(pCympton St. Mary (parochialChurch CounciC

JLnnuaC (Report and(FinancialStatements

For the Year ended31st (December 2012

Incumbent The (Reverend (Pre6endary M Cameron

St Mary's Vicarage, 209 (Rjdgeway,

(plympton, Plymouth (PL7 4tt<P

<Ban^ NatWest,

74/76 (Rjdgeway, (PCympton,

(Plymouth, (PL7 2M

Independent 'Examiner Mr Qraham (Beeson ISO (Dudley (Rpad

(Plympton

CONTENTS

Reports: Page

Parochial Church Council 1-6

Church Fabric 6

Churchyard 6 - 7

Hall Management 7

The Choir 7 - 9

Church Watch 8 - 9

Sunday Morning Refreshments 9

Christian Stewardship Renewal 9

Bell Tower 10

St. Mary's Handbells 10-11

Cafe Praise 11-12

Melting Pot 12-13

Bereavement Group 13-14

Accounts:

Independent Examiner's Report A 1

Statement of Financial Activities A 2

Balance Sheet A 3

Notes to Financial Statements A 4 - A 8

PLYMPTON ST. MARY-ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2012

St. Mary's PCC has the responsibility of cooperating with the incumbent, The Rev. Prebendary Margaret Cameron, to promote in the ecclesiastical parish of Plympton St. Mary the whole mission of the Church: worship, mission and service. We seek to work together pursuing our mission statement:

"Serving Christ in the heart of Plympton and beyond."

The Parochial Church Council

Members of the PCC are either ex -officio or elected annually at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) in accordance with the Church Representation Rules. During the year the following served as members of the PCC:

Clergy: (ex officio on PCC)

The Revd. Prebendary Margaret Cameron, The Revd. Roger Beck and The Revd. Mark Brimicombe

Wardens: (ex officio on PCC)

Kenneth Kingwell & David Nicholls

Elected to the Deanery Synod, for session ending 2014 (Ex officio on PCC)

Mrs Margaret Leigh, Mrs Enis Bowden, Mr Keith Escort

Elected Members

Elected to 2013

Mr. Mick Austin Mrs. Mary Nicholls Miss Gillian Paull

Co-opted Members:

Mr. Peter Hayes, Head of St. Mary's Church of England Infants' School Mrs. Sue Higson, Assistant Head; The Revd. Ian Provost (as coordinator of the Growing the Church Group)

Keith Shepperd has served as Hon. Treasurer and Deborah Tozeras Hon. Secretary.The PCC currently consists of: All Licensed Clergy (3), Wardens (2), Deanery Synod Reps (3) and 12 elected members, each elected for a period of 3 years. There should be 15 elected members, but in two years (2010 and 2012) it was not possible to elect 5 members. The PCC may co-opt members in accordance with regulations.

Committees & Working Groups:

The Standing Committee is the only committee required by law. It has power to transact business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the Council. The PCC uses working groups to help spread the work and to improve the efficiency of business at the bi-monthly meetings of the full Council. At the first meeting of the new PCC the following groups were appointed: Hall and Social Events; Planned Giving/World Church; Church Fabric and Churchyard and a newly formed group "Growing the Church."

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Elected to 2014

Mrs. Mila Grimes Mr. Julian Otto Mr. Keith Shepperd Mr. Brian Somers Miss Deborah Tozer

Elected to 2015

Mr. Jack Duckworth Mrs. Julia Escort Mr. Rodger Ruse Miss Lucy Skinner

The Church School: St. Mary's VA Infants' School

The Vicar is an ex-officio Foundation Governor and visits the school regularly especially in leading worship on Friday mornings. Mr. Peter Hayes, Acting Head Teacher was appointed as the new Head Teacher with effect from September 2012, and following recent Diocesan practice, a service was held in St. Mary's church to celebrate this new ministry of Christian leadership with The Bishop of Plymouth as preacher. It was attended by members of the Diocesan Board of Education, who presented Mr. Hayes with a Bible, all the school, parents, clergy and members of St. Mary's Church and other invited guests, including Plympton's Stannator. Mr. Chris Banbury resigned as Chair of Governors but continues as a Foundation Governor. Mr. Bob Dyer decided not to renew his term as Foundation Governor after many years of loyal service to the school. With two vacancies for Foundation Governors, Mrs. Karen LeRoux and Mr. Keith Escott were appointed, and Keith was elected as Chair of Governors at the Full Governors' Autumn meeting. Mr. David Nicholls resigned as Foundation Governor for health reasons, and his place was taken by Mrs. Diana Smith.

