Parish of Thornthwaite cum with Newlands

Annual Report 2020

Agendas, Reports and Accounts are attached.

Table of Contents ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING, Agenda ...... 2 ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING, Agenda, ...... 2 Minutes of previous Annual Meetings ...... 3 STATUTORY INFORMATION...... 3 Administrative Information ...... 3 Structure, Governance and Management ...... 3 Members of the PCC ...... 3 Aim and Purposes...... 4 Objectives and Activities ...... 4 Deanery Synod ...... 4 The Church Buildings ...... 5 Financial Review and Reserves Policy ...... 6 Electoral Roll ...... 7 Safeguarding Report ...... 7 Risk Management...... 8 The Vicar’s Report ...... 8 Mission Community Annual Report on 2020...... 9 Churchwarden's Report...... 10 Secretaries Report. Church AGM April 2020...... 10 Treasurer’s Report and accounts – see separate report...... 10

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Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING, Agenda

1. Attendance and Apologies 2. Minutes of last year’s Annual Vestry Meeting 3. Election of Churchwardens 4. Any other business

Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING, Agenda,

1. Attendance and Apologies 2. Minutes of last year’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting 3. Statement from the Rural Dean, Rev Charles Hope on: a. Future ministerial provision b. Jessie Agnes Pearson Trust 4. For the election of Parochial representatives of the laity as follows: a. To the Deanery Synod: 2 representatives for the next three years b. To the Parochial Church Council: c. For the appointment of Sidespersons d. For the appointment of the Independent Examiner or Auditor. e. Election to Mission Community Steering Group 5. To receive a report on a. A Report on the Electoral Roll; b. An Annual Report of the proceedings of the Parochial Church Council and the activities of the Parish generally; c. The Financial Statements of the Council for the year ending on the 31st December immediately preceding the meeting audited or independently examined; d. A Report on the fabric, goods and ornaments of the church or churches of the parish; e. A Report on the proceedings of the Deanery Synod; 6. Any other matters of parochial or general Church interest.

Immediately following the APCM:

Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands PCC Meeting:

1. Minute of last meeting – to be left over to the next meeting 2. Attendance & Apologies 3. Election of a. Vice-Chair b. Secretary c. Treasurer d. Parish Safeguarding Officer & dbs administrator e. Hall Booking Sec 4. Any other Business a. Date of Next meeting

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Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

Minutes of previous Annual Meetings

See separate attachment.

STATUTORY INFORMATION

Administrative Information

The Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands is part of Derwent Deanery and the Diocese of Carlisle within the Church of England. The correspondence address is xx.

Structure, Governance and Management

The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the 1956 Parochial Church Council Powers Measure, other Measures and Canons of the Church or England, as well as Charity Law. It is a Charity excepted from registration.

The method of appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church attendees are encouraged to register on the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC.

PCC members are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent.

The PCC may operate through sub-committees and working groups with delegated powers.

The COVID Pandemic has had a significant impact on the life and work of the Parish and the PCC. Most normal meetings have not been possible and these have had to be held remotely by zoom. As the pandemic comes to an end, we hope that a more normal method of working will be arrived at! We hope also that more people will consider standing for the PCC.

Members of the PCC

At the Annual Meeting 20th Sept 2020 the following people were and continue to be on the PCC: Anne Thoburn, Anthony Simpson and Alison Biggs, all now in their third year of three, Don Thoburn was also elected.

No Churchwardens were elected. But under the Churchwardens Measure Colin Grant remains churchwarden until the next Archdeacon’s visitation. Colin therefore stood down as Churchwarden and Treasurer on Nov xx 2020. In the absence of anyone else prepared to take on the accounts, Rev Charles Hope agreed to act as Treasurer in the very short term.

In the absence of a Priest in Charge all ecclesiastical duties of the incumbent fall to the Rural Dean, Rev Charles Hope, who has chaired the PCC meetings. Given the

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Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

plan for the Priest in Charge of Crosthwaite to become the incumbent of TBN too, the Rev Andy Murphie has also attended the PCC meetings.

Our thanks to all previous members of the PCC and to Colin for his huge work as Treasurer and Churchwarden.

