THE PCC (acting as the Charity’s Trustees) have approved the Annual Report. The report is printed below in full, except for the Financial statement:
Drawings(C) KatyAmyCreative
THE PARISH OF ABERGAVENNY PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL
Charity number: 1137751
Annual Report for the year ending 31 December 2017
Trustees’ report
The trustees have pleasure in presenting their report and the financial statements of the charity for the year ending 31 December 2017. The organisational structure, administration details and governance of the charity are set out later in this report while the activities of the church form the first part.
Summary
This year was one of celebrating the creative arts, their use in mission and how they reflect both the human and divine. Declared the Year of the Arts, 2017 saw displays of painting, textiles and sculpture, from both renowned artists and members of the congregation. The exhibitions were used as a springbopr a series of sermons in Lent and for celebrating both the glory of God and the creative abilities of their makers.
Away from the Arts, this year was again a busy one for the Parish with regular and special services, distinguished visiting preachers, concerts and visitors from all over the world who came to see the renowned medieval monuments. Thousands of youngsters from local schools, their teachers, friends and families visited St Mary’s, and its daughter church Christchurch, for Harvest, Christmas and Christingle services. There was again an emphasis on mission and outreach, particularly on Church Without Walls initiatives. The Holywell Community continued their service to both church and community.
Worship has been greatly enhanced by the music of St Mary’s Priory Choir who sang at regular and special services, and by our bell-ringers, who both rang and facilitated visiting ringers from around the country.
St Mary’s with its daughter church, Christchurch, aims to provide regular public worship and the provision of sacred space for personal prayer and contemplation, as well as carrying out pastoral work such as visiting the sick and bereaved, teaching Christianity through sermons and small groups, promoting Christianity through events and services. The church also aims to care for its fine collection of both historic medieval monuments and newly-created works of art.
The following report on the churches’ activities demonstrate what the charity has done during the year to carry out these purposes for the public benefit.
Activities
The Parish continued to endeavour to enable the wider community to live out their faith as part of our community through special events, such as the Year of the Arts, and regular activities which can be split broadly into three categories:
- worship, prayer and pastoral care;
- mission and outreach;
- fundraising, fellowship and hosting events.
Year of the Arts
The year started where 2016 had finished – with the newly-installed Jesse Window being used in a series of sermons by the parish priest and Prior, the Revd Canon Mark Soady, when he explored how its iconography reflects both Biblical theology and our lives today. The first exhibition of the year was that of textile artist Jacqui Parkinson, who explored some of the passages in the Bible that mention angels. During Lent, Nigel Robert Pugh’s exhibition of paintings of the Stations of the Cross formed both an opportunity to ‘walk the Via Dolorsa’ and to look at the images and what messages we can draw out for today during a series of Evensong addresses.
In May, textile art was back on the agenda, with the exhibition of quilts created by local schoolchildren to mark the centenary of the First World War. They were on display during the service of remembrance for the Monmouthshire Regiment, held in St Mary’s that month. This was followed in August by an exhibition of the work of Dalene West. In September, to coincide with the annual Abergavenny Food Festival, the Bible Society’s exhibition of Creation Art was staged. The series of exhibitions ended with that of work created by members of the Abergavenny parishes, showing a rich seam of talent in the area.
In August, St Mary’s Choir hosted a Festival of Liturgical Music, which saw visiting choirs singing music from different centuries at daily Evensong services. The choirs included Academia Musica, the Ethlbert Consort, from Herefordshire, and the Icosa Choir from Manchester, as well as St Mary’s Priory Choir.
The arts theme was extended away from the Church itself, when the Mothers’ Union spent a day at Llangasty Retreat Centre exploring the themes in Holman Hunt’s Light of the World.
Worship, prayer and pastoral care
The Revd Canon Mark Soady continues to serve St Mary’s Priory Church with Christchurch as Vicar; St Peter’s, Llanwenarth Citra, as Rector; and Holy Trinity Church, Abergavenny, as Priest-in-Charge, as well as Prior of the Holywell Community. He continues to serve as Area Dean of Abergavenny and as a Canon of Newport Cathedral.
The Revd Sarah Gillard-Faulkner served as Sub-Prior and Deacon of Abergavenny, while continuing her work as a prison chaplain, until the end of May when she left the Parish to take up a full-time position as a prison chaplain in the Midlands. In October, the Revd Tom Bates was licensed to the Parish as Associate Priest, having been admitted to the Holywell Community as Sub-Prior in August. In June, the Revd Jeff Pearse was ordained Priest at Newport Cathedral.