The links between church and school continue to flourish. The school was permitted to take 90 rather than 60 children in September 2012. This necessitated extensive alterations and adaptations during the summer holidays, resulting in a delightful context for teaching and learning for the Early Years. The church continues to present each child with a Bible early in their school life. This year it was decided to select a better edition, presented in the Spring Term 2013, again kindly donated by The Mothers' Union of St. Mary's Church. The school visits the church regularly, with end of term services which are well supported by parents and other family members. Parents are also present in good numbers at Friday morning celebration worship. Harvest and Christmas services are held in church, and St. Mary's children again took part in the Christingle Service. School governors are now expected to meet high standards of involvement, and Foundation Governors are taking their responsibilities seriously, each having a special concern for one aspect of the curriculum / school life.

The school values are now based on the Fruits of The Spirit, as listed in Galatians 5:22-23. In the autumn term the Vicar formed a group to take Open the Book presentations into worship, linking up with an ecumenical project based in Ridgeway Methodist Church, which will provide the props for this creative way of telling Bible stories in primary schools. It is hoped to start at St. Mary's VA Infants' School in summer 2013 and if possible to form further groups for other schools working ecumenically.

St. Mary's Pre-School:

This continues to meet in the Parish Centre, and while a separate charity, retains close links with the church. The Vicar is Chairman of the Management Group and we continue to build links between church and Pre-School. We are grateful for Pre-School's support at the Saturday Coffee shop and occasional provision of a Creche team for Baptism Preparation. Mrs. Teresa Talbot completed her degree at Plymouth University. The Pre-School has a well-qualified and excellent staff and a good reputation.

An Overview of the Church Year:

The clergy licensed to the parish are The Revd. Prebendary Margaret Cameron, Vicar, The Revd. Roger Beck and The Revd. Mark Brimicombe as a self-supporting minister. The Revd. Ian Provost and Mrs. Margaret Provost, Reader, continue to give valued support. The Revd. Jan Collis transferred her ministry from a parish base at St. Mary's to hospital ministry, combining duties at the Glenbourne Unit with the Hospital Chaplaincy at Derriford.

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The celebration of the church's 700th anniversary of dedication occupied much of 2012, coming to a grand finale with the Patronal Festival kept during the weekend of 11th / 12th August. The Bell Ringers organized a splendid marathon ringing event on Saturday 11th. On Sunday 12th Bishop Martin Shaw was the celebrant and preacher at the closing service. Afterwards about 90 people gathered in the Function Room of the Conservative Club for lunch, which proved to be a very enjoyable occasion, and a fitting end to a memorable and highly successful year.

During 2012 a variety of special events had taken place, including an Antiques Evening, a Shrove Tuesday party, a visit by the Choir of Exeter Cathedral to sing Evensong, concerts by the Plymouth Police and the Mousehole Male Voice Choirs, a service to mark HM the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, an historical play especially written for the anniversary year, Compline on the site of Plympton Priory, a Schools Week, Strawberry Teas and an Arts and Crafts Fair held in church. A year of celebration had been quite an ambitious undertaking, but through the hard work and dedication of many people everything had gone very well. It had been well supported by the congregation and members of the wider community.

The play in June written by Mrs. Sylvia Guthrig of St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Plympton and based on the diaries of The Revd. William Coppard, parson during the Cholera Epidemic of 1832 was a marvellous occasion, playing to a packed church, with music from the church choir and a chorus of children from Old Priory Junior Academy. It provided an example of the goodwill that exists in Plympton both ecumenically and in the wider community. Money raised from the various events has been reserved for work on the church fabric.

Extensive work on the east end exterior fabric began in October, a faculty having been obtained earlier in the year. The Church Commissioners, being responsible for the maintenance of the Chancel of St. Mary's had authorized considerable work in this area and the PCC had committed itself to further complementary work. The project was completed in March 2013 with the result that the east end walls have now all been re-pointed and the coping stones re-bedded. Other work has included rainwater goods replacement and improved drainage, meaning that all is in good order and the problems caused by water penetration have been resolved.

It would now be possible to consider internal decoration and some re-ordering to provide better facilities both for worship and community use. Considerable thought has already been given to this, and there is no shortage of ideas, but it needs a constructive plan and some serious fund-raising. The Church Architect, Mrs. Amanda LePage has been very supportive in the restoration work undertaken so far, and is well-aware of the parish's desire to enhance the interior of St. Mary's. It is hoped that encouraged by the aesthetic improvements to the exterior fabric there will be sufficient enthusiasm to continue with internal work. This would make a fine mediaeval building a fitting resource for the needs of the church's life and mission in the 21st century.

