Annual Report and Finanaal Ststements of the Parothial Church Council for the year ended 31st December 2024 The Parish of St John's Church, Doddington Addre55for correspondence.. The Hon. Treasurer. Ewon Gibb. Stjohn's Chtsrch Doddington. DY14 OHL Rector: The Rerfd Prebendary Ashley Buck Bankers: Uoyds Bank, Broad Street. Ludlow Independent Examiner: Mrs. Maureen Field Our web site: www.stlohnsdoddln8ton.org The Parochial Church Council is a re8iStered Charity, number 1208550 The Parochial Church Council of St John's Church Doddington Annual Report for the year ended 31° December 2024 Alrn and Purpose St John's Doddin8ton Parochial Church Council Ithe PCCI has the responsibility of cooperating with the Incumbent. the Re¢d Prebendary Ashley Buck. in promoting within the ecclesiastical parish. the whole mission of the Church, pastoral. evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The Church is a Grade11 Listed Buildin& and the PCC is also responsible for malntalnlng the surroundlng Churchyard. Objectives and Actlvltles The PCC is commltted to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our Church, and to become part of our parish family. When plannin8 our activities, the PCC has considered the Charity Commlssion's guidance on public benefit. and in particular the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. The PCC also tries to ensure it adheres to best practice behaviors in respect of ecolo8ical responsibility. Our seréices and worship put faith into prartice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament. We try to enable ordinary people to INe out their faith as part of our parish family. through: Worship and prayer: learnin8 about the Gospel. and developin8 their knowled8e and trust in Jesus: Provision of pastoral care for people livin8 in the parish. and Mission and community Outreach work. To facilitate thi5 work. it is vital that we maintain the fabric of both the Church and the Churchyard. Athlevements and Performance Worship ond Proyer Consistent with its mlssion and available resour￿$, the PCC is keen to ensure that a range of services are available each month. Currentlythese are held every first Sunday {morning Eucharist) and third Sunday (afternoon Evenin8 Prayer) of the month, supplemented by festival 5eprfices, as dates fall in the month. The PCC see5 its mi55ion a5 reaching beyond the walls of the buildin& out into the community in holding monthly community events. This yearwe have renewed the elertoral Roll. On the roll priorto renewal we had 22 people registered. As well as our regular services, we enable our community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of the journey through life. There was one funeral and two burials of ashes during the year. A monthly Holy Communion Service is also held in Doddington Lodge Care Home. Our annual Carol Service was as usual held Jointly with our friends the Methodists, this year at their Chapel. Deanery Synod One member of the PCC sits on the Diocesan Deanery Synod. This provides the PCC with a link with the churches around us, and also With the Di0￿Se as a whole. It also receives reports from the General Synod. Church FobnTt ond our PmJÈrt We are delighted that during the year after repeated and prolonged efforts the PCC secured the required funding and permissions to start our project of repair and renevrnl of elements of St Johns Church buildin8. The Beacon on the Hill Project. costing approximately £450,0(Ki, funded by 3 portfolio of 11 lelevenl grant making bodies, and lead by our Steering Committee started its work in Ortober 2024. The Project will transform the West end of the Church and ground floorof the Tower and complete the repair all windows, connerting the buildin8 to mains water, frttin8 a toilet, improving access. fittin8 a small 2servery area, and drop-in refreshment area. It will also collect herita8e materials, create a herita8e display space. Durin8 the build