The
Diocese of
St Edmundsbury and Ipswich
Annual Report
and
Financial Statements
of the
Parochial Church Council
of
St Mary's
Church Stoke by Nayland Suffolk CO64QH
For the year ended 31 December 2023
0
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 120181
ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS For the year ended 31 December 2023 THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND Registered Charity number 1201816
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND
Aim and purposes.
St Mary's Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, the Reverend Stephane Javelle in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the Church of St Mary's, Stoke by Nayland
Objectives and activities
The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church and to become part of our parish community at St Mary's. The PCC maintains an overview of worship throughout the parish and makes suggestions on how our services can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and Scripture, music and sacrament. When planning our activities for the year, we have considered the Charity Commission's guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the supplementary guidance on charities for the
advancement of religion. In particular, we try to enable ordinary people to live out their faith as part of our parish community through:
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Worship and prayer; learning about the gospel; developing their knowledge and trust
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in Jesus.
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Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish
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Missionary and outreach work.
To facilitate this work, it is important that we maintain the fabric of the church of St Mary's.
Achievements and performance
Worship and prayer.
The PCC is keen to offer a range of services in this parish and throughout the Benefice, during the week and over the course of the year that our community find both beneficial and spiritually fulfilling.
We have a regular pattern of services which has a sung Evensong, 2 communions
services, one at 8am, which is a ministry of the word service with no music, and the other an 11am service with hymns. The 4THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND.th Sunday is a sung Morning prayer. In addition, time 1 Charity number: 120181 and thought has been spent on how to make the services easy to follow for all. This has included having printed service sheets which many find easier to follow.
All are welcome to attend our regular services. At present there are 49 parishioners on the church electoral roll. Three names were added during the year and four were removed either through death or because they moved away from the parish. The average weekly attendance, counted during October, was 16 but this number increased at festivals, and the Christmas carol services had an attendance of 421. As well as our regular services, we enable our community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of the journey through life. Through baptism we thank God for the gift of life: in marriage public vows are exchanged with God's blessing; through funeral services friends and family express their grief and give thanks for the life, which is now complete in this world, and commend the person into God's keeping. We have celebrated 4 baptisms and 3 weddings and held 6 funerals in our church this year.
Deanery Synod
One member of the PCC sits on the Deanery Synod. This provides the PCC with an important link between the parish and the wider structures of the Church.
The Church
We want our church to be open to our community for private prayer. It is open every day until dusk, thanks to the rota of villagers who open and lock up the church; to whom we are very grateful.
The children's area has been cleared and cleaned and is used by villagers to meet, in a safe space for the children to play in. During services, families can use the area if the children are restless!
Our local village Primary school, Stoke by Nayland C of E Primary School, maintains close links with the school; Rev Stephane goes in to take collective worship every week, the school comes into the church on many occasions, both to hold services and to use it as a learning space. Rev Val Armstrong runs 'Kids Club" at the school, which is faith based, and is always oversubscribed. The school is part of the St Edmundsbury and Ipswich Multi Academy Trust.
We were able to host several concerts, including the Suffolk Villages Festival and a very enjoyable Boxted silver band concert in December. The Stoke Singers used the church for a Christmas concert.
Pastoral care
Some members of our parish are unable to attend church due to sickness or age. June Smith carries out pastoral visits in the village and Rev Stephane will visit church members who request it, to celebrate communion with them either at their homes or in hospital.
Mission and evangelism
Helping those in need is a demonstration of our faith. We, as a benefice, run 4 Community Pantries, with ours running in the South Porch. It is well used and appreciated by those who use it. We also run a hardship fund, to give financial support to those who are struggling. A summary on the Community Pantry and Hardship fund is attached to this report.
The local villages magazine, The LSPN magazine keeps our parishioners informed of the important matters affecting our church and articles that help develop our knowledge and trust in Jesus.
The monthly Home Group started in the autumn of 2008 and continues to meet. We have a Church website, and regularly post information on Facebook and a Church Near You.
Ecumenical relationships
As there are no other churches of other denominations in our benefice with an official presence, we have a policy of welcoming all at worship at our churches. Indeed, we have members of the Methodist Church and the Baptist Church on our Ministry team.
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THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 120181
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Financial Review
Total receipts on unrestricted funds were £30,073, of which £11,487 was unrestricted planned voluntary donations, and a further £3,729 was from Gift Aid. Restricted grants and donations of £339,691 were also received, the majority of which was for the major restoration project, and details are shown in the financial statements.
The planned giving through collection envelopes, standing orders and the Parish Giving Scheme decreased from £12,809, principally because a single funeral in 2022 produced £1,360 in envelopes.