Worship

Worship continues to be at the heart of our common life. The pattern of Sunday worship remains constant: 8am Holy Communion (Common Worship Order 1 traditional language); 10am Parish Eucharist (Common Worship Order 1) and 6.30pm Evensong (The Book of Common Prayer). Support for these services remains steady, although attendance at Evensong tends to fall during the winter months. We received an anonymous gift of 50 copies of the enlarged version of the Book of Common Prayer for use at Evensong. Once a month the Parish Eucharist is designated an All Age occasion, with younger members of the church taking an active part.

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A music group has been formed, practising regularly in preparation for All Age services. Members of Sunday Club frequently take part in dramatic presentations of the gospel and their contributions are always welcome. Recently authorized forms of the Eucharistic Prayer for worship with children have also been introduced on these occasions and well received. The frequency of services at Chaddlewood Farm Community Centre has been reduced, with a decline in attendance there. Members of Chaddlewood United Church (CUC) now regularly join the congregation at Colebrook Methodist Church on the first Sunday of the month for a Methodist service. On the third Sunday CUC members come together with the parish church congregation, leaving the second and fourth Sundays for Anglican services at Chaddlewood, with fifth Sundays being an opportunity to invite Colebrook Methodists to join them there.

Cafe Praise continues to meet once a month in St. Mary's Church Hall offering a fresh expression of church for families with young children, led by a gifted team from St. Mary's, Plympton St. Maurice Church and CUC. The Cafe Praise team also led worship in church on Good Friday and at the Christingle Service in December. They offer a dynamic, modern and fresh way of worshipping, using the benefits of modern technology and attractive presentation. This means that across the parish we can provide a reasonably varied pattern of worship, with the sacrament of the Eucharist firmly at its heart. Baptism services are held twice monthly. Daily worship is maintained through the offices said by the clergy with some lay people joining them. There are services of Holy Communion on four of the six weekdays, with additions for major saints' days wherever possible. An Annual Quiet Day held at Buckfast Abbey is now a regular feature of parish life.

The clergy greatly value the considerable help given to them by a very efficient sacristy team. Mrs. Edwina Smith resigned as sacristan owing to family commitments after several years of faithful service. Mr. David Farley was invited to be sacristan, and kindly accepted with Mrs. Mo Diffey assisting him and taking responsibility for the altar linen.

Music continues to be an important aspect of the church's worship, with the church choir providing a high standard of music under the direction of Mrs. Lyudmila Grimes, with Mrs. Pauline Nicholls as deputy organist. The choir sings twice on Sundays, at the Parish Eucharist and Evensong, and it would be difficult to sustain Evensong without a dedicated choir. They sing at additional services, often including the wider community: Remembrance Sunday Parade service, St. George's Day, the annual memorial service and the Carol Service. For the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in place of Evensong an ecumenical service was held in the afternoon followed by tea. This proved a successful experiment, and the newly appointed Roman Catholic priest, Fr. Jonathan Shaddock preached.

The Churchyard

We continue to employ Mark Chanter as Churchyard grounds man. Bob Dyer and Alison Hurst work very hard in the churchyard with other volunteers. It is an enormous area to maintain. Further helpers would be welcome, together with donations for the upkeep of the churchyard, for which the PCC is responsible.

Residential and Nursing Homes:

The clergy take services of Holy Communion in most of the residential and nursing homes. At Christmas, carol services were held in several homes and greatly appreciated by staff and residents.

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Schools:

As well as the relationship with the Church School, we also value our links with other schools. Several of the local schools have come to church for educational visits. At Christmas St. Mary's VA, Old Priory Junior School, Chaddlewood Primary and Ridgeway Secondary Schools all held services in church.

The Parish Office:

There are volunteers answering the telephone and carrying out other administrative tasks on most weekday mornings. Mrs Julia Escott continues to work up to five hours per week as Parish Administrator. The Vicar greatly appreciates the help she gives with the heavy burden of administration in this busy parish. However, looking to the future the parish needs to think seriously about a more realistic level of administrative support for the clergy and the financial implications.

Church Groups:

Reports from the various church groups are submitted separately. These give an insight into the varied life of the parish church and its connections with the wider community.

The Wider Community:

We continue to build links through membership of Plympton Community Council and support their events wherever possible. Through the church's 700th anniversary year the two Stannators of Plympton (elected annually), Mr Fred Lethbridge and Mrs Pauline Kadoche attended many functions.

