2025-12-31-accounts - The Parochial Church Council Of The Ecclesiastical Parish Of St Nicolas, Old Shoreham In The Diocese Of Chichester

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St Nicolas’ Church, Old Shoreham

St Nicolas’ Church, St Nicolas Lane, Shoreham by Sea BN43 5NH

For the year ended 31st December 2025

The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission

St Nicolas’ Church, Old Shoreham Trustees Annual Report for 2025

Our aims and purposes as a charity

The PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the Church Wardens whilst in vacancy, in:

The promotion of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England;
Promoting in the parish the whole mission of the church, pastoral, social, evangelistic and ecumenical;
Knowing Jesus better and making Him better known;
Practical support and care for people in the parish, from the youngest to the eldest, irrespective of level of need or ability to pay;
Providing financial support to those in need and to other organisations with similar objectives.

What we planned to do to achieve our charitable objectives

During 2025 our aim has been to continue normal services during vacancy and encourage attendance to more community activities and involvement.

When planning our activities for the year, the PCC have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and, in particular, the specific guidance on ‘charities for the advancement of religion’.

The council has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016, fully recognising its duty to have due regard to the House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

During the year we discussed and planned the following objectives and activities to fulfil our aims:

Enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church
Enabling as many people as possible to become part of our parish community
Teaching, baptising and nurturing new and existing believers
Maintaining an overview of worship throughout the parish
Considering how services can involve the many groups that live within the parish
Putting faith into practice, through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament
Offering worship and prayer, learning about the Gospel, in small group situations
Holding courses to advance religion and e-learning educational courses, such as safeguarding
Assisting people from all walks of life to develop their knowledge of, and trust in, Jesus
Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish
Reaching out to the unchurched through provision of Coffee Mornings and other events such as concerts and presentations
Maintaining the fabric of the church building as a historic centre and focus of life in the town.

What we achieved and how we affected beneficiaries’ lives

Attendance at worship

We welcome all worshipers whether from within or outside the parish boundary. Visitors attend by personal choice and it is our great pleasure to welcome anyone from all walks of life to take part in the life of the church. We believe that voluntary attendance to worship the Lord Jesus Christ is a major demonstration of the public benefit of our activities.

The average regular weekly attendance was 40 adults and 2 children. This excludes additional congregation for baptisms and special services.

We look to encourage the deepening of faith for all ages alongside our services.

On Easter Sunday all members of the congregation were given an Easter egg.

Christmas gives us very special times to celebrate the birth of Christ. The Nine Lessons & Carols service was very well attended with no spare seats. Our choir was joined by members of other local choirs, including St Peters Catholic Church, and their joyous singing was appreciated by everyone. The youngest singer was 3- year-old Ariel who received a round of applause for her rendition of little donkey. We were once again able to follow the service with mulled wine and mince pies, enabling the choir and attendees to mix and chat. On Christmas Eve, a crib service was held in the afternoon and Midnight Mass was celebrated in a beautifully decorated and candlelit church, with both services being well attended.

There is still a sad lack of attendance by families which we continue to try and address. On the first Sunday of every month Sung Evening Prayer is held in the church. There is a Said Eucharist every Sunday at 8:30am, with the 2[nd] Sunday being based upon the Book of Common Prayer. Also every Sunday at 10:00am there is a Sung Eucharist with the 3[rd] Sunday of the month being Traditional Language.

It has been a bonus to have the choir at the 10:00am service each week, led by our enthusiastic organist Lena.

All Souls Service continues to offer comfort to a great many people

We would like to thank retired clergy from the area who have enabled us to maintain our schedule of services, and stood in at short notice when needed. Particular thanks go to Rev Pat, Rev Paul and Rev Jonathan.

Mission

We have continued to hold the Mission Plan ‘Benefice Vision 2022’ set at the APCM in 2019

This year we continued with our new Mission Plan together with our partners in the United Benefice, the Parish of Kingston Buci. We endeavoured to continue our vision statement “God calls us to be a community of faith, hope, and love”.

Teaching, baptising and nurturing new and existing believers

During the year there were:

5 baptisms – 4 children and 1 adult
1 adult confirmation for a member of the congregation
1 funeral conducted in church
2 interments of ashes

We were privileged to be asked to hold the Remembrance Service for the 10[th] anniversary of the Shoreham Air Crash. The families of the victims liaised with Rev Pat, and our organist Lena, to arrange an uplifting and memorable service attended by 150 people, including local dignitaries, members of the Emergency Services and people affected by the incident.