elements it will hold events intended to support the community Outreach and heritage leaming. The Project will formally end In May 2025 with a perfomiance of a work Yhe Song of the Hill- created for us by our Songwriter In Resldence. The work will involve numerous local groups of all age5. and the size of the events means it will be held in May 2025 in Ludlow St Laurence's. However, It will be constructed in such way as to allow elements to be broken out and performed separately at later dates in smaller venues. Once the projert started work we had to move our services to the local village Hall, to whom we are also very gratelul for their h05Pitality. We hope to be able to move back into the refurbished Church building In early April 2025. Once the Projert is finished we will alm to keep the buildin8 open from 9am till 5pm each day. The Project changes will honour and complement. and in no way detratt from, the peace and simplicity of the building as a place for continued worship and contemplation. As well as thanks to the skillful and talented contractors and project leaders we work with, we are 50 very grateful to all the volunteers who have helped us during the year at our events and who continueto help In all aspects of the maintenan¢e of the buildin& and in the events and WOTship that take place the￿. Mlsslon ond Evongelism Providing support and events for the community is a demonstration of our faith. During the year to December 2024, outside of the Project we held 7 community events. In addition, we held many Project related events- Including walks, talks. tlle makin& photography, writing events, heritage gathering. Thank you to all our volunteers who helped, and those who attended those events. Our annual Harvest Auction raised £86.50 for Help for Heroes, ahhough payment of this to the charity was not possible until after the vear end. We continue to be active on appropriate Social Media plarforms, and during the Project we built and launched our new website www.st ohnsdoddin on.or which contains information and heritage information from a weatth of talented and generous individuals. as well as detai15 of our church events and seryices. OtherActivitles The PCC holds monthly meetlngs to organize events and sustain the worklngs of the Parish. Our Church Warden also attends local Parlsh Councll meetlngs to provide updates as appropriate. The PCC is a member of Caring for Gods Acre; Eco Church and Shropshire Historic Churches Trust. Flnanclal Revlew The number of activities we have been running mean that we have a number of separate Funds, each which have to be recorded separately and presented in separate fund types, in accordance with accounting best practice. Those funds fall into the categories as follows: Unrestricted, Designated, Restricted and Endowment. Unrestrlcted Funds- The Generdl Fund The fund which manages the day to day running of the Church and Parish is the Unrestricted General Fund I'The General Fund"). Total receipts on the General Fund were £8,388, and payments from this fijnd totaled £5.247 , givin8 what is for the PCC a significant surplus of £3.082. This was because of continued givin& but lower ongoing costs of the building because of it being closed for services, and so being the responsibility of the Project Contrartors. durin8 the wlnter months. We are grateful for regular glvln8, partlcularly through the Parish Givin8 Scheme. The surplus was also contributed to by the continued community events we mana8ed to hold. In accordance with undertakings made to other match-funding providers forthe Beacon of the Hill Project. this surplus wlll be moved to that Project fund to fulfill undertakings on the amount of self-generated funding for the Project. A5 we return to being able to fvIIy use the Church once the project completes, it is unlikely that this level of surplus will be seen in 2025. We also hope that the church improvements will lead to increased