## **St. Andrew’s Church in the Westlands, - - Newcastle under Lyme** ## **in the Diocese of Lichfeld** www.churchinthewestlands.org.uk ## **ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL** _CHARITY COMMISSION REFERENCE 1132163_ ## **ANNUAL ACCOUNTS 2021** (Incorporating the Annual Accounts of the Lichfield Diocesan Trust no 1439 St Andrew the Westlands) ## **Incumbent:** Revd Andrew Dawswell The Vicarage 50, Kingsway West Newcastle-under-Lyme ST5 3PU **Bank: Examiner:** National Westminster Bank plc **Independent** Richard Booth 75, High Street, Ave, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 1PN 117 Dartmouth Newcastle-under- Staffordshire ST5 3NR ## **Welcome** Welcome to the Annual Report and Accounts of St. Andrew’s Church, Westlands and welcome to our Church, whether you are a regular or a newcomer just paying us a visit. Please come back soon! A special welcome to any who have joined us for the first time this year, it is good to have new people with us as we try and grow together as part of God’s Church here in the Westlands. The Annual Report should provide you with all the legally required information, but hopefully it will also provide you with a flavour of what has taken place at St. Andrews over the last year. This will also be supplemented by a number of other reports to be presented at the short Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) on Sunday 29[th] May at 6.30pm. Please feel free to join us then if you can. If you would like to know more about our work then please ask the Vicar, Churchwardens or any other members of the Parochial Church Council (PCC). ## **Administrative Information** St. Andrew’s is situated at the top of Pilkington Avenue in the heart of the Westlands. St. Andrews is registered as a Charity with the Charity Commission, reference 1132163, as _The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Andrew, the Westlands_ . Its working name is _St. Andrew’s PCC, Westlands_ and further details of our registration can be found on the Charity Commission website, along with Annual Reports from previous years, which can also be found on the Church website. - 2 - The Correspondence address for the Charity is that of the Vicarage: 50, Kingsway West, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 3PU - 3 - ## **Trustees** The Trustees of the Charity are the members of the PCC of St. Andrews Church in the Westlands. Members of the PCC are either ex officio or elected by the APCM in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. Our vicar, Andrew Dawswell serves as Chairman, along with: Until May 2021: Sue Tattersall (churchwarden), Alan Swanborough, Helen Collins (Churchwarden), Jenny Boston, Diana Cotes, Sara Froggatt, Helen McGarry, Gillian Moss, Stuart Rushton, Margaret Hollins (Secretary) Steve Forrester (treasurer), Irene Hardacre, Tracey Holland, Jane Machin, Sam Jones & Paul Honeyfield; and our deanery synod reps: Glenys Gill, Helen Swanborough & John Soto From May 2021: Margaret Hollins (churchwarden), Alan Swanborough, Helen Collins (Churchwarden), Jenny Boston, Sara Froggatt, Helen McGarry, Gillian Moss, Stuart Rushton, Margaret Hollins, Steve Forrester (treasurer), Irene Hardacre, Jane Machin, Sam Jones (Secretary from November), Stuart Jackson, Tania Arnold, Bob Bell, Naomi Savage & Paul Honeyfield; and our deanery synod reps: Glenys Gill, Helen Swanborough & John Soto . Chris Gill, on reelection to General Synod, resumed active membership of PCC in Nov’21 ## **Structure, governance and management** The PCC is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure (1956), as amended, and the Church Representation Rules. As well as having oversight of the general finances of the Church, the PCC are also Managing Trustees of the Lichfield Diocesan Trust no 1439 St Andrew the Westlands (a separate charity with registration number 203230). The capital element of this trust has for many years been invested so as to provide an income stream for the Church, the capital element being held as restricted funds and the interest or income being paid over to the main charity to be utilised by the PCC for the work of the Church generally. We envisage however that the whole of this trust is likely to be expended in the coming year as part of the financing of our major building project. The finances for this trust are incorporated within the financial statements that follow. The PCC has ultimate responsibility for a wide range of matters affecting the Parish and endeavours to keep itself abreast of current information on such issues as Health and Safety, Disability Discrimination legislation and Child Protection either through “local” guidance or through wider Diocesan advice, or often a mixture of both. Apart from the Standing Committee of the PCC, the Church has three significant ongoing committees to consider its important areas of work – Worship; Mission Partners; Facilities; & Buildings Development. PCC members generally each serve on at least one committee along with others who have a keen interest in the particular area covered by the committee. These committees will bring recommendations to the PCC for consideration. Each has a delegated authority to spend up to £200. Non-routine expenditure above this sum requires two quotations and Standing Committee authorisation. - 4 - - In addition a Funding committee for the New hall project began meeting in March, and they have also discussed other details of the project - Our