St Katharine’s Church, Blackrod ANNUAL REPORT 2020 For presentation at the ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING Thursday 1st October 2020 at 7.00pm

ST KATHARINE, BLACKROD

Welcome to St Katharine's, Blackrod, part of the Daisy Hill, Westhoughton and Wingates Team of churches. St Katharine's is a family friendly church, and all are welcome. We have a lively Sunday School which meets during the Sunday morning service. We have a hearing system, and facilities for those with disabilities, including a stair-lift to the upper room. We are open for private prayer on Thursday and Saturday mornings, as well as our regular Sunday and Tuesday services. The church is a Grade 2 listed, stone building, mostly rebuilt in early 1900's, with a bell tower dating from the 16th Century. The church was re-ordered in 2000 to create meeting rooms up and downstairs, office, kitchen and toilets. Our peal of six bells was recently restored and we have a growing team of bellringers. The Church is dedicated to Saint Katharine of Alexandria whose feast day falls on 25th November.

The Team Ministry: Blackrod, Daisy Hill, Westhoughton & Wingates

Team Rector: The Revd Carol Pharaoh Church Street, Westhoughton, Bolton BL5 2BG Telephone 01942 859251 Email: [email protected]

Vicar: The Revd Angela Wynne, St Katharine’s Vicarage, Blackhorse Street, Blackrod, BL6 5EN Telephone: 01204 468150 Email: [email protected]

CONTACT Telephone: 01204 469220 Email: [email protected]

Opening Times: Websites: www.stkatharine.net To book rooms and general enquiries: www.westhoughtonchurches.org.uk Tuesdays 10am - 12 noon Facebook: St. Katharine’s Church, Blackrod To arrange Baptisms, Weddings, and meet with the Vicar: Thursdays 7 - 8 pm FOR YOUNG PEOPLE: Contact: Sylvia Gregory Sundays Tel: 01204 468716 8.00am Holy Communion Sunday School For all school age children on on 1st and 3rd Sundays Sundays in term time at 11am in the Upper Room. For children - There are activity bags and toys for 11.00am The Parish Eucharist children not attending Sunday School - for use in the pews or lower room during services. Please help yourself to these or ask the sidespeople. Tuesdays There is a “Family corner” in church for babies and 9.30am Holy Communion toddlers.

Messy Church on Saturdays each month Saints’ Days and Holy Days as shown from 4 - 6pm, for fun, food and activities. in the Parish Magazine

2 ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT YEAR ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2019

CONTENTS Page PCC Membership from 11 April 2019 3 The Electoral Roll 2019-2020 3 Minutes of Annual Vestry Meeting held on 11 April 2019 4 Minutes of Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on 11 April 2019 4 Report on the proceedings of the Parochial Church Council 8 Church Fabric Report 10 Deanery Synod Report 11 Youth Report 12 Child Protection report 2019-2020 14 Policy Statement on Children, Young People 14 and the Church of St Katharine, Blackrod Child Protection Policy 16 Policy Statement on the Safeguarding of adults 18 Safe Church Policy 18 Financial Statement 19 Balance sheet and Year end 27

PCC MEMBERSHIP FROM 11TH APRIL 2019

Incumbent: The Revd Angela Wynne. Churchwardens: Valerie Marron and Janet Hollick. Deanery Synod Representatives: Ruth Kellie, Valerie Marron, Margaret Ryding, Barbara Worsley. PCC Members: Jean Hibbert, Mary Pryle, Bob Chapman, Sue Parry, Ruth Sharrock, Chris Skinner, Ellis Collier, Jennifer Collier, Jackie Sorry, Helen Gambles, Margaret Sumner and Sylvia Gregory. Auditor: Mrs Joan Trevena Sidespersons: Doreen Cornes, Bill Day, Agnes Taylor, Malcolm Goring, Ruth Kellie, Mike Hollick, Bob Chapman, Ellis Collier, Jennifer Collier, Hazel Lord, Rhea Howard, Deborah Howard, Robin Sharp, Dilys Garritt, Brenda Thomas, Margaret Ryding.

THE ELECTORAL ROLL OF ST KATHARINE’S, BLACKROD, 2019-2020

The Electoral Roll is the list of names and addresses of a Church’s membership. Every person listed on the Electoral Roll is eligible to attend the Annual Parochial Church Meeting and vote. A new roll was created in 2019 and is renewed every six years. This year and subsequent years up to 2025, the Electoral Roll will only be amended with any new names that have been added, and names of those who are no longer members will be taken off. No-one over 18 can be elected to the PCC until they have been Electoral Roll members for 6 months. People under the age of 18 can be elected to the PCC from their 16th birthday. There are now 135 names on the Electoral Roll for the APCM 2020. Sheila Kinrade, Electoral Roll Officer

3 ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING - Thursday 11th April 2019 at 7.00pm Introduction Revd Angela welcomed all to the meeting and began the evening with prayer. Those present were reminded that the Vestry Meeting was open to all parishioners. Apologies for Absence Apologies were received from Alan and Christine Wolstencroft, Bob Chapman, Barbara Worsley, Heather & Robin Sharp, Barbara Finney, and George Hibbert. Minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting held on 22nd April 2018 The Minutes were accepted as a correct record. Election of Two Churchwardens There were two nominations for Churchwarden to serve for the next year: Valerie Marron and Janet Hollick, both were proposed by Margaret Sumner and seconded by Mary Pryle. As there were no further nominations, Valerie and Janet were duly elected. Revd Angela thanked the Churchwardens for their work during the past year. Valerie Marron thanked Revd Angela for her work during the year, with particular mention of the formation of teams to take forward the work of St Katharine’s. The Annual Vestry Meeting was then closed.

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING - Thursday 11th April 2019 at 7.15pm