Learning Together:

Professor David Catchpole led a Study Day on Mark's Gospel, held in St. Mary's Church Hall, and a truly inspiring day. With interest and support from other churches in Plympton a respectable attendance was assured, although it was disappointing that more people from St. Mary's did not take the plunge into some serious New Testament study. As a result of David's Catchpole's day and the excellent notes he provided, three house groups continued the study of Mark's Gospel during the summer and autumn. Another ecumenical Lent Course was arranged, with different speakers looking at aspects of Holy Week. Again, through working ecumenically we felt confident in inviting outstanding speakers, assured of good attendances.

St. Mary's continues to provide the occasional offices of baptism, marriage and funerals for many people. Preparation for baptism and marriage is taken seriously here, with lay assistance at both. However, it is becoming more apparent that the gap between church and the wider society is widening, with basic Christian knowledge in decline. Serious engagement with the Christian faith is needed in the church today especially if we are to be equipped to commend the faith to others. Mark and Janet Brimicombe have maintained the church bookstall for many years, but this has proved more difficult to sustain recently, and they have decided to lay down this task. We are grateful for all their hard work.

In Conclusion:

The Vicar wishes to thank all those who have worked hard in God's service during the year, including her clergy colleagues, the churchwardens, the Honorary Secretary & Honorary Treasurer of the PCC, all members of the PCC, Rosemary Crawford the Electoral Roll Officer,

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David Farley the Safeguarding Officer who ensures that all CRB records are current, David Nicholls as Verger, Bob Dyer the Sexton, the Parish Office staff and many others.

In November she announced her intention to retire from full-time ministry in a year's time, after ten years as Vicar. These have been special and very enjoyable years for her, working in a parish with many opportunities and a strong sense of community, something often associated more with rural communities than a large suburban area like Plympton.

There are many challenges for the church today as we seek to be faithful to our Christian inheritance while looking for ways of proclaiming the gospel in a technological and increasingly secular age. The anniversary year encouraged us to learn more about our past and those who have gone before us. It also presented the challenge of considering how we are handing on the faith. This lies behind the project to address church growth: how we can nurture the faith of all age groups within the church currently, and draw others to faith in Christ. Perhaps we need to be more adventurous, ready to take risks, and to seek ways of working more closely with other Christians where we can. The future may seem uncertain, but there is one thing of which we can be sure: God is faithful and he will lead his people into new and exciting places, when they truly seek his will and his way.

Revd. Preb. Margaret M. Cameron Vicar

CHURCH FABRIC

The main Focus for 2012 has been the re-pointing of the East end of the Church, all the way around to the priest door on the South side (the East wall of the St Catherine Chapel having been done previously.) Also, all the capping stones have been removed and reset.

Just before Christmas, during heavy rain, water reached within a few inches (centimetres!) of the South door and for the first time for thirty years the flood boards were put in place.

We have been experimenting with new lights to find which are more economical than the ones which were originally fitted when the new system was put in. This work will continue until a satisfactory solution is found.

Early in the year the mystery of a leak in the church heating system was finally solved and during the year was rectified.

This year we hope to get some urgent work done on the Organ, and the bells as and when money is available.

David Nicholls. Warden

CHURCHYARD

I would again like to thank all those who have helped in the Churchyard over the last 12 months and in particular Alison, Norma and Jill, they just turn up and do the work that is needed to be done. Mainly on the Ridgeway side of the Church for Alison and Norma, Alison cutting and Norma hand clipping around the cremation plots. Jill, as most of you know has taken upon herself to keeping the New Cremation Plot outside the North Door in good order. Thank you all very much.

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Finally may I again ask that if anyone has time to spare, if only for a couple of hours, would you give me a ring on 215823 to arrange a time. I apologise for the similar layout, but there has been only one new helper since the last report. I am not there as often as I used to be, nevertheless, if anyone can give a hand, please ring me and I am sure that we can come to some arrangement.

Thanking you in anticipation.

Bob Dyer Sexton

HALL MANAGEMENT

The Hall has continued to be in great demand in daytime throughout the week, for Mothers' Union, Pre-School, and Mums and Toddlers to name but three. The evenings are taken up by dance tuition groups, thus leaving little time for any other users. At the end of the year the suggested donations were increased by a small amount.

Problems with the floor have still managed to give us headaches, but after consulting with Sandalwood flooring specialists they have advised that there will be plenty of life in the existing floor after it has been sanded and resealed. To help alleviate the problem of the floor blocks lifting during very wet weather (remember 2012?) they have suggested that we have two dehumidifiers to reduce the ambient humidity in the hall.