In its fourth year, the Holywell Community saw a change of members, with Brother Michael Topple leaving to move back to Colchester and Brother Simon Pratt leaving to continue his music degree. Sister Jennii Shaw was joined in August by Sister Joanna Hollins. The Community works both in the Church and the wider community, running all-age worship, visiting schools, and volunteering at a centre for young people in the town and at the Little Footprints playgroup. Their wide range of duties included visiting the sick, gardening at the Tithe Barn and Church, serving at regular and special services and acting as Verger at weddings and funerals.
As well as the usual weekday and Sunday worship during the year, which included singing some of the Benedictine Monastic Offices each day, Canon Soady organised and/or presided over a number of special services and events, including:
- In January, St Mary’s hosted a service for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity;
- In February, there was a joint service for Candlemas, shared with Christchurch, Govilon, held at St Mary’s daughter church, Christchurch, Abergavenny;
- Also in February, Canon Soady preached at Jesus College, Oxford, an invitation issued following the installation of the plaque by the college in 2016;
- During Lent a series of Evensong addresses saw visiting preachers, including a High Court judge, the Chair of Embrace the Middle East, and the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, give addresses on Nigel Robert Pugh’s Stations of the Cross;
- On Ascension Day the Rt Rev Dominic Walker, former Bishop of Monmouth, celebrated and preached at a joint service held in the grounds of the Holywell Community house;
- On the last Sunday of April, all the congregations in Canon Soady’s incumbency joined together for a service to celebrate Christian Aid, at which the Christian Aid director for Wales, Huw Thomas, preached;
- In May, the 3rd battalion of the Monmouthshire Regiment commemorated the Battle of Frezenberg Ridge, which took place on May 8, 1915 – the battalion had been based in Abergavenny;
- On the last Sunday in May, Canon Soady preached at the world-renowned St David’s Cathedral Festival – he was ordained in there;
- In June, St Mary’s hosted the Requiem Mass for the Rt Revd David Thomas, former Provincial Assistant Bishop, who had held most of his ordination and chrism mass services in Abergavenny;
The Late Bishop David Thomas
- Later that month, the Rt Revd David Fenwick, Bishop of St Helena, was the celebrant and preacher for the parish’s Pentecost service;
- In June, the Chair of Monmouthshire County Council, Councillor Maureen Powell, held her Civic Service in St Mary’s, having appointed Canon Soady as her Chaplain;
- At the end of July, there was a celebration of 180 years of the Additional Curates Society, at which the preacher was the Revd Darren Smith SSC, the organisation’s general secretary;
- September saw the installation of Stephen Hughes, CStJ, FCA, CGF, as the new Chancellor of the Priory of Wales for the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John;
- The same month, St Mary’s hosted the Credo Cymru Festival of Faith;
- In November, on the sixth anniversary of the death of the Very Revd Jeremy Winston, former Vicar of Abergavenny, the Bishop of Monmouth dedicated the altar and the plinth on which the Jesse figure now sits;
- The Festival of Christ the King saw the Bishop of Cyprus and the Gulf preach at both Christchurch and St Mary’s;
- And in December, St Mary’s welcomed four bishops to preach at various services: the Most Revd John Davies, Archbishop of Wales (St John in Gwent Carol Service); the Rt Revd Dr Rowan Williams (Vision of Hope Carol Service); the Rt Revd Richard Pain, Bishop of Monmouth and the Rt Revd Dominic Walker OGS, former Bishop of Monmouth, both preached in the series of addresses on the Sacraments;
- Later in the month, local schools used the church for their Christingle and Christmas services – thousands of youngsters, their families and teachers visiting the church in the space of two weeks.
Acts of worship, including some of the Benedictine Offices, were celebrated on almost every day of the year, and pastoral care continued throughout, in particular, the visiting of, and on occasions taking Communion to, parishioners who through sickness or age were unable to come to church. The average attendance at the main services at the churches was 62.5, and the number recorded on the Electoral roll for both churches on 31 December 2017 was 216.