use of the facilities by the community and visitors. As a result. costs will rlse, but we hope that, as was envisaged when we UDdertook the Beacon on the Hill Project, the increased Usage brings with it increased donations and earned revenue. so boosting general revenues and sustaining the building into the future. The contribution to the Diocesan 'Parish Offerf- which helps towards the cost of stipends, training and housing costs for the clergy- Increased by nearly 9% this year, a high but necessary rise to keep track with inflation. So far we have been able to pledge to increase our givin8 every year (to attempt to keep pace with inflation) and maintain our practice of honouring 100% of the amount pledged. Designated Funds- Fabric Repair; Graveyard Malntenance." Flower. aock Repalr Designated funds (funds with designated purposes. but where ifthose purposes cannot be met or they end, any remaining funds can then be transferred to the church Unrestricted Fund) are the Fabric Repair Fund. the Churchyard Maintenance Fund; the FlowÈr Fund; the Clock Repair Fund. Donations of £496 were rnade to start a Clock Repair Fund. The PCC has made no applications forfunding for this yet. and this project will be considered once the Beacon Project is completed. Funeral and ashes burial fees are allocated by the PCC to Graveyard maintenance, and these added £1,113 to that fund in 2024. The PCC spent £1,125 on grass cutting and other maintenance work in the graveyard (which bein8 slopin8 and uneven is a beautiful but challenpjng slte, which we continue to maintain so as to be sensitive to both the needs of visitors and those using the graveyard. but also for wildlife and the interests of conservation}. A small sum of money. £40, was given towards flowers for the church and £14 spent. Restilrted Funds- Beacon on the Hlll Project Restricted funds are where money has been 8tven for a specific Restricted purposes and if that purpose cannot be fulfilled, the money has to be returned to the donor. With 11 funders and approximate full end-to-end projert expendtture of £450.000 lincludlng contingency) this is an important project for the PCC. the Community and future users of and visltors to the bulldin8 and the area. Starting the year from 1° January 2024, we had Funds of £18,122 given. and in the bank. During the year we secured additional actual outright grants of £29.OCh) plus drew down match fundin8 {i.e. 8rants for which sums have to be Spent first, before the money spent plus necessary receipts can be submitted for reimbursement} of a further £74.369 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Shropshire Council SPF Fund and The Listed Places of Worship scheme. With all plans and permissions in place the project started in October 2024. One final plece of the jigsaw was securing Bridging loan finance from the Hereford Diocese, for which the PCC are very 8rateful, to allow us to be able to spend the large Capital sums in advance of being able to then claim money back from the main match funding providers. The PCC is tremendously thankful for the support of 311 funding providers. During the year to 31" December 2024. £135.239 was spent. stsrting wsth funds of £18.122 and with outright grants given of £29,000, plus grant drawdowns made by 3151 December of £74,369, the project had net cash oufflow of £13,748. To this the PCC ha5 also added its General Fund surplus forthe year of £3,082. some of which will help pay forthe interest payment on the Diocesan Brid8in8 Loan. The PCC are assured that the Project remains on tar8et for its agreed completing date at the end of March 2025. and is on target for costs. Endowment Fund The PCC ha5 a legacy Endowment Fund the funds of which were endowed to It In the 18ChYs and the capital of which cannot be touched by the PCC. The money is invested wtth CCLA through the CBF Church of England Investment Deposit Fund. Interest 8enerated from this fijnd £29212023- £288) is shown as income for the Gener31 Fund. The capital value of the units changes each year and the capital value of the fund units at the end of the year 31st December 2024 were £241 higher (at £10.775 rfs 10,534 in December 2023} Reserves Policy Once completed the Beacon on the Hlll will have no reserves and the Project will be closed {after suitable snagging and retention period has elapsed). The PCC has resolved to maintain a balance on our General (unrestrittedl Fund. which equates to at least one years unrestricted payments {estimated at £6.1)CX) and that beingthe fund balancÈ) to cover emer8encies. In addition, we aim to build towards and then maintain the same amount in our Fabrlc Repair Fund (£5,154, increased from £4,152 in December 2023) and also the Graveyard Maintenance Fund1£5,988-a £2 fall from December 20231 . After ensuring our ongoing and other Projects are adequately funded, it is our policy to invest any surplus funds with CCLA, through the CBF Church of England Unit Funds. Safe8uardlng The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have regard io House of Bishops. 8uidance on safe8uarding children and vulnerable adults). Volunteers The members of the PCC would like to thank all the volunteers who work so tirelessly to make our Chijrch lively and vibrant communty. Our especial thanks go to our Churchwarden, Celia Gibb. who in addition to warden activities has worked so hard up to and during the project. on all aspects of project control, grant claiming and reportin& workin8 With our projett Herita8e Offi￿r Mr. Jim Grevatte, and supported by the Steering Committee. structure, Governance and Management The method of appointment of PCC members Is set out in the Church Representation Rules. The Council comprises the Incumbent, the Churchwardens, those elected to the Deanery Synod, and other members who are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meetin& by those on the Electoral Roll. Members ofthe congregatlon are encouraged to join the Electoral Roll, and to consider Standing for election to the PCC. The PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance in the parish, and for all financial matters. The full PCC met 9 times duringthe year. Minutes are taken and circulated after each meetin8 by the Secretary. The average level of attendance was 71% {affected by the incapacity of one of our members) The PCC only has one subcommittee, the Project Steering Commwttee, reportlng at each PCC meetln8 to the full PCC. Admlnlstrative Inforniatlon The Church is situated at DoddingtoTr DY14 OHL of the Deanery of Ludlow, in the Dlocese of Hereford. The correspondence address is St John's Church, Doddin8ton. DY14 OHL Le8al and Charltable Status The PCC Is a body corporate IPCC Powers Measure 1956. and the Church Representation Rules 2022) and during the year registered as a Charity with the Charity Commissioners and has registration number 1208550. Prior to registration it was an Excepted Charity covered by the broader registration of the Church of England. PCC members who have served from ISI January 2024 until the date this report was approved were: Ex Officio The Incumbent thurthwarden Deanery Synod Rep Other Elerted Members The Re¢d Prebendary Ashley Buck Chair Mrs Celia Gibb Mr. Ewan Gibb Mrs. Virginia Robinns Mr5. Carol Evans Mrs. WNian Kerry Mrs. Sonla Pearsall Mrs. Doris Smardon All membefs of the PCC are elerted for a period of one year from the date of the APCM. ZC rtgy.