Tests for gas and electric appliances are carried out at the beginning of each year (as they are for the Church as well,) and the relevant certificated may be seen on the notice boards in the office. (Church certificates are displayed in the Church Porch.)

On a personal note, I have reduced the hours of my physical work in the hall and concentrated on the management and clerical side of the job (which is not insubstantial!). I would like to express here my thanks to Mick Austin who has taken on the cleaning of the Parish Centre and Hall floor, and to Ken Kingwell who has been doing a lot of maintenance jobs. Thank you both.

I am very mindful of everyone's support for which I am very grateful.

David Nicholls Hall Manager

THE CHOIR 2012 has, as always, been another busy year for us. Our numbers presently stand at five

sopranos, four altos, one tenor, and four basses a total of 14 members. Unfortunately, we have lost two members this year, notably Lionel Footer who retired and is missed greatly, not only from the bass line, but for his musical knowledge wisdom! We have been fortunate to welcome three new members, Sarah Dinwoddie, Sheila Prizeman and Patrick Anstey, who married chorister Gill Paull in October.

Being such a small number we still have a real need for new members. Although we make a good sound we are limited in the quality, class and style of what we can perform. We enthusiastic about singing but there is a huge pressure on each of us not to be sick or to go are all on holiday!

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In spite of all this, the choir has worked very hard under the guidance of Mila, supplying music at two services each Sunday during the year and on various other occasions including the Memorial Services. We have sung anthems for the major festivals and on other occasions, with special the Advent Carol Service and the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols for Christmas and recently we sang 'Lift High the Cross' for Palm Sunday. We are frequently asked to sing at weddings.

An annual treat that we really look forward to is the RSCM Choir Festival at Exeter Cathedral, in October but unfortunately only two or three of us went this year, mainly because of health problems. We only manage to do one stint at the Saturday Coffee shop as many of our Saturdays are taken up with weddings.

We would like to make an appeal here: If you like to sing please consider joining us in the choir. You don't need voices that are operatically trained, or even been a contestant on The Voice' (a current TV programme!) and we don't do auditions. All you need is an enthusiasm for church music and a willingness to offer some commitment. We understand that to commit to two services each Sunday is difficult, but if you are able to just do one service a week or to help out from time to time, we would welcome this. We would, of course expect some visits to Choir Practise (on Fridays at 7-15pm). Age, or lack of it, is no barrier! Just see either of us, or any member of the choir. We don't want to see St Mary's choir to fade away for ever.

As is well known the organ desperately needs a lot of expensive work done. Many parts are gradually becoming unplayable. The organists are finding it increasingly difficult to produce a good sound, most of the time it is impossible. The time is imminent when the organ will be unplayable. We plead that everyone supports generously any fund raising events for this, and those who are able to, donate to the organ fund.

Mila Grimes Director of Music and Pauline Nicholls Deputy Organist.

CHURCH WATCH

Our Church Watch group was founded many years ago by Mavis Chandler whose recent death saddened us all but has made us determined to continue this fine legacy which she left for us all. Core aim remains to ensure that the church is made open to the public for a couple of hours on as many weekdays as possible from the beginning of May until the end of September. All of us in the St Mary's community love our splendid church but we must remember that this ancient building is also respected and admired by many others in Plympton and we must try to share it with everyone who seeks to enter. We want to give a warm welcome to all those people, living locally or visiting Plympton on holiday, who have an interest in historic buildings like St Mary's Church, or just wish to enter the church for quiet sanctuary and prayer. The awful acts of vandalism and theft that we have suffered over the last few months has demonstrated why churches like ours cannot be left permanently open in this day and age when outsiders can no longer be trusted to treat property in a reasonable manner.

We now have more than 30 loyal Church Watch members, prepared to give up a couple of hours of their time every month to keep watch over the building whilst it is open to the public. Our numbers are not quite sufficient to cover every day from May to September but, last year, the church was open on over 80% of the weekdays in this period which I feel was a praiseworthy effort! Unfortunately, there were a number of occasions on which Church Watch had to be cancelled due to a funeral but we are of course unable to plan ahead for these events and I apologise to those Church Watch members who were given very short notice of the cancellation of their given slot.