In addition to our regular services, we enable our community to celebrate and thank God in the milestones of the journey through life. Through baptism we welcome new disciples into the life of God’s family and in marriage public vows are exchanged with God’s blessing. Through funeral services friends and family express their grief and give thanks for the life which is now complete in this world and commit their loved one into God’s keeping. This year, we celebrated 17 baptisms and seven weddings in the Parish. There were 47 funerals.
Ecumenically, the parish participated fully in the Abergavenny Council of Churches, including the now-annual ecumenical Christmas carol service.
Mission and outreach work
Much of the parishes’ mission and outreach work was organised by the Abergavenny Anglican Churches Together group (AACT), established during 2012 with members drawn from all four churches in Canon Soady’s incumbency and co-ordinated through the Joint Wardens’ Meetings.
The year saw church members continue to look further outward in their mission and outreach, including:
- The Holywell Community working in Church, Schools and among young people of the town;
- Again running a marriage preparation course, with eight couples exploring their relationship and what marriage will mean to them;
- Members of our Mothers Union continuing to volunteer at a contact centre for children suffering family break-up;
- Members of all four churches in the incumbency collecting baby items and food for asylum seekers in Newport, the initiative again being run by Mothers Union;
- Families who had suffered bereavement during the year being personally invited to the All Souls Service, and to attend a weekly self-help bereavement group, with many taking up that invitation;
- At Christmas, the congregations filling boxes with small items as part of the Shoe Box Appeal, sending 60 boxes to orphanages in Romania;
- Parishioners contributing staple foodstuffs and toiletries to the Abergavenny Food Bank;
- The hosting of a weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting;
- Members of the church continuing to be involved with the 7Corners project in Abergavenny, which aims to provide a place for young people to meet;
- Church members contributing to Velindre Cancer Care by knitting chicks for Easter, which were then sold in aid of the charity;
- The Parish Fellowship also contributing over 40 Christmas parcels of items such as toiletries, gloves, and small gifts for older teenagers and young adults in Abergavenny who, through no fault of their own, are living by themselves, again an increase on last year’s total;
- Contributing to the Additional Curates’ Society;
- Making a Harvest offering towards the work of the Mission to Seafarers
- Contributing to the Bishop of Monmouth’s Lent Appeal.
The Church Without Walls initiative saw members of the public offered Ashing on Ash Wednesday; shoe polishing to commuters at the railway station on Maundy Thursday; and the Walking Nativity through busy Saturday morning Christmas shoppers with two donkeys and members of the congregation dressed up as the Holy Family, angels, shepherds and kings, singing carols and praising the Lord. Also in December, members of the congregations sang carols in care and nursing homes and in local pubs. In addition, two craft days were held for youngsters – one at Easter and one before the Walking Nativity – which were attended by children from both the congregations and Little Footprints.
St Mary’s Priory Choir went on their annual Singing Week in July as choir-in-residence at Rochester Cathedral, singing increasingly complex pieces, including Mass for Four Voices by Tallis, and works by Bairstow, Howells and Mendelssohn.
Members of the congregation again joined fellow pilgrims from all over the country for the annual Fr Ignatius Memorial Pilgrimage through the Llanthony Valley in August.
St Mary’s was visited by people from all over the world and from nearer home, with many groups such as U3A, local history organisations, Mothers Union and other church groups booking tours to learn about the collection of medieval monuments in the church – said to be one of the finest in the country – and to sit quietly in a church which has been a place of prayer for nearly 1,000 years. Many people visited to view the newly-installed Jesse Window.
The church bells, described as the finest ring of 10 bells in Christendom, were rung on Sundays, at funerals and weddings. They were also rung by seven visiting groups of ringers. In September, the All Wales 8-bell Striking Competition was held at St Mary’s, a competition between all the Welsh dioceses – won by the Llandaff & Monmouth ringers.
Fundraising, Fellowship and Hosting Events
A number of concerts, for both the Church and outside organisations, took place at St Mary’s, including St Mary’s Priory Choir’s sacred concert on Good Friday; and concerts by Crickhowell Choral Society and Gwent Bach Society.
The Priory Centre Hall and Christchurch Hall continue to be resources for the community. As well as hosting church fundraising events and after-service fellowship, Christchurch Hall was used by an art group for vulnerable adults and as part of Cantref Open Gardens Scheme, the latter raising money for Target Ovarian Cancer. The monthly coffee mornings held at Christchurch are well supported by both members of the congregation and people from the community.