¥nd s&ned on Its behalfb also Treasurer to the PCC Secretary Approved by the PCC Rerfd PMb•ndaryPthknI 8atklCh*l Mr. Gibb &•a Ub (Tftasurerl CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examinerfs report on the accounts Independenl Examiner's Report Roport to the I￿￿tea8 of St John's Parochial Church Council. Doddington On accounts for tho year 8nd•d 31# December 2024 Charity no (If any) 1208550 Set out on pages 6-10 Rèspect￿ The chartys trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. rosponsibili1108 of The charity's truste8s consider that an audit is noi required for this year trustees and èxamlnor under section 144 of the Charilies Act 2011 (the Charities Act) aThJ that an independent examination is needed. It is my respjnsibility to.. examine the accounts under sedion 145 of the Charities Act. to follow the procedu￿$ laid down in the general Directions given by tha Charity Cornmission (under section 145(5Xb) of the Charities Act. and to stste vthettw particuLar matters have come to my attention. Basis of independont My examination was (xrried out in accordance wtth general Directions given examinerfs stat8mont by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a rewew of the accounting records kept by the tharity and a comparison of the accounts pres8nted wtth those re￿rds. It also includes rA)nsideration of any unusual rtems or dssdosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from the trustees concemin9 any such matter5. The procedures undertaken do not provide all me evidence that would be required in an audit. and cL)nsequenlly no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'trL and fair, wew, and the re￿rt is limited to those matters set out in the ststement bekn¥. Independent In connection with my examination. no material matters have come to my examIn•￿$ statement att8ntion which gives me cause to believe Ihal in. any material respect". accounting records were rK)t kept in accordance wtth section 130 of the Charityes Act or the acKounts do not a¢xord v￿th the accounting records I have com8 auoss no other mattef5 in conneclion with the èxamination to wt)ich attention shoukj be drawn in order to enable a proper und8rstanding of the accounts lo b8 reached. Signod: Name: Maureen Field Relevant professional qualification(sl or body (rf any): WA Addr•ss: 7 Trtt•rstone Close. Cleehill. SY18 3QZ St John's Church Doddlngton Recelpts and Payments Account- ALL FUNDS For the year 01 January 2024 to 31 December 2024 Total Prior yoar total funds Recel ts and ment all funds funds funds funds funds R￿eipts arKI *gaues lrtome from ctoritable aclfvkns In￿stA￿rtS Oth¥ t￿orne . gr8rts Ot￿r tr•Jirg athities 4,799 241 5.576 32,515 1.113 3,981 662 103.368 5,936 477 112 323 103.368 Total Recelpt8 Paymerts 8,329 115 1.649 103,368 241 113,588 115 39,363 Raisiro 8cIMI Ot￿r gweTrJllLf8 5.133 27.688 109,C65 32.957 109.085 142.137 35,478 Total Payment$ 5.247 136 136.753 35.878 Net pre transfers Transfors.. Gross Irar6fers . Gross Irartsfors b8fv1è8n fuM15 - Exce￿ 1 (defKii) in Yoar Not movement in funds 3,082 1.513 -33,385 241 -28,549 3,485 -3,082 -28.549 -28,549 1,513 -30.303 1,513 40,303 241 241 3,485 3,485 Reconciliatlon of fund movements esso receipls Vs paymerds at b&JirnirYJ ol ygw Excess of r•¢alMs ov•r paYTh￿￿ts at •nd ol th• ymr 10.152 19.637 10.S34 46.323 11,665 -10,667 10,775 17.774 46,323 resented b thè followin Vnr•stri¢t•d named Funds 6,000 DeFlgnat•d aodK Repalr Fu Fab1￿ Rep8 Fl(Mw FUMS 5.155 26 5.155 26 5.988 4,152 ReslrlGt•d -10.667 -10.667 18,123 1.514 SHCT 16k Fuvl endowrnnt Erthmrt CCLA Fu 10,77S 11.665 -10,667 10,775 There may be minor discrepancies in the totals because pence a￿ nol being shown 10.775 10,534 17.774 46,323 st John's PCC Doddlngton: Flnanclal Statements for the year ènded 31 December 2024 Receipts and Payments alc- 2024 21Y23 THE GENERAL FUND - Unrestrlcted General Fund Rocoipts Voluntary rocelpts Rtyular Glvlng Planned giving Collections al servtces Other reojrring donations Grft AMI reLovered 2,083 493 1.068 754 433 3.947 Othor volunlary r•c•ipts Grants Legacies Non-recurring donations and appeals 874 914 874 14 Actlvltles for geneTatlng fund8 Gross income from fundrdislng events 2,395 lftcome frorn invostments Interest- Bank Interest- E￿I￿￿ment Fund 370 477 Church a¢tiviti•s Mission gNing arKI donations Wedding fee5 Dy)cesan Parish Offer Church ulilty costs Church consuma1￿c5 and