Evangelism and outreach

The monthly coffee mornings, organised by Helen Harvey, Sue Emberlin and their team, have become even more popular and raised £4861 with a total of £739.55 over 2 coffee mornings being sent to the Children’s Society and Macmillan Cancer Support and the remainder to pay for the organist and music. It has been a joy to welcome many more new faces from Shoreham who now put the monthly date on their calendars.

Our partnership with FOldS (Friends of Old Shoreham), to promote Old Shoreham and create a sense of community has continued to be very successful. They are keen to promote the history of Old Shoreham of which St Nicolas lies at the heart. St Nicolas hosted two of their music concerts, together with history talks, along with facilitating nine of their workshops. Their Summer Fayre in June coincided with our coffee morning and our volunteers continued to serve tea, coffee and cake well into the afternoon. They also hold some of their meetings at our monthly coffee mornings, which increases the attendance and brings more of the local community into the church. FOldS ‘greening’ group have continued their excellent work maintaining the borders and paths of the churchyard, together with clearing memorial stones that had become overgrown.

Shoreham District Ornithological Society has installed over twenty bird boxes in the churchyard many of which have been used.

The Shoreham Chamber choir continue to use the church for rehearsals. We once again held our Patronal Festival Quiz Night at St Nicolas and St Mary’s School and had 63 attendees, who also enjoyed a fish and chip supper. This raised £276 for the Friends of St Nicolas.

In May, St Nicolas and St Mary’s School choir put on a concert in the church which raised £290 for Christian Aid. With our May collection and Christmas gift envelopes the total raised for Christian Aid for 2025 (including Gift Aid donations) was £606.95

By popular demand we held another Hymns & Pimms in the churchyard in June. Our organist and choir led the singing and the event was well attended with over 50 people.

In total this year there were 7 concerts held in the church, including a very popular “Sing a Long” led by our choir member Nicole and her sister Becky, to celebrate the 80[th] anniversary of the end of the 2nd world war. This was a memorable occasion, helped out by 3-year-old Ariel. It was heartwarming to see so many people leave with smiles on their faces after such an enjoyable afternoon.

There were three organised visits to the church (U3A, SPAB and Henfield History Group) in addition to year 5 children from St Nicolas and St Mary’s School

The church was also used for Children’s Piano examinations.

Church Newsletters have been delivered to those who do not have email. Telephone contact has been made to those who have been unwell.

Provision of the church building for people to enjoy

Our church continues to be appreciated by our parishioners and many others as a space where life events are celebrated with joy and thanksgiving.

It is important to us that the church is available for private prayer, not just to the church family, but also to the wider visiting community. The church is always open daily, not simply for the enjoyment of visitors from various parts of the world, to an ancient and architecturally important building, but to allow space for private reflection and prayer. Our Visitor’s Book is full of tributes from visitors who enjoy the sense of peace and spiritual comfort here, and of their gratitude for the church being open.

Quotes:

Amazing historical Church, beautiful inside and out.

Wonderful and still a very active part of the community.

A lovely place to stay and pray

Something peaceful about this church, absolutely lovely. A very welcoming church. Thank you.

Provision of pastoral care for people living in the parish

The Pastoral Care Team, was responsible for hospital visits and home communion. The team also visits 3 care homes locally with a regular number of residents receiving communion. Rev Pat has continued to hold services at the school of St Nicolas & St Mary, with Fr Dominic, the vicar of St Mary de Haura, also in attendance.

Provision of tangible support to the poor and needy

The congregation have continued their generous support of the Shoreham and Adur Community Food Bank throughout the year, including the harvest collection. At our December Coffee morning a raffle was held in aid of the food bank, which raised £100. We also raised further funds for Christian Aid through envelope donations instead of sending Christmas Cards.

Other charitable giving

The weekly parish newsletter continues to be distributed to all who have requested it by email and by being available in the Church, free of charge. This helps to maintain links between the church family and those who have not yet felt the need to take part in what we do.