The Priory Centre provided the venue for various fundraising activities and celebrations, including an auction evening, hosted by Roy Noble, in aid of the St Peter’s, Llanwenarth Citra, restoration fund. We also provided refreshments during Abergavenny Food Festival. The Centre is used for, among other events, meetings, conferences, blood donor sessions, parties and rehearsals of the Rock Choir.
Reference and administration details
St Mary’s Priory Church and its daughter church, Christchurch, is in the Parish of Abergavenny, part of Abergavenny Ministry Area and Deanery of Abergavenny and the Diocese of Monmouth in the Church of Wales.
Incumbent and ministers
The Incumbent is the Reverend Canon Mark Soady. He was assisted during part of the year by the Revd Sarah Gillard-Faulkner, before she left to pursue full-time prison chaplaincy. The clergy team at 31 December included the Revd Tom Bates and the Revd Jeff Pearse. Canon Soady is also assisted by the members of the Holywell Monastic Community.
Fr Tom, Bishop Richard, Fr Jeff
The worship in the parish has been made possible through the on-going contribution of our Licensed Lay Ministers David Meredith and Gaynor Parfitt; retired ministers the Revd Frances Buxton , the Revd Malcolm Lane, the Revd Canon Roger Williams and the Revd Canon Andrew Willie.
Objectives and activities
We review our aims, objectives and activities each year, looking at what we have achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous twelve months. The review looks at the success of each key activity and benefits of activities in a wide variety of cultural areas. The review also helps us ensure our aims, objectives and activities remained focussed on our stated objective.
When reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning and considering our activities for the year, the incumbent and the Parochial Church Council (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 objective of the Charity is promoting in the ecclesiastical parish the whole mission of the Church. Encouraging and facilitating the practice of the Christian Faith by the Churches includes the following:
- Conducting regular Christian worship in both Churches;
- The celebration of the Holy Eucharist, on at least six days each week at St Mary’s Priory Church
- Marriages, funerals and baptisms;
- The provision and maintenance of the fabric of St Mary’s Priory Church, Abergavenny, and of Christchurch, Abergavenny and their associated buildings;
- Opening St Mary’s daily for the public to enter and benefit from personal spiritual contemplation; and to be able to view the medieval monuments and learn about the Benedictine foundation of the Church and its place in the history of Christianity and of Abergavenny;
- The maintenance of Christian burial places;
- Promoting the study of Christian teaching, practices and Scriptures;
- The provision of means and encouragement to promote fellowship within the membership of the Churches and the wider community;
In addition to the above, Christian devotional acts and outreach work is carried out, including:
- Visiting the sick;
- Administering the Sacraments to those unable to attend regular acts of Worship, to the sick and dying;
- Supporting pastoral work;
- Fostering ecumenical links between differing Christian denominations;
- Supporting the work of other charities through, among others, the Mothers Union and AACT’s Mission and Outreach Committee.
The work of the Church is governed by safeguarding policies of the Church in Wales, responsible adults are required to have DBS checks and the joint parishes have appointed a safeguarding co-ordinator who liaises with the Provincial safeguarding officer if necessary.
Further achievements in the year
Monies were raised by freewill offertory, fundraising activities and specific appeals. These were used to support the work and administration of the churches and wider mission. Volunteers, who helped at each act of worship to support the clergy, have donated their time. The churches will continue with their acts of worship and pastoral care during 2018 and will continue actively to try to increase its Electoral Roll, through its mission work in the community.
The activities of the committees and groups within the churches continued during the year. The monies raised contributed to the general income of the churches. These activities are expected to continue during 2018. All those involved in group activities and who assist with the main functions of the churches are volunteers who have freely donated their time, energy and skills. In order to continue to foster increasing unity between the different Churches and congregations within Canon Soady’s Incumbency, regular meetings of the Wardens from all four Churches were held.
