rev Alison Brown, Deacon**_ ## **Friends together** Friends Together meet on the first Wednesday of each month. It is a group originally meant for older people living on their own, however these days everyone is welcome and married couples are now coming. We cater for 40 to 50 guests each month but have had more than 70 Organised and run by a small but loyal group of volunteers led by Linda Berry we provide hot or cold drinks and biscuits, a substantial hot meal and dessert. We also send meals to those who are unable to get out and contact those who are house bound by phone to keep in touch. At Easter we have fish and chips and an Easter Bonnet Parade and we celebrate all significant birthdays of our guests with a special cake. For entertainment we have free prize bingo and free raffle with the prizes being donated by our regular guests. The best thing about Friends Together is the opportunity for people to get together for a good chat and have a few laughs _**Allan Conroy, Volunteer Leader**_ Page 15 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Faith Café** The Faith Café has continued to grow in support and generosity of our guests (Faith Café Family). We have welcomed new guests from ‘The Brick’ many of whom are homeless. They have also received food parcels care of Tom’s Pantry. We continue to provide a safe and welcoming environment. People appreciate all we do in God’s name. our breakfasts especially remain very popular. The Café and Tom’s Pantry work well alongside each other and we continue to be blessed with intercepted food donations. Our prayer time before and during café service are well received. Prayer requests can be taken and prayed for by our team if required. Our hope for the future is to continue to offer donated pre-loved seasonal clothing to those in need. To continue with the ‘Pop Up Nativity’ and hopefully introduce more themes relating to our Christian faith (e.g. special events at Lent/ Easter.) For prayer to remain pivotal in all we do and try and develop our’ Faith Side’ through music. At the moment we would like to have a larger pool of volunteers. To be able to recruit and retain new volunteers adhering to safeguarding policies. **Emma Suzi and all the Faith cafe family** ## **Little Stars** The Little Stars team members are Lucy Haigh, Jo Hunter, Stefan Barnes and Hayley Heaton. Around 20 children and 20 grown-ups are attending St Pauls Hall Monday mornings 9:30-11am weekly during term-time. Free play with toys, a colouring in or craft, a snack ending with a ‘God loves me‘ story and song. £1.50 charge per family covers the snack and toy replacement costs with proceeds donated to Church. We are blessed with the hall for free thanks to Allan & Lynn Conroy’s support. _**Lucy Haigh, Local Missional Leader**_ ## **TLG** We have had a challenging year with the loss of Toni our coordinator .TLG Wigan (West Hub); are still providing trained coaches to our three Church schools. Whilst this has not been without its challenges, the programme has continued to be well received and rolled out with great success. Feedback from our first annual review concludes: Early Intervention (Ei) coaching at Church Wigan continues to be an effective and consistent Centre for providing coaching for several vulnerable children in three Primary schools: St James, St Matthew’s and St Paul’s. The church and schools are situated in a deprived area of Wigan and thus make a significant positive impact for struggling families. The ongoing effectiveness of this Centre is evidenced in the following ways: Page 16 Parish of Wigan West 2023 (i) Adam is a passionate, caring and well-organized Coordinator that looks after the coaches, has a real concern and heart for all the coached children, and is embedded in the life of the three schools - (ii) There is a committed and skilled coach team who communicate regularly with one another and have regular coach team meetings to share good practice and challenges. - (iii) The relationship with the schools is very strong and the School Key Contact(s)—and the SENCO’s/Heads—are committed to Ei and champion it. ## **Martin Gaskell, Churchwarden** ## **St James Bell Tower** We now have a faculty in principle letter and are in a position to start writing letters through organic fundraising. This will be led by the ringers. The Lancashire Association of Church Bell Ringers have said they would normally donate at least 15% of the total amount to a project as large as the one planned at Poolstock. We would also get a separate donation from the association to help with sound control. We have £4,554.72 in the bank with an £81.45 cash float. We are also collecting aluminium cans which will be sold on to a metal dealer. We are still actively fundraising and held an English Heritage Open Day last September. A great event which we plan to repeat year on year. We have had Hot Pot suppers, Brass Band concerts, bingo and quiz evenings and will be planning more at our AGM later this month. It has been suggested that because this is a long term project and the amount of time it will take to raise the funds, that we repair the bells in stages. Our 7[th] bell is of immediate concern and if we get this fixed