Covid Committee also met regularly till August to look at the Government guidance and decide how best to apply it to our church. Since then major decisions have been taken by the PCC, more minor ones by the vicar & wardens ## **Objectives and Activities** The primary objective of the PCC is to promote the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and in accordance with the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure (1956), as amended, it co-operates with the minister in promoting within the parish the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. Although the Church in the Westlands locale ecumenical partnership finished when St Peter’s closed in the spring, we are currently still continuing to use the same mission statement: ‘we are committed in the power of the Holy Spirit that our worship, service and witness will demonstrate to everyone the love of Jesus Christ.’ ## **Public Benefit** The trustees of the Charity are aware of the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in The Advancement of Religion for the Public Benefit and have had regard to it in their administration of the Charity. The trustees believe that, by promoting the work of the Church of England in the Ecclesiastical Parish of Saint Andrew, the Westlands, it helps to promote the whole mission of the Church (pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical) more effectively, within the Ecclesiastical Parish, and that in doing so it provides a benefit to the public by: - Providing facilities for public worship, pastoral care and spiritual, moral and intellectual development, both for its members and for anyone who wishes to benefit from what the Church offers; and - Promoting Christian values, and service by members of the Church in and to their communities, to the benefit of individuals and society as a whole. ## **Volunteer Input** In all of this, we are immensely grateful for all those who willingly give of their time to contribute to the charitable activities of the PCC or in providing funds. The extensive nature of all our volunteers is such that it would be almost impossible to quantify the contribution in terms of hours or an indicative value of this contribution. Many of those on our Electoral Roll are willing volunteers in one form or another and the work undertaken in meeting our objectives simply could not happen without the considerable contribution of many people within the Parish and beyond. ## **Achievements and Performance** - 5 - As the end of December 2020 arrived, the country had returned to Tier 4 of lockdown due to Covid-19. This meant that places at services had to be booked, with a strict limit on numbers attending, and everyone was wearing face coverings. There was no singing or mingling either before or after services. Online services were available either using the internet and telephone –including Tuesday morning prayer and Friday compline via zoom; Sunday 9 am and 11 am services taking place in-person However, the national situation in early January 2021 meant that the Covid Committee and the PCC decided, with heavy hearts, that we could no longer continue with face to face worship for some months. Services continued using the internet and telephone, and we experimented with having after-service Zoom get-togethers, providing our own coffee! With a mix of help from the Parish Secretary and volunteers, Thursday morning church opening for individual prayer continued. Weekly news updates were issued by Andrew and have been a welcome source of information and contact for everyone. Printed materials were delivered by volunteers to those who do not use the internet, along with a number of people maintaining pastoral contact with others by phone, including several weekly conference calls to small groups. The PCC and other committees continued to meet via Zoom, and a fantastic band of volunteers continued to support the more vulnerable and isolated members of our congregation. Volunteers have continued to act as stewards for the 9 am and 11 am/10.30 am services when we have been able to worship in church. Prayer meetings and Friday Compline were also arranged using Zoom. Monday evening quizzes were organised via Zoom and were popular. Funerals were particularly difficult for families at this time, with numbers attending being restricted to 30 maximum. Towards the end of January, we sadly heard that our long-term ecumenical partner, St. Peter’s Methodist Church, had decided that it was no longer viable and voted to close down. We gave thanks for 47 years of formal partnership (plus several years of informal working together prior to formal agreement), many friends made over the years, and many joint events and achievements carried out. At the beginning of March, several of St. Andrew’s congregation helped to clear out St. Peter’s Church and Hall; a burst pipe in the hall had precipitated a rather sudden exit. The office of the Parish Secretary also had to be moved to St. Andrew’s choir vestry, and one (fortunately dry) morning saw furniture and a large photocopier being wheeled across the road by a small band of helpers. Michelle is now safely located in the choir vestry and we are very grateful to her for turning her hand to so many tasks throughout difficult times. St. Andrew’s offered a very warm welcome to any congregation members of St. Peter’s who wished to join us, and several have taken up this offer. Because of Covid, our previous monthly deliveries