The Trustees
The trustees who served the Charity during the period from the Annual Vestry Meeting in April 2017 until the end of the year were as follows:
The Revd Canon Mark Soady Chairman
The Revd Sarah Gillard-Faulkner (in part)
The Revd Tom Bates (in part)
The Revd Jeff Pearse
Mr Robin Alldred
Mrs Sheila Davies Assistant People’s Warden, representative on the Deanery Conference
Mr Lyndon Evans
Mr Sam Hunt
Mr Steven Lamerton Gift Aid Treasurer
Mrs Jenny Lloyd
Mrs Eunice Marsh PCC Secretary
Mrs Jenny McPherson
Mr Andrew Powell
Mr Tim Pratt Vicar’s Warden
Mrs Patricia Ransome
Mr Huw Shurmer
Mr Robin Smith Assistant Vicar’s Warden, St Mary’s Treasurer
Mrs Sheila Woodhouse Vicar’s warden at Christchurch, Christchurch Treasurer
Ms Caroline Woollard Parish People’s Warden, representative on the Diocesan Conference and member of the Governing Body of the Church in Wales
In addition (from January 2017 to the Vestry meeting in April 2017): Mrs Anne Griffiths; Mrs Rebecca Jackson; Mr Vernon Lewis
Structure, governance and management
The Parish of Abergavenny is part of the Diocese of Monmouth within the Church in Wales. The Church in Wales is a Province within the Anglican Communion and, as such, exists to advance the Christian Religion through world-wide mission. The object of the Parochial Church Council is to ensure that the life and work of the Church within the Parish helps to fulfil that mission, both locally and more widely.
The Representative Body of the Church in Wales holds the land and property of the Church in Wales, including St Mary’s Priory Church, Christchurch and other church buildings, and including the Garden of Rest at St Mary’s, and their contents. The Representative Body is an exempt Charity and was set up under Section 13(2) of the Welsh Churches Act 1914. It acts on behalf of the Province in paying the stipends of the full-time clergy, and administers the Church in Wales scheme of covenanted and gift aid giving, recovering tax on behalf of the parishes.
The Parochial Church Council (PCC) is not a body corporate, its composition, procedure and powers being regulated by the Constitution of the Church in Wales as amended from time to time by its Governing Body set up under Section 13(1) of the Welsh Church Act 1914. Elections are held at an Annual Vestry Meeting which must take place on or before 30th April each year. All persons whose names are entered on the Electoral Roll are entitled to vote and stand for election. Before assuming office, every member of the PCC publicly makes a declaration that he or she will be bound by the Constitution. The Members and Officers of the PCC, including the Incumbent, on appointment, become Trustees of the ‘Parish of Abergavenny Parochial Church Council Charity Trust’.
The PCC also appoints the Priory Trustees, a body set up under a 1925 Deed of Trust to administer certain lands and properties held by the Representative Body as Custodial Trustees on behalf of and for the benefit of the Parish. The Trustees report to the PCC and their accounts are kept separate but consolidated with those of St Mary’s and Christchurch within the Charity Accounts presented with this report.
Property administered by the Priory Trustees includes the Priory Centre, the Tithe Barn and the Curate’s House. The latter two have been purchased in recent years and their freehold values are shown in the Accounts of this Charity.
The St Mary’s Winston Appeal also works under the auspices of the PCC and its accounts are also kept separate but consolidated with those of St Mary’s and Christchurch within the Charity Accounts presented with this report.
Commercial operations undertaken in the Priory Centre and the Tithe Barn were administered by The St Mary’s Priory House Company Limited, a Service Company registered with Companies House and in which the Priory Trustees, on behalf of the PCC and the Parish of Abergavenny Parochial Church Council Charity Trust, held 51% of the shares. The remaining 49% were held by the St Mary’s Priory Development Trust (Charity No: 107744) a separate, but related, Charity set up by the Priory Trustees in 1999. The St Mary’s Priory House Company Ltd ceased to trade on 6 October 2017 and is in the process of being wound up. The St Mary’s Priory Trustees have now assumed full responsibility for the continuing use of the facilities in both the Priory Centre and the Tithe Barn.
Risk Review
The PCC has conducted its own review of the major risks to which the Charity is exposed and systems have been established to mitigate those risks. The risks facing the Charity include the state of repair of the Churches and the financial requirements to meet its stated activities, including payment of its Annual Parish Share, bearing in mind the fall in the numbers of regular worshippers and the reduction in regular giving. The structure of the Churches is continually monitored by the Fabric committee and the Church architect, and the finances are controlled by careful budgeting and encouragement and appeals to the worshippers and visitors.
There have been no serious incidents or other matters relating to this charity over the previous financial year that we should have brought to the attention of the Charity Commissioners but have not.
Organisational Structure
The PCC is responsible inter-alia for promoting the mission of the Church, the parochial budget and all expenditure there under, the care and maintenance of the fabric of the Churches and associated buildings and of the Garden of Remembrance, and for action on any other matter referred to it in accordance with the constitution. The PCC is also the normal channel of communication between the parishioners and the Bishop of the diocese. All members of the PCC are volunteers.