as soon as possible we would be able to invite other organisations over to pay for the privilege of ringing at St James. We also have a sound system in place where the bells would not be heard from outside. This would enable learners to come and have a go without upsetting the neighbours. During the past 12 months we have supplied and fitted a tower room chiming rope. This is fitted to the treble bell and can be rung before any service. Some of the children are getting involved and are interested in chiming on a Sunday morning. We are not actively ringing the bells at the moment because we do not have enough members. Hopefully, once the 7[th] is fixed this will bring more interest from outside and we will be able to start up again. **Carole Simm, Tower Captain** Page 17 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Friendship Group** We are now in our tenth year of operation and things continue to look good, though sadly we have lost two of our members who died recently. Bearing in mind the average age of our members, ( it must be 80+), losing friends like this can only be expected. Both families held their Service at St. Matthew’s Church and the Group was well represented. We have had some new members join the group, I am pleased to say, but one lady, recently widowed, took herself off on a world cruise shortly after joining us. We continued to visit places of interest by coach over the year and regularly visited local restaurants for lunch. We were fortunate in obtaining a couple of grants again last year. One was through our local councillors who are very supportive once again and was used to pay for a coach on a trip out. The second one was through a Local Community Fund and was intended to pay towards a social event in our Community Hall. This event was intended to be for all volunteers in the parish, (specifically St. Matthew’s, since we had insufficient room to entertain people volunteering at our other two churches as well ), from church cleaners, churchyard maintenance volunteers, both Cricket Ground and Bowling Green voluntary helpers, Youth Group leaders and Choristers etc etc. naturally the invitation included wives, husbands etc. A happy group of approximately 100 people sat down to enjoy a buffet and an entertainer, jointly funded by the grant I received and twice as much subscribed by our Community Interest Club, for which we are most grateful. We have already been informed that this year we have been awarded a further grant from the local Brighter Borough Fund to pay for a day out in Liverpool with afternoon tea on a boat exploring the docks, it will be used to go towards the cost of hiring a coach. Last week we visited Albert’s restaurant in Standish for lunch. Our party of 18 self funded the occasion, as we do often. However, since a donation had been received from one of our recently deceased member’ **Dave Whitter. Secretary.** ## **St Pauls Mothers Union** Hello another year gone by and we are still meeting. We are sixteen in number meeting now in the church vestry, and enjoying being there. Still doing our faith bags for year six at St Paul's, our prayer shawls, and supporting Dais and the prison families. Our meals out at The Wheel have been thoroughly enjoyed. Speakers have all been well received. All in all a blessed year. _**Anne Hubbard, Branch Leader**_ Page 18 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Bereavement group** Our bereavement group is held in St. James church, and we meet twice per month. I believe it is an excellent place to go to for anyone ,who has recently been bereaved. We are a group of people who have all lost someone - some many years ago, some more recent - but we all know that feeling of emptiness or bewilderment. It is a very difficult period of anyone’s life but life goes on, and that’s where we come in, we aim to help you through a very difficult time. Some people will come for a few weeks and then pick up the pieces of their life, in which case I feel we have done our job, others will remain and I find they feel I can talk these people and they to me. I personally feel that our numbers of regular attendees have grown in recent months, which gives me, as leader of the group, enormous encouragement. Even though it may be years since some of us went through the bereavement process, we may still have moments of grief that’s where we, as a group, come in, we are all there for each other. To sum it up I feel the last 12 months have been very encouraging and hope this continues . I has to be said we always begin and close with a prayer God bless everyone ## _**David Berry**_ ## **Open The Book** Despite losing a couple of our team members, our OPEN THE BOOK journey has continued in 2024. We’ve had to reduce the frequency of our visits to once every two months, rather than once per month but, what we may lack in quantity, we hopefully retain in quality. On that note of quality. The Bible Society now require its ‘Storytellers’ to be registered paid members, to ensure maintenance of their high standards. We’ve continued to visit the three primary schools in the West Hub - St. James, St. Paul’s and St. Matthews, but regretfully, we’ve had to put on hold, at least