Reports for the 2006 Annual Parish Meeting

Financial Report

Kidz Club

Deanery Synod

Lottery

Fellowship Group

Electoral Roll

The Bookshop

The Wizard

St James Toddlers

Fairtrade

Soup & Sandwiches

St James CE Primary School

Financial Report

Financial Statement for the year ended 31^st December 2005

Accounting Policies

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations 1997 as amended by the Church Accounting (Amendment) Regulations 2001 together with applicable accounting standards and the Charities SORP.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention except for the valuation of investment assets, which are shown at market value.

Funds

General funds represent the funds of the PCC that are not subject to any restrictions regarding their use and are available for application on the general purposes of the PCC. Funds designated for a particular purpose by the PCC are also unrestricted.

The purpose of any restricted funds is noted in the accounts.

The accounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body nor those that are informal gatherings of Church members.

Incoming Resources

Voluntary income and capital sources

Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC.

Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid id recognised only when received.

Income Tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised only when the income is recognised.

Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its legal entitlement and the amount due is quantifiable and its ultimate receipt by the PCC is reasonably certain.

Funds raised by the Christmas Fayre and similar events are accounted for gross.

Other income

Rental income from the letting of Church premises is recognised when payment is received.

Income from investments

Interest entitlements are accounted for as they accrue.

Resources expended

Grants

Grants and donations are accounted for when paid over, or when awarded, if that award creates a binding obligation on the PCC.

Activities directly relating to the work of the Church

The Diocesan Parish Share is accounted for when paid. Any Parish Share unpaid at 31^st December is provided for in these accounts as an operational (though not legal) liability and is shown as a creditor in the Balance Sheet.

Fixed Assets

Consecrated property and moveable Church furnishings

Consecrated and beneficed property of any kind is excluded from the accounts by s.96(2)(a) of the Charities Act 1993.

Moveable Church furnishings held by the Vicar and Churchwardens on special trust for the PCC and which require a faculty for disposal are accounted for as inalienable property unless consecrated. They are listed in the Church’s inventory which can be inspected (at any reasonable time). For inalienable property acquired prior to 2000 there is insufficient cost information available and therefore such assets are not valued in the accounts. Items acquired since 1 January 2000 have been capitalised and depreciated in the accounts over their currently anticipated useful economic life (initially over 5 years) on a straight line basis.

All expenditure incurred in the year on consecrated or beneficed buildings, individual items under (£1000) or on the repair of moveable Church furnishings acquired before 1 January 2000 is written off.

Other fixtures, fittings and office equipment

Equipment used within the Church premises is depreciated on a straight line basis over 4 years. Individual items of equipment with a purchase price of £1000 (PCCs should fix a figure appropriate to their circumstances) or less are written off when the asset is acquired.

Current assets

Amounts owing to the PCC at 31^st December in respect of fees, rents or other income are shown as debtors less provision for amounts that may prove uncollectible.

Short term deposits include cash held on deposit either with CBF Church of England Funds or at the bank.

Reserves Policy

The PCC aims to maintain the equivalent of approximately 3 months operating costs as liquid assets in the General Fund.

Other designated or restricted funds are not subject to specific reserves policies. At present the PCC has funds restricted to the Lottery, Environment Development and Special Items funds.

Financial Report – Commentary

General Fund:  

As at 31^st Dec 05, operating costs were £18900 for the year. However this included Transitional Relief from Parish Share of £3000. Full operating costs would be £21900, equating to £5475 reserve requirement. Monetary assets in the General Fund were £7069, more than covering this requirement at this point in time.

The PCC has applied for Transitional Relief again in 2006 and has been granted a reduced figure of £2000. The PCC has committed to paying this increase, which means that the intention is to pay a Parish Share of £10111 in 2006 as opposed to £5650 in 2003, which is an increase of £4461 over 3 years. Incoming resources have not increased by this amount over the last 3 years, having remained at between £19000-£21000, but the PCC has been able to pay this Parish Share increase largely due to keeping other costs to a minimum and paying for exceptional items from restricted funds.

The pressure remains from Church House to pay further increases during 2007-8 so as to pay the full Parish Share as soon as possible. The PCC has proposed and agreed a budget for 2006 which takes into account estimated incoming and outgoing resources and assuming the factors considered are accurate, the General Fund will suffer a deficit of £1653 (please see attached). Hence it is prudent to assume that these extra reserves will be used during 2006 to pay part of the increased Parish Share. 

During 2005 there was a surplus on the general fund of £1950. The main factors contributing to this were:

• Increased regular planned giving by £500 (+7%).
• Increased income from Hall Hire (new users) and from fees.
• Reduced church costs, maintenance and utilities, specifically moving to a water meter at the Vicarage has saved about £600 per year.
• Generosity of the members of St James in supporting events, donating items and goods for Church use and one off fund raising.