Throughout the year, we have raised funds at the coffee mornings: £312.55 for The Children’s Society, £427 for the Macmillan Nurses. During Lent we had a collection jar for Water Aid. Over the year we also raised £606.75 (including Gift Aid) for Christian Aid.

Financial Review – supplied by Treasurer Gillian Powell

Good news is that planned giving for 2025 increased, which also led to an increase in claimed gift aid - thank you to Cliff Emberlin. Bank interest remained roughly the same as the previous year.

There were increased costs in insurance, gas, electricity, water, church maintenance and rectory cost also increased due to some bills not being passed on in 2024.

But office expenses and regular church running costs decreased.

We were able to increase our charitable donations through fund raising and also considerably increase our parish share.

As a result the total amount in our bank accounts was only £450 less than 2024.

The contactless card reader continues to be increasingly used, providing very useful income, as has the donation box.

Sharing the ministry costs of the Diocese of Chichester

The largest expenditure of the PCC was the sum of £25,184.00 paid to the diocese towards our share of all churches’ Parish Ministry Costs. This is an increase of £5000 on our original pledge, to prove to the Diocese that we could finance ‘A House for Duty Priest’ in the future. Even though we are in an interregnum Parish Ministry Costs still have to be paid, along with the associated costs of the Rectory. Since January 2024, I have also been responsible for the administration of the rectory finances for the Benefice, which initially for various reasons was quite challenging to sort out.

Staff costs: The PCC pays for an organist/pianist, payroll support and someone to produce the newsletter. Further details are provided in the notes to the accounts.

There were no payments related to Charity Trustees (ie the members of the PCC) or connected to the trustees.

Structure, governance and management of the charity

The PCC is registered with the Charity Commission.

The Annual General Meeting of Parishioners was held on Sunday 23[rd] March 2025, at 11am.

From that time the following served as members of the Parochial Church Council:

Churchwardens: Sue Bartlett, Gill Powell Chairperson Sue Bartlett Elected Members: (Until APCM 2026) Nicky Buckman (Secretary) Nigel Divers Jeannette Simpson (Until APCM 2027) Felicity Batten Ro Hotston (Until APCM 2028) Sarah Burtt John Simpson

Co-opted: Rev Pat Alden, Sue Emberlin

Deanery Synod: Vacant

Membership of the PCC is determined under the Church Representation Rules and consists of certain ex-officio members (the incumbent/priest-in-charge, curate, lay readers licensed to officiate in the church), the churchwardens and members of the Deanery, Diocesan or General Synods and 3 members of the church who are elected at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM). Members are warmly encouraged to stand for election to the PCC and we try to ensure a balance of skills and experience where possible.

The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Discipline Measure 2016 (duty to have due regard to House of Bishops' guidance on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).

This Trustees’ Annual Report was approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf by Sue Bartlett, PCC Chairman

Signed:

Date……3 February 2026……………………………………………

Annual Financial Report The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Nicolas, Church, Old Shoreham St Nicolas, Lane, Shoreham-by-sea BN43 5NH For the year ended 31st December 2025 CONTENTS Page Statement of financial receipts and payments Statement of assets and Ilabllltles Notes to the accounts Report of the independent examiner

Summary of Financial Receipts and Payments Unrestrirted General Denated Fund Funds Tot Totol All Funds 2024 P4¢xes All Funds 2025 Fund Iorne a1 eDd*ert5 from: Donation5 and legacies CtharKable atti¥ities 34.643 .. 34,643 1438 1,157 42.488 1.076 1.157 other trading activlties Investrnent5 Other receipts 4.102 4.102 4.202 Total recep4ed 41,340 47,766 Expenditure on.. Cost of r3isinB Mnds Charitable costs Trading costs Other payments 41468 zz 40.877 23 22 424 Total pald 42.490 41490 41.323 Reconciliution olfvnd5.' Net Inor (net expendlturel 6.443 Translers between fvnds 14et movernent in fvrs 6.443 Bank aciount5 at l January 202S 152,411 152.411 146.270 Bank atcounti at 31 DetÈmbÈr 2025 152.261 152.261 152,713 St Nlcolas Old Shorèham ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT Pag• I