In addition to the election of members, the Officers, i.e. The People’s Warden and the Assistant People’s Warden are elected at the annual Easter Vestry; the Vicar appoints the Vicar’s Warden and two Vicar’s assistant wardens at the same meeting. New representatives are told of their responsibilities and of the issues facing the Churches by existing representatives, and receive such additional training as required. Other Officers, including the Secretary, Treasurer and Gift Aid Treasurer are appointed at the first meeting of the PCC after the Vestry Meeting.
As indicated, members of the PCC also serve as representatives on the Deanery and Diocesan Conferences and the Governing Body of the Church in Wales. St Mary’s and Christchurch are active members of Abergavenny Council of Churches and volunteers help run mission events in Abergavenny, including activities for Christian Aid Fortnight, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Easter and Christmas.
The Churches are run entirely by volunteers as the clergy are remunerated by another charity from the Parish Share payments made by all the Churches in the Diocese. Without the work of these volunteers, who, for example, enable St Mary’s to be kept open every day for members of the public to visit and to pray, the Churches would not function.
While the vast majority of those employed on the site were employees of the Priory House Company Limited, until that company ceased trading, as of December 2017 the Charity only employed one, the organist. The PCC’s policy is to pay employees at least the Living Wage.
Committee structure
The PCC met 12 times in 2017, but between these meetings, a number of committees meet to support the work of the Churches:
- The Mission and Outreach Committee (members of which are from all four churches in the incumbency working under the auspices of AACT.)
- The Finance and General Purposes Committee
- St Mary’s Winston Appeal Committee
Fabric
Regular inspections and maintenance of both Churches, plus the other buildings and the grounds, were carried out during the year as required. Minor works following the receipt of the latest Quinquennial Report for St Mary’s have continued.
Works undertaken at St Mary’s during the year included
- The first phase in the re-ordering of the Lewis Chapel was completed, following an extended period of environmental monitoring, with the move of the Church’s 15th Century wooden Jesse Effigy to a new position at the east end of the Chapel, underneath the new Jesse Window installed in 2016. To support the Effigy in its new position a wooden plinth was designed, erected and installed by Joachim Tantau, based in Hamburg. To complement the plinth a new altar, credence table and lectern, all to the same generic design, have also been commissioned from Joachim Tantau. The works were celebrated at a special service on 21 November when the new altar was dedicated to St Joseph.
- Having successfully applied for a Home Office Grant to fund the work, new security cameras were installed at key locations, both internal and external, around the Priory Site to supplement the previous equipment. The extended cover has already demonstrated its value by assisting the police following an attempted break-in at the Vicarage and in apprehending the person responsible for a robbery in the Church.
- The Church had successfully applied in 2016 for a grant from the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Scheme for full repairs to the Lewis Chapel Roof and some associated works. A total of £96,000 was initially awarded. Following a rigorous tendering exercise, work commenced in August 2017 when the North Slope slates were removed. This revealed major deterioration of nearly all 24 rafters at their interface with the wall plate and evidence of re-use of medieval timbers from previous versions of the roof when the present roof was erected in the early 19th As a result, an extensive programme of new works was designed, approved and installed to make good the deterioration while maintaining the integrity of the earliest timberworks. To cover the additional costs, further successful fund- raising was undertaken and grants of £2,000 from the All Churches Trust, £5,000 from the Diocese of Monmouth and an additional £14,000 (taking their total to £110,000) from the LPOW Roof Repair Scheme, were obtained. This was sufficient to allow the south slope to be stripped to reveal no problems with the rafters at that side, both slopes to be re-slated and all associated water goods to be replaced. However, some of the originally planned ancillary works will now have to be undertaken in future years. The Practical Completion stage of the scheme was reached in mid-December.
A number of major schemes are planned for 2018, assuming sufficient funding can be secured. It is also anticipated the next Quinquennial Inspection of St Mary’s will be undertaken in the second half of 2018 which will help to set the agenda for an on-going programme of enhancements, renewals repairs and maintenance.