for the time being, any ambition to visit other schools. We reached out, across these three schools, to around 300 pupils aged from around 4 to 11 years of age and been received warmly and enthusiastically, by both pupils and staff, using the updated material from the Bible Society, which not only relates the biblical stories but, step by step, develops the message of Gods guidance, love and mercy; but above all His destiny for us all. Sometimes, people caution me that children are not able to understand and absorb these concepts, an assertion that I simply don’t accept. OTB is not a theologically profound treatise, but then again, neither is God’s message. Jesus taught in simply terms; and that is what we try to emulate. I think it’s important to recognise that this is not a process by which we actively give and the pupils passively receive. It’s an interaction, whereby we all benefit, because we all share in the stories, the experiences and the journey in which Page 19 Parish of Wigan West 2023 we’re all joint participants. Even at my advanced age of 77, I can still learn from the stories and from the children, as they interact with us and respond to our words, songs and role play. I think the other team members would agree. There are many Christians, many like myself, relative late-comers, who can recall Bible stories from childhood. These were seeds that may have lain dormant, to be germinated later in life but, if the seed isn’t sown, it never can be germinated. Whether a seed germinates quickly or slowly, it needs to be fed, watered and nurtured; and not left to fend for itself. If I had to summarise what OTB is all about, I think it’s simply this. We sow, water, feed and nurture, along with many other people. Together, we strive to make the children grow, flourish and bear fruit, emotionally and spiritually. Often, the fruit is simply happiness, peace, patience, tolerance etc. We entered 2024 again with the expectation that we could recruit more volunteers, to enable us to return to monthly visits and extend Open the Book into several non faith schools. Despite our efforts and ambitions, we have not yet succeeded. If you’re reading this and have a heart to develop our young people, please consider joining us. It’s only a few hours each month, always to fit in with personal diaries, apart from the hour slot, every couple of months on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. If you’d like to support OTB, but can’t give any direct input, perhaps you know someone who can. Some may be able to help indirectly. For example the St. Paul’s knitting group have recently supplied us with some props for our little biblical sketches. Specifically, the things you can all provide are your thoughts, encouragement and prayer ## **Brian Marsh** ## **St Pauls Hall** St Paul’s hall continues to be very well attended and is used every day of the week by at least one of 16 regular groups, these groups vary from small babies to pensioners, and every age in between. The hall has become a valuable asset to the Church and the community. Approximately 8000 adults and 7300 children attended the groups and various functions in 2024. During 2024 we have invested in new warm air hand dryers and replaced the original fluorescent lighting in the kitchen and toilets with modern, energy efficient LED lights and we have plans to replace the cooker and fridge freezer in 2025 ## _**Allan Conroy**_ Page 20 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Quiet Space** Quiet Space started up in November 2024 to provide a quiet space, with candles and soft music . The idea was formed from going on holiday to places like Malta and Greece where it is for easy to walk into a church and sit in a place of peace St Paul's currently is locked up if there isn't anything arranged , which led me to form an idea that wouldn't cost the church anything top open for quiet time before a service: - The heating is on warming the church on Sunday for the service at 10.30. - We purchased a quantity of candles to light as a gift to the church. - We do burn a small quantity of incense over a flame (not smoky charcoal) at the beginning of our quiet time. - we play a little choral Ambient music, leading to hopefully a sensory experience. We advertised this on Facebook as a place to escape the world. Turn your phone off. Nobody talking and nobody will approach you. Initially there were 3 people including me and the other person present for safeguarding. Now it can be 8 or 9. Crucially I had my first non churchgoer visit. For me, that made it worth it. It's held every Sunday apart from first Sunday of month. ## **Cliff Oakley** ## **Cuppa and Chat.** We are a friendly group who meet on a Monday afternoon in St. Matthew’s lounge from2pm to 3-30pm. At the moment there are only ladies but gentlemen are welcome to join us. We have a drink and a biscuit and chat. You are welcome to come and knit whilst you natter! We use the lounge door by the cricket field. All are welcome. We look forward to meeting you. ## **Barbara Jenks.