of Link had to be curtailed, but we managed to produce and deliver 4 editions to keep the community in touch with our activities during the year. This was produced and copied inhouse, largely by volunteers, and we were grateful to many previous deliverers who stepped forward and also took additional copies around, following the loss of some St. Peter’s deliverers. Forget-me-not café was able to recommence in August in the church hall to afford more space for social distancing. Also in August, we were able to re- - 6 - start the flower rota, having been grateful to Diana Cotes for providing floral decorations throughout the restrictions. We were able to hold our Annual General Meeting after the morning service at the end of May, and in June we launched the Faith in the future appeal . ## Face to face worship; Special services and events As the national vaccination programme rolled out, it was decided by the PCC to resume weekly public worship on Easter Sunday, when an outdoor Easter service for over 70 people was held in front of the church steps, with thankfully good weather. 9 am and 11 am in person services resumed thereafter, with limited numbers and pre-booking, and with some services held outside in good weather. In Holy Week, we had an on-line Riding Lights performance of “Breaking Day” – a virtual Passion Play, via Zoom, which was enjoyed by many. On 23[rd] March, a National Day of Reflection was held, and Andrew provided several prayers for us to use. In June, Thursday communion and Wednesday prayer meetings were able to recommence, along with home communion, bereavement team and some other pastoral visits. We also decided to restart outdoor coffee after the midmorning service. In July, we recommenced singing (albeit with masks) at the mid-morning service, and dropped the necessity to book a place. At the beginning of September, Sunday evening services at 6.30 pm were restarted, and in October, it was decided to change back to a 10.30 am morning service instead of 11 am, and to no longer require mask-wearing for this service, although a mask-wearing zone of the church was available for those who wanted to use it. Also in October, a memorial and thanksgiving service was held in church, which had not been possible in 2020, and the choir and band also re-started. We have been very grateful to have music played throughout the pandemic, and thanks go to Geoffrey, Marie, Peter and Sam for their marvellous playing which has kept our spirits up. ## Homegroup Bible Studies Homegroups were conducted via Zoom. A study of Ephesians concluded in early February and a Lent course called “Experiencing God” commenced in late February. Summer home groups were also held initially via Zoom. From April to July, the groups studied “Jesus through Old Testament Eyes”; and we then began a series on Mission in the Autumn ## Mission In January, the PCC carried out a review of the support given to mission partners, and voted to financially support two agencies that are new to us – Brighter Futures and Open Doors, in addition to our contributions to the Church Mission Society (sponsoring Jimmy and Katia Rocks in Brazil), Tearfund, the Bible Society and Scripture Union. The Rocks have continued to send us updates about their work in the face of the problems of the pandemic. Unfortunately because of restrictions, we were unable to hold our customary Tearfund Open café in May. However, Sandra Baker sold plants and raised £100, which went to Tearfund. We also continued to support Christian Aid week (£850 + gift aid) and the annual collection for the Children’s Society (over £200) via congregation members leaving donation envelopes through collectors’ doors, and donations to the local Foodbank were also maintained. - 7 - The customary Toy service in December saw a large amount of toys, games and toiletries donated to Glow (formerly ARCH) refuge in Newcastle. These were very gratefully accepted. ## Children and Families Worker Throughout the difficulties of Covid, Naomi continued to provide videos, Facebook and on-line support and events for children and families, and her cat Antonio became a familiar part of these! In April, we were able to resume Children’s Sunday worship and Little Sparklers on a Tuesday, all in the church hall to ensure sufficient spacing. Naomi kept Xcite going on line, though by the end of the year it was generally taking place in the hall Outdoor events such as a Fruit of the Spirit Trail, an Art Trail, a Superheroes/Teddies picnic, a Sports Day and a Prayer Trail were offered and proved popular. The year ended well with a well attended Christingle service in church, and the traditional Christmas Eve crib service. _Margaret Hollins, Churchwarden_ ## **Health And Safety** Jane Machin took on the role of H&S officer in November and writes: Being new to the role of Health and Safety Officer I started by reading the existing documentation and online advice. Thanks to Steve Holland, the previous officer, for the documentation that he provided, especially in relation to the COVID rules. Following the advice of the National Candle Association candle, snuffers were introduced at both Services using candles. Additional fire blankets are now in Church. It was identified that First Aid training and a fire drill were required and have been planned for the first half of 2022. ## **2021 Report on the fabric of the church** Maintenance of the church buildings is overseen by the Facilities Committee. This