Unrestricted expenditure was £34,288 (£26,418 in 2022) of which the greatest component was £20,206 (£16,883 in 2022) for the Parish Share, which is paid to the diocese for the provision of clergy. Restricted expenditure of £330,252 was almost entirely on maintaining and repairing the fabric of the building.
The restoration works that commenced in 2022 saw an escalation of issues, the more the repairs revealed. The debonding of the masonry from the rubble core along the South Aisle wall, that caused a fall of masonry in 2020, was found to be far more extensive. The replacement of slates and lead to repair a leaking Chancel roof revealed that the parapet walls were unstable and would need to be replaced down to and including the string course. The corresponding increase in costs far beyond the fundraising to date meant that 2023 started without a roof on the Chancel and insufficient funds to replace it. Fortunately, our situation received the attention of Historic England who placed us on their At Risk register and gave us a grant of £135,307, which was sufficient to enable us to restart the works. There was a further problem in the summer when the chancel wall plate was found to be rotten and needed green oak repairs. The project to repair the South Aisle wall and the Chancel roof now has a projected cost of £588,790, with £611,041 raised in funds for this work. In June we were approached by the NCT (National Churches Trust) who invited us to make an application for a new programme of works, which was successful. We were advised that the next area of the church requiring attention was the south clerestory, which had suffered falling plaster due to water ingress. A total of £89,921 was fund raised for this purpose in 2023, although a full schedule of work has yet to be presented to us.
Investigative works to clarify matters are proceeding.
Net movement in unrestricted funds was -£12,399 which included a transfer of £8,184 from unrestricted funds to the general fabric fund which had a shortfall. During the year, the total fund balances increased from £224,428 to £245,702, of which £8,035 is unrestricted
Reserves policy
It is PCC policy to try to maintain a balance on free reserves (net current assets) of £10,000 which is equivalent to about three months unrestricted payments. It is held to smooth out fluctuations in cash flow and to meet emergencies. The balance of
the free reserves at the year-end was £8,035 which was lower than this target. This was
because £8,184 of unrestricted funds were used to cover a shortfall in the general fabric fund, which includes buildings insurance and other repairs. The donations that normally flow into this fund have been diverted into the more restrictive Restoration Fund.
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. It is our policy to invest the short-term fund balances with the CCLA Church of England Charity number: 120181 Deposit Fund.
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Volunteers
We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make our church the lively and vibrant community it is. In particular, we want to mention our churchwarden, June Smith has worked so tirelessly on our behalf, and Martin Owen who has helped us all to understand the church's accounts and its finances. Dr Angela Colclough has worked tirelessly to gain grants to help fund the major repairs we have had to undertake. As well as these, there is the army of helpers who act largely behind the scenes, sides people, readers, elders, refreshment providers, lesson readers, intercessors, flower arrangers, cleaners, linen ironers, bell ringers, the key roster and many others.
Structure, governance and management.
The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a Registered Charity.
The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. At St Mary's, the membership of the PCC consists of the incumbent (our Rector), churchwarden, the Elders and members elected by those members of the congregation who are on the electoral roll of the church. All those who attend our services/members of the congregation are encouraged to register on the electoral roll and stand for election to the PCC.
The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish, including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.
The full PCC met four times during the year with an average level of attendance of 95% Given its wide responsibilities the PCC has a committee dealing with a particular aspect of parish life, the fabric and finance, which is responsible to the PCC and report back to it regularly, minutes of their decisions being received by the full PCC and discussed as necessary.
Related Parties
The total amount of donations from trustees during the reporting period was £4,021. There were no other related party transactions.
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 120181
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Administrative information
St Mary's Church is situated in School Street, Stoke by Nayland. It is part of the Diocese of
St Edmundsbury and Ipswich within the Church of England. The correspondence address is St James' Vicarage, Bear Street, Nayland, Suffolk,
CO6 4LA
Registered charity number 1201816
PCC members who have served at any time from the last APCM until the date this report was approved, are:
Ex officio members:
Incumbent:
The Reverend Stephane Javelle (chairman)
Elders
Mr. Adam Sedgwick
Mrs. Jane Addis (Secretary)
Mrs. June Smith (Church Warden and Vice Chair)
Elected members:
Mr. Andrew Norman Butler
Dr Angela Colclough (representative on Deanery Synod)
Dr. Martin Owen (Treasurer)
Mr. Justin Judd Mrs. Jane Wilson
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Approved by the PCC on 9[th ] April 2024 and signed on their behalf by the Reverend Stephane Javelle (PCC Chairman)
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 120181
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Independent examiner's report to the trustees of the Parochial Church Council of St Mary's, Stoke by Nayland
I report on the accounts of the church for the year ended 31 December 2023 which are set out on pages 6 to 11.