** ## **Thursday Coffee Group – St Matthews** We are a group of men and women of all ages who meet up each Thursday morning to enjoy a brew and a chat. The group was set up by Ethel Hall and Jean Wainwright back in 1984 and is still going strong more than 40 years later. We meet in the St Matthew’s Lounge at 10.30 (except for the first Thursday of the month when we gather after the 10.30 Communion service in church). There’s a small charge to cover the cost of biscuits and drinks which can be made to individual tastes. Those who choose to can also make a small donation to help with the work of Plan UK. It supports children like Fatoumata Dite Goundo Mangane and the village where she lives in Mali. We send £21 per month to this charity. Page 21 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Any money left over is given to St Matthew’s Church to purchase Bibles which are given to children who are Baptised there. **Maureen Hart, Julie and Dave Guest.** Page 22 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Financial Review** The integration of the various Parish bank accounts is now complete with all transaction being carried out within the Wigan West bank account. Our total income in 2024 was £369,498 this was up from £274,268 in 2023. An increase of £95,230 this was thanks to a Listed Places of Worship grant, offsetting the VAT for St Paul’s reordering, of £100,107 from the Departure of Culture, Media and Sport. Planned Gift Aid Giving remained at around £69,000 and our Other Planned and Loose Plate collections at £28.000. Our expenses were up from £428,014 last year to £702,836. This increase was entirely due to the cost of reordering of St Paul’s Church. The energy contracts were renegotiated and there was a welcome decrease in energy bills of £20,000 although some of this was due to the timing of the bills, we will get a fairer example of our savings in 2025. We were able to contribute £66,000 in Deanery Parish Share which fell short of the £135,000 target. It is essential that we pay full Parish Share in 2025 and we will be making every effort to achieve this goal. The excess expenditure over income for the reordering was covered by utilising money held in the Field Fund. The PCC are fully aware of the financial situation and continued efforts are to be made in 2025 to encouraging our congregations to give freely to support the work of the Diocese and Church Wigan. We will be asking all our regular givers to review their giving and to transfer to the Parish Giving Scheme. We would hope that, if possible, they gift aid and index link their donations and also to support our fundraising activities. The major source of income still comes from our congregations and is supplemented by tax reclaims from amounts gift aided, our next major source being Parish fees for weddings and funerals. We received grants totalling £125,847 including the DCMS grant above a building maintenance grant from the LDBF of £3,615 a community grant of £5,600 for Wellsprings from the National Lottery we also received further grants from the LDBF £5,000, The Grocers Charity £2,000, Wigan MBC £6,525, Together Liverpool £2,450 and ASDA £550, a marvellous effort by those finding and applying for them. ## **Fixed Assets:** The freehold land and buildings referenced within the financial statements refer to St Paul’s Church Hall and St Matthew’s Parish Hall (which has now been established as a CIC and is being run independently) and St Matthew’s Parish Rooms (demolished in 2023), this is to be reviewed. Page 23 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Reserves Policy** The PCC’s long-term aim is to retain within its unrestricted funds, as free reserves, a sum not greater than an amount equivalent to four months of the year’s annual expenditure, we are currently maintaining 3 months. As at 31 December 2024 our unrestricted funds comprised of fixed assets of £393,273, unrestricted funds (free and designated) of £61,277 and restricted funds of £121,497 comprising mainly of the Field Fund £112,422. ## **Agent Transactions:** The PCC has acted as financial agent for the following organisations: - Liverpool Diocesan Board of Finance - ACTS 435 - Organist/ Vergers/Gravediggers monies received for weddings and funerals was passed on to the relevant individuals and where appropriate a proportion separated and sent directly to the HMRC in relation to income tax payments. ## **The charities that we gave our donations and giving to in 2024 were:** - Church Wigan Food Provision (Lifted via Wigan Deanery Trust) - The Brick - Tear Fund - Compassion UK - Wigan Deanery Trust BSD - Children’s Society - Royal British Legion - Christians Against Poverty - Wigan and Leigh Hospice ## **Risk Management** ## **Financial Risk:** An annual budget is prepared to help the PCC identify areas of significant financial risk. During each financial year the PCC also receive and able to examine periodic financial reports showing actual against budget comparison reports. Investments and reserves are only held in low risk Church of England, Central Board of Finance funds. Bank accounts are maintained at those amounts required for operational purposes only. All assets are insured and insurance levels are reviewed periodically in conjunction with the insurance provider’s staff. The PCC’s insurance provider is