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Several church watch volunteers exceeded their normal duties by providing assistance during Heritage Open Days in September when we were proud to join with the thousands of buildings throughout the country who volunteered for this special event organised by English Heritage. We are hoping to participate again this year. I am truly grateful for the efforts of our splendid volunteers at that time and throughout the summer season. A rota has been produced to cover the Church Watch arrangements for this year's sessions, from the beginning of May until the end of September. We could still do with a few more volunteers in order to try to keep the Church open every day all through the summer. A strong appeal has been mounted in order to increase the number of volunteers and extend the time that we can keep the Church open. If anybody is prepared to offer their services, I would be delighted to hear from them.

My telephone number is 01752 510190. Do please give me a call!

Rodger Ruse

SUNDAY MORNING REFRESHMENTS

The team continue to serve Fairtrade tea and coffee to our congregation each week follow the conclusion of the 10 am service. We would always welcome more people to help on the rota, as we inevitably lose some workers, (our thanks to Alan and Lesley Blake, Dorothy Blackler and Mary Mitchell who have decided to retire gracefully). It is a great way of meeting our fellow worshippers.

This year we have put out a dish for people to give something if they wish for their refreshments, and I have so far been able to give £434 to the Treasurer for church funds - a figure which has surprised and pleased us.

Thank you for all your contributions, both monetary and in kind, and of course to all the team for their willing service.

Glenys Otto

CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP RENEWAL

The new committee began planning the renewal campaign in September 2012. We met roughly every month and planned the methods of awakening the congregation to the campaign. This started with the issue of the prayer card and continued with the special Eucharist on Passion Sunday when the Archdeacon celebrated and Revd. Patrick Parkes, the Diocesan Mission Resources Advisor, preached.

We have now prepared the complete parish list hoping that nobody is accidentally left out. We plan to visit everybody, which is over 230 households, so that all feel part of the process. The brave people who form the visitor team, 19 at the last count, will be commissioned for this work on Sunday 21st April and we plan to complete the visiting by Sunday 26th May. The number of visitors is disappointingly small, making a heavy load for those who do take part. Anyone who would like to join the team please let us know and you will be very welcome and provided with all the training and help you might need.

Julian Otto Renewal Chairman

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BELL TOWER

The seven hour ringing event took place on Saturday 11 August 2012. New rope ends had been spliced onto the existing ropes and all set for a good day of ringing. A team from St Mary's commenced the proceedings at 10am. All was going well with team changeovers until part way through the 3rd team of ringers. Part of the side of 5th wheel broke off allowing the rope to jump the wheel and not be controlled. Ringing was stopped, damage assessed and remedies suggested. Colin, our star, went home and found some suitable hardboard. Frantic handymen DIY skills, shaping and tacks, managed to do a makeshift repair so that ringing could continue. The bells were silent for approx. 3A hour but this time was made up at the end of the day. The teams that took part enjoyed themselves, catching up with other ringers from different Towers and tucked into refreshments and a celebration cake made and iced by Colin. Since August new sides of wheels have been made and fitted to 5th and 4th bells. The bells and frame in the tower need repair work and maintenance to allow ringing to continue.

Two updated surveys of the bell frame structure, bells, fittings and clappers have taken place recently, costing a considerable amount of money. Grants have been applied for and I am pleased to report that two Grant Committees have allocated £5350 to be paid to the Bell Founders on completion of the work. The crack in the 5th bell has not altered so at present it is best to leave well alone. The ball bearings on the Headstocks of each bell are beginning to break up, this hinders the smooth running/swinging of the bell. It is a known fact that the small ball bearings used and fitted by Gillet and Johnson in 1933 when the bells were re hung only last for about 50yrs. Considering weather, wear and usage in an open head of Tower, 8o yrs. has lasted well. The Clappers need new bushes and pins, which will require removal and taking away for refurbishment. The Pulleys that guide the ropes and the sides of the wheels need replacing. The metal girder bell frame needs cleaning down of any paint, rust and grease and re treating. This job is certainly not a case of an Electrical sander, or bit of elbow grease, but a long, time consuming task having to remove or ease fittings to allow access to rusted parts. The main load bearing RSJ's of the frame are secured into the walls of the tower and are rusting causing the walls around them to crumble and break away the cement and brickwork around them. This is a building job. The work to the bells is more of a priority than the work to the frame. Funding is the main problem, but essential repairs must be done so ringing can continue for Services and Weddings for generations

Come to our fundraising OPEN DAY on Saturday 15 June 2013. You can take a look at the Ringing Chamber, Clock Workings and few more steps up to see the bells and learn the workings and technique of ringing. Even with assistance try your hand at ringing a bell. We are not all dressed as Monks swinging on the ends of ropes as some adverts or Christmas cards would have you believe.