Aim and Purposes

The Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish, the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. Since the retirement of the Rev Judith Ashurst the parish has been in vacancy. The Rural Dean, the Rev Charles Hope, and the Priest in charge of Crosthwaite, Rev Andy Murphie, have shared the leadership of the Parish – Charles as Rural Dean focusing on legal and official matters; Andy on pastoral care and worship.

Objectives and Activities

Our purpose is to serve Jesus Christ and share God’s love with all. We value: ● Having a go - because it’s all right not to get it right first time ● Love - because without love, our deeds are worth nothing and we cannot claim to be followers of Jesus ● Welcome - not just what we say at the door but what we build into everything we do and how we relate ● Prayer - because then we know we are depending on God’s strength, not our own ● Fun - enjoy being a Christian community here in this special part of God’s world

The PCC working with the Rural Dean and vicar of Crosthwaite are committed to finding ways of healing in the parish, sustaining the life and ministry of the parish and the three churches. Much of the life of the parish has been severely hampered by the COVID pandemic.

PCC Members, elected at the last APCM held on 20 September 2020: Anne Thoburn, Anthony Simpson, Alison Biggs & Don Thoburn

Deanery Synod

There are no current representatives on the Deanery Synod.

Derwent Deanery Synod, report from Keswick St John’s

Deanery Synod Annual Report 2020

The deanery Synod met only once in 2020 due to COVID restrictions. The meeting was held by zoom.

There were three main items on the agenda. First of all the Vision refresh process in the diocese being run by Bishop Emma. This has resulted in the diocesan vision being renewed still around the theme of ‘God for All’ but focused on four themes of:

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Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

- Follow Daily (discipleship) - Speak Boldly (evangelism) - Tread Gently (care for the environment) - Care Deeply (social action) - These four themes are being used in planning at parish and mission community and diocesan level. More information will be forthcoming about what these could mean in practical terms, but in the meantime we can all do our own thinking and reflecting.

Secondly, the diocesan budget which for 2020 is not in a good way due to the impact of COVID restrictions on parish life affecting parish income and so parish ability to pay parish offer. The diocesan response to this has been to: - Review and reduce central staffing by redundancy if necessary - Cease making external appointments to vacant posts in the diocese - Keep the stipends budget on target - Reduce the diocesan senior staff team when a vacancy arises. There is a commitment to maintain the stipendiary parochial posts at 72 plus curates. But how sustainable that will be in 2021 and beyond is debatable.

Thirdly, the strategic review of ministry in the diocese and deanery. This has reached the stage of considering the essential person specification of stipendiary clergy and no further in terms of prioritising posts that could / could not be reduced. This last bit of work was superseded by the diocesan commitment to maintain parochial staffing. But the person specification suggestions focused on developing lay ministry and vocations, building teams and cross-boundary cooperation.

In 2021 we hope the synod will be able to meet on a more regular basis in person as there are many challenges facing the diocese. Also, in 2021 there are General Synod elections, and the electorate for those elections are the members of deanery synods! Please consider standing if there is a parochial vacancy.

Rev Charles Hope Rural Dean

The Church Buildings

St Marys

In 2020 the major work of repointing the exterior of the church was completed. The works done were repointing the walls with lime mortar, installation of cavity trays and consequential tidying up of the churchyard. Our thanks to the JAP Trust for funding this work. The VAT element of the cost was reclaimed from the Listed Places of Worship VAT scheme.

On 25th February 2021, there was a site visit with Richard Pratt (Archdeacon), Ian Wells, the architect, Alex from Albion Glass, Rev Charles Hope (Rural Dean & JAP Trust), Rev Andy Murphie, Don Thoburn & Anthony Simpson (PCC members) participating. The works to date were reviewed and a recommended set of building priorities going forward agreed as follows: - Window repair including replacement of lexan with grills – to ensure the building is waterproof and the stained glass protected (possible under the current faculty). 5

Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

- Drains work in the churchyard to assist with diverting flood water away from the church (should be ‘de minimis’ so faculty not needed). - An agreed solution to address the damp through the floor The DAC & Soc for Protection of Ancient Buildings preferred solution is to dig out the sub soil within the church to a significant depth and replace with porous hard core with underfloor heating. Ian Wells’ solution: lift slabs and put down membrane and turn it up the walls a few feet, creating a damp proof basin effect within the church; above the membrane would be piping for underfloor heating (the cost of piping within the cost of this work is minimal). Both options need to be professionally assessed and a way forward arrived at – if no agreement can be reached with the DAC then we may have to go to the Chancellor for judgement. The PCC will have to commission Ian to do a proper investigatory report. The JAP Trust may be able to fund this. - Once the damp from the ground is sorted, then the inside of the church would be re-plastered (as per the current faculty approval and expected to be done by the DAC). - Only then can the organ be replaced in the church following its restoration, until then it remains in storage with Harrisons of Durham The site visit also agreed that much more work needs to be done on the future of St Mary’s to ensure that its usage justifies such large expenditure. The PCC was recommended to use these priorities in its applications to the JAP Trust. Notes of the site visit are in the PCC minutes and available to anyone who wishes to have a copy.

Newlands

In 2020, as per the Quinquennial recommendations, remedial electrical work was undertaken by A&B Electrical. Work was also undertaken to repair the roof and bellcote, and renovate and renew some windows. Our thanks to Friends of Newlands Church for funding this work. The VAT element was also reclaimed from the Listed Places of VAT scheme. Outstanding works from the last quinquennial are the remaining repairs to the windows – we hope that Albion Glass will do this work in 2021. We hope that the Friends will be able to fund the bulk of this work. There is also some minor work to be done to the drains and some minor work to the old school room.

St Herberts

No building work has been done to this church in 2020. In order to save money the cleaning contract was suspended during lockdown and in the short term, as things open up we anticipate being able to find a local person to do the cleaning as needed.

Financial Review and Reserves Policy

The PCC aims to have a balanced budget.

The financial report of the Treasurer is attached.

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Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

Electoral Roll

The new role will be available for inspection at the AGM.

Safeguarding Report – this now follows a standard format as recommended by the House of Bishops.

This report follows the template as recommend by the Diocese.

1. Our Parish Safeguarding Officer

Our Parish Safeguarding Officer is Rev Charles Hope

2. Safer Recruitment, and Training

Our parish supports the following groups working with children and young people, and with adults who are vulnerable. For work with children this consists of supporting Messy Church. For vulnerable adults this consists of some home visiting and the offer of home communions.

The leaders and volunteers working with our groups have been safely recruited according to the Church’s national guidance and we have ensured they have received the level of training required by the Church.

Safeguarding training is now online. Plans for it to be delivered ‘in person’ for the Mission Community were put on hold by the COVID pandemic, but that will happen in 2021 as restrictions permit. The online training can be done by anyone and the ‘in person’ sessions will be open to all – but all engaged in working with children, young people and vulnerable adults are expected to undertake this training.

In terms of paperwork and administration, we are in the process of moving the logging system from a manual system to using the excel spreadsheet provided by the diocese. This will make it easier to track recruiting processes and when dates on DBS etc expire. The aim is to have this done by the end of May 2021.

We are trying to ensure that all PCC members have been DBS-checked (a requirement of both the Charity Commission for charity trustees working with children or with vulnerable adults and also of the House of Bishops’ policy). It has taken time to complete all the DBS paperwork, but self-certified disclosure forms have been finalised.

3. Church Policy and Guidance

The PCC has formally adopted the House of Bishops’ ‘Promoting a Safer Church; Safeguarding Policy statement’, and the Church of England safeguarding policy and guidance.

There is a copy of the parish Safeguarding Policy on the church notice board, as well as ‘Who’s Who’ in the parish. There is also a copy of the House of Bishops’ policy

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Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

statement and procedures in church. Copies are also available at the vicarage and are given to all authorised volunteers.

And finally, our thanks go to all our volunteers for their patience in doing all of the paperwork and training. We live in a changed world where old certainties no longer work. Looking after children and vulnerable adults in our care is a shared duty of care.

4. COVID

This has had a huge impact on limiting the life of the church in so many ways. In particular it has stopped so many face to face activities. But it has added the new risk/opportunity of virtual worship and events. This has been a learning curve for all concerned. But risks have been managed by such steps as: - Blind copying emails to everyone

Rev Charles Hope, Parish Safeguarding Officer.

