ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ALL SAINTS THORNTON HOUGH OF CHESTER

Charity Commission Number 1131417

ANNUAL REPORTS FOR 2019

All Saints Parochial Church Council The Parish Office, The Parish Hall, Church Road, Thornton Hough, Wirral, CH63 1JW

2 Part 1: Trustees’ report to the Charity Commission

1. Aims and Purposes Our aim is ‘To promote the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical’ Our purpose as a church is to worship God through our regular services and through the fellowship of our loving community. We share the love of God with those around, serving the community and witnessing to others about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. All Saints Parochial Church Council (PCC) has the legal responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting in the ecclesiastical parish of Thornton Hough the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical. The PCC is also specifically responsible for the maintenance of the church building and churchyards on Raby Road, and the parish hall on Church Road. 2. Objectives Statement of Vision and Goals for 2017 to 2022 Vision Our aspiration for All Saints Church is: for God to be central in all that we do and in the lives of all our members; to share the love of God with those around, serving the community and witnessing to others about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Goals 1. Spiritual Growth To promote a deepening of love and spiritual growth. To develop and grow our knowledge through study of the Bible, through prayer and through teaching at our services and other events so that we are better able to apply the Bible’s teaching in today’s world. 2. Mission To share the good news about Jesus Christ with others so that they too may receive and enjoy the grace and blessings of God in their lives. To support others who also work to share the good news of Jesus Christ. 3. Care for others in the church and in the community To reach out to others and demonstrate his love in practical ways by caring for and serving others within the church and without, including all age groups, newcomers and those in need. 4. Worship To use our talents to make our worship more meaningful. To ensure that our worship and events are worthy offerings to God, that they meet the needs of our existing members and are attractive and accessible to those outside the Christian community who are interested in what we do. 5. Organisation To promote the smooth running of the church we need to: Devise and explore ways of involving more of our members in all aspects of running our church. Ensure that we are using people’s God given talents in the most effective way possible. Generate sufficient income to balance the books. 6. Communication To improve our use of appropriate communication channels to support and enhance all of our activities at All Saints. 3 3. 2019 Activities, Achievements and Performance Regular Sunday Worship The pattern of Sunday worship is set so that there is normally one service of Holy Communion available every week. The main 10:30am service has continued to alternate between Holy Communion and Morning Prayer using the range of Common Worship service booklets to give some variety in language and emphasis in prayer and worship. On a ‘usual Sunday’ during 2019 the average attendance at the main service was 66 adults and 4 children. The music has been provided by the four-part choir accompanied by the organ under the leadership of our Director of Music. The choir regularly sings an anthem as part of the service as well as providing a strong lead and harmony for congregational hymns. The 8:00am service continued on alternate Sundays as a spoken service of Holy Communion using the Book of Common Prayer (BCP). The number of people usually attending this service was 5. The 6:30pm evening service held every other Sunday has offered services of Holy Communion varying between “traditional language” versions and Common Worship formats, and occasional services of Evening Prayer or Choral Evensong. The average attendance at the evening services was 22. We have continued to hold united services with St George’s United Reformed Church, the other church in the village, on the first Sunday of the month. Both congregations value this opportunity to share faith and friendship and to be a witness to the wider community.

Festivals and Occasional Offices The Mothering Sunday service was attended by 70 people. On Easter Sunday in 2019 there were 66 people who attended worship including 60 communicants. The annual Thornton Hough Primary School Year 6 Leavers’ Service and presentation of books was held in All Saints’ church with parents and staff in attendance in July. 68 people attended the morning service in All Saints’ Church on Remembrance Day. The village Remembrance service was held in St George’s Church this year after a parade to the War Memorial in the afternoon. All Saints’ church held a Remembrance Day assembly service for Years 1-6 of Thornton Hough Primary School. The Advent Carol Service was attended by 62 people. The Christingle Service was attended by 101 people. The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols was attended by 115 people. 78 people attended church at Christmas (24th and 25th December) of whom 65 were communicants. We also held a crib service on a Monday morning which was attended by the Reception Class from Thornton Hough Primary School and the cots2tots group. During 2019 we conducted the following occasional offices: Baptisms 5 Confirmations 0 Weddings 6