Introduction Revd Wynne introduced the meeting and reminded those attending that only those persons whose names were on the current Electoral Roll were entitled to be present. Copies of the Annual Report for 2019 had been made available to parishioners previously. Minutes of the Annual Parochial Meeting held on 22nd April 2018 The Minutes were accepted as a correct record, proposed by Janet Hollick and seconded by Valerie Marron. There were no matters arising from the minutes. Reports Revd Angela drew attention to the printed Annual Report of St Katharine’s 2019 which contained full reports on the following: Church Electoral Roll: Revd Angela thanked Sheila Kinrade, Electoral Roll Officer, for her work to renew the Electoral Roll this year. Sheila Kinrade gave details of the new roll and thanked Mary Pryle and the churchwardens for their help in this process. There were currently 139 names on the roll, and the next renewal would be in 2025. Names could be added and removed during this time, and Sheila asked if she could be notified when changes occurred in order to keep the electoral roll up to date. Brian McCabe queried the benefits to the church of the electoral roll. Revd Angela explained that the numbers did not affect the Parish Share contribution, but determined the number of members on the PCC, and the number of Deanery Synod representatives from this parish. Parochial Church Council PCC proceedings: Details of the proceedings of the PCC during 2018/19 were printed in the report. Mary Pryle gave brief details of the work of the PCC through the year and highlighted how busy members had been. The PCC had met nine times, the standing committee had met on four occasions, and the working parties for GDPR and the Mission Action Plan had all held various meetings. PCC members had attended training sessions, and any actions agreed during meetings had been addressed promptly and successfully. Decisions had been taken following full discussion of the issues and openness was encouraged. Members were thanked for their support. Brian McCabe queried the progess with regard to the vacancy for Team Vicar at St James and St George. Revd Angela responded that the process of appointment was ongoing and it was expected the post would be advertised after Easter. The Financial Affairs of the Parish with audited PCC accounts for the year ending 31st December 2018: The financial report and accounts were included in the printed report. There were no queries. Jean Hibbert, PCC Treasurer, gave an explanation with regards to the stewardship campaign which would normally have taken place at the end of the year. However, the Parish Share had once again been paid in full and there would be an appeal for people to look at their level of giving in the near future. Mrs Hibbert was thanked for all her hard work in continuing to keep the books balanced. Fabric Report: Janet Hollick gave details of the work to repair the Chancel floor. The churchwardens had now made an application for the children’s area in church to be made permanent with alterations to one of the pews and a carpet fixed in place. The DAC had requested photographs and measurements of the 4 proposed area which had now been supplied. The Proceedings of the Deanery Synod: The representatives of St Katharine’s were thanked for their attendance and input at the Deanery Synod meetings in the Deanery of Deane. Barbara Worsley was thanked for the detailed reports from the three meetings during the year. Revd Angela gave details of the decision-making process within the Church of England which started at the Deanery Synod level, moving to Diocesan Synod and eventually to General Synod. The meeting was informed that Valerie Marron had been nominated as Deanery Representative to the Diocesan Synod. Church Youth Report, Child Protection Report and Policy Statement: The reports and policies were included in the printed Annual Report. Revd Angela reported that there had been no issues of concern during the past year and St Katharine’s was a safe church. Revd Angela thanked Ruth Wills for her work with the Sunday School and youth groups during the past ten years. The new team of Sylvia Gregory, Ruth Sharrock and Margaret Sumner were remodelling the Sunday School and the first Messy Church session in March had been a success with more to come. It was hoped that links with the Blackrod Church School would continue to develop. The meeting was informed of funding won for the Bolton area for a project to support children with their faith. The “Children Changing Places” project would run for five years and support children in the transition periods when starting primary school, and moving from primary to secondary school. Policy statement on the safeguarding of adults: This was included in the report and assumed read. A query was raised regarding DBS clearances – these were renewed every three years. A further query concerned the Safeguarding training and whether a record was kept of who had completed the training and how often it should be renewed. It was suggested that the Safeguarding officer could keep a record of these and note when persons should repeat the training. Election of Representatives of the Laity to the PCC. There were two vacancies for PCC Members. One nomination had been seconded, for the election of the following: Margaret Sumner, proposed by Jean Hibbert and seconded by Ruth Kellie. There were no further nominations and as there were no objections the nominee was elected. One vacancy remained. The following members had agreed to continue to serve for the duration of their terms of office: Bob Chapman, Helen Gambles, Ruth Sharrock, Sue Parry, Jackie Sorry, Ellis Collier, Jennifer Collier, Sylvia Gregory, and Mary Pryle. Election of Sidespersons There were sixteen nominations which had all been seconded, as follows: Bob Chapman, Ellis Collier, Jennifer Collier, Doreen Cornes, Bill Day, Dilys Garrit, Malcolm Goring, Mike Hollick, Deborah Howard, Rhea Howard, Ruth Kellie, Hazel Lord, Margaret Ryding, Robin Sharp, Agnes Taylor, Brenda Thomas. There were no further nominations, and as there were no objections the nominees were elected. Revd Angela thanked all the sidespeople for their work. Appointment of Auditor to the PCC Revd Angela queried if the current auditor, Joan Trevena, was willing to continue, and the Treasurer indicated that she was. Proposed by Jean Hibbert and seconded by Shirley Rowlandson. To agree Term of Office for PCC Members Revd Angela explained that PCC Members were elected for three years and as such it was not necessary to re-elect these people each year, as had happened at St Katharine’s in the past. In future only the vacancies would be advertised, and unless they resigned PCC members would remain in office for three years. In theory one third of the PCC would be offered as vacancies each year. Any Other Business Archdeacon’s Visitation – to be held on Wednesday 8th May 2019 at 7.30pm at Holy Trinity Church, Horwich. The Churchwardens and Sidespeople were invited to attend. Vicar’s report Revd Angela then gave her address as follows: “Once again it’s been a busy year for us, but before I go any further I’d just like to pay tribute to two faithful servants of this parish who died last year. Jean Douglas and Anita Skinner. Both Anita and Jean were artistically gifted and creative. Jean was not only a master of her needle but she was also a master of God’s word, building us up in our faith with her wisdom from the pulpit. Last year she celebrated 25 years as a Reader. Anita was a talented artist who shared her skills with us in many ways. She was an inspirational leader of the Flower Team and founded the Flower Club which goes from strength to strength. Two unique people with their own gifts and talents which they used generously in the service of God. Two good and trustworthy servants now sharing their Father’s glory. They are both missed by us all. May they rest in peace and rise in Glory.

5 Their work is done, ours continues. I’ve had to spread myself pretty thin this year because of the Team Rector and Team Vicar vacancies but I have been so blessed by my colleagues throughout the team who have picked up the mantel and made sure the service pattern was maintained. I feel exceptionally blessed and my address reflects my sense of gratitude. My sincere thanks go to my retired clergy colleagues here in Blackrod, Carol, Heather and Alan, for stepping in to provide worship and enabling me to minister elsewhere, or indeed have a break. The Churchwardens, retired clergy and lay ministers across the team have all picked up extra duties to cover the vacancies and this has been hard work for everyone. It was with a sense of relief that we appointed the Revd Carol Pharaoh as Team Rector and it was wonderful to welcome her in January. Work is now in progress to appoint the Team Vicar for St James and St Georges. With Carol’s appointment and even though we still have St James and St Georges to cover, I aim to focus my ministry more fully on the two churches I am responsible for - St Katharine’s and St Thomas’s. You are such different churches with different opportunities and challenges. St Katharine’s is a traditional church with a faithful but largely elderly congregation, and St Thomas’s is a church in school with a large number of families attending, but with only a small core of committed members. You have proved yourselves able and willing maintain the life of this church. Even with my reduced input progress has been made this year - As we heard in our report we have worked hard to sure we comply with the General Data Protection Regulations which came into force in May last year. We were steered along the road most ably by Gerry Kay whose thoroughness and hard work saw that work completed. Sincere thanks to Gerry for coming forward and seeing us through that process. We also sharpened up on our Health & Safety Policy, our Risk Assessments, our Fire Safety policy. Many thanks to Sheila Kinrade and Mike Hollick who have taken on this role and also to Helen and Maurice Gambles who helped considerably. Also huge thanks to Helen Gambles for continuing in the role of Child Protection Co-ordinator and Janet Hollick for being Lead Recruiter. These roles are so unglamorous, tedious at times, receive little recognition but absolutely essential. Thank you for being prepared to sacrifice your time in this way. Another challenge we faced this year was the work on the mosaic floor in the Chancel and again pressure was taken off the Churchwardens and myself by Robin Sharp who acted as Project Manager liaising with Bullen’s the contractors and the Architect. I will add my thanks to Robin for his overseeing of the work which has turned out splendidly! The Archdeacon’s Inspection in May 2018 gave me and the churchwardens the opportunity to go through the paperwork, and it makes you realise just how much work goes into keeping this church open. It really is like running a small business, incongruous though that sounds in relation to a church. And that doesn’t take into account the financial side that Jean Hibbert, our Treasurer, so ably manages. And to think that all of it is done as volunteers. Well done to all of you. For me the highlights this year have to be in relation to our mission and outreach. The well-established Senior Moments, Events and Flower Club all provide opportunities for the community to engage with the church and enjoy friendship with each other. They continue to thrive and thanks and congratulations to those who make them happen. We were pleased to finally get our Mission Action Plan onto paper. We came up with five Priorities: Priority 1: To encourage people into the church we will make the building more accessible to the community. Priority 2: To encourage more young adults and families to be part of our worship. Priority 3: We will participate in mission in the community by identifying its needs Priority 4: For planned giving to be increasing by 2.5% pa by 2020 and by 5% pa by 2023 Priority 5: To encourage and support new vocations by encouraging people to consider ALM, OLM and Lay Eucharistic Ministry. Not only is it on paper but we have begun to put it into action. P1 - Last year we introduced a new opportunity for the community to access the church. Each Saturday, except when there’s a coffee morning or other event, the church is open between 10-12 for quiet prayers. Revd Carol McCabe introduced this and is usually present if someone wants to come and talk. It’s important that people know that there are times that they can just sit quietly, undisturbed and reflect or pray and generally spend time in God’s company. I am grateful to Carol for taking the lead with this. P2 - The children’s corner enables parents to remain in church and still participate in the service in a way that the lower room doesn’t allow. It’s just not the same singing hymns on your own in there. Parents who use this space love it and it send out the message that we think they are important to our worship. In addition we have introduced a new type of Church - “Messy Church” - to encourage young people. Messy Church is for families who find it hard to come to church on a Sunday for whatever reason. The 6 important thing to understand is that it’s not just another club, it aims to be a church community in itself. Late Saturday afternoon seems to be a good time for families but you don’t have to be a family to come and be involved. All are welcome. This has started because someone, not me, had a vision and made it happen. Margaret Sumner, Ruth Sharrock and Sylvia Gregory are the ones driving this forward and we trust and pray that God will use Messy Church to reach more people. Watch this space! P3 - Needs in the community. This is important to me. The church has to serve a purpose in the community. We are the parish church. I have a responsibility not just to the people who come but everyone who lives in the parish. This is how we differ from other denominations. We enable worship of almighty God, and we are here for people at the significant times in their lives. Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals. We are here to encourage people in their faith, to help them connect with God. We’re not just here for ourselves. William Temple, Bishop of Manchester then Archbishop of Canterbury once said “The church is the only organisation that exists for the people not in it”. But what are the needs that we can help with? We are doing well in combating loneliness and isolation especially in older people with our groups, but what are the other needs out there? Last summer we volunteered to be a packed lunch collection centre for Urban Outreach so that children eligible for Free School Meals received a meal during the holidays. It was slow starting but picked up a little. Perhaps this year the uptake will be greater as word gets round. That’s one example, there are plenty of needs in the community but we have to discover what they are and how we can help. So we made a good start on the first three priorities. Increased Giving and New vocations still need working on. We’ve been able to make progress on these first three priorities because folk have responded to the need and the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps God is calling you in some way. You won’t get any peace until you answer that call! I’m so encouraged with the way our ministry to young people is going. The Sunday School has had a refresh and has new enthusiasm, and we are stepping out in faith with our Messy Church. I feel a real sense of excitement for what the future holds. I started with tributes and thanks and now a few more. Everyone loves our Parish Magazine. Even people at the other churches look out for it. It’s a great team effort and full of good contributions from the church. However the driving force behind it is Mary Pryle. Mary edits, prints and often assembles and staples it together - 400 copies. In addition Mary prints out the weekly service sheets and makes publicity posters and much, much more. We are so blessed that you chose to share your time and talents with us. Thank you to Valerie and Janet, who have been excellent churchwardens this year. It’s a learning curve with everything that comes along but Valerie and Janet just calmly get on with things. Although responsible for bricks and mortar and making sure we comply with regulations, I maintain that Churchwarden is a calling too if it is to be done well. So thank you for answering that call. I would also like to extend my thanks for their personal support this year. Finally thank you to all of you. I’ve got a book at home called “A faith worth sharing, a church worth joining”. Well our faith is worth sharing that’s why I’m here. And it is you who make this a church worth joining. And you do, so thank you. Please join us for cheese and biscuits and a drop of wine after the meeting! Brian McCabe gave a vote of thanks to all the PCC members, Deanery Synod representatives and Sidespeople for their work and support for St Katharine’s Church during the past year. Revd Angela then declared the proceedings of the APCM closed and thanked everyone for their attendance and attention. The meeting closed at 8.15pm.