Can we persuade anyone else from the congregation to join us on Monday evenings at 7.30pm? It would be a great pity if this traditional pastime was to disappear, after all in St. Mary's tower we are all O. A. P.s!!! We welcome Mike Lewis back to ringing (our youngster) now he has retired from the Navy.

Mary Nicholls Tower Captain.

ST MARY'S HANDBELLS

This year, we ended the year with one more Handbell ringer then when we started, which is an achievement as the group has gradually reduced in numbers over the years due to a variety of reasons. But we somehow managed to keep going and playing well.

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This year we have been to the following Residential Homes from Ivybridge to Plymouth, Lambs Park, Plympton, (3 visits), Michaelstow, Plympton, Butterpark, Ivybridge, Ivydeen, Ivybridge, Chatsworth, Manamead, (2 visits), Furzatt Lodge, Plymstock, (2 visits), Tor Home, Hartley and Nutley Lodge, Elburton.

We also played before the start of the St Mary's Carol Service. We have been asked to play at the May Fair in Harwood House this year, which we are all looking forward to.

We are small happy group whose main aim is to spread a little happiness to people in Residential Homes by playing a variety of tunes that residents can sing along to and to put a smile on their faces. We occasionally have a donation from the Residential Homes that we visit, which we use for any repairs that are needed to the handbells. We have £130 in our funds at the moment.

As with most groups we are always looking for new members because if there are holiday commitments etc. we are unable to play.

Colin Mason

CAFE PRAISE

During 2012 Cafe Praise has continued to grow in numbers and mission. We are only able to do this with the on- going support of members of all three churches - St Mary's, Chaddlewood United Church and St Maurice. We were also successful in applying for grants from the Diocese for specific items to enable us to grow our mission to local families.

Finances for 2012

Donations received £187.28 Sales and fund-raising £429.98 100 Club profit (June-June) £348.00 Purchase of books for birthday gifts and special festivals £96.50

We have also purchased musical instruments, library books, craft materials, printing materials and cafe supplies. Unfortunately the money that is raised locally is insufficient to cover all our costs, so we have undertaken some extra printing work to try and offset these and always strive to be as economical as possible with all our resources.

Mission

During 2012, we have expanded our mission into the local primary schools, bringing a shortened version of a 'normal' Cafe Praise into their assemblies. The schools are willing to facilitate this and the children are enthusiastic worshippers. We have two more schools to visit with our current theme (The Good Samaritan), and will then start again with a new story. We hope that some children will be inspired to want to come to a Sunday Cafe Praise, but we still view this as a success as we are taking mission to the heart of the local population and truly 'Spreading the Word".

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Monthly worship

Within our Sunday events, we have expanded the activities on offer to include Judith's very popular cooking table and a painting table run by some of the older Cafe Praise children. Leading by example is part of our Christian life, and young role models are often more able to communicate with their peers and help them to grow their own faith.

At our final worship in 2012, we were delighted that Bishop Michael could come and join us and also act the part of St Nicholas. He spent much of time talking with the children, their parents and our helpers and it was a good opportunity to show him the work that we do each month.

Sacrament

So far in 2013 we have had the joy of celebrating and marking both Baptism and Confirmation for a number of our regular members. This has given us opportunity to talk about the sacraments with our families and provide the opportunity to explore faith more deeply.

Thank you

Cafe praise would not be what it is without the guidance and friendship of Prebendary Margaret Cameron, the vicar of St Mary's. She oversees the actions of the leadership group and leads us all in prayer during the worship events. She has faith in the leadership team to let us find unique ways of telling the stories, but is always available for help, prayer and advice. She recently hosted (and catered for) a delicious afternoon tea as a thank you to the helpers, however in many ways we should be thanking her for leading us to this path.

And finally...

There is always something to do at Cafe Praise, whether you enjoy making cakes, serving tea, assisting the younger children with their crafts or chatting with parents and carers. This report will be presented to the APCMs of both parishes, but it is an excellent opportunity to thank the many people who offer their time, talents and tithes to Cafe Praise. The cake makers whose donations are very welcome (there are rarely leftovers!), the helpers for the craft, music and refreshments, the supporters of the 100 club, the leadership team and their long suffering families, Margaret Cameron for her constant support, and all of you who remember our work in your prayers.

May God bless you all.

MELTING POT

We are a group who meet on a Tuesday morning each week between 9.30 and 11am and have been running successfully for many years. In the winter months we gather together for a chat and cup of tea and biscuits but as soon as the spring arrives we look forward to a series of coach outings which operate from April to a Christmas Shopper in late November.