4 Wedding blessing 1 Funerals 12 (9 services in church, 3 at the crematorium) Thanksgiving services 2

Regular Midweek Worship and Fellowship We have continued to hold our Wednesday Holy Communion services on all except the fourth Wednesday of each month when there is a Coffee Morning instead. The number of those attending Midweek Communion has increased from 8 to 15. The informal service, lasting around an hour, has begun to attract a broader range of people. We continued to support the local nursing homes, Westwood Hall and Brimstage Manor. Revd Andrew Haslam and then Revd Vicky Barrett have taken a monthly Holy Communion service at Westwood Hall for a regular group of 12 residents and some of their friends and family. A small group of volunteers has gone into Brimstage Manor to sing hymns once a month. These occasions continue to be well received by the residents and staff and help to support their spiritual well-being. Other important fellowship groups in 2019 included the Monday Group and the Tuesday Bible and Prayer Group. In addition, the ACF (A Church Fellowship) has continued to provide good support to many through the Fellowship Meetings, Coffee Mornings and Chatterbox Club.

Children and Families

Children’s work at All Saints’ has been led by a small and committed team of volunteers during 2019. We are very grateful for their continuing support. The team has met to plan on a termly basis, and a programme of study for Sunday mornings has been devised for the children to follow during term-time. There are usually four children of school age attending church. Activities are provided in the Choir Vestry during part of the service, with the group returning for Communion. Some families with children under five years have joined the morning services and have enjoyed the toys in the transept. One of our Churchwardens has been helping to support families settle in this space.

Revd. Vicky has been visiting All Saints’ Primary School and has taken assemblies every half term. The children enjoyed looking at the stained glass in church on their visit at Remembrance and it is hoped that this interest can be developed into a longer-term creative project in due course.

Pastoral Care

The Prayer and Pastoral group meet to share concerns about individuals on a confidential basis. People are asked whether they would like to be mentioned by name in our public church prayers or just prayed for by the group. Visiting has been undertaken to a number of housebound and elderly people in the parish on both a regular and one-off basis. The Vicar has visited and offered home communion to some who have been unwell during the year.

5 4. Governance and PCC Membership The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the . The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Powers Measure. The PCC is a Registered Charity. The appointment of PCC members is governed by and set out in the Church Representation Rules (2017). The PCC at All Saints consists of: the incumbent (our Vicar), the Churchwardens, elected representatives to the Deanery Synod, elected lay representatives and two co-opted members. In 2019 the PCC membership and Standing Committee membership was as follows Elected Members of the Laity Other Members Mr P Arch Revd. V Barrett* Vicar (Chairman) from May 2019 Mrs R Brothwell Until March 2019 Mrs P Baker* Churchwarden Mr S Deakin Mrs A Jones* Churchwarden

Mrs M Gamble Dr E Macbeath Deanery Synod representative *Mrs D Hughes Mr B Brennan Deanery Synod representative Mr G Allan Price Co-opted until April Mr D Jones 2019 Miss E Roberts Mrs S Stinson* Co-opted until April (PCC Secretary) 2019 Mrs L Russell

Mr A Splitt

Mr I Stinson* * Members of the (PCC Treasurer) Standing Committee

Members were also elected to the sub committees dealing with Finance, Fabric and Health and Safety, Remuneration and Three Churches Together. The committees exist to discuss and, for more major issues, make recommendations, which are then taken to the full PCC. In 2019, PCC meetings were held on 4th February, 13th March, 28th April, 22nd May, 15th July, 9th September, 7th October, 4th November and 2nd December. The Standing Committee met on 6th June, 2019. 5. Safeguarding The PCC has complied with the duty under section 5 of the Safeguarding and Clergy Measure 2016 (duty to have regard to House of Bishops’ guidance on safeguarding and vulnerable adults). (Church Representation Rules 2020 p76)

6 6. Activities of the PCC in 2019 During first part of 2019 All Saints did not have a vicar. The PCC continued to consider regular reports on the Finances, Fabric, Health and Safety, Administration of the Parish, Prayer and Pastoral Care, Electoral Roll and Three Churches Together. They received updates on the vacancy. At the February meeting we were pleased to hear that one of the candidates had been offered and accepted the post and in May All Saints Church was pleased to welcome Revd. Vicky Barrett as the new vicar. In addition to the regular items the PCC discussed a War Graves Commission sign for the churchyard, the production of a calendar to raise funds, the break-in at the church, the service pattern, the implementation of Churchyard Regulations, hall booking, representation on the Village Hall Committee, charitable giving and the Christmas Fair. They also approved the purchase of a new hymn book, Ancient and Modern- Hymns and Songs for Refreshing Worship. The Standing Committee met on 6th June to discuss hiring of the Parish Hall and procedures for booking the hall. 7. Charity Information