While minor repairs, as identified in the Quinquennial Report, were undertaken at Christchurch, the major project undertaken was the repainting of the exterior of the church, together with minor repairs to some window frames. During the work, wet rot was found in the woodwork underneath the east window. This has been made safe but the frame of this window, the largest in the church, will need to be repaired/replaced in 2018, as will the interior wooden wall panelling and floorboards underneath it.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
RESULTS
The level of direct voluntary contributions at each act of worship, excluding tax reclaimed through Gift Aid, amounted to £76,814 (2016: £78,561), a 2.2% reduction that continues the overall trend of recent years of lower receipts from a diminishing congregation.
Other unrestricted general income, including that generated from fundraising activities, amounted to £132,599 (2016: £128,506). This included a change in the arrangements for handling income from the hire of facilities in the Priory Centre and Tithe Barn by external users which had previously been accrued to the independent Priory House Company. For 2017 this additional income amounted to £23,860.
Fewer substantial donations were received from parishioners during 2017 and as a result there was also a significant decrease in tax refunds under the Gift Aid schemes. However, a total of £123,636 was obtained through grants from a number of external bodies, mostly awarded in connection with major fabric works. In addition, VAT payments were reclaimed for all compliant expenditure and a total of £16,243 was recovered during the year (2016: £15,006)
The level of unrestricted expenditure, other than for exceptional items, amounted to £199,837 (2017: 204,912) while the Winston Appeal restricted funds covered the expenditure incurred moving the Jesse effigy and on other items for the Lewis Chapel. This totalled £39,088 (2017: £76,588).
During 2017 the Charity received £99,000, out of the total £110,000 awarded, from the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Scheme towards the Lewis Chapel Roof Repair Scheme and £6,910 from the Home Office for security Improvements on the St Mary’s site. In addition the Charity received a service charge of £3,000 from the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority associated with the latter’s use of part of the Tithe Barn as the town’s Tourist Information Office. The Charity received no other grants or income for services delivered, from central or local government during the year. However, grants were received from Church-based groups towards the costs of the repairs to the roof of the Lewis Chapel, and towards the Holywell Community including contributions to the costs of the sub-prior.
The Parish Share payable to the Diocese during the year was £60,385 (2016: £66,895) but shortfalls in previous years means that £23,339 (2016: £35,320) remained outstanding at the end of the year.
Exceptional items during the year included the repairs to the Lewis Chapel Roof (£127,309, with invoices outstanding at year end), the security upgrades at St Mary’s (£8,637) and repairs to the external fabric at Christchurch (£7,840).
The net assets of the Charity at 31 December 2017 amounted to £340,002 (31/12/2016: £374,669) including freehold properties valued at £362,641 (unchanged). The reduction in assets reflected the net expenditure on the Lewis Chapel by the Winston Memorial Fund using money raised in previous years. The principal liabilities remain the shortfall on the Parish Share and the loan on the Holywell Community House (£59,004), which is due for repayment in September 2023.
RESERVES POLICY
The Parochial Church Council recognises the need to hold reserves to ensure funding is available to provide continuing mission should income levels fall. Reserves are also required to meet the future maintenance programme for the Churches and Church buildings.
A minimum level of reserves also needs to be retained to ensure the PCC can meet its legal commitments should the Charity be unable to continue due to a lack of a sustainable income stream. The Officers of the PCC have established a policy whereby the unrestricted funds not designated for specific use by the PCC or invested in tangible fixed assets, ie the free reserves held by the Charity, should ideally be between three and six months of the resources expended in general funds.
The Charity is dependent on donations, grants and investment income. The economic climate remains uncertain and interest rates continue at historically low levels, both of which factors are likely to have an on-going negative impact on future income streams.
INVESTMENT POLICY
Despite the continuation of historically low rates of interest, the PCC (through its Finance & General Purposes Committee) has concluded the most appropriate policy for investing funds remains to achieve the best possible rate from our Bankers commensurate with maintaining the capability of rapid access to the funds in the event of a call on them.
Bankers
Lloyds Bank, 54 Cross Street, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 5HB
HSBC Bank plc, 2 Frogmore Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5AF
Barclays Bank, 57 Frogmore Street, Abergavenny, NP7 5AT
Independent Examiner
Dorrell Oliver Limited, Linden House, Monk Street, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 5NF.
Professional Advisers (Historic Buildings)
Arnold Bartosch Ltd, 1 Bath Mews, Bath Parade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL53 7HL
Approved by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by The Reverend Canon Mark Soady, Chairman on
Feast of St Joseph (19th March), 2018
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