fi¢7￿erS Church Insurances Cleobury office expenses Membership fees Fire equipment and servrATrJ. d8aniryJ and sundry 11S 326 2.570 329 2,795 87 1.105 347 75 303 45 582 5.247 6.246 Other costs Exc8u of re￿Ipts ¢)ver paymonts Tran8fer lo othgr FuThts 3082 {3082) Bank current and depostl ae¢ounts at 1 January Bank current and deposit a¢¢ounts at 31 Do¢embor 6,000 surplus of £3.082 fcK the year had b68n transferred to Ihe B&•))n on Ihe HHI Restrfjcted Furrtl. St John's Doddington: Financial SL￿Ments for the y￿r ended 31 Decomber 2024 R8ceipls and Payments alc- Designated Funds Fabric. Graveyar4 Flower and Clock Repair Funds 2024 2023 Receipts all Deslgnated Funds Fl¢)weT (und DonatKX)S to Clock rep* fixKI Funerd aTrJ Ashes Inlgmment le 1,113 Paymgnts D•8ignated Funds 14 Sundry repairs Upk88p ol chur¢hywJ and grass 110 1.27S 1.125 1,139 Exc8s• of rgc¢ipts over pa￿￿ents 510 Transfer in from other funds Surplus of income over expenditure for the year Bank QJTrent and deposit acLxyJnts at 1 J8wary 1,003 1,513 10.152 382 9.770 Bank current and depo8lt accounts at 31 D•¢embor combined Designthl Funds 10.152 Réc8lpts and Payments alc- Restrictod Fund: Beacon on the Hlll Fund Recalpts Connexus- gr￿t Bon8frdCtTrust- OLthght grant Ro￿andS Tr￿l- OLrtr*ht Gwrt Sundry fvThJ$ rnlsad ShTiJpshire SPF. draw￿*M Granl trom L6t&1 Pface5 ofWorshlp- N8tional Lott$ry Herib3e Fund - drthtytk￿ffl Garfèld WeWx)n- tyrtrght g Last8tts Hinton - ou￿ht grant Shmpshire Histon"c Churches Tno1- outYvJhl grdnl Local Parish CowK41 Grant-ry 2.1CM) 34.712 9.516 30.140 20.000 5,000 3,000 1,000 103.360 10,159 Payments evaluator I￿$ Proj'ect arxl Hèrftsg8 CoorthnatLY Soryiter irt wdence Wor*shops 8rnJ events 8ullthng and Tgpair WO￿ in Churth Websrte. dyhal outputs and S*Jns, safety. PR, Media aThJ wn(ky 11,835 15.339 4,604 2.720 89.770 8.908 3,576 136.753 Excms of rnc•lpts ovor payimnts Transfgr from other fund5 (33.385) 3,082 10.159 4.478 Net Excess of expenditure over income {30.303) 14.837 Bank ojrrent and deposit accounts al 1 January 19,637 Bank cuff•nt and deposlt accounts at 31 Doc￿nbo1 19.637 St John's Doddington: Flnanclal Statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 Statement of Assets and Llabilities at 31$1 December 2024 tht ￿11 Ettdtthyn Total 2024 Tolal 2023 nd nd In￿StM￿nts CCLA (Investmenl FuThll 10.775 10 534 10.775 10 534 10,775 Cash Funds Cash in Hand Bank Current Account- LW6 B8nk tbposlt P£c*wnt. Lloyds 1955 3.003 85.731 89.334 7.000 10,1 99.959 27,197 . 106.999 37 427 117.n4 47 $61 000 11.665 Nel Asset Surplus I IDefft¢it) L•88'. Liabilities Loan fTOrn Th.￿$0 of Herefo￿ (r8P¥y stsrtirvJ Atyil 2025) 10.n5 100.000 11KI.OIXI 1.630 Ngt Assets1953 Liabllktlg8- Fund Totals- Surplu¥ l (Deficlt) 11.065 17.774 323 Th8 Unrestrict•d fvnd Is the thurch General for 9fy￿al c*urch w. Thè D•$lgnated fund rd8l¢s to fuThts sot ashle PCC to rrwt thè ojst fARetoiiirs th8 Fab￿. Mairtainiry the Churthyartl. Pfoviding Flowers, ar￿ Reluthshing tre Church Chx Thg R•strSded lund rel8te5 to Ihe Bgacon on the Hil Project The Endowmont fvnd re￿Ie$ to h￿tOr￿ Lw. Inccfft tho p¥M￿rt or#Jc*Mmrt is thurch u80 and wthin unrestrtcted fvthJ$. 1. The financial statements of the PCC have been prepared In Xcwd8￿e wlth the Churth Accounting Regulations 2[￿ usirvJ th8 R￿ipts and Payments basis. 2. Th8 followng assets are recognised tmjt rk)t r￿sarilY valued in Ihe Statement of Assets and Liabli ities.. moveable chU￿h fumi%hings held by Church Wardens on Sp￿la1 trust for the PCC arKI which require a faculty for diswsa During the year the PCC borr￿￿￿ £100.000 from the Hereford Thocese. at interest rate of Bank of England base rale plus 1.5%. lo alh)w st to manage th8 large cash crtJfficNts of the Beacon on the Hill project where Signif￿nt cash funds are requred to be expended in advance d beirKJ able to r￿laIM pledged mnies from grant LK#J￿. Approved by the PCC on the I "25 IOLS 1 2025 and ed on its b•holf by". Rerfd Prthrtdary Ashlty Bu