Brixi Singers concert

October 2019

7 PROCEEDINGS OF THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL - APRIL 2019-MARCH 2020

“The PCC is a legal body, made up of the people who have legal responsibility for the parish church, churchyard and the church’s money. The PCC also has responsibility for working with the Vicar on matters of general concern and importance to the parish, and promoting the whole mission of the church in the parish. It works for all in the parish, not just for running the church building or looking after Christians.” (Quote from “The PCC Members Essential Guide”, by Mark Tanner, 2015). In this last year the PCC has worked with the Vicar to run the church building and promote the mission of the church in the parish of Blackrod. Members met nine times in the year April 2019 to March 2020, and the Standing Committee – Revd Angela, Lay Vice-chair, Churchwardens, Secretary and Treasurer, also met regularly during the year. The Churchwardens met regularly with Revd Angela. Attendance at meetings was very good. Appointment of Officers The following were appointed as officers of the PCC to serve for the year up to the APCM 2020: Lay Vice-Chair Chris Skinner PCC Treasurer Jean Hibbert PCC Secretary Mary Pryle Electoral Roll Sheila Kinrade Health & Safety Sheila Kinrade and Mike Hollick Standing committee Chair, lay Vice-Chair, Churchwardens, Treasurer, Secretary. Deputy Churchwarden: Margaret Ryding Deputy Treasurer: Bob Chapman and Mike Hollick Gift Aid Officer/ Charity Commission Co-ordinator: Chris Skinner Child Protection: Helen Gambles Lead Recruiter: Janet Hollick (Later resigned, and the role taken on by Mary Pryle) Youth/ Sunday School representatives: Sylvia Gregory, Ruth Sharrock, and Margaret Sumner

Briefings and Training - PCC Members had attended various diocesan briefings and training courses during the year including the following:  Safeguarding training on 17th June 2019 at St Elizabeth’s, Horwich.  Health & Safety Briefing on 26th June 2019 at Church House, attended by Revd Angela and Mike Hollick.  Bolton 2030: Living Well mini conference on Wednesday 10th July at Claremont Church, Bolton.  Archdeacon’s Roadshow on 4th September 2019 attended by Revd Angela and Janet Hollick.  Diocesan Conference “Leaping into the Future of Giving” on 29th February 2020 at King’s House, Manchester, attended by Jean Hibbert and Chris Skinner. Agenda items raised and discussed during the year included the following: Pew cushions, Harvest Charity, Confirmation, Messy Church, Family Corner in church, Peal Board, the BL Lunches scheme, renovation of the Chisenhale Hatchment, purchase of chairs for upper room, purchase of new albs, replacement candle holder for Paschal Candle, Christmas Services, Easter Services, World Day of Prayer 2020, Christmas Dinner on Jesus (Urban Outreach), Follow the Star (Church of England Christmas Campaign), Taize Service, Dementia Friendly Service. Matters discussed and decisions taken including: Diocesan Synod. Valerie Marron was nominated as the Deanery Representative for Diocesan Synod. Valerie had attended Synod meetings in March and September 2019. Diocesan briefing – proposals for change. The PCC discussed the proposals and the 10 year strategy which included the move from 20 to 7 deaneries, the creation of a new Area Dean role, providing leadership for change and development, and developing a consistent approach to Mission units across the Diocese, each with three stipendiary clergy. The Briefing also gave details of the financial deficit of the Diocesan Board of Finance of £600K. This was explained as being due to a fall in receipt of the parish share. Restructuring was in progress including reducing the layers of management, some redundancies, and considering numbers of stipendiary clergy. Available space at Church House would be let to private business. Mission Action Plan. The MAP had been reviewed. Deanery Mission and Pastoral Committee. The committee was reformed with a lay representative and clergy representative from each church. Its focus would be to review Mission Action Plans alongside the Deanery MAP. A new representative was required from St Katharine’s and Chris Skinner was approached to take on this role. The first meeting of the DMP Committee took place on 29th October 2019 at St Katharine's. BL Lunches. For the second year, the PCC agreed to the church to be used as a collection point for the lunches scheme organised by urbnan Outreach during the six-week summer holidays in 2019.