is the new name adopted by the former Business Committee at the end of 2021. The committee was chaired by Steve Holland until June 2021, and Helen Collins from July 2021 onwards. They met for seven meetings this year, five of which were via Zoom video conferencing and two face to face. ## Church Building Due to the third national Covid lockdown, the church building had to remain closed from the beginning of the year until Easter. Following the sad closure of our partners at St Peter’s Methodist church in March, new office space was required hence it was decided to re-organise the choir vestry. A desk and office equipment including a copier has been moved in for the use of our part-time church secretary. Two large, high-level maintenance projects have been completed this year to fulfil work required from our 2019 QI inspection. Firstly, a roofing conservation contractor was appointed to strip back, repair and repaint all of the concrete window surrounds and metal frames with longlasting specialist paint. They also removed all the cast iron guttering and downpipes, repaired and repainted them before re-fixing, and also repainted all the wooden soffits and fascias. - 8 - Secondly, a concrete specialist contractor has stripped back the concrete bell tower, made repairs and then repainted in a mineral paint that matches the window surrounds. Also, following a specialist bell inspection, the contractor replaced the bell rope and treated some corrosion on the metal bell supports, paying regard to a visit from the DAC bell inspector. We are grateful to several people who left legacies to St Andrew’s that made the funding for this work possible. Hopefully this work will keep the church looking smart for many years to come. Other, smaller maintenance jobs on the church this year include an additional pipe thermostat to better control the boiler, a replacement feeder pipe for the boiler, new timers for external lights, repairs to the entrance hand rail, and the annual routine servicing of the fire extinguishers and boiler. Volunteers also gave the internal lower windows a welcome and long –overdue clean (!) and regular volunteers continue routine tasks including silver polishing and linen washing. The PCC this year approved a new Annual Maintenance Plan which details which inspections are needed and when so we are better able to keep on top of necessary regular maintenance. ## Church Hall Maintenance on the Hall has been kept to a minimum due to the plans to sell it off during 2022. An electrician has been out to check the safety of the switch controlling some wall heaters and one broken window was boarded up (due to the frame being too rotten to make re-glazing straightforward). A gas safety check was carried out on the kitchen hob in early 2022. ## _Lettings_ Covid restrictions mean there have been several months when the hall has not been used. External lettings have remained very low, as several of our long term group hirers have decided to cease activities altogether. There were twelve one –off bookings and, by the end of the year, five regular external hirers. The main church building was hired on one occasion this year Church grounds Our lawns have been cut fortnightly in the growing season by North Staffs Lawn Care and all are very satisfied by their work. Flower beds have been maintained by church volunteers over four gardening days during July and September and also by a small number of dedicated volunteers who have taken responsibility throughout the year for individual beds and hedges. Other Our Health and Safety officer was Steve Holland until June 2021, and the role was taken over by Jane Machin from November. We hold three policies through Ecclesiastical Insurance- for the Church building, the Church Hall and for Engineering insurance (which covers equipment such as the boiler and heating system). No claims have been made this year. We are very grateful to members of the Facilities Committee and all the other church volunteers who give their time and energies to keep our buildings, contents and grounds in such good condition. We couldn’t manage without you! ## **Faith in the Future / New Hall Project** - 9 - Work has progressed apace on the many strands of the new hall project during 2021. ## a) Fund Raising A New Hall Funding Committee was formed at the beginning of the 2021 to discuss and action how to raise the considerable funds needed for the project. The five members have met nearly every month. Firstly, a name was chosen for the new hall hub project- Faith in the Future. Then an information booklet was put together, detailing the plans but also the vision for the project. A team of church members individually invited every regular member on our electoral roll to a one-on one discussion about the project and if they wished they were given an opportunity to donate or to pledge funds over the next 3 years. A magnificent response was received: by the end of the year £ 236,000 has been given or pledged, (including Gift Aid). Information about the project was also published on our website and included in the Link newsletter, put through the doors of 2,500 homes in the parish. Two committee members took on the onerous task of applying for grants from external fund-givers, and after many application forms have been complied, by the end of 2021, £45,000 has been achieved, with a few more grant-givers still to make a decision. Two significant events are being planned for 2022 which should