Congregational Church Insurance. The PCC has agreed internal controls for the handling of cash and cheques, both as receipts and as payments. Page 24 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Health and Safety Risk:** The P.C.C. recognizes that it is responsible to carry out a Risk Assessment relating to its buildings. It has a practical Health and Safety Policy covering activities both for the churches and other buildings it is responsible for which is reviewed on a regular basis'. Accident Books are maintained. ## **Data Protection:** The contents and obligations of the Equality Act 2010 and the 2018 General Data Protection Regulation are known and complied with to the best of the P.C.C.'s liability. The P.C.C. is aware of its responsibilities in respect of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order of 2005. The P.C.C. has appointed Andrew Bond to be the responsible person in respect of these requirements. ## **Safeguarding:** Our Safeguarding officer is Angela Matthewson working alongside Revd Fran Humphry. All Safeguarding incidents and training are reported centrally. We hold all people DBS and safer recruitment information as asked by the Church of England. We continue to review and develop working alongside other Safeguarding officers in Church Wigan and supported by the diocese. We also reviewed the national historical Safeguarding review. All our Trustees and volunteers are trained to recognise signs which could indicate that a child or adult at risk may be being abused or neglected. This training also includes wider Charity Commission requirements to recognise and report incidents involving our staff and volunteers. We actively encourage our staff, volunteers and those who use or come into contact with our services, to speak up about things which they think could cause harm to people and we act promptly when concerns have been raised. We will not tolerate any behaviours or practices which could lead to anyone being abused and/or exploited by our people. ## **Plans for The Future** 2025 will be a year in which Wigan West consolidates the good work emerging in 2024, namely: - Deliver a positive and honest review of ‘joyful sustainability’ in the parish in October, considering how our key resources of people, finances and buildings are aligned to achieve our God-given missional goals. - Further improve communications, especially with grassroots members, addressing issues of financial reality, generosity and mission priorities. - Embed the culture of intentional discipleship, so that all congregations and groups embody our shared mission and values. Page 25 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Structure, Governance and Management** ## **Description of the charity’s trusts:** The Parochial Church Council (PCC) operates under the Parochial Church Councils (Powers) Measure 1956 and the Church Representation Rules. The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure and is a charity registered with the Charity Commission. PCC members are appointed in accordance with the Church of England the Church Representation Rules 2022 and are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting. All those who attend are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. Individual members of the PCC receive external training as and when deemed appropriate by the PCC Day to Day management of the church was exercised by the standing committee, the only committee required by law. It has the power to transact PCC Business between PCC meetings and considers strategic issues which may affect the church. The Standing Committee consists of: - Clergy - Rev Fran Humphry - • Churchwardens • Secretary Kathleen Moran • Treasurer Jeff McCann - Churchwardens Ann Birch , Martin Gaskell Page 26 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Church Wigan relationship to the PCC:** - Parish of Wigan West have two representatives that are on Joint Council. Revd Fran Humphry and Angela Matthewson. Each month the minutes are shared. Revd Neil Cook chairs the Joint Council. - Hub Leadership Team looks at the missional work of the Parish with a focus on planting new worship communities. Each PCC meeting this is reported back to the PCC. ## **Policies adopted:** All polices were created by Church Wigan and adopted by the PCC: - Health and safety - Safeguarding - Safer recruitment All PCC members are required to have DBS checks and to complete basic and foundation Safeguarding training. ## **Other Related Trusts:** - Wigan Deanery Trust employs Core services for Church Wigan and as a PCC we liaise with them. - Revd Fran Humphry is an ex-officio member of the Board of Governors of St James C of E Primary School, Revd Mark Wade is an ex-officio member of St Paul’s C of E Primary School, Revd Anita Fath (SSM Associate Minister) and Revd Sam Swan (Curate) are foundation governors of St Matthew’s C of E Primary School. The PCC also makes recommendations to the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST) for the appointment of further foundation Governors. - Revd Mark Wade is a member of the Diocesan Board of Education and is a Director of the Liverpool Diocesan Schools Trust (LDST). - St Paul’s