8 Open Church sessions. The PCC were informed of the proposal to organise monthly Open Church sessions on Wednesday afternoons starting in October 2019. The Revd Carol McCabe had offered to lead these with a theme and quiet prayer. Refreshments would be offered, with no charge for the sessions. Vacancy at Daisy Hill. The PCC received regular updates regarding the vacancy at St James, Daisy Hill, for the post of Vicar. In March 2020 the PCC were informed that in light of the current financial situation in the Diocese, a decision had been made by the Bishop’s Leadership Team not to advertise the vacancy at St James, Daisy Hill until the financial situation improved. Support had been offered from Bolton Parish Church to take services, and retired clergy were continuing to offer their time. Rector Carol met with the churchwardens in the team to discuss arrangements for the future. Managing Services. The PCC agreed to change the pattern of services due to the reduced number of clergy in the team. At St Katharine’s the 8.00am Sunday service would be held on the first and third Sundays. Baptism services would be held at St Bartholomew’s once a month at 1pm, at St James – once a month at 2pm, and at St John’s and St Katharine’s – during the morning service once a month. The changes would come into operation from February 2020. Foundation Governor for Blackrod Church School Governing Board. Hazel Lord, the Foundation Governor nominated by the PCC, had come to the end of her term of office and was happy to continue. The PCC agreed that Hazel should continue for a further term of office. Sub-Committees Reports were received from the following subcommittees covering the various areas of church work: Pastoral, Worship, Stewardship, Buildings and Maintenance, Outreach (Events, Senior Moments and Flower Club), Children’s Work, and Communications. Presentations and Proposals Peal Board. Mike Kay, Tower Captain, attended the PCC meeting on 1 st July 2019, to display the new peal board and explain what had been involved. The Peal was rung on Saturday 19th May 2018 to celebrate the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. The peal took 2 hours and 44 minutes to complete by six ringers with no breaks! The PCC congratulated the ringing team on their achievement and thanked them for their work. The peal board would be hung in the Ringing Room. Team Youth Church. Evelyn Eden, from St John, Wingates, attended the PCC meeting on 16th September 2019 and gave information about the proposal to establish Youth Church sessions in the Team. The Youth Church aimed to address the issues facing children and young people aged 11 to 16 years who may be drifting away from the church. The scheme would nurture and teach during evening sessions held at St John, Wingates, one evening per month, probably a Friday or Saturday. Summer School in Somerset. In October 2019, Anthony Greenhill gave a presentation to the PCC about the annual Summer School held at the Great Wood site in Somerset. The Summer Schools were run by the Scripture Union and Anthony attended as a volunteer leader. Robert Smith, from the congregation at St Katharine’s, also attended this year and the pictures included scenes of the boys enjoying various activities. Copies of the Minutes of PCC meetings are available for public view in the office once they have been approved by the PCC. Mary Pryle, PCC Secretary.

Right: Harvest Charity 2019 Woodland Trust at Smithills Estate Teams from St Katharine’s took part in tree planting sessions in November 2019. Angela and Peter seen here hard at work! The teams planted more than 300 trees in two sessions.

Above: Peal Board - 19th May 2019 9 CHURCH FABRIC REPORT The Current state of affairs The church and churchyard are in a good state of repair. The churchwardens and Health & Safety officers (Sheila Kinrade and Mike Hollick), now meet regularly to review the policy, and update the church risk assessment which highlights any areas of concern. External areas for repair East wall, West end, and guttering - In 2019 it was noted that some pointing had dropped from the West end of the church above the tower window, and there were signs of crumbling mortar on the East Wall of the church. Graham Holland, the architect, was consulted and visited in September 2019. Bullen’s Stonemasons were approached for a quote to complete the pointing and repair the guttering. We applied for List B permission from the diocese, and once permission was granted and the quote from Bullen’s approved by the PCC, they were given the go-ahead for the repairs. Unfortunately, this coincided with the lockdown due to Coronavirus in March 2020, and all activity was put on hold until further notice. It is hoped to complete the work once the situation eases. There were issues with the guttering at the front of church, and the central gulley continues to be an issue during heavy rain which leaks into the upper room. Graham Holland recommended a repair for the guttering on the south side of church using Flashband, which was carried out by Mark Sheehan Home Improvements. Local traders, Complete Cleaning Solutions, cleaned out the gutters around the church, and we now have a 3-year contract with them to continue this action. Graham Holland also recommended replacing the wooden window in the Tower Ringing Room with a metal framed window, which would open enough to climb through and provide access to the roof for repairs to the central gully. Enquiries into this replacement are ongoing. Paths and steps - Thanks to Ian Davies for lending his power washer to clean the paths and steps around the church. Thanks to Margaret Sumner for planting the flowers along the front path and in the tubs. Internal issues Chisenhale Hatchment: Vanessa Andrew, conservator, had visited in June 2019 to look at the hatchment and sent a quote for the work. A quote was also received from Fine Art Restoration Co. and after discussion, the PCC agreed to go ahead with the quote from Vanessa Andrew. An application was made for a faculty to proceed with the restoration. There followed some lengthy discussions over the next few months as the DAC queried Ms Andrews’ status and qualifications, references, and the method and materials to be used. The Faculty was approved in early 2020, but work has been delayed due to the Coronavirus lockdown. Family corner: An application for a faculty was made and consultation notices were posted in church for the required 28 days. Once the faculty had been approved, work was carried out to shorten one of the pews. A generous donation allowed new carpet to be bought and fitted. Toys and books are available in this corner. Paschal candle: During the decoration of church with flowers for Easter in 2019, the team noticed that the holder for the paschal candle was in need of replacement. A local metal worker, Dave Riley, was commissioned to make a new stainless steel holder. Chris Skinner donated the funding for this work in memory of his late wife, Anita who had been leader of the Flower Team for St Katharine’s. Anita’s name was engraved on the holder. Peal Board: The new Peal Board was installed in the Ringing Room to commemorate the peal rung on Saturday 19th May 2018. Dedication of the Candle Holder, Peal Board and Family corner took place during the service on Sunday 22nd September 2019. Pew cushions: The pew cushions in the Tower Room are now in place, and matching fabric was bought to make drops to cover up the storage beneath, and a cover for the choir robes. With thanks to Jean and George Hibbert for their work in ordering and collecting the cushions from Oakham Mill in Burnley, and to Mary Pryle for completing the pew drops. Some more cushions have been ordered for the remaining pews in church, with some left as plain wood for those who prefer it. Cellar/ boiler room: The cellar was cleared and cleaned one fine day in September, and many unnecessary items were removed. Likewise, the kitchen was treated to a “declutter” and deep clean. Organ: The organ suddenly stopped working in November 2019. Thanks to the electrician, Darren Bramwell, who made it functional at the time until the source of the fault could be located. A full rewire of the organ is now known to be necessary and we are in the process of obtaining estimates from electricians with this level of expertise. Thanks to Peter Wynne for his support. Church clock: There were problems with the clock in early 2020. Ray Clayton, our usual contractor, had visited in January and replaced a worn cog. Ray has now retired and the work has been passed to Lancashire Clockmakers of Burnley. Thank you to the Town Council who donate £150 each year for maintenance of the clock.

10 Other issues:  The fire alarm system has been serviced.  A review of the sound system was taken and the system is working well.  The fire safety check was carried out by Red Rose Solutions.  The Gas Boiler annual maintenance check has been completed.  Dennis from Design Lights has made polymer strips to fit over the ventilation grills by the windows to prevent draughts.  The carpet in the upper room was cleaned and stain-proofing applied, with thanks to Pro-Fresh.  Two new albs were bought for the young acolytes. And finally…..The churchwardens and PCC wish to thank George Hibbert and Ian Davies for all the repairs and maintenance they have undertaken throughout the year, and Jean Hibbert for monitoring service contracts and chasing contractors. They work tirelessly behind the scenes to maintain St Katharine’s Church. Janet Hollick, Valerie Marron (Churchwardens)

DEANERY SYNOD REPORT

Deanery Synod on 5th June 2019 at St Andrew’s, Over Hulton. The meeting was opened by the new Area Dean, The Revd Vincent Whitworth. Canon Maurice Smith gave a presentation re: a new project called “Children Changing Places”, a funded project (by the Church Commissioners) for which the Manchester Diocese had put in a successful bid. After two unsuccessful bids, Manchester was awarded a grant of £1.2 million to plan and implement a project over 5 years, largely due to the fact that the Diocese rates very high nationally as an area of socio- economic disadvantage, and also because it has the highest number of church schools, 191 in total, a huge opportunity therefore for careful investment in spiritual and numerical growth. The project is aimed at children and young people, and their families. As they move through the various stages of education from toddler groups to primary and junior, then to secondary, Christian commitment drops off at every stage and this new team hopes to help us reverse that trend. Much of the funding will be taken up by the salaries of the various staff employed for the project, and we met some of the team when they came to help at Messy Church at St Katharine’s in May. At secondary level, three Chaplaincy assistants have been appointed to work in schools in The Bishop Fraser Trust, which includes Canon Slade, St James’ and St Catherine’s Academy. We were encouraged to follow all activities on Twitter at childrenchangingplaces@placesproject Deanery Synod on 16th October 2019 at St Catherine’s, Horwich The Revd Michael Behrend opened the meeting with welcome and prayer. A Presentation followed given by The Revd Jackie Callow, the Diocesan Dementia Champion, with a view to helping us make our churches more dementia friendly. The Revd Callow is aptly named “champion” as she proved a very passionate advocate for those living with dementia and for getting rid of negative attitudes surrounding the disease of the brain and those diagnosed with the disease. She challenged us to dispel notions of failure, hopelessness, shame, frustration and loneliness which can stigmatise those living with dementia and affect all who care for them. The five key messages we were encouraged to take away and disseminate are:  Dementia is not a natural part of ageing  It is caused by diseases of the brain  It is not just about losing your memory - it can affect thinking, communicating and doing everyday tasks  It is possible to live well with dementia  There is more to a person than dementia. We were encouraged to become a dementia friend, to consider setting up a dementia team to welcome and support all who come to church who are living with dementia and each other and to attend, if possible, one of two forthcoming Training Days. The business part of the meeting contained considerably less positivity and optimism. We were told of the state of Diocesan finances, now overdrawn by in excess of a million pounds. The Diocese is proposing a reordering of the Deaneries in its boundaries, from 20 to 7. Some discussion followed, mostly expressing concern at this. We were invited to send in our ideas on the matter to our Area Dean in advance of a Consultation meeting on 27th November 2019. Other cost-saving measures being implemented have been taking place at Church House with a huge paring down of staff. Still on finance, Tom Heavyside, Deane Deanery Treasurer, informed us that the Deanery would have to reinstate its annual charge to parishes and he would be asking for the much less eye-watering sum of £20 from each.