Contact details All Saints PCC, The Parish Office, The Parish Hall Church Road Thornton Hough, Wirral, CH63 1JW www.allsaintsth.org.uk 0151 336 1654 Church of England Diocese Chester Charity Registration Number 1131417

7 Part 2: Reports from the PCC

8. Electoral Roll Report for the AGM April 2019

Under the Church Representation Rules a new Electoral Roll was prepared in April 2019. It was published in time for the AGM in April 2019. There were 95 names on the new Roll. In December 2019 there were 101 names on the Electoral Roll.

9. Fabric, Goods and Ornaments The Fabric and Health & Safety (FHS) Committee continues to coordinate works to the church buildings and grounds in terms of maintenance, refurbishment and health & safety issues. Our work is organised into scheduled tasks - regular maintenance and checks - and one-off improvement projects, as well as reviewing any health and safety matters that arise from time to time.

We are grateful to Graham Seagrave for agreeing to take on the important role of Health & Safety Officer, taking over from Lucinda Russell. We would like to thank Lucinda for her valuable contribution during her time as H&S Officer. We are also very grateful to the many people who contribute to the on-going running of the church, grounds and buildings, by volunteering to undertake some of the routine tasks coordinated by the committee.

One-off improvement projects are organised into current and pending projects. Current projects are those actively being pursued. Many of these require a good deal of research, planning and organisation in the background before any noticeable works can start. The committee meet regularly throughout the year to discuss these, before making recommendations to the PCC.

There are over 20 projects on our current projects list at present, include replacing the tired-looking noticeboard and carrying out repairs and remedial works to the church spire, where missing grilles are allowing rooks to nest inside and vegetation growth is affecting the stonework. Some of the others are mentioned below.

Pending projects are those which the FHS committee is not able to pursue at the present time but are being kept on the radar for when time and resources allow. Pending projects are reviewed regularly to assess whether priorities have changed or additional resources have become available. There are 15 projects on this list at present, some of which are ‘nice to have’ improvements and others are major maintenance projects that will be required in the medium term, such as a major overhaul of the church roof and repointing of the stonework to the church. Both of these will need considerable time, effort, and of course financial resources.

Our next quinquennial inspection is due in May 2020. This will be undertaken by the church architect and this will give us more guidance and advice about the state of repair of our church and churchyard and recommendations for essential and desirable works.

Should anyone wish to bring any matter to the attention of the Fabric, Health & Safety committee, we can be contacted by email on [email protected] Darren Jones

8 9A. Church The only major works carried out to the church building this year has been the replacement of the header tank which was deteriorating and contributing to the heating system getting clogged up with debris, causing problems with the boilers. The ageing and corroded tank was replaced with two new smaller cisterns. At the same time, repairs were carried out on the church boilers, however, it would be sensible to plan for replacement of these in the next 2-3 years. Routine maintenance and servicing have been on-going as required.

Minor works have included maintenance of the lighting systems and repairs to the church roof to fix leaks and replace broken and slipped roof tiles. In due course we need to be planning for major renovation of the church roof which will require a substantial financial investment.

We have sought advice from pest control specialists and from Natural England about the removal of the rooks and the resulting debris, twigs, etc, from the spire before repairs are carried out, and we are currently considering how to proceed. Darren Jones

The vicar and choir vestries were burgled in February 2019. The doors to both vestries were damaged and in the passage to the choir vestry the panelling which forms the side of the organ was also damaged. Repairs were carried out professionally once permission to carry out the repairs was granted by the Diocese. In the vicar’s vestry the sound system was disturbed, and the CD/Cassette player stolen. The insurance company met the cost of repairs and replacing the CD player, less the policy excess of £500.

The church sound system was updated in April. The system has been housed in a standard 19” rack system and a new power amplifier, an audio mixer and a replacement CD player have been installed. An additional hand-held radio microphone has been purchased (second hand). Iain Stinson 9B. Church grounds Works to the churchyards over the past twelve months have been mainly routine maintenance, however, we have been planning some projects that will commence soon. We are continuing to monitor the condition and lean of the boundary walls, with measurements being taken so that we can be aware of any movements in the walls.