Church Field Goose Green: The managing Trustees for this charity are the PCC of Wigan West. Although _St Paul’s Church Field, Goose Green_ is a separate charity to the PCC the Charity Commission has provided written consent that it may be included within the PCC’s financial statement as a ‘Special Trust’ under the provision contained within s287 of the Charities Act 2011. Page 27 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Reference and Administration Information** ## **Name: Parish of Wigan West;** This Parish is part of the Diocese of Liverpool within the Church of England **Charity Number:** 1201671 ## **Church correspondence address:** Church Wigan Office. Wigan Investment Centre, Waterside Drive Wigan. WN3 5BA Telephone 01942 410910 For the period 1[st] January 2024 until the approval of this report, the following people served as members of Wigan West and were the charity’s Trustees. **Name Role** Revd Neil Cook Incumbent Ex-Officio member Revd Fran Humphry Hub Leader (Team Vicar Ex-Officio member and PCC chair) Martin Gaskell Churchwarden Ex-Officio member Ann Birch Churchwarden Ex-Officio member Carole Simm Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio member Jeff McCann Deanery Synod Rep & Ex-Officio member Treasurer Emma Dickinson Deanery Synod Ex-Officio member Kath Smith Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio member Cliff Unsworth Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio member Kathleen Moran Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio member Peter Grey Deanery Synod Rep Ex-Officio member Angela Matthewson Diocesan Synod Rep / Ex-Officio member Parish Safeguarding Officer Iain Matthewson Diocesan Synod Rep Ex-Officio member Kathleen Moran PCC Secretary PCC Elected Member Pam Wilkinson Electoral Roll Officer PCC Elected Member Page 28 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Roger Clarke PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Andrew Bond PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Jes Rusling PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Carole Simm PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Sheila Albers PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Richard McDonald PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Marie Bond PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Dennis Caterall PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Jodie Adediran PCC Elected Member PCC Elected Member Rev Elliot Ireton Team Vicar Ex-Officio member Revd Steve Beck Team Vicar Ex-Officio member Revd Sue Fulford Team Vicar Ex-Officio member Revd Dot Gosling Team Vicar Ex-Officio member Revd Stan Team Vicar Ex-Officio member Higginson Revd Canon Team Vicar Ex-Officio member Sam Nicholson Revd Peter Whittington Team Vicar Ex-Offico member Revd Roland Harvey Team Vicar Ex-Officio member Revd Sandra Jones Team Vicar Ex-Officio member Revd Clive Doran Team Vicar Ex-Officio member The Trustees are aware of the Charity Commission's guidance on Public Benefit in their publication 'The Advancement of Religion for Public Benefit' and have given regard to it in their administration of the parish. It is considered that all P.C.C. members and any others who could be understood to be 'managers' in the activities and affairs of the Parish - as defined in Schedule 6 of the Finance Act 2010 - have completed declarations confirming they are 'fit and proper' persons under the terms of the Finance Act 2010. Trustee training is available to new and established Trustees as and when required. Page 29 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Names and addresses of advisers:** ## **Architects** Robin Wooley, 17 Well Street, St Paul’s Quinquennial Architect Now retired Ruthin, LL15 1AE Anthony Grimshaw Associates 6 Bridgeman Terrace Wigan St Paul’s Reordering St James with St Thomas Quinquennial Architect WN1 1SX Schafer Associates St Matthew’s Quinquennial 56, Belvedere Road, Architect Ashton in Makerfield, Wigan WN4 8RU ## **Independent Examiner** Rev Alan A Clements MA ACIB FCIE 15 Carleton Road, Great Knowley, Chorley, PR6 8TQ ## **Name and address of Bankers** Lloyds Bank, Lewisham Branch, 120 High Street, Lewisham, London, SE13 6JG ## **The PCC also holds accounts with:** Central Board of Finance of the Church of England Santander UK plc The Royal Bank of Scotland plc Page 30 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Declaration** This report was approved by the parochial Church Council of the Parish of Wigan West and signed on their behalf by:- Page 31 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 32 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 33 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 34 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 35 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 36 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 37 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 38 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 39 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 40 Parish of Wigan West 2023 Page 41 Parish of Wigan West 2023 ## **Independent Examiners Report 2024** Page 42 Parish of Wigan West 2023