Respective Responsibilities of Trustees and Examiner
The church's trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The church's trustees consider that an audit is not required for this year under section 144(2) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act)) and that an independent examination is needed.
It is my responsibility to:
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ï Examine the accounts under section 145 of the 2011 Act);
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ï To follow the procedures laid down in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners (under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act); and
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ï To state whether particular matters have come to my attention.
Basis of Independent Examiner's report
My examination was carried out in accordance with the general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair view' and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent examiner's statement
Since the gross income for the year exceeds the amount provided in section 145(3) of the Act, I confirm that I am qualified to act as Independent Examiner under the provisions of that section of the Act and that my qualification is as shown below. In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
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which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements.
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to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the 2011 Act; and
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to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the accounting requirements of the 2011 Act have not been met; or
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to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a 6 proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
MrRi rd Per Wil 2024 ered AoxJunt2nt Sandhils Fami, the[Sfie1d. Es9ex CM7 4AG THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUMCIL OF THE EccLEssTIcAL PARISH OF ST. MARY. STOKE BY fqAYLAMD. Charity nurnb8r.' 120181
Parochial Church Council of St Mary's, Stoke by Nayland
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES For the year ending 31 December 2023
| Note | Unrestricted Funds£ |
Unrestricted Funds£ |
Restricted Funds£ |
Endowment Funds£ TOTAL 2023£ TOTAL 2022£ 11,487 2,203 323,399 24,735 12,809 3,876 185,562 15,278 361,825 217,525 -- 14,169 4,209 2,350 4,209 16,519 3,651 1,100 3,730 4,255 3,730 4,255 373,415 239,400 20,206 16,883 697 5,215 2,343 1,280 5,631 129,655 7,939 5,504 330,232 363,881 161,705 5,110 58 272 660 660 5,440 364,540 167,144 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Income Voluntary income Planned giving Collections at services All other giving/voluntary receipts Activities for generating funds Spring Fair Art Exhibition Other Events Investment income Church activities Benefi::e fees Retiring collections |
11,487 2,201 4,717 3,729 |
2 318,682 21,006 |
||
| 22,134 | 339,691 | |||
| 4,209 | ||||
| 4,209 3,730 |
||||
| 3,651 | ||||
| 3,730 | ||||
| Total Income Expenditure Church activities Parish Share Organists Regular running costs Utilities Churchyard Mission giving and donations Fabric Cost of generating funds Spring Fair Art Exhibition Other Events |
30,073 20,206 7,939 5,504 |
343,341 330,232 |
||
| 33,649 | 330,232 | |||
| 640 | 20 | |||
| 640 | 20 | |||
| Total ExpenditL1re Excess of Receipts over Payments Transfers between funds Movements during the year 3 |
34,288 | 330,252 | ||
| (4,215) (8,184) |
13,089 8,184 |
8,875 72,256 8,875 72,256 244,862 2!5 ,737 172,605 244,861 |
||
| (12,399) | 21,274 | |||
| Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
20,434 8,035_ |
224,428 245)cg |
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 120181
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Parochial Church Council of St Mary's, Stoke by
BALANCE SHEET at 31 DECEMBER
| Note Fixed Assets Tangible Investments Current Assets Stock Deposit Fund Debtors and prepayments Cash at bank and in hand 2 Liabilities Creditors due within 1 year Net Current Assets Total Assets less Current Liabilities Creditors due after 1 year Total NetAssets Parish Funds Unrestricted Restricted Endowment |
2023 2022 128,458 107,741 19,397 114,807 78,780 52,000 |
|
|---|---|---|
| 255,596 245,587 |
||
| 1,860 725 253,736 244,861 253,736 244,861 253,736 244,861 |
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| 8,035 245,701 20,433 224,428 |
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| 253,736 244,861 |
Approved by the Parochial Church council on 9[th ] April 2024 and signed on its behalf The Revd Stephane Javelle (PCC
The notes on pages 9 to 11 form part of these accounts
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 120181
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Parochial Church Council of St Mary's, Stoke by
Notes to the Financial
1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES
The PCC is a public benefit entity within the meaning of FRS102. The financial statements have been prepared under the Charities Act 2011 and in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 governing the individual accounts of PCCs, and with the Regulation's "true and fair" provisions, it is also the first year that they have been prepared under FRS102 (2016) as the applicable accounting standards and the 2016 version of the Statement of Recommended Practice, Accounting and Reporting by Charities (SORP(FRS102)).