both raise money and also create more public awareness of the new Hub plans. Firstly, there is a craft project titled All Things Bright and Beautiful, which aims to create a very visible display of flowers, animals and creatures of creation that will cover a large section of the external front of church. Secondly, an auction led by a celebrity TV auctioneer is planned for May. In addition, scrap metal is being collected to raise money for the project. ## b) Sale of the old hall site Discussions went ahead with NUL Borough council to seek an arrangement for releasing the 1930’s covenant restricting use on the land we are selling and a mutually satisfactory conclusion was achieved. Solicitors have been appointed, using a firm recommended by the Diocese and various legal issues concerning the sale of the land, which is owned by a Diocesan Trust, have been resolved. The Hall Funding Committee has discussed questions such as the boundary of land for sale, the need to relocate the oil tank away from the boundary, and how to co-ordinate the timing of the old hall site to release funds at an appropriate point. Successful fundraising meant by late autumn 2021 we could move ahead with putting the old hall site on the market. Several agents were approached and the PCC decided to appoint Butters John Bee as estate agents and also decided the best approach was to put the site up for a private sale rather than an auction. A board went up in early December, a viewing date was arranged and there was lots of interest. Subsequently, quite a few offers were received and, at time of writing, we have provisionally accepted the highest. Looking ahead, there is an expectation that contracts will be exchanged in late spring once we have a confirmed price from the new building tender process and when we are satisfied we are in a position to go ahead with the new build. If so, we may be emptying the old hall at the end of November and the old hall site sale completed around December, releasing the funds for our build. c) Work on the building plans - 10 - Early on in the year, the plans gained the full faculty permission needed from the Diocese of Lichfield to go ahead. A sub-committee was created to discuss options of heating and powering the new hall/ Hub. Although our initial thoughts were for electric panel heaters, early in 2022 our architects advised us that this would not be energy efficient enough for current regulations and air heat pumps were instead the preferred option. Final details are still under review at time of writing. A Hall Internals Committee was formed and has met twice so far to consider details such as kitchen and toilet layout and fittings, wall coverings and flooring and they will soon meet again to firm up on colour schemes. Due to successful fund raising, by the autumn the PCC decided we had sufficient funds to commission Svetlana Solomonova, from the architect firm BDP, to prepare the more detailed stages of the plans, preparing to go to tender early in 2022. These include very specific information on structural and electrical details and consideration of fine details. Drainage, structural, mechanical and electrical surveys have also been commissioned. We are expecting the completion of these final plans imminently. Looking forward, a list of building firms that may be interested in our work has been put together and will be approached once the architect’s plans are ready. We will then await their tender prices to find out how near we are to financing the project. More work is progressing on the practicalities of how we can continue to use and manage the church when building work commences, including insurance and health and safety considerations. If all proceeds swimmingly then we are hoping that work can start in the early summer. _Helen Collins, Churchwarden_ ## **Safeguarding Report** It is even more important in these changing times to keep up with good safeguarding practices and training in St. Andrew's Church, especially with new families joining us, and new volunteers giving up their time to help. I was very impressed with all those who completed the safeguarding training modules online and in person last year, so thank you very much to you all as I didn't have to nag anyone very much! There were two training modules, one basic, one more detailed, with questions throughout to help understanding, and many commented at how useful and essential this training is. There will be more people this year who will need to retrain and if anyone else is interested do let me know. Kath Thorpe continues to work hard with the administration and new DBS forms when needed, so thank you to her for her commitment. _Naomi Savage, Parish Safeguarding Officer_ - 11 - Q) o)< c Ci Ln o) ff) tlo > C U)-. q) o)?) oo) E E Cr r}J(J ffjtsjooo) .0)0￿0)0￿ X- t ￿tr)I0 O O¢Dr fo)ro￿ f3)QJ èot o>- (U o(0 J7J£ £ e Ci < (ij O 12- 3 Oc > oi o U)￿￿£000C o)fJC (r Ec( O LLI L).