The reasons for the predicted deficit for 2006 include:

• Higher Parish Share
• Loss of major established Hall User – St James Playgroup
• Expected regular maintenance required (Quinquennial inspections)

One notable absentee from income in 2005 is a Gift Aid Claim. The reason for this is that PCC decided to allocate these funds to the Heating Fund. A new central heating system has now been installed – for further details, please see the Heating fund section.

Whilst 2005 has been a positive year for resources in the General Fund, PCC will need to consider ways in which incoming resources can be increased by approximately £3500 over the coming 12 months in order to cover expected costs, the deficit for 2006 and the part of Parish Share covered by Transitional Relief in 2006.

Bookshop / Wizard Funds

During 2005 the Wizard Narrow Boat was donated as a covenanted gift to the Warrington Disability Partnership (WDP). All expenses incurred up to the point of donation were covered by the Bookshop and the remaining £705 in the Bookshop fund was donated to WDP to further the work of the Wizard.

The Bookshop also closed during 2005. After all expenses had been paid, a sum of £6431 was left in the Bookshop fund. PCC decided to allocate these funds as follows: £4750 to the Heating Fund and £1681 to the Special Items Fund.

Heating Fund:

The fund received income from the Gift Aid Claim and the Bookshop. Funds were sufficient to purchase a new heating system for £7490. This fund is now closed

Special Items Fund and Environment Development Fund

These funds were created during 2005.

Kidz Club

Kidz Club has continued to meet throughout the year, with the children who have been with us since they were very small becoming firm friends and adopting an easy confidence as members of the church.

I am delighted to report a huge increase in support for Kidz Club.  We now boast 4 leaders and numerous helpers, most of the latter having been “volunteered” from the ranks of the PCC.  Towards the end of the year, the leaders agreed that the books we had been using had “had their day” and we now follow the liturgy via the “Living Waters” scheme.

We had a very enjoyable “end of year” service last July, when every child received a book from the church, duly inscribed.

I would like to thank the leaders and helpers for their loyal support throughout the year, the Vicar and congregation for their prayers and obvious enjoyment of the children’s presence and, most of all, the children, for making the effort that we put in to Kidz Club so very worthwhile.

Deanery Synod

The Warrington Deanery Synod meets on average three times a year at different churches across the Deanery.  The Revd Michael Raynor had been the Area Dean for the past five years and since April the Revd Canon Stephen Attwater has taken over this role.  In accordance with our Electoral Roll membership St James is allowed two members for Deanery Synod.  Our Synod representatives are Mr David Brookes and Mr Ian Richards and Mr Richards is also the Deanery Synod Secretary.  The meeting usually begin with a Eucharist and consist of a business meeting and discussion item as well as feed back from the General Synod of the Church of England.  Above all, it is an opportunity to meet with other Christians from our deanery and to hear what God is doing here in Warrington.

 Lottery

Flo and Barbara ran the lottery throughout 2005.  Numbers are lower than we would like but the amounts raised (see Treasurers Report) continue to make this a worthwhile project.  We continue to support various church projects and the Amos Trust, whilst the winners continue to appreciate their winnings, however small.  As ever, a draw for £100 takes place every 20 weeks.

 Members and would-be members of the Lottery please note – we are quite happy to take payments in advance.  Some members pay 10 weeks at a time.  We are also willing to operate a Standing Order scheme should anyone express an interest in supporting the lottery by this means.

Finally, in recent weeks Flo has been unable to attend to the Lottery through illness.  I would like to acknowledge the huge amount of work that she has put in to organising the lottery since its inception.  I have never taken over such a well-organised project!  I wish her well and look forward to seeing her back at church very soon.

Fellowship Group

 The parish fellowship group meets monthly at the Vicarage.  It is a time when we can come together to share Christian Fellowship, discuss our shared faith and it is a valued opportunity to pray together. 

 Everyone is invited and numbers at meetings have ranged from four to fourteen!  It is a valued and informal time when we can come together to discuss our mission, our parish and the role of the church here in Great Sankey and beyond.

Electoral Roll

The Electoral Roll stands at 54 members.  Since the last Annual Meeting there has been one removal by the Parochial Church Council under Section 1, 9e of the Church Representations Rules on the 9^th May 2005 and there has been one death.  There have also been two additions to the Electoral Roll within the last year. The Electoral Roll is available for inspection.

The Bookshop

Sadly, Books Ancient and Modern was closed by the Parochial Church Council last April.  The lease agreement for the shop was due to end in November 2005 and it was looking unlikely that the church could sustain another five year lease.  It was also a possibility that the landlord would not renew the lease.

The shop had raised a considerable amount of money for charity over the years and it had provided for the Wizard Narrow Boat. 