ASSETS
Consecrated and benefice property.
In so far as consecrated and benefice property of any kind is excluded from the statutory definition of 'charity' by Section 10(2)(a) and (c) of the Charities Act 2011 such assets are not capitalised in the financial statements.
Moveable church furnishings
These are capitalised at cost and depreciated over their useful economic life other than where insufficient cost information is available. In this case the item is not capitalised, but all items are included in the Church's inventory in any case.
Tangible fixed assets for use by the charity
These are capitalised if they can be used for more than one year, and cost at least £1,000. They are valued at cost or else, for gifts in kind, at a reasonable estimate of their open market value on receipt. There were no such assets at 31[st ] December 2023.
Investments
Investments quoted on a recognised stock exchange or whose value derives from them are valued at market value at the year end. There are no such assets at 31[st] December 2023.
Short term deposits
These are the cash held on deposit at the bank, or deposit funds held at
FUNDS
Unrestricted Funds
These represent the remaining funds of the PCC that are available for spending on the general purposes of the PCC, including amounts designated by the PCC for fixed assets for its own use or for spending on a future project and which are not included in its 'free reserves' as disclosed in the trustees' report.
Restricted Funds
These are the income funds that must be spent on restricted purposes and details of the funds held and restrictions provided are shown in the notes to the accounts.
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 120181
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Endowment Funds
These are restricted funds that must be retained as trust capital either permanently or subject to a discretionary power to spend the capital as income, and where the use of any income or other benefit derived from the capital may be restricted or unrestricted. There are no such funds at 31[st ] December 2023.
2. DEBTORS and PREPAYMENTS
| Debtors and prepayments Granters Gift Aid GASDS LPoWreVAT |
2023 2022 101,242 191 964 75,500 1,594 1,468 5,344 218 |
2023 2022 101,242 191 964 75,500 1,594 1,468 5,344 218 |
|---|---|---|
| 107,741 78}80 |
Grantors are pledges from grant giving bodies who have provided evidence of entitlement to a quantifiable amount. Gift Aid and GASDS (Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme) are the amounts eligible to be reclaimed from HMRC. Similarly, the LPoW (Listed Place of Worship) scheme permits VAT on building work to be reclaimed.
3. SUMMARY OF FUND
| Balance at 1 Jan Incoming Resources Resources Expended Transfer between Balance at 31 Dec |
Restricted South Clerestory Restricted Fabric Restricted Restoration Restricted SpringFair Restricted Piano Restricted Fabric Bells Unrestricted Total 20,434 222,942 542 945 244,862 30,073 (34,288) (8,184) 261 (8,446 ) 251,128 (321,806) 89,921 500 1,531 373,415 (364,540) 8,035 152,263 89,921 1,042 945 1,531 253,737 |
|---|---|
4. INDEPENDENT EXAMINATION FEES
The fees payable to the independent examiner are £1,860. This amount is solely for the independent examination.
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 120181
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5. PRIOR PERIOD COMPARATIVE SOFA RESTATED
| Unrestricted Funds£ 11,431 1,737 3,393 3,733 |
Restricted Funds£ 1,378 2,139 182,169 11,546 |
Total 2022£ 12,809 3,876 185,562 15,278 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Income Voluntary receipts Planned giving Collections at services All other giving/voluntary receipts Gift Aid due Activities for generating funds Spring Fair Art Exhibition Other Events Investment income Church activities Benef te fees |
|||
| 20,294 | 197,231 | 217,525 | |
| - 1,603 1,603 - 4,255 |
14,169 747 |
14,169 2,350 |
|
| 14,916 1,100 |
16,519 |
||
| 1,100 4,255 |
|||
| 4,255 | - | 4,255 | |
| Total Income | 26,153 | 213,247 239,_'1- ()0 - - - - - 5,631 129,655 16,883 697 5,215 2,343 1,280 5,631 129,655 |
|
| Expenditure Churchactivities Parish Share Organists Regular running costs Utilities Churchyard Mission giving and donations Fabric Cost of generating funds Spring Fair Art Exhibition Other Events |
16,883 697 5,215 2,343 1,280 - - |
||
| 26,418 | 135,286 161,705 |
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| - | 5,110 58 272 5,110 58 272 |
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| 5,440 5,440 |
|||
| Total Expenditure | 26,418 | 14(),_726 167,144 72,522 72,256 |
|
| Excess of Receipts over Payments Transfers between funds Movements during the year Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
(266) | ||
| {266) | 72,522 72,256 |
||
| 15,797 15,531 |
172,605 244,861 151,010 223,532 |
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY, STOKE BY NAYLAND. Charity number: 1201810
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