11 Deanery Synod on 4th February 2020 at St James, Daisy Hill The last meeting of this Synod was opened by prayer led by the Deanery Chairperson, Sylvia Smith. The speaker was The Revd Andy Salmon, Diocesan Advisor on Mission Action planning, and also a priest in Salford. His main theme was to address the major challenges facing us as a diocese and to help us to seek ways to address them. Inevitably, finance is the greatest problem, the debt the diocese finds itself in and measures to cut costs. Not enough parish share money comes in and fewer clergy is the result. The solution is to get our churches to grow but there are no magic answers. The first is to pray together; then to share responsibilities and to be realistic about the need for lots of change. We must be willing to try new things. Armed with the stats that every church must submit re: numbers of attendees at services, in this case, last October, he was challenged as to whether the health of our churches is measured solely by “bums on seats”, admitting that this is an impossible calculation. He cited an example in his own church where a man called George from Africa, visiting his sister in Salford, came to a morning service there four times a year….surely regular! In the modern world of so many vying interests, regular though occasional attendance must be seen as healthy he implied. It is up to us to give people a foundation for belonging, something we all discussed in small groups together. Having a healthy church is not necessarily about being clever ….it is about doing things well, being warm and welcoming and making use of various resources available. The Manchester Diocesan Support Network is valuable. A recent survey said that of the people attending Christmas services, 1/3 did so because they saw it on a website, whilst 1/4 went on the recommendation of friends or family. Each church gave examples of new initiatives which were very encouraging though not necessarily making obvious difference to those statistics! The business part of the meeting began with a recording of thanks to the retiring Deanery Secretary, Pamela Smith, followed by a brief report from the Area Dean. 15th-19th May 2020 sees the visit of The Archbishop of York to Bolton and a programme, Believe in Bolton, is being drawn up. Leaflets outlining this are available in church but we are asked to note in particular a Celebration event to be held at the Premier Suite, University of Bolton in the evening of Sat 16th May. It is likely to be popular. In the meantime we are asked to think and pray how we at St Katharine’s might engage with and be involved on this outreach to our borough. The meeting concluded when The Revd Carol Pharoah led us in prayer. Barbara Worsley, Deanery Synod representative

CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AT ST KATHARINE’S

Sunday School Sunday School is held in the upper room. The children attend the service in church until after the first hymn and then go upstairs for their session until the churchwarden lets them know it is time to rejoin the service for Communion. After Communion we sit in the family area. This is a good opportunity for the children to feel part of the worshipping community. One of the organisation team i.e. Sylvia Gregory, Ruth Sharrock and Margaret Sumner, is at Sunday School each week so that the children feel there is continuity. Our team of Sunday school leaders and helpers are all enthusiastic to get the children to take part in the service and 'show and tell' each week, and Revd Angela has been a great source of encouragement for this. In 2019, the children took part in the services for Mothering Sunday, Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, with readings, saying prayers or acting out scenes. The teenage helpers worked together on an art project for Holy Week which you can see in one of the pictures. The number of children attending Sunday School has continued to vary, but they are very responsive in Sunday School itself and are very keen to share what they have learned. Attendance is rewarded with small gifts and birthdays are celebrated. During the Sunday service on 23rd of June, we had the commissioning of leaders and book presentation to Sunday school children to acknowledge their attendance. Jane Astley was also presented with a card and gift for her services to Sunday school for about 10 years. We all thank her for her hard work over the years. Sunday School made a Scarecrow for the 2019 Blackrod Scarecrow Festival. We thought it looked great! Sunday School leaders completed Safeguarding training. Margaret Sumner and Ruth Sharrock completed a two-day course in Paediatric First Aid. Helen Gambles advises us as to when fire drills are due and checks that they are done correctly. For a trial period, the team took the decision to keep Sunday School open during the holidays, however, very few children had attended. Following a review it was agreed to return to opening in term time only in 2020.

12 Confirmation Five young people and adults from St Katharine’s were confirmed at the Service on Sunday 19th May at St John’s Church, Wingates, with the Bishop of Bolton. Also, one young person was confirmed at St Andrew’s, Over Hulton, on Sunday 2nd June.

Messy Church Messy Church is “a way of being church for families involving fun”. Messy Church is a national and international organisation backed by the Bible Reading Fellowship. You can find out more on the website – www.messychurch.org.uk The first Messy Church at St Katharine’s on the 2nd March 2019 exceeded our expectations! Our theme was “All things bright and beautiful”. There were five crafts for the children to make - finger puppet owls, cards to decorate, animals to make in either clay or cones, and butterfly biscuits to decorate with icing. We had a great team of helpers on the stalls to help the children. Following our craft making session Rev'd Angela led a short service for the children to join in, while we prepared upstairs for everyone to come back up for teatime. It seemed like everyone had a good time! Helpers preparing food completed the Food Hygiene training with certificates on display in the upper room. A grant was received from the Blackrod Educational Trust towards Sunday School and Messy Church. Messy Church sessions continued monthly until March 2020 when the Coronavirus lockdown started. We hope to continue when churches re-open as normal. Ruth, Margaret and I would like to say a Big Thank You to all our volunteers. They all work so hard but they all say it's so rewarding to do. That's great to hear! Sylvia Gregory

Confirmation 2019 with Bishop of Bolton

Children’s Team with Revd Carol McCabe Ruth Sharrock, Sylvia Gregory, Margaret Sumner

13 Policy Statement on Children, Young People and the Church of St Katharine, Blackrod This statement was agreed at the PCC meeting held on 2nd March 2020. As members of this church, we commit ourselves to the nurturing, protection and safekeeping of all, especially children and young people  It is the responsibility of each one of us to prevent the physical, sexual and emotional abuse of children and young people and to report any abuse discovered or suspected  We recognise that our work with children and young people is the responsibility of the whole church  Our church is committed to supporting, resourcing and training those who work with children and young people and to providing supervision  Our church is committed to following the policy and procedures published by the Diocese  The parish will adopt good practice guidelines  Each worker with children and young people must undertake diocesan Safeguarding training, know the guidelines and undertake to follow them. Each shall be given a copy of the Parish’s agreed procedures and good practice guidelines.  As part of our commitment to children and young people, the PCC has appointed Helen Gambles to be the Child Protection Coordinator, and Mary Pryle to be Lead Recruiter, and Janet Hollick as Assistant Lead Recruiter. Children and young people are an important part of our Church today. They have much to give as well as to receive. We will listen to them. As we nurture them in worship, learning, and in community life, we will respect the wishes and feelings of children and young people.