We are arranging for handrails to be replaced at the Raby Road steps to both the new churchyard and the main entrance steps to the church. We are also working on plans to replace the noticeboard on Raby Road with a new high quality noticeboard, welcoming visitors and clearly displaying essential information about us and our services. The new design will incorporate a changeable display area allowing us to display posters for forthcoming events.

In the latter part of 2019, the FHS Committee commissioned a report from a qualified arboriculturist on the condition and safety of our trees. A survey of this nature is advised every three years. A number of issues were identified and selective pruning recommended to improve the health of some of our trees. All of the issues raised were classified as ‘low risk’ and the PCC is considering how to proceed. Darren Jones

9 9C. Parish Hall and Hirst Cottage A post box will soon be installed to the Parish Hall to allow post for the parish and PCC to be delivered directly rather than to Hirst Cottage or the Vicarage.

Quotes have been obtained for repairing the broken window mechanism to one of the Parish Hall windows. Patch repairs have been carried out to the roof as necessary. The condition of the old pew outside the Parish Hall is deteriorating and we are looking to get this removed. Darren Jones

10. Wirral South Deanery Synod Report Two members of the PCC, Dr Elly Macbeath and Bill Brennan sit on the Deanery Synod. Dr Elly Macbeath also sits on the Diocesan Synod. This provides the PCC with important links between the wider structure of the Deanery and the . Meetings were held on: 12th Feb 2019 at St. Mary the Blessed Virgin in Eastham Village 20th June 2019 at St Mary and St Helen, Neston. 17th Oct 2019 at Christchurch , Willaston.

A South Wirral Deanery Pilgrimage is planned for 2020 to Lichfield Cathedral.

Dr. Elly Macbeath Wirral South Deanery Synod Rep.

The Trustees’ report to the Charity Commission was approved by the PCC on 9th March 2019.

10 Part 3: Reports on activities 11. Installation and Induction of the Reverend Vicky Barrett In 2019 All Saints, Thornton Hough was very pleased to welcome a new Vicar to the parish. On Thursday 16th May 2019 the Reverend Vicky Barrett was installed as Vicar of All Saints, Thornton Hough by The Right Reverend , Bishop of , and Inducted by the Reverend Gordon Welch.

12. Worship, Prayer and Pastoral Care Report of the Vicar The church was in good hands with churchwardens Patsy and Alice during the period of vacancy and the Vicar offered her deeply-felt thanks to them and Iain and Sue Stinson for all their patient and hard work during this time. Revd. Andrew Haslam gave generously of his time and care officiating at services also. The church congregation and wider parish have experienced a period of great change, coping with the absence of a vicar and then getting to know the new Incumbent. The welcome received has been very warm indeed. The Vicar was not expecting a large gathering of ladies at the Red Fox to help celebrate her birthday! Not only has the Vicar been very warmly welcomed, but visitors to church have also commented on the way that they have been made to feel at home. It has been good to see people coming together and enjoying one another’s company. Building confidence in ourselves as a gathered community and emphasising the joy of the Christian faith has been a frequent theme in sermons during the year. This confidence and joy were much in evidence in our decorating the church with essential items donated for Tomorrow’s Women Wirral as well as flowers, the Harvest Lunch and also the Christmas Fair, where generosity in time and money were mixed with gales of laughter. Not only has it been good to see the church family getting together in church, but it is also becoming more outgoing. Friendships built up within our local pubs have led to Christmas carol-singing at both the Seven Stars and the Red Fox to raise money for The Children’s Society. Some families of those at our local nursing homes have come to church because of the connections created. Delivering the Three Churches Together Christmas cards door-to- door also gave rise to some positive conversations. 11 As well as much joy there have been some moments of grief for the church family, with much sorrow at the deaths of Pat Dixon and Barbara Wilson. May they, and all those who have died in the last year, rest in peace and rise in glory. The Vicar’s first PCC meeting in June began with a short service of Holy Communion as a way of drawing all members together in their Christian faith which rests at the heart of all our activities. Each subsequent meeting has begun with a Bible reading and short meditation to give spiritual direction to what can be more practical topics. We have grown in faith as well as exercising our responsibilities as trustees for the church. The church has continued to offer services using a range of styles of worship; Common Worship and the Book of Common Prayer both have places here. The Vicar has introduced some seasonal colour to the church year through the use of coloured stoles and the layout of the altar at Communion. Our choral tradition is a source of encouragement and a real strength. The church remains a popular venue for weddings and baptisms, where families have commented upon the happy mixture of a traditional structure and opportunities for setting a more personalised stamp on services. Margaret Gamble has continued to keep her watchful eye and careful organisation over proceedings, especially wedding parties, for which thanks are due. Very many thanks to all those who have been tireless and gracious in their support throughout the year: not least to those who worship faithfully week by week; those who sit and listen companionably to others; those who give lifts (in cars and in lifting spirits); those who ask the awkward questions; those who make refreshments and those who are refreshed by them.