- 7J ojg ¢b Q) JfJ tJ>ooO 0￿>Tio￿) oUJq>Q(J2 13- ## **Newcastle- under-Lyme Deanery Synod (March 2021 to February 2022)** There have been 3 meetings of the Newcastle Deanery Synod during the 12month period. The first Deanery Synod meeting took place on 10th May 2021, on Zoom, when Alex Wolvers, the Diocesan Schools Mission Enabler spoke about her involvement in establishing Connect2 – a new church community in Brown Edge. Alex was the Diocesan facilitator for the Deanery’s Shaping for Mission discussions and Andrew Dawswell provided a further update on progress with that initiative within the Newcastle Deanery. Chris Gill also gave a brief presentation on the upcoming elections to Diocesan Synod The second meeting of Synod saw the return of in-person Synod meetings at St. James Clayton on 8th November, where the main Speaker was Matthew Parker – the new Bishop of Stafford. Matthew spoke about a Christian Vision considering the basis of a Christian vision, what a Christian Vision looks like in our generations and what a Christian Vision brings to bear. The third meeting was back on-line for an interactive presentation by Sally Bubbers, the Bishop’s Adviser for Pastoral Care, on 17th January 2022. Sally led our consideration of local church responses to the pastoral and psychological effects of the pandemic on individuals and churches _Chris Gill, Lay chair_ More details of our current work can also be found on the Church website ## **AGENDA OF ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING** ## **29 May 2021 6.30pm in church hall** ## **Annual Vestry Meeting** - 1 Election of Wardens for the next year. ## **Annual Parochial Church Meeting** - 2 Minutes of the Annual Meetings of May 2021 - 3 Electoral roll report - 4 Election of up to 15 people who will serve for the next year on the Parochial Church Council, and one deanery synod representative - 5 Presentation of accounts for 2021 & report on the general finances of St Andrew's: _Chris Gill_ - 6 Appointment of Hon Independent Examiner. - 7 Highlights of written Reports _Margaret Hollins & Helen Collins_ - _8_ Faith in the future: Westlands Church & Community Hub _Update from Helen Collins and opportunity for Q& A_ - 9 Discussion in smaller grouos gathering ideas for possible new church mission projects in our new facilites - 10 Safeguarding report – _Naomi Savage_ - 14 - - 11 To consider briefly any matters of General Church interest to be referred to the newly elected Council. If at all possible please give questions in advance to the vicar on ja.dawswell@googlemail.com or 01782 619594 ## **Financial Review** The financial accounts for 2021 are set out in their required form in the following pages. Certain of our income and funds have been received for a specific object, for example the employment of our Children’s & Families Worker, but now more prominently the extension to the Church, which it is hoped will replace the Church Hall. Accordingly, these amounts are categorised as restricted funds and may only be expended on the specific object for which they were given. Any balance remaining unspent at the end of each year must be carried forward as a balance on that fund and cannot be used for the Church’s general use, unless agreed to in writing by the original donors. All other income and funds are categorised as unrestricted funds and are available for general use. The accounts for the year show that in respect of Unrestricted or General Funds the PCC's expenditure significantly exceeded income and endowments by £71,702, but this deficit largely arises from one-off expenditure on quinquennial repairs amounting to £90,633. Over the last 5 years the Church’s finances have been particularly influenced by one-off items of income and expenditure and the table below provides a little more clarity to the financial position. Income appears to be returning to pre-covid levels and although there has been a significant amount of one-off donations to the general unrestricted funds during the year, it is hoped that the on-going position may be returning to a more viable position. The reduction in Parish Share has also helped in this regard. - 15 - Before adjusting for the Gains on investment assets (which covers 3 years), restricted funds income and endowments exceeded expenditure by £140,571, which is largely the considerable level of fund raising for the Building Fund. Unrestricted reserves at the 31st December amount to £226,112 and restricted reserves amount to £258,034, although it should be noted that the latter includes the Trust fund, which since the end of the financial year has fallen back in value by £6,112. ## **Reserves Policy** The Charity Commission requires trustees of each Charity to: - develop a reserves policy that: - fully justifies and clearly explains keeping or not keeping reserves - identifies and plans for the maintenance of essential services for beneficiaries - reflects the risks of unplanned closure associated with the charity’s business model, spending commitments, potential liabilities and financial forecasts - helps to address the risks of unplanned closure on their beneficiaries (in particular, vulnerable beneficiaries), staff and volunteers - publish the reserves policy (even if not required to by law) and ensure it is tailored to the charity’s circumstances – it should not be just a standard form of wording. It should explain to funders, beneficiaries, the public and the commission exactly what reserves are kept (or not kept) for and when they are to be used - make sure that their reserves policy is put in place and operated - regularly monitor and review the effectiveness of the policy in the light of the changing funding and financial climate and other risks The PCC briefly reviewed its unrestricted reserves policy and its application on 24th May 2022: - The first element of Unrestricted Reserves be set aside to cover two months of day-to-day routine expenditure (£20,000) to cover any unforeseen expenditure or loss of income - A second element of