This church appoints those named below to represent the concerns and views of children and young people at our meetings and to outside bodies. Contact details Child Protection Coordinator, Helen Gambles 01942 832255 / 07752729509 Lead Recruiter, Mary Pryle 01204 697763 Assistant Lead Recruiter, Janet Hollick 01942 731164 / 075140419611

CHILD PROTECTION REPORT 2019 - 20

DBS Clearance – Disclosure and Barring Service. All Lay Assistants, Sunday School Leaders, new helpers and volunteers who have contact with children and/ or vulnerable adults in church, have taken part in Diocesan Safeguarding Training. Mary, Janet and Helen would like to thank all involved for their co-operation. Youth Work The Sunday School continues under the leadership of Sylvia Gregory and has a healthy register and attendance record. Youth Work continues to be an Agenda item at PCC Meetings. Three Sunday School Leaders are PCC Members and give regular updates. The PCC would like to thank Sylvia and her helpers for their time and hard work. Fire Practices for Sunday School. Fire Practices for the Sunday School children take place during the Sunday morning Eucharist Service. There were practices on July 14th 2019 and March 8th 2020. Different Leaders and helpers were present on both occasions and the children were not told in advance. They listened attentively and were very interested in the procedure. Finally, no matters of concern have been brought to our attention over the previous year. Helen Gambles.

14 Clockwise from top:

Messy Church April 2019 for Palm Sunday

Art work by Sunday School for Christmas 2019

Messy Church mosaic fish

Flower Club demonstration January 2020

Tour of Britain 2019 passing by in September 2019

15 ST KATHARINE’S CHURCH, BLACKROD Child Protection Policy Registered Charity No:1144084

Background St Katharine’s Church recognises the importance of its work with children and young people in developing and promoting Christian attitudes, and in the role played by volunteers in carrying forward this mission. The Church also recognises that it has a responsibility for the health and safety of all who worship in and visit its buildings. Specific to this policy, St Katharine’s seeks to ensure that children and young people are kept as safe from harm as they can be, in an environment which promotes their safety and wellbeing. This policy is one of a number of policies which underpin the Diocesan umbrella policy “A Safe Church” which has been adopted by St Katharine’s. In ensuring that it does all in its power to provide a safe environment, the Church will operate within the guidelines of the Manchester Diocese, as laid out in “Safeguarding Children”. The Church will also attempt to work within guidelines issued by CCPAS (Churches’ Child Protection Advisory Service)/31:8 and recognised children’s charities, and will seek to promote good practice identified by these organisations and the Diocese. Aims  To ensure that all groups and activities operate in a way which will ensure the safety and wellbeing of the children and young people.  To ensure those with responsibility for leading and working with children’s groups belonging or affiliated to the Church are suitable for their role  To ensure that best practice is identified and regular training provided to recognised leaders and helpers  To ensure that procedures comply with equality and diversity and data protection legislation  To ensure that effective monitoring and evaluation is in place so that there is compliance with procedures, and high standards are maintained in the care of children and young people. Objectives  To ensure that all leaders and helpers are recruited through appropriate procedures which include obtaining personal references and completing Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks at enhanced level  To ensure that leaders and helpers are appropriately inducted into their role  To ensure that leaders and helpers complete the diocese training, and are kept up-to-date with child protection issues  To ensure that best practice is identified and incorporated into up-date training  To ensure that operating procedures, processes and planned activities are risk assessed to minimise risk to children and young people  To ensure that information and data held on leaders, helpers, children and young people is handled in accordance with data protection legislation  To ensure that the PCC receives regular information regarding children’s and young people’s activities Organisation & Responsibilities The PCC is responsible for:  the annual review and up-dating of this policy and the associated procedures  the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of this policy and the associated procedures  the annual appointment of a Child Protection Co-ordinator The Church Child Protection Co-ordinator is Helen Gambles and Lead Recruiter is Mary Pryle and they are responsible for:  ensuring that recruitment, induction, training and up-dating of leaders and helpers takes place in accordance with diocesan and CCPAS/31:8 recommendations.  continuing communications with leaders and helpers of Church and associated organisations  reporting twice yearly to the PCC on compliance and effectiveness of child protection procedures, and compiling an annual report for the Church’s Annual General Meeting  ensuring that the policy statement and the annual report are published at the Annual General Meeting  ensuring that there is a Child Line poster on a noticeboard in all places where children and young people meet  keeping a record of disclosure dates and numbers for children’s leaders

16  keeping a record of successful completion of on-line training, and registering this with the diocese  keeping a record of up to date training and attendance at training events  ensuring that records are kept in accordance with Data Protection legislation The Incumbent or Pastoral Assistant is responsible for:  counselling volunteers who are found to be unsuitable for work with children and young adults Outcomes Compliance with: -  “A Safe Church Policy”, the Diocesan umbrella policy adopted by St Katharine’s.  “Safeguarding Children”, the child protection document produced by the Diocese of Manchester Child Protection legislation  Recommendations of the CCPAS/31:8, NSPCC and Child Line

The PCC approved the revision of this policy on 2nd March 2020 to be presented at the APCM.

Clockwise from above: Altar and East window Scarecrow Festival 2019 VE Day - piper at St Katharine’s BL Lunches in summer holidays 2019

17 POLICY STATEMENT ON THE SAFEGUARDING OF ADULTS

This statement was adopted by St Katharine’s Church at a PCC meeting, and will be reviewed each year to monitor the progress which has been achieved. We recognize that everyone has different levels of vulnerability and that each of us may be regarded as vulnerable at some time in our lives. 1. As members of this parish we commit ourselves to respectful pastoral care for all adults to whom we minister. 2. We commit ourselves to the safeguarding of people who may be vulnerable, ensuring their well- being in the life of this church. 3. We commit ourselves to promoting safe practice by those in positions of trust. 4. The parish commits itself to promoting the inclusion and empowerment of people who may be vulnerable. 5. It is the responsibility of each of us to prevent the physical, emotional, sexual, financial and spiritual abuse of vulnerable people and to report any such abuse that we discover or suspect. 6. We undertake to exercise proper care in the appointment and selection of those who will work with people who may be vulnerable. 7. The parish is committed to supporting, resourcing, training and regularly reviewing those who undertake work amongst people who may be vulnerable. 8. The parish adopts the guidelines of the Church of England and the Diocese. Each person who works with vulnerable people will agree to abide by these recommendations and the guidelines established by this church.

SAFE CHURCH POLICY This church appoints Janet Hollick to represent the concerns and views of vulnerable people at our meetings and to outside bodies. As a church community, we are committed to:  The care, nurture of and respectful pastoral ministry with all children and adults  The safeguarding and protection of all children and adults  The establishment of safe, caring communities which provide a loving environment, where there is a culture of ‘informed vigilance’ regarding the dangers of abuse, which: For children and young people  values them for who they are, and nurtures their positive development  enables them to participate fully and contribute to their church community  protects them from actual or potential harm For adults who may be vulnerable, including those suffering domestic abuse  ensures that all people feel welcomed, respected and safe from abuse  encourages those who may be vulnerable  to lead as independent a life as possible,  to choose how to lead their life, and  to be active contributors to the church community  protects those who may be vulnerable from actual or potential harm For all people  enables and encourages concerns to be raised and responded to openly and consistently  offers support and care for those suffering, or who have suffered, from any form of abuse  promotes respect, and the value of each person as a child of God We are therefore committed to best practice according to the national policies and guidelines of the Church of England, in the protection of children and vulnerable people; in the recruitment, training and supervision of all who exercise a pastoral ministry; and in responding to any allegations or complaints. This policy is reviewed each year by the Parochial Church Council and re-affirmed at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.