13. Report of the Churchwardens This year has seen Patsy complete her sixth year and Alice complete her third year as churchwarden. This has been a very complementary partnership and the Churchwardens have worked well together to bring the church through the period of interregnum. We welcomed the Installation of Rev’d Vicky Barrett on the 16th May 2019 which was a joyous occasion which was attended by members of the local church, community and church. Patsy and Alice attended the Archdeacon’s Visitation, at St James the Great, Ince, on the 23rd May where they were formally admitted for the year. They were accompanied by Rev’d Barrett and one of our Sidespersons. We attended a training day on the 2nd November at St John’s, Lostock Gralam, which was an informative and encouraging opportunity to be updated on issues affecting churches within the Diocese and to meet fellow churchwardens serving in other parishes. Since May we have met regularly with the Vicar to discuss matters within the church and pastoral matters. The importance of working with our new Incumbent to ease the transition into this new phase of the life of All Saints and to offer our support has been at the forefront of our service at this time. We would like to thank all of the Sidespersons who offer their service to the church at our regular services. They do a wonderful job of welcoming in those who join us for worship and giving us their support. We would like to invite any who feel they might be able to forward the work of the church in this or any other way to contact us to discuss how best they can use their God given talents here in our community. Patsy Baker and Alice Jones Churchwardens

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14. Verger’s Report The verger was present at 6 weddings, 1 wedding blessing and 10 funerals and 8 burials of ashes in 2019. Parish Hall The Parish Hall is used by groups from the church and for events, including the ACF, the PCC, the Lent Course, cots2tots, the Harvest Lunch, The Christmas Fair, Coffee Mornings, Trotters Cafe, and Sunday Coffee following the morning service. It is also used for any social functions as required. There are also a few regular outside bookings such as Thornton Hough Fishing Club, Patchwork and Quilters, Stepping up Dance run by Gill Woods, Weight Watchers, Birkenhead North Cycle Club, The Flying Falcons. We also have one-off bookings for children's parties, Soroptimists, fund raisers etc. This year we have new forms for booking the hall. Regular users need to register and fill in a booking form and we have to have copies of their insurance. There are also new forms for parties and one-off bookings. They have been well received. Margaret Gamble Verger

15. Safeguarding We continue to take Safeguarding seriously at All Saints Thornton Hough. The eye-catching posters provided by the Church of England House of Bishops are on display in Church and in the Parish Hall, with local contact details added and safeguarding information can be easily found on our website, thanks to Iain Stinson. Soon after the arrival of our new incumbent, I met with Revd Vicky Barrett to discuss the results of the previous annual safeguarding audit and finalise an action plan. Since then, after consultation with Vicky Barrett and the Churchwardens, there have been minor changes to the consent forms signed by parents of those attending the Children’s Sunday Group and pocket guides to safeguarding have been given to PCC members and all volunteers associated with Cots2tots and the Children’s Sunday Group. No additional DBS checks have been required during the year. I booked on to an additional safeguarding course for the autumn, which was cancelled, but I hope to attend as soon as possible. Linda M Arch 16. Families ministries Children’s Sunday School Group In January 2019 the Children’s Sunday Group moved to its current venue in the Choir Vestry and a quieter style of session with discussion, story / teaching, reading from the Bible, prayer and craft, aimed at children of primary school age i.e. Reception / Foundation Year to Year 5. The sessions were delivered by the small team of 3 leaders and 3 helpers and were based on teaching material in the “Click” books published by The Good Book Company. During the Spring Term we looked at the life of Jesus in John’s Gospel, moving on to how followers told others about Jesus in Acts, during the Summer Term. In the Autumn Term we studied Gideon and David from Judges and 1 & 2 Samuel. The number of children attending has been very small, with a maximum of 4 children sitting around the table with the 2 adults. 13 During the year, the leaders and helpers held 2 planning meetings with Revd Vicky Barrett and really benefitted from her input. Linda M Arch cots2tots cots2tots is the group run by the church for babies, young children and their carers. It runs each Monday from 9:00am to 11:30am in term times. 2019 has been another successful year for the group What a lovely start to the new year in September of 2019; we started our Theme using the alphabet. We've had great fun doing crafts that start with letters of the alphabet. We have a full number of children on the register, and most weeks get approximately 14-23 children on a regular basis. We offer free play with quality educational toys, and healthy snacks that cover dietary requirements. Craft is fun and sometimes very messy. For Storytime we try to keep to the theme and use books that the children can interact with counting, colours, noises and actions. They love it when Vicky tells the story due to her being very lively! Singing time and nursery rhymes. We use the old favourites and also introduce Christian songs. I have a fantastic group of Volunteers helping to run this very successful family group. Thank you to them all. God Bless us in the year ahead. Rachel Brothwell cots2tots coordinator