Notes to the Annual Financial Report The flnandal statemerts of the PCC have been prepared In accordance wlth the char5t$ Aci 1011 and urth Actaufitlw Re8ultlohs. uslnithe RÈtèlpts ihd Paymtnts basls. The Idlow assets we rerrynlsed Iwt not vued In Statement ofA55ets and Uabllltles: Mv4ablethurth fvrntshln85 hekl * the chur(hwarden$ on spe(fjal tnjrtfor the Pffj wN(h regul a h(ulty fordtsFwl. AnatysL5 oltotal (el¥e Unrestrkted General Deslgnated Fu Funds Total All Funds 2025 Tothl All Fund5 2024 Notes Restrlrted Fund Planned 8Svln8 (excl. tax refunds) P12nned glvlne Ino tax rÈfundsl Loose cash collections One-off Donations Sda1 ap315 Gift recovered VAT Refund LegatlÈs Other Grants 18.114 18.114 15,472 6.744 25 6.744 25 6,172 1,279 1,354 5.852 303 178 5.852 303 178 3.404 21 2,656 6,760 22 0Dnaon& and k8ades Fees for weddin8s & funÉYals Charknble actlvwes 34.643 1,157 34*43 1,157 LIS7 1,076 1076 Sundry income Other trathniKttr4ltles nk Inietest 4.102 4.102 4.102 4.102 4.202 4202 In¥estmeTht5 Olher receipts Total reIVed on all lunds 42.340 39302 47.766 St Nlcokis Old Shorglwn AMNUAL FINANCLAL RepoRT Page 3 io

Notes to the Annual Financial Report 4 Affil$ oftrt•l p•id.. Toial All FurKIs ZOZ5 Totol 11 FuFJd5 2024 14otes General tsewnated: KestfKted Fund Fund Other appeals expenses t05t of valsini funth Charitable Don?tions Parish share to Chichester Diocese DBF Fees Salarles and honoraria Incl 141 OÈrgy and RÈctoryexpenses Mission & evan¢elism Costsie rUnnin¢ts Insuranie Water, Gas, Eleclrlclty. and thl Prlnik & phototopwng Share of Parish Ofte eApwses Other rÈ8ular Ihurih runnin8COSIS Accounting and Exarniner'5fees Churth MainnanCe redecoratlon Restoration of damaged yn&) Cffiaritable iosts 1.814 25.184 39 2,777 1.224 1.814 25.184 39 2,777 1.224 19.80CI 679.6 4,03A 1.178 2,356 5,126 2,356 5,126 2.294 484 496 1,032 496 1.032 1087 1848.5 2.420 2.420 392.18 2.954 37,923 42468 4J2868 Web Pages Publicatior Othertradin8 Costs Tradlngcost5 Other ments 22 22 Total pakl on knds 41490 9D 37.945 5 lrtdudesam0 rabed by spÈtlal tdlÈttior& such a$ Chrfstlan Ald. Chlldrtn's Sodety. WatÈrAId. Macmlllian Cancer Suppor( Adur Foodbanketc whlch are dexribed in the Re¥lew of the Year. 6 The Paylsh share to the Chlchester Olocese Is for the payment of Clergy and othercentral costs. The lull cost ot parlsh mlnLstry li £81A45. Thb Is shared wlth Klngstort Butl Istjullan's & St Glles'l on 60=40 basls aOrdIng ¢0 the Rector5 tlme Spent ser¥i(e5 at each par15h, althou8h we have been unabbe to pledge the full amount ol our share which is £32,578. Cler8y expenses are shared wlth KIng$t Bucl 1st Jullan's and St Glles'l on a 50.50 bas1& Parlsh Ollkè ÈxpÈnsts arè SPI e4ualty bÉtweÈn tht thrtÈ thurdL ThÈtotl IncludÈs prlntlh8 ènd photocopyln 7 Rertory costs remained rou8hly the same due to some bi115 not beiTr8 recel¥ed In ZOZ4 8 6IftAld L5 r(}Verable on donatlons recelved lorthe l¥st quarter of 202$ St NICO Shor•ham ANNUAL FINANCIALREPIJIT P49• 4