Unrestricted Reserves be set aside to provide annual contributions towards £25,000 of Quinquennial repairs every 5 years – 3 years since the last quinquennial inspection this would be £15,000 - A third element of Unrestricted Funds to provide for the impact of any annual deficit in general / unrestricted income and expenditure – however with an apparent on-going surplus in 2021 this is not required, but this will need to be monitored during the year - A fourth element of Unrestricted Funds to provide for the impact of any annual deficit in the Children and Families Worker Fund, so as to enable that work to continue – however the PCC believes the on-going deficit as it currently stands can be accommodated from the on-going general fund surplus going forward. At the 31st December 2021 this would leave free unrestricted funds of £191,112 which could be invested in the building works - 16 - ## **Going Concern** The PCC has considered its current financial circumstances and by adopting this Reserves Policy believes that the Church’s position can be considered as a going concern for the medium term. However, it may be at risk from changes in giving levels and the PCC will need to continue to monitor this closely. ## **Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of St Andrews Church in the Westlands Parochial Church Council** I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of St Andrews Church in the Westlands for the year ended 31 December 2021 which are set out on pages 16 to 27. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As Trustees of St Andrews Church in the Westlands, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of St Andrews Church in the Westlands accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. ## **Independent Examiner’s Statement** I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect: - the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or - the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or - the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair’ view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. - 17 - Richard Booth ACA 117 Dartmouth Avenue Westlands Newcastle-u-Lyme Staffordshire ST5 3NR 2 August 2022 - 18 - 5rATE￿ENT (* FIK4hfiAL AcnwnES F(Xi TTrE YEAR El￿D 31 tECEVBER XIJI Furnls Furn15 Voluntsry Incorre Acfvbes for GeneTrtirrfJ Funds Incoryp ftwi In￿trY￿lts Church Actimb Other irKorrirvJ [￿￿[[ 328 20.952 117,280 2.313 2.313 C(sts of generating wjuntsry F und-raising trdding C(￿ts Church Acb 124.722 .491 163.213 120.717) (17.4551 138.if21 Gainsl{Lc65es) C￿ inv25trrfftt assd5 120,717) (17,455) 138,1721 Balances Brought Fly￿rd at IJ anuary 318,531 l(VJ,715 428,246 19- ST ANDREWS IN THE WESTLANDS PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2021 TOTAL FUNDS 2021 2Q20 Funds Funds Fixed Assets Tangible vestments 81.187 81,187 Current Assets Debtors Short Tetm Deposrts Cash at Bank and in Hand 8.018 8,018 234.1x3 178.053 412. 334,227 178 053 420 114 Liabilities Creditors - aTh)unts lalling due in c￿e 15,949 17.155 Net Current Assets l (Uabllltles) 176 847 402 959 3S4 09) Total assets less current liabililies 226.112 2S8.(134 484,146 39J,074 CTedttors- amounts faling due afl¥ c￿e Total net asséts 258 034 3￿) 074 Parfsh Funds Unrestricted Restr￿& 226.112 226,112 297.814 .034 2￿.034 92,2eA) 258 034 484 146 ADpro￿￿ by Ihe Parc¢hi41 Church C￿n￿l on 24th May (aMw)d￿ September 2022) and siqned on rts behalf by ReMJ Andrew Dawsv￿l IPCC Chaimianl The n￿e$ on p￿eS bekyN leffli part of these aecthnis -20- sr AhThEWS IN TrE KEsfLAK>S PARIXFIAL CFNJiCH CCKTrKIL MyfES TOTrE ACC(Kpirs FOR TrE YEAR EM￿D 31 tECEf•TER X121 l AcCouTrill￿ P¢XlClES The friatKial statarEYIts hake prEparEYI in ￿C￿lanCe Kilh the StatWEnt ( Rercn-n￿8￿ Practice for Charities ISORP) and aDDI￿able ￿COuntin0 S￿nda￿lS IFR51021 The fila￿la1 ststerrents ha￿ be￿ prryJarEYI under h6lrxical cost conw1](￿. The fiiancial StatenEnts inCl￿e all transaOtK￿5, aSsd5 and Iiabilrfj￿ ￿lch the PCC 15 reswnsible in law. They do nct include Ihe ￿c￿nts of ChU￿h gnyjps tr￿t cthe th￿r ￿1n affiiation to another Exxlv n£eexl £5CM).iJJ). Resthcted rEprwt lal Incl￿ frrm tn6Ls ￿ aK10￿￿ts ￿lch nBy be e*pend￿ (mly on those restiicted ctjjects ptDMded in the tenT6 of the lJust cr beques¢ and Ibl donations c grants rece￿ a 5￿C￿[ d)jÉrt ￿ in￿￿ by PCC a stkftfr d)J￿ The funds trey cK)ly be experKlexl ￿ the Speci￿ vhich fv vEre gi￿. Any balance renBining ur6[￿t at Ihe of e￿h yEar rnst be carri￿1 fixmenj as a balance on that fijnd. The PCC dr￿ in￿t separdtely ts each fvnd and I￿aUse (rf rf5 rreterialty and dfftulty in undertakina the eYE￿ise Inte￿ is nct aor(<￿ trs each indimdual fund. UTrEstrictEfY [￿K￿ arE inc(Jre funds are tt) PCC aeneTrl Dunyjses Piw¥HY gvI￿, cdleYti(xs affxl (*yk*iys a￿ rEr(xJnwl Tax rEfij￿ts a ¢)Jnised then the incorring reS￿rCe to ￿late s recewj. G￿rtS ￿ legacies atE acc(xJntcYl the PCC is legally tt) Ihe anY)unts due is ￿(rtj￿J. Al cIJEr i1￿(￿1￿ 6 rerwntsed kn it 6 ￿ellO￿￿e. All inciyyiry r￿oUrceS are ￿cLAjnt&l for g￿55, ￿1th the e￿eptic￿ t￿ incC￿e shatEd 6%ith St Pd&s Church, cljr pather. ere (￿1V the denErt rdatirn to St AJYlrvKs is r￿(￿. Grarts arxy wses 320 9.528 7,732 Church K31ntwa￿e 92.495 92.495 3.849 Upkeep of 5eNces 1163 3,163 up￿ep of church grojnds i.lc 1.104 EyKlilurE ￿ Link )3 203 Trainina. & nuthre Llgl 28.531 29,725 28,627 Church Hall Printing. statKrny a￿1 orrte e4)eYs L951 Cost of st￿rdShIp FwKknsiNJ costs 23- sr AhThEWS IN TrE KEsfLAPIIS