Because we understand that: God has a special care for those who struggle All of us at different periods of our lives are vulnerable and in need of help We can make a difference

18 FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR YEAR ENDING 31ST DECEMBER 2019 Charity Commission No: 1144084

Time to look back once again and remember all the highs and lows of life at St Katharine’s Church, some happy times and some sad. We have come through it all with the support we have received from each other and the community in which we live, and we are thankful for that. Our Parish Share has been paid and we give thanks for the clergy team and the volunteers who have helped us to fulfil our role in this village. We carried forward a balance of £72,366.24 from last year and have been blessed with the continuing stewardship of the congregation and supporters of the events we have provided. One year ago we received a legacy from Helen Steadman, formerly of Pennington Fold Farm, amounting to £34,464 for which we were very grateful and without which we would have been showing a deficit at the end of 2019. As it is because of this gift we will start 2020 with an excess of income over expenditure of £32,580.90 The balance of the current account at the yearend was £6,271.43 and the prepayment figure is the cost of our insurance premium for 2020 which has to be paid before the end of 2019. CBF No 1 account balance is £8,634.34 and this is the total of the various funds we hold and use when the need arises: Memorial Fund £4255 Youth £1204 Restoration Fund £2914 Organ Fund £2455 Bellringers £672 Coffee mornings £1134 The total of these funds comes to £12,634 but as we approached the year end with the parish share to pay and the insurance premium, the PCC decided to “borrow” £4,000 to tide us over. £2,000 has been transferred back and the remainder will be repaid in the next month. The balance of the CBF No 2 is £85,910.75 and this is where the Wilson and the Steadman legacies are held until they are needed. It is possible that the funds for the organ repair and the repairs to the stonework due to be carried out in 2020 will come from this account. Breakdown of our expenditure Home Charities Thanks to the efforts of Diane Cashmore and supporters of the Children’s Society collecting boxes, £280.53 was donated in June and the boxes emptied at Christmas amounted to a further £126.29 and will show in the 2020 accounts. A further £16 was also included from a late donation. Ladies Who Lunch donated £120 to Help the Heroes. £150 was given to Bolton Hospice in memory of Mary Howarth following her funeral. The Woodland Trust (Smithills Estate) was chosen as our Harvest charity this year and £410.10 was collected on their behalf. A group of volunteers also went to the Smithills Estate and helped to plant 28,000 trees as part of the Northern Forest project. £212 was collected at the Remembrance Sunday service and passed on to the local branch of the Royal British Legion. We are very grateful to all who have given food to Urban Outreach in Bolton through our grub tub, and socks which were collected for the homeless in our area. Thank you to Bob Chapman for the regular deliveries to Bolton. Overseas Charities £98.80 was collected at the World Day of Prayer in March, £229 was given following the cyclone disaster in Mozambique last spring, and £232 was collected through the boxes in support of USPG. We are grateful to those who give and those who organise these collections. Church: Cleaning We are grateful to all those who offer their services to keep our church clean throughout the year and to support them we had all the carpets in church professionally cleaned at a cost of £302. The windows inside and out in the back of church were cleaned twice for a total cost of £80. Cleaning materials throughout the year amounted to £128. Heating and light - Using the Parish Buying Scheme is working well for us and the electricity, gas for the back of church, and heating for the main body of church are very similar to last year. Thank you to Janet Hollick and George Hibbert who control our heating week by week. Insurance cover with Ecclesiastical Insurance was also much the same. We have a very efficient Health and Safety team in place now who have made sure that all our equipment complies with regulations, so a number of older items have had to be replaced in the kitchen, hence the increased costs. Thanks to all who turn up to help with the quarterly clean ups and to Sheila Kinrade and Mike Hollick, Health & Safety Officers, for keeping us on our toes.

19 The maintenance bill is around the same and this year it included £192 for the 5 yearly check on our lightning conductor, and £1,445 for our 4 year maintenance cover for the chair lift. The office costs are much the same and we are grateful to Mary Pryle and the office team who produce all our service sheets, tickets, posters for events as well as the parish magazine – you do a great job. Rates - since Waterplus took over two years ago we are charged for clearing surface water and we have taken this up with the company but to no avail. United Utilities didn’t charge this fee and whilst our fees have come down a bit during the year we will never return to the 2015/16/17 levels I fear! Churchyard Jonathan Bowker and Flatters Gardening Services cut our grass and keep the areas round church looking good. Thank you to those who help to clear pathways and debris throughout the year, and to those who put out the bins for Mondays and take them back in again! The maintenance needed this year was on a couple of gravestones which had worked loose and Flatters Gardening Services dug out and replaced the drain at the west end of church which has stopped the constant overflowing of the drain. Diocese Due to the continued support of parishioners through our Stewardship scheme, once again we managed to pay our Parish Share of £46,500 so will receive about £1,000 as part of the encouragement scheme. Our 2020 figure is £47,600 so we need to review our church giving this year and are grateful to those who have already increased their donations. Prices increase on everything we buy just as they do at home, and we need to make sure that our giving is covering our running costs. Funds Memorial Fund As we introduce more opportunities for people in our community to spend time as part of the congregation at Senior Moments and Memory Lane Film Clubs, as well as Messy Church, it became apparent that we needed better seating arrangements in the upper room as the blue chairs were too heavy to keep carrying upstairs from the Lady Chapel. So the PCC looked at other options and found folding, cushioned chairs which would suit the purpose at a cost of £1,621 and they are working well. Other expenses from the Memorial Fund were: Flowers £620 Repairs to choir robes and replacements £253 New laptop for the office £390 Half share with the Methodists for an exterior cross at Blackrod Church School £200 Young people’s book presentation £110 Restoration Fund Following various problems with our outdoor lighting circuits we had most of the sensors and security lights replaced, a couple of floodlights and switches, and pigeon spikes installed as the birds kept sitting on the sensors and breaking them! Total cost £1,160. We are very grateful for the anonymous donation which came in to cover this cost. Other expenses from the Restoration Fund were: Side stone wall & old toilet repointed £140 Pew cushions for the choir in the tower room £323 New radiator in the vicar’s vestry £668 Travel expenses for expert to assess the repairs needed on the hatchment £120 Following completion of the chancel floor: Final retention fee paid to Graham Holland £ 87 Final retention fee paid to Bullens £569 Ministry Council tax and water rates on the vicarage are paid from church funds and amounted to £2,705. No maintenance was needed on the vicarage last year, and there were just travel expenses for a PCC member to attend a meeting - £15. The telephone costs are now incorporated in Angela’s working expenses which amounted to £2,071. However, as part of the Westhoughton Team, Angela has had many extra roles to fulfil, as did Kirsty Screeton and Carol Pharaoh, in covering services at St James, Daisy Hill, and other places of worship. So all the clergy expenses have been added together and divided by the percentage paid by each church in the parish share. It may sound complicated but it has worked. In the Refunds section you will see a total of £2,290 which has been reimbursed by the other churches. This covers not only Angela’s working expenses but a share of the rates and other vicarage costs.

20 Organ This part of the accounts is filled with impending doom! As we are all aware there are problems with the electrics in the organ and we are in the process of getting professional advice and awaiting a full report. Next year I am sure there will be some big numbers in this section of the accounts! But until then we continue to give thanks for Garyth Ingram and the choir for all the wonderful music and singing they bring to our services, and it has been exciting to see some new faces arriving in the choir stalls. Garyth’s fees amounted to £3,378, and just one visit for tuning the organ by Nicholsons costing £240. Parish Expenses Coffee shop Many thanks to all the volunteers who have kept the coffee shop going, not only on Sunday mornings but at all the other times in between too. The Lent occasions we share with friends from the community, meetings and events throughout the year. The expenses this year were £414 and the income was £512. During 2019 we lost two teams completely due to ill health and it would be wonderful if four volunteers could come forward and fill those gaps. Please have a word with Jean if you think you could help. The rota has been done until July so plenty of time for training!! Fundraising Once again we enjoyed some good events during the year and thank you to all the organisers and volunteers who made them happen. Overall £7,451 was raised for church funds and without the support from the congregation and the Blackrod community this could not have been achieved – so a huge thank you to everyone. The breakdown is: Spring Fair £ 554 Plant sale £ 699 Scarecrow Festival £1774 Brixi Singers Concert £ 414 Easy Fundraising £ 170 Christmas Fair £3468 Christmas Post £ 191 Sale of goods £ 63 Quiz sheets £ 59 Coffee Mornings for the Christmas Fair £1629 Net profit from the events £9021 Less: Toaster, towel dispenser, plates, tablecloths, raffle tickets, napkins, etc £ 276 All expenses for the Christmas Fair paid for from monthly coffee mornings £1094 Donation from coffee mornings to the Scarecrow festival at St Katharine’s £ 200 Fundraising profit for 2019 £7451 Floats used at all the events totalled £2,385 and are shown on the income and expenditure columns. Gratuities included: Love and thanks to Leah, Hattie and Jane as they retired as leaders from Sunday School A 70th, an 80th birthdays, and two Golden Wedding celebrations. Flowers went to express our sympathy to Sylvia following David’s death and to our auditor for doing a great job once more. Mike Kay now has a full team of bellringers, all trained and Blackrod based, so a small gift to celebrate went with our grateful thanks. Machine rent and consumables, postages, stationery and stewardship are all as expected. The bill for the Crux insert to go in the magazine didn’t arrive until mid-January last year so the figure shown covers 2018 and 2019. Sundries – covers the odds and ends: Licence needed for Parish Pump, Lottery for the Annual raffle, subs-Lancashire Change Ringers, ICO, £150 Pew ends & flowers bought for weddings and Refunded in sundry income £130 Glass, spare key and laminating pouches £ 64 Refreshments for Deanery Synod & APCM £ 80