17. Choir and music 2019 The choir has continued to help lead the services at the 10:30am and 6:30pm services on Sundays and at the evening services held at All Saints on important mid-week festival days. At each service the choir contributes a short anthem intended to complement the theme and/or readings for that service. On Passion Sunday, Advent Sunday and on the last Sunday in Advent the choir provide more additional music to enrich the worship at All Saints. On Passion Sunday 2019 the choir lead a meditation entitled “No story so divine” which followed the account of the passion in St Mark’s gospel with prayers, hymns and choir items, including works by William Byrd, Philip Stopford, John Bell, Bob Chilcott and J.S. Bach. The pattern of the Advent Sunday service reflected the season’s growing anticipation, both of the first coming of Christ and of that day when the prayer ‘Thy Kingdom come’ is finally and fully answered. It included music from a wide range of sources designed to help us focus on the coming of Jesus Christ: the service used the Book of Common Prayer Collects to help lead us through the message of Advent. The Christmas Carol service followed the “traditional” nine lessons (using readings from the NIV translation) with hymns and carols for the congregation and carols sung by the choir; these include works by Boris Ord, Andrew Carter, John Rutter and Philip Stopford. We also sang a carol specially written for us by our own Brian Jenkins; Brian’s setting of “Away in a manger” is very lovely and helped bring fresh meaning to those very familiar words.

14 We are delighted that our new vicar, Rev’d Vicky Barrett, has been very supportive in continuing our musical tradition and we welcome the opportunity to evolve and grow this tradition to support her as she develops our worship at All Saints. The choir membership at the end of 2019 was three basses, one tenor, two altos and nine sopranos. (including our vicar, who regularly sings with the choir). We were pleased to have the added support of another tenor for the Christmas Carol Service. We would welcome anyone who wishes to join us in singing at our services whether each week or for occasional festivals: please contact the Director of Music if you would like to know more. During 2019 our hymns were largely drawn from our hymnbook, Common Praise, with supplementary material being included (under licence) on the pew sheet. In November the Vicar and PCC agreed that we could replace our hymnbook with the latest edition of Ancient & Modern. This collection was chosen after carefully reviewing the currently available hymnbooks. The new A&M covers almost all our current repertoire (from all sources) and includes good hymns and songs which we presently don’t use at All Saints. The cost of the new books was met by a donation from the choir fees fund and by an anonymous donation. The new A&M hymnbooks will be used from the end of January 2020. We try to cover a broad range of church music, though sometimes we are limited by copyright conditions and having the organ or digital piano for accompaniment (though the new hymnbook will help alleviate these problems). If there are hymns or worship songs you would like us to sing, please discuss this with the Director of Music. I’m particularly grateful to Val and Alan Splitt who look after our music library and to Maureen Thompson for her help too. We are also grateful to those other organists who provide cover and support when I’m unavailable; I’d particularly like to thank Thomas Yeomans, David Bird and Alex McMillan for their help. Iain Stinson Director of Music 18. Bible Study and Fellowship Groups a. Bible Study Group The Bible Study group is a small, friendly group who now meet on the 4th Monday of each month at 2pm. The meeting is held in various members’ homes. We completed the study book Meeting the Holy Spirit and we are now studying Acts from the book by John Stott. We have also continued to send a donation to Rosemary and Ian Benson for their missionary work. Shirley McEvoy

b. Monday Group The Monday Group meet on the second Monday of each month at 2pm in various members’ homes. We are a small friendly group who meet for prayer, fellowship and support. We were greatly saddened by the death of Ann Pierce, one of our oldest members, who brought so much fun and laughter into the meetings. We sent our Annual Donation to the Wirral Women and Children’s Aid. Shirley McEvoy