Risk Management

The PCC manages a range of ‘risks’. The PCC has oversight of the finances and so manages financial risks. It also has regular reports on the fabric of the buildings and churchyards to maintain their good order and to manage risk. Safeguarding issues are the responsibility of the PCC, we work in partnership with Keswick St John’s PCC and their safeguarding officers.

In 2018, the PCC adopted policy and procedures to ensure that we comply with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR) – this is about how we store personal data, how we use it and who uses it, and that we have prior consent for all such usages. It is also about having a procedure to manage a ‘data breach’ and ensuring people can have access to what we hold about them when they wish.

Issues raised in 2020 have been dealt with after taking advice from the Data Commissioners Web Site & Toolkit and in liaison with the Diocesan Secretary, as the Diocesan Data Protection Officer. No further action was taken beyond that identified by the toolkit and advice received.

The Vicar’s Report

Rev Andy Murphie writes on worship & pastoral care in 2020:

A number of funerals and interments of ashes have taken place over the past year, observing the appropriate government guidelines and offering support to bereaved families. One wedding was possible, in September 2020, under the then current guidelines of a maximum of thirty guests. Other weddings booked have largely been transferred to 2021 or 2022. Andy has remained in contact with wedding couples during this time. A small number of pastoral enquiries were received via the TBN Churches website to which Andy has responded.

Only a few in-person services were possible in 2020, but these did include a Christmas service with outdoor carol singing that was greatly appreciated. In the meantime, almost all members of the church community were in receipt of Andy’s 8

Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

weekly email, signposting online services and other communications. Some members were also able to worship at Crosthwaite once that church building had re-opened. Andy’s contact details have been widely available in the parish for anyone needing pastoral support.

Mission Community Annual Report on 2020.

With COVID lockdown starting in March 2020 and continuing on and off during the year it has been a real struggle to generate any sense of cohesion or mutual belonging and support between parishes.

At the beginning of 2020, the Steering Group considered the possibilities of the Deanery Network Youth worker post being filled in some way or other. It is recognised across the deanery that each Mission Community (Grasmoor, & Keswick) have very different needs. Grasmoor needs volunteer development; Binsey support with an after school club for primary age and Keswick help starting youth activities almost from scratch in an ecumenical manner. There was the possibility of a person who may have had the skills to do what almost looks like three jobs, but that through. That helped delay actioning this role. Then the lockdown hit and restrictions on diocesan budgets added to the delay.

In 2020, the Mission Community provided much support to Thornthwaite, Braithwaite & Newlands (TBN) Parish as they went into vacancy. The plan is for the Rev Andy Murphie, as priest in charge of Crosthwaite to become the vicar of a united benefice of Crosthwaite with TBN. But to progress that, issues with the Jessie Agnes Pearson Trust have to be resolved within the TBN Parish, as well as gaining a clear understanding of the role of all of the church buildings in the life and ministry of the church.

The role of church buildings is being determined by using the Diocesan Building Strategy and the ‘Sustainability Rosette’, the planning tool from the Churches Trust, which encourages us to review the state of the buildings and their current and potential roles in the life and mission of the church in a way that is sustainable at all levels.

Once lockdown started and was on and off, the steering group met by zoom three times and ideas and news have been shared in a supportive and encouraging manner. The clergy of the Mission Community have also been meeting for prayer twice a week by zoom to pray for each other and for all of our churches and communities. Rev Lawrence Basham has been working as Curate across the Mission Community, whilst serving his title at St. John’s. He has developed an online offer of Messy Church that has been available across the area. Lawrence has also been supporting Braithwaite Primary School as a member of the Governing Board and by taking assemblies.

As we come out of lockdown, the Mission Community will need to pick up on lots of loose threads and especially looking at how we can build relationships between the congregations locally that will help to encourage each other in our different places.

Rev Charles Hope & Rev Andy Murphie 9

Parish of Thornthwaite cum Braithwaite with Newlands

Joint Mission Community Leader

Churchwarden's Report.

There is no churchwarden at the moment. Matters normally covered in their report are noted elsewhere in this report.

Secretaries Report. Church AGM April 2020.

The PCC has meet and fulfilled its duties and roles.

Treasurer’s Report and accounts – see separate report

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