PAR(KFIAL CfriWICH CIXIKIL MyfES TOTrE ACC(Kwrs FIXI TrE YEAR EM￿D 31 tECEI4BER X121 FwKls FwKts 4a sfAFF casrs Grc65 wa￿ and salaries Nati(￿1 InsufdrKe C(sts PenSIc￿ Costs 25.616 2.319 581 32,522 2,319 738 31,626 157 711 During the year Ihe PCC errployed a serre4Bry aThJ church cleaner Itth Part-ti￿e) and Ihe PCC also paid Childrens and Fanill￿ W(xkEY frrmn a R￿lIK1￿j Fund. Tr c(6t (rfthe cleaner 6 dMd8J ￿ualIV betmeen the Church and Ihe Church Hall. 4b PAThENfs TO PCC fvEfvTERS Apart frrm ￿ Childr￿$ arKJ Fanill￿ Wixkcy. vkK6e c(sts arE srKY4￿ in n(tr 4a al￿. therE e no payT￿ts to PCC n￿t￿5 during 2021. d￿r than ts Ihe r8n-bur5errent of pUr[haS￿ rrede i￿half (A Ihe Chuth. No PCC nEntrr, FH5(Ms closdy cOnn￿ted to them or rdated ￿)rtEs ￿e￿￿xI r￿rU[wat￿￿). r￿[￿)urSerYent of tra￿ling (Y (ther F￿￿15 F￿XIS 5 FIXED ASSErs 5a TawJilAe N(J N(ne N¢xE MarI￿ValUe- IJ anuary Dispc6al at carrying value PU￿haSe5 at c￿t Gain l (loss) on annual reloluat 55,984 55, 55.984 25,203 25,203 TIE h(Ading at 31 tkrcyth 2021 ￿e5 3465.￿ unils in Churrh crf EtNJland's C￿traI Board of Finance In￿t￿￿t FuThJ -24- sr AhThEWS IN TrE ￿£SfLA￿lIS PAR(KFIAL CfriWICH CIXIKIL IrES TOTrE ACC(Mffi F(XI TrE YEAR EM￿D 31 tECEI4BER IV21 FwKls FwKts InconE tax rEcwable 0￿£￿1 by (Xhers &0 8,018 5,180 7 SLW4XiYCREtxriJis Organist Choir 0￿ed to Di(Kese Re cle￿ F&s 0￿1 tr) Parish Share Owl to Verger5 to Children's & FanilEs Wc#*er 0￿1 to MissK)ns 0￿£￿1 to Otha5 2.537 724 3.261 676 4.422 47 3,787 3,787 BaaKe 8 REsfRicfED FUTrIJS MissK)nary & CharitBble G￿lr￿j The Puppet Ministy Building Planning FuTrJ Children & Faffill￿ W(yk FlowFU￿1 Organ FurKI Messy Church TrLSt Fund 925 67 10.491 150,462 22.591 20.534 345 67 159,914 L3.303 2.434 I,C42 29.822 320 701 S5.￿ 25.203 81,187 The Tn￿t Fund ￿tr￿l￿1 ftJrKJ is capital denmt ftrmn the sale of a fotTrEr curate's h(xJse. h can (￿lY utili58J by the PCC rf FHrfissKM s grant￿1 by the DI￿esan TrUst￿S. This 15 cunEnUy in￿ted in Ihe chU￿h of ErKJland's Cents31 Bcénd of Finance In[￿ F und and the interest frrm the inNesln￿t is Un￿tr￿1 fu￿lS las to the gain I l(6s (x) dluation, is show¢ as separately identifEd atxMI and as such is paKI dIr￿dY inkn the chu￿h,5 bank accwnt a￿1 ubli£ed bv the PCC ts a￿Er31 ourc(￿. 25- sr AhThEWS IN TrE KEsfLAPIIS PAR(KFIAL CfriWICH CIXIKIL IrES TOTrE ACC(Mffi F(XI TrE YEAR EKED 31 tECEI4BER 1121 9 Ul￿E5fR1CrED FUhDS £42,629 of the un￿51[7cted funds been C(Thi1t￿ to ftuKJ Pichitects f&s in ￿lat￿￿ to the eXtensic￿. DaV￿ent of has since teai nthe in 2022. 10 pLA￿ED GM The rpstiicled dc¥rent relats ID planwj grvirvj in ofuE Childrw aNJ Farri11￿ W( and reaular oThAno t￿OrdS the Buildino Fu￿1 11 PLATE C¢XLECtIc RerrerrblBr￿e Sundav to Setmce Chaiiti Christingle Ofving CrmfrvBti￿ Sernice OftsiThJ 297 25 The unrestric￿1 grant inconE in 21r21 ￿ £850 repres￿ts contributFons frDm the GftAd sr￿11 [knat￿ Sche￿e. Tr r￿trIcted grant inc(Nre of £IO.(KK) 6 a gr3nt frtm the Al church￿ Trust trmords the buildim ￿r￿1 The restricled denEnt C(YTPW frAllY￿Tng. MiSs￿arV and Charitable GMfKI Building Fund FIo¥AEr Fund childre￿ & Farrilie5 W¢Jker 63 126, 341 e include the Tax rEf(Neable Gift AKI (kThIN￿5 ￿ rdEsont FUTrL) RAISI These CO￿nSe the f￿1￿ing. TeaffjJnd . Owi Cafe etc. Acti(n oth￿ rrissi(M Building Fund 456 659 -26- MyfES TOTrE ACC(KTrirs FOR TTrE YEAR EM￿D 31 [￿cEr•sER X121 15 PCC FEES PCC f(K Wcyldings a￿1 Furffils dc. do include tIMse paKI to Ihe ti(Kese lio help pay Clergy stiF￿[KIs) (x tt) Or￿an￿t aThJ Verrjer as Ihe Church ￿lY ad5 as agent in collectim and Dassino on I￿￿ fees. This cofTPriSe5 the ftlloviry: Children & Farrilies W¢Jker Extemal TRining of Vc4unteer5 Be￿a￿ent Care Materials Gnjps M￿sY Churrh linc. Teddy Beals PKni) ScFKK)Is Work Oth￿ WO￿ wth child￿ a￿1 YourrfJ Pryle OutsEach PaStr￿al W(Jk Puppet Minsty Refreshrrents Rerren1￿ar￿e BIK* Grfts 28,516 325 331 345 27 140 F￿￿5 FUN15 17 fvISSICMRY AhD c￿￿R[rABLE GM ch￿￿h 0￿SeaS . M1ssKr￿ry Sc£Elies Bible S(K￿ty Church MissKThry S(xiety 12(K) Churrh Owseas . Reliefand tk*e1opwitfv￿￿K Tearfund L970 27- MyfES TOTrE ACC(KNrs FOR TTrE YEAR EM￿D 31 [￿cEr•sER X121 F￿￿*5 FUNIS 17 rJissi(N4RY AM) CFi4RrrABLE Gm￿ corlirwl H(NYE M65Kys arKI Other Church S(xiet Childrens. S(xiety Christians Against Pwty G¢x(l NeKs fcf IfcmErty G￿l￿S UK) ScriptsJtE UnK)n UCCF Bishoo's Orrlinati(x) CandKlats Fund Churc1￿ in Ne￿(aStle T(YA Deanery Syn(xl Sirreons Trust￿5 TrBnsfer5 11,2471 Serular Charilies Brighter Fu￿reS COIrt￿tt StsEss p￿pY Fund Appeal SSAFA 97 ILK) i(tJ The follo￿Ing has also pass8J thrcwh the Churchs trfth. by ￿IrtUe crf the Church acting as aoent and this is rEf￿cted in the Church acC￿nts. Bislyi's Lent￿)1￿1 FwK15 FwK15 18 (YTrER f4lMsfRYC(MS v￿rting c1￿￿Y EJw6e5 v￿a￿S Se[￿ry Wothing e>perLses of incurtEnt Wot*ing Exper6es crf cuTrte Worfring E%w6e5 of C&FW E>t￿l TrainirvJ of Straff 117 4.OT3 554 117 4,073 554 4,073 L628 -28- IrES TOTrE ACCO1￿5 Fcxi TTrE YEAR EKED 31 tECEfffjER 1121 FwKts FurKIs ]9 CTrIJRCH EXPENSES Th￿e corn)rise the ft￿lO￿l￿. Eleritity Heating Oil Water Cleaner Cleaning Malerials Insuran Flo￿￿5 4.277 L52 L4￿1 4.277 L52 1,491 2,829 105 L491 2,121 XI CFIJRCH fv141NfEP￿￿E 936 936 2392 Quinquennkal Repair5 & Sur 0￿jan Repait5 & TunirKJ B(iler Repai[5 Window Repair5 9).633 767 767 L457 21 UPKEEPOF SERMCES OffJanist Chrstian C(wyright Music I C￿yr Sound System Ccr6unEbles ConmJni( Se￿e B(ths I pra￿ R￿ou￿ Other 2.537 212 2.537 212 LIC 333 io 43 io 43 22 Builthrmj ArchtWL5 and Ixhw Fe Building I￿pr￿￿￿ts Other IITp￿￿ts LTr12 1,fy12 -29-