15 19. Events Harvest lunch The Harvest Lunch was a great success; it was part of a week of celebrating what we have in life. Christmas Fair This was real fun to organise and even more fun to be part of. It was a huge success; some of us were in Christmas costumes which added to the atmosphere. We raised funds for the Church (£1,230), but our main goal was to show others who we are and to welcome people into the Church family. Rachel Brothwell Events co-ordinator 20. Practical Ministries a. Parish magazine The editors, Iain Stinson, Patsy Baker and Brian Morris were delighted to welcome back John McIver and to welcome the Vicar to the team. Our meetings continue to be humorous, enjoyable and rewarding. We have informed the parishioners of what is happening at our church through the events sheet, the diary and articles written on church life. At the same time we have brought everyday stories from individuals about events which have happened in the individual’s lifetime and of interest to everybody. Our thanks go to regular contributors who make the magazine so interesting for readers. We have continued to receive many complimentary comments from readers who have enjoyed not only the content but also the format we have used.

The magazine is distributed free to anybody who wishes to have a copy, but we do ask for a donation towards the cost of printing. The printing and co-ordinating the distribution is done by Margaret Gamble and we are indebted to her for continuing with this task as she has done for many years. We feel it is important that the magazine continues to bring to the attention of the parishioners the various articles, events, quizzes and stories in paper form as not everybody has a computer for the online version.

220 copies of the magazine are printed every month and are distributed to homes in Thornton Hough, Raby Mere, Brimstage and Raby. Magazines are also posted to homes outside the parish: to Heswall, Neston, Oxton, Willaston, Chester, Port Sunlight, and as far afield as Evershot, Hornby (near Lancaster) and Broadstone (in Dorset). The magazine provides a valuable link to friends who no longer live locally.

Our editorial team welcomes contributions, so if you have a story or know of an event which you feel might be of interest to the readers please send it to us so that we can consider it along with all the other articles The Editors b. 2020 Thornton Hough Calendar Following a request made to the PCC in January 2019 a small team (Brian Morris, Ruth Whieldon and Alan Smathers) got together to produce a calendar for 2020 which proved to be very popular with over 200 copies sold. The publication of this calendar was advertised from the pulpit and mentioned in the Parish magazine during 2019 requesting contributions of photographs of our beautiful village and neighbourhood. After much deliberation twelve photographs were selected by the team assisted by the Vicar.

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17 We were indebted to 12 local businesses and companies who sponsored a month each thus covering the printing costs and to those people who sold the calendars to friends and relatives. The calendars made a handsome profit of about £1,450 for church funds. Following completion of the sales a typing fault on two of the months was discovered and a replacement calendar was offered but most people seemed to be content to manually correct the faults. Brian Morris on behalf of the Calendar team

c. Web site The web site continues to be an important part of the church’s communication strategy. It provides access to the calendar of events and services, to the weekly notices from the pew sheet and to current and past issues of The Magazine. Through the website parishioners and the general public have access to information about All Saints and current pertinent information both from computers and mobile devices. Please visit www.allsaintsth.org.uk frequently. Iain Stinson d. Church Flowers Sponsorship of weekly flowers has continued to decline leaving little reserve in the flower fund to subsidise any shortfall. The altar is not the easiest place for flower arranging as it involves using a step ladder if the flowers are to be arranged on the altar or lifting a completed arrangement onto the altar. Doing this raises potential safety issues and could be one reason sponsorship has declined. For several years a local florist delivered reasonably priced baskets of flowers but as with all things as prices crept up demand declined. One solution could be a move away from the conventional oasis based arrangements to less formal vases of flowers. At this time of year many gardens are showing signs of Spring bulbs in flower which can be easily arranged in vases. Potted plants such as primroses could provide a convenient alternative. As the church is open to during the day they can be put in place at a time that suits. Harvest Festival was a great success this year following the decision to support Tomorrow’s Women Wirral, a charity which has close connections with All Saints. The windowsills were full to bursting with donations of food, make up, clothes and much more with flowers on the altar and two stands. The church looked wonderful and we all enjoyed the challenge of arranging such a variety of gifts. A big thank you to all who support the flower rota and to the loyal band of flower arrangers who routinely turn out come rain or shine to present All Saints at its best. A particular thank you to Margaret who does so much behind the scenes to ensure that all that is needed is in place when the church is to be decorated for special occasions or when the altar flowers are to be arranged. The rota is on the church noticeboard near the flower vestry so if anyone would like to provide flowers, available dates can be seen there and noted. Jane Wilson