Notes to the Annual Financial Report 9 Paymentsto PCC Employtts IOryahlstslAdmlh AsslrtanVPyrdll 102S 2024 Way5. lIvIE5 ar or¥I11 EmgloyerN•tion•l InrOI 2,346 3.5 431 1777 4,03B AdThIn C051shirqd ew¥ltywhstGleS1ThJ StTr4iin5. 10 The only paymthts mado to PCC membèrs In the yearwè lor.. Relmbursefflent ol goods bought for thurth use.. ele lhts. ndles, malntenance matsda15,ets 11 Therewere notran5•thn5 vthh perwn$ related to PCC meml>er& 12 Therewlll be mlnordt5(rep•rKSes In the totals a5the penceare not shown. 13 No professSonal fvndralsercayrfed out any1dralSfjn1actIvle5. 14 5tstement of lund El011& DrequIdty thEdonors to beinbestedond the 1nr0mespenttsPec1jk No Restrlrtedfvndsarenorlnstedefrn0ftentAybknrt?rt tohespent thAll recsont trmesrnles Non LlirestrlrtEdlsttJds ore nDtsubkctto anyéonorrestrlrtlL47sondts7nbespentos the Pccdec FurMI Inec¥n• and exp•ndllurn and Ilnal bJlanc•• ar• a• lollo BaL4ntÈs blfwd l Jan 20Z5 Trnhsfèrs. fwd JI Dec ZU25 E endrfiure. ID55e5 Pilgriffjs &Toddlers YthwOrk Totsi ol desnatd funds GEnefal fund Totsl DI 311 ¥nrE5tritled fvni15 Totslfvnd5 *NleolagOld $hor4ham ANNUAL FIP4ANelAL REPORT P•Bq J 12

Independent Examinerfs Report to the PCC of St Nicolas, Church, Old Shoreham for the Year Ended 31st December, 2025 Thi5 isrny rerthtothc Par(h Churth CIM1] of tlr Ercl&£iasticat Parisb IPCCI oFSINicola& Old Shercham. on th¢ forth¢y¢ar¢nd¢d 31st 20 setoutoD pages I to 5 Respttknve rr4bIlle5 of tswsteesand exllitier Th¢ PCC memE¢rs gre r¢SwLbIe ford pparatIonOftk aDDual repxts. Thc PCC ]nembets coDstderthat aD audit is required fortkn"s y¢aruThJersedion 144ofthe Ckniti¢sAct2011 CMF¢ Clwi"tsesAtLJ attdthat ats it(kElteX&MlnatIon i5 tteded It l5 my p)nsibIlitY io.. ¢xami]r th¢ accLNJnts WrlI 145 ofth Cban'tics ts> follow the pT¢xcthS Iw"d dowD g[1 Dirti¢%)S given by t Charjty Comm1w (wid¢r sects.oft 145(5Xbl of Chatiti¢5Ac¢ aJ¥J ts> sLatz partirularmatters have tomy att¢ntion. Basks OfillthdetheX1mler,s statement My CXamtion wascanied out in arA)rd with 881 Dite¢tiix given by th¢ Charity Commi&8ton. ¢xamiLUtiots ittludes a Te£WOf1 )unting records kcptby thcchatity and ac(Kllpari5on of the accoutt pwntcd tecords. Ital iwlthcOn5er&tith of wjusual items Ordi10$$ in th¢ untstaku) ¢Jo prnde the esTrdetrx thatwwid trÉ required im an I11. alldco]]sequeDt]y opinion gi¥¢tt as to whether th£ wcs¢nt a'tme aod fwr'view Itsd [BrtiS lirnitrJ to thiw matt¢r5 S¢toJt IDthptUdeteX0ThineT'5 Statement In ry)ntKttion with my examinatiott0 ]naterÈal ]JJattas Ive Lx>Jne tomy alkntityl which givcsmc ¢ae to believe JD. any rascrial rw¢ct.' accthLtititig letords weTe tt kept ]]) with 11()0 130 ofthc CJJarititsALt or the accouDts do ]tar th¢ accounbng rttor I have cotne nooth¢r]Datt¢r5 in rA)mJ¢Ctl wryth tkexaminatirm iowhich at*nti(%t s]K>uid bB draw in Mr I Banleu 44 Mill LanB ShoT¢lwn.by.Se& WesL s BN43 SNA St Nscolas ¢Jthl Shoreham ANNLIAL FINAW¢IAL REP¢XRT Pageo 13

The PCC Financial Report for the year ended 31st December 2025, including the notes following, was approved by the PCC and signed on their behalf by Sue Bartlett, PCC Chairman:

……………………………………….………………………..

Date …26 February 2026………………………………………………………