21 Jane Price – travel expenses re: pew cushions £ 20 CCL licences – 5 £ 774 Funeral fees paid twice by Boltons – see refunds inc £ 134 £1352 Fees paid away are fees for the verger, organist and bellringers where applicable at weddings and funerals. In the expenses you will see £1,951 and on the income is £2,093 – the difference is £142 and that amount is kept in the safe in the Vicar’s vestry so that fees can be paid in cash at each of the services. This money is replaced when required. Fees for the Diocese are settled monthly and depend on the services carried out. There is a repayment due from the Diocese of an overpaid fee of £79 and this will be settled in February 2020. Prepayments – this figure is not part of the 2019 accounts as it covers the insurance for 2020 and needs to be paid before the end of December. Upkeep of Services – the figure for wafers and wine is much the same as last year and we only needed lectionaries last year so the figure for books and music is less. Sundries covers the cost of candles and oil which was down last year to £543 and we introduced the wonderful candle shields which cost £184 and were well worth the spend. Ash for Lent was £36, palm crosses £102, baptism cards and postage £33 and Christingle expenses £108. The cost of candles is offset by donations in the candle tray which you will see in the voluntary income - £369. Youth expenses at £960 have obviously increased this year as we welcomed our new “congregation” to Messy Church and many congratulations to all involved with getting this off the ground. Sunday School and Messy Church expenses have now merged together but we are still able to apply for two grants from the Educational Trust and you will see this as an income of £405. The total expenditure for 2019 was £96,324

Breakdown of our income Charities - already discussed Fees - increased mainly as we had 4 weddings at St Katharine’s last year and 2 in 2018. Fees for Diocese – as discussed Interest – still very low interest rates around that have no risk attached so the interest received is low. The No 2 account shows a slight increase following receipt of the Steadman legacy. Magazine - the receipts remain much the same as last year and many thanks to Mary and the office team for putting it all together. Thanks to all those who are involved with delivering them every month and keeping the community aware of what is happening in St Katharine’s. It is a vital tool for communication for us. Planned giving - has grown this year by almost £400 which is encouraging and thank you if you have managed to increase your giving or if you have joined the stewardship scheme. However, as so many people are now non-tax payers, the amount Chris can reclaim from HMRC has dropped by £619. We are looking at alternative ways of reclaiming tax during this year in an attempt to boost the return. We give so much of our time and energy to help the growth of our church family and to support those in the congregation who need our help, it is easy to overlook the fact that our bills go up year on year just like they do at home. Regular maintenance and doing the smaller repairs ourselves does save us money and we are grateful to all those who step in to help. If you are not part of the stewardship scheme already, please have a word with Jean Hibbert or Chris Skinner and we can hopefully answer any queries you may have. If you are able to gift aid your donations we can help with that too. 100 members of St Katharine’s giving an extra £5 per month or an extra £1 per week would mean an extra £6,000 to help to pay our way. Restoration Fund - we have had a quieter year following the repair of the chancel floor last year and we are grateful to our regular supporters of this fund. At the beginning of the year we did receive an anonymous donation of £1,000 to help with the expensive repairs and upgrading of our security lights and we are very grateful for that gift. Organ fund - funds continue to trickle in usually in memory of a loved one but as we all know there is a big problem looming with the electrics in our organ as we come to the yearend so we must prepare ourselves for a big bill! We are in a very fortunate position in that we do have some contingency funds available thanks to the generosity of former worshippers at St Katharine’s Church who have remembered us in their wills and we are hugely grateful to them.

22 Voluntary Income Bellringers Fund - the bellringing team put funds aside when they can, to help with travel costs etc when they visit other towers. Candle money - donations are always welcome and last year £369 was donated through the candle tray. Churchyard fund, coffee shop, fundraising and floats have already been covered. Donations - We were deeply humbled to hear that Helen Steadman, who grew up at Pennington Fold Farm in Little Scotland, had remembered St Katharine’s in her will, although she had lived in Egypt for a long time. Her legacy to us was £34,464 and will give us, and hopefully the next generation, backup to take care of our parish church and ensure that worship can continue here in Blackrod for many years to come. We have also received donations throughout the year from our Stitch and Knit group and Senior Moments to help with the heating of the upper room and the cleaning of the carpet and we are grateful to them. Sue Taylor applied for match funding to her employers HSBC as she has helped at events throughout the year, and we are grateful to Sue and HSBC for the donation of £500. The demijohn collected £250 throughout the year, and once again we received £150 from Blackrod Town Council towards the maintenance of the church clock. Joyce Beech and Ruth Sharrock gave donations to help with the creation of a proper crèche area and the carpet. Friends of St Katharine’s provided £323 for new pew cushions which we have all enjoyed week on week! As we approached the end of 2019 with a slight deficit we were so very thankful to the anonymous supporter who made a donation of £1,000 to church funds – thank you so much. Heat donations are made as part of every wedding and funeral to ensure we can make sure the building is as warm and welcoming as we can. £1,230 was received in 2019 and during the summer months these donations are used towards grass cutting in the churchyard. Memorial Fund is always well supported in memory of loved ones, and for those wishing to make donations to provide the beautiful flower arrangements which we enjoy throughout the year. We are lucky to have such a dedicated team who also organise the monthly Flower Club and share their expertise. Plate collections have increased slightly this year. Refunds - £109 was reclaimed from Listed Places of Worship from the retention money for the chancel flooring and there was an overpayment of fees for a funeral which was returned to the undertakers. Apart from that £2,791 has been refunded to St Katharine’s by the other churches in the Westhoughton team. As mentioned in the expenses section the vicarage maintenance and ministry expenses of the four churches are split according to the parish shares we pay and this seems to work well. Room Hire comes mainly from the Pilates group who meet here on Monday evenings. Sundries - 2 wedding video fees @ £35 each and £130 for wedding flower payments for arrangements done by our flower team. Other fees - already discussed Youth income from Blackrod Educational Trust and a £5 donation. The total income for 2019 was £128,905 At the risk of repeating myself once again I want to say a huge thank you to the Churchwardens and the team of Sidespeople who have balanced the cash week on week, and to the PCC who have so many decisions to make on behalf of the congregation at St Katharine’s. Sincere thanks to Chris Skinner who has worked tirelessly to reclaim over £8,000 from your gift aid promises which helped us to achieve full payment of our parish share once again. Thanks to Bob Chapman for overseeing our insurance queries and making sure we are covered properly, and to Joan Trevena our Hon Auditor – I feel we are in very safe hands. Throughout this balance sheet are hundreds and hundreds of hours of voluntary help and we could not function as a growing church without that backup. Everyone reading this will appear somewhere – be it to support an event, pay for an advert in the magazine, prepare for Messy Church, or buy a book from our bookstall – we rely so much on the Blackrod community to allow us to maintain a place of worship in the village where all are welcome. God bless you all and sincere thanks once again. Jean Hibbert, PCC Treasurer

Please note: Photographs in this report chosen at random to represent life at St Katharine’s. Thank you to the photographers. 23 24 25 26

ST KATHARINE‘S CHURCH, BLACKROD CHARITY NO: 1144084

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31st DECEMBER 2019

£ 91846.74 PCC Balance at 1st January 72366.24

19480.50 Excess of income/expenditure 32580.90

72366.24 PCC balance at 31st December 104947.14

STATE OF PARISH FUNDS

3012.31 Royal Bank of Scotland 6271.43

4130.60 Prepayments 4130.62

12741.55 Central Board of Finance No 1 8634.34

52481.78 Central Board of Finance No 2 85910.75

104947.14 72366.24

PCC Chairman: …………………………

PCC Treasurer: ………………………..

Hon Auditor: ………………………….

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