18 21. ACF Report for 2019 A church fellowship for anyone from anywhere. Our meetings begin with a short service- a hymn, a Bible reading and prayers. We continue to observe the five principles of the Diocesan ACF: Fellowship Worship Service Study Giving Our membership continues at 20 although we have several visitors each month depending on the speaker and the subject. We celebrated our 30th anniversary in October with the special speaker, the Venerable Dr whose message was “pray and party”. This was well attended and several previous members were gusts. A party and a birthday cake was enjoyed by all. Two speakers unfortunately had to cancel but space was readily filled with alternative ‘volunteers’. All speakers received a fee and several meetings had extra donations from members on the day for their specific charity. Ours is a generous group. These charities were  Missionary Aviation Fellowship  Christian Aid via one member who replaced as an emergency speaker and took us to India.  Charles Thompson Mission which, as well as financial support was given items of food and clothing. These charities had each been given £100 in 2018.

Our three charities in 2019 are  Wirral Youth for Christ  North West Air Ambulance  Beam Project- Children’s Society Each has provided a speaker in 2020.

We had two social events to which guests were invited, the “Strawberry Tea” in July and in December a Christmas Carol singalong with the traditional tea. Both events were greatly enjoyable. Eileen Roberts

Coffee Morning This is a successful monthly event where a goodly number of folk gather. There is a sales table and raffle. Again a very friendly place to be, ably run by Shirley McEvoy, a group member. Eileen Roberts

Chatterbox Club This is now a house group at various homes of members. A small, friendly gathering, it offers an afternoon of board games, conversation, reading, knitting etc. and ends with refreshments. Eileen Roberts

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Christmas Lunch This is organised by a group member and this year took place at Thornton Hall Hotel. Forty people from ACF, both churches and the surrounding area gathered at the end of November to begin the festive season with a generous Christmas lunch, all the trimmings, crackers etc and to chat to each other. It was a good time of fellowship. The noise level proved everyone was enjoying meeting up. Appreciation was expressed to the friendly, efficient staff at Thornton Hall and to Shirley for all her expertise in organising everything. Eileen Roberts Trotters Café A group of around 12 intrepid runners gather in the Parish Hall after their Saturday morning run to enjoy refreshments and a space to chat on the second Saturday morning of most months. They are most appreciative of the church’s hospitality and the delicious variety of home-made cakes, many of which are bought and taken home afterwards. Thanks to Eileen Roberts for leading the initiative for so many years, Heather Timms for her cakes and other goodies, Margaret Gamble for her roulades, Tim Allan-Price for assistance on the door and all those who help serve through the year.

22. Church Partnership 3 Churches Together 3 Churches Together (All Saints, St George’s and St Luke’s) had a successful lent course in 2019 where we studied the film “Rev” led by Rev’d Nick Jones. Three Churches Together were delighted to welcome Rev’d Vicky Barrett into the fold in May and we look forward to working with her. In October we enjoyed a successful coffee morning in the W.I. Hall. We raised a good amount for the Wirral Food Bank and we were able to donate parcels of food. We have more coffee mornings planned. The Christmas cards were printed and delivered and favourably received. We are now looking forward to 2020's Lent course. Di Hughes United services During 2019 we have had the following united services with St George’s: 3rd February, 3trd March, 6th March (Ash Wednesday), 19th April (Good Friday), 5th May, 2nd June, 7th July, 1st September, 6th October, 3rd November (All Saints’ Sunday), 10th November (Remembrance Sunday), 29th December.

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