 The many volunteers from the Parish and from the town had worked extremely hard selling books and ensuring that the shop was well looked after.  The shop has certainly been missed as it was well known in the town centre by those who kindly donated book, purchased books and volunteered their valuable time to such a worthwhile venture.

It is sad that it had to come to an end, but the decision to close the shop was a prudent decision made with a great deal of thought and prayer by the Church Council.  The parish is very grateful for all the hard work that the volunteers contributed over the past eighteen years.

The Wizard

The Wizard Narrow Boat was a project started by St James nearly twenty years ago.  It has served the needs of the local community and it had been widely used.  The future of the boat has been secured by the Vicar and the Parochial Church Council who successfully handed the boat to the Warrington Disability Partnership (WDP) in April 2005.  The boat is now being used extensively by the WDP and it is being used most days of the week and also at weekends.  The same volunteers were invited by the WDP to continue their hard work in staffing the boat and the St James is extremely grateful for all their dedication to the Wizard over the years.

St James Toddlers Group

During 2005 St James Toddlers Group again continued to grow with 34 children on the register and regularly attending, bringing with them 25 adults, a mixture of mums, dads, grandparents and childminders. 

The format of the sessions remains much the same: we have a variety of toys to suit all the children we cater for, from tiny babies (two babies were born during the year to mums who already attended with older children and both came to toddlers when they were less than a week old!) to children who leave when they start full-time school, we lost two members that way this year.   We also have a ‘craft’ activity available.  The session always ends with song time, which is much loved by the children.

Our two ‘events’ this year were the summer picnic in Sankey Valley Park, which unfortunately had to be cancelled due to rain, and our Christmas Party, where 33 children got to meet Father Christmas, as well as enjoying party food and games.

We also aim to offer support and information for people caring for small children, and we have links with several local organisations.  A new initiative this year is our small ‘library’ of childcare advice and support books, which have been borrowed frequently. 

The occasional visits by Fr Stephen, and other church members who are in and around the church helps to strengthen links between the congregation and the group, and Toddler group members have attended church events and services through the year.  As always, anyone who has an hour or two to spare on a Monday afternoon will always be welcome to help either making tea for the carers, helping out with the craft or just talking to the carers and playing with the children!

Fairtrade at St James

The church has continued to support the Fairtrade movement, most noticeably with the stall which is in church on the first Sunday of each month.  In 2005 the stall saw sales of £462 worth of goods.  Fair 4 All the market stall which supplies our goods wrote “Whether you bought an occasional small bar of chocolate, a regular supply of honey or muesli, or several Christmas presents, every purchase helps make a real difference to the lives of people in the developing world”.  Once again John Morton took part in the Warrington Fair Trade Fashion Show.  It is hoped that in 2006 the church will further strengthen its commitment to Fair Trade so it can meet the criteria to become a Fairtrade Church.

Events

Another successful year! The annual car boot sales are still as popular as ever, not only has the number of 'Booters' increased, the number of buyers reached an all time high at the August sale.

We introduced an 'auction' - which proved to be very entertaining, this raised in excess of £125.00.

Other events this last year have been: Jumble Sales, Tea at the Ritz, a barn dance, St. James Day lunch, Christmas Fair and the ever popular Christmas Tea at the Ritz. 

We would like to thank everyone who has helped and supported at these events. 

Anyone willing to help or offer any new ideas for fund raising please don't hesitate to speak to anyone in the events group.

Soup & Sandwiches

Soup & Sandwiches have had a very busy year. The numbers attending have steadily risen and from the monies raised we have been able to replace a lot of the old catering equipment including: soup pans, utensils, deep fat fryers and sandwich trays. 

The proceeds from the Soup & Sandwiches has also contributed towards the Easter Eve buffet and a cheeses and wine evening.

Sankey Valley St. James' CE Primary School

This year we have continued to move forward with reference to both curricular and extra curricular activities. Our 2005 SATs results reflected the quality teaching and learning that is paramount to all that we do, and although these obviously need to be considered they do not tell the whole story/ picture of a school. At Sankey Valley St. James' CE School we strive to ensure that our children are in an environment where they feel happy and valued for the many and varyied talents that they have as this enables them to become confident and enthusiastic learners. As our Mission Statement states:    'We Care'

 School continues to be a hub of activity. The children have been on residential visits to Burwardsley, Beeston and Foxhowl. Year 5/6 children are looking forward to their extended educational visit to the Conway Centre at Menai in July. Involvement in work with theatre groups, drumming workshops, choral animateurs etc have been enjoyed by many and new skills developed.  The installation of interactive whiteboards has been an exciting development for staff and children and has led to increased access and use of all out ICT facilities. A further three are due for installation over the next couple of weeks which means that all our main teaching areas will have access to this resource.  I would like to close by thanking the congregation for their continued support and prayers and to remind you that we are happy for you to visit and share in the life of our school. Peace be with you.

 Vivienne Formby
 Headteacher