We have quite a regular following of members and have welcomed two new ones recently, always nice to see. During last year, apart from the trips to the ever popular resorts such as St. Ives and Sidmouth (for the Festival) we travelled as far as Cardiff for the day to view the new John Lewis Store and all the sights. We also visited Dunster where we had a magnificent ride on a steam train to Minehead, returning to Dunster by coach. Another

12

memorable visit was to Seaton and the tram ride. So, we get about! The trips each month are very reasonable and we hold a draw on board - drinks, chocolates and biscuits being some of the prizes. Many other places were visited as well, and all cheaper than other travel companies.

At Christmas we held a Carol Service in the room where we hold our meetings and everyone seemed to attend. Rev. Margaret took the prayers and members read the lessons. A collection and parcels of gifts were made for Shikinah, quite a boxful. Mrs Sandy Van Sous played on the keyboard and Sarah and Michael held a separate draw. Mince Pies were served with cream. At the end of the morning gifts of plants were presented to Rev. Margaret, and Mrs Van Sous.

A separate presentation of a Gift Voucher and basket of bulbs was presented to Alison Thompson as she had announced that she had to give up running the Melting Pot and organise the trips each month after around six years. Everyone was very shocked and sad to hear this but understood her reasons. She is now manning the Office on a Wednesday so is still heavily involved with many branches of St. Mary's, and hopefully we will see her on some of the Friday trips. This is why I, Pam Green, have stepped in to keep all that she has done running as best I can. So far we have had quite a few people enquiring about the trips already. Numbers at Melting Pot were down during January/February due to the exceptionally cold days but everyone is gradually returning and we look forward to another successful year. We are also trying out four shorter day trips from 10.30 to 4 p m. I hope these will take off, but I will report on this next year.

Again, thank you on behalf of everyone Allison for all your hard work over so many years.

Pam Green.

BEREAVEMENT GROUP

This group has had another very successful year. We still meet in the Parish Centre to provide a listening ear and friendship to those people who have been recently bereaved. We are still attracting 30 to 35 people on a regular basis. This group has become a very successful friendship club. Many recently bereaved people are benefiting from this group. They then move on and leave room for new members. On Bank Holiday Mondays we try to offer a friendship meal to members of the group as holiday weekends can feel very sad and lonely for the bereaved. This year, as in previous years, we have been going to the Royal British Legion Club on Market Road. In May 2012 there were two Bank Holiday Mondays. On the first of these Mrs Maureen Diffey, Mr Mick Austin and Mrs Barbara Austin cooked a beautiful roast meal in the Parish Centre. We are very grateful to them for having done this. Mrs Maureen Diffey has held table top sales once a month to raise money for our group. Again, we are very grateful to her for doing this.

We have made two donations this year. At Christmas we made a donation of £50 to the Archie Barton's Appeal Fund to help improve little Archie's life style. Recently we made a donation of £25 to the Mothers' Union to help with supplying bibles to St. Mary's Infant School.

This year Mr David Brinkley would like to say a big thank you to all those who have been running the Bereavement Group since Christmas, particularly Mrs Maureen Diffey, Mr Tom Evans, Mrs Elizabeth Evans, Mr David Tozer, Mrs Judith Bye, Mrs Beryl Smith, Mrs Pauline Squires and Mrs Diana Stedall. David Brinkley was in hospital for four and half weeks and is only now recovering. He hopes to be back helping with the group very soon.

13

We continue to think that the Monday Morning Group provides great support for those who are recently bereaved. Again, sincere thanks to all those who help with this project.

David Brinkley

Mothers Union

Once again I am sad to report that our numbers are dropping - we are now down to only twenty members. We continue to meet on the first Wednesday of each month - except August - in either the Church or the Church Hall. We are grateful to the Rev Roger Beck for conducting our quarterly Eucharist service.

We had some very good talks over the past year including Debbie Frewster talking on child protection and Phil Skedgell on Restorative Justice - both very thought provoking subjects. Once again, our July "Garden Party "was an "in the Vicarage Party" - thanks to Margaret for providing a wonderful spread.

Our fund raising was achieved by raffles and bring and buy, but the main event was our coffee morning which raised £350 toward the cost of Bibles for children at St Mary's Infant School.

We are looking forward to the year ahead - again we have some interesting talks planned

- why not come and join us.

Anne Tozer

PCC We have met six times over the past year. The PCC is the organisation that maintains the running and financial side of the Church Our main topic of discussion has been the work on the east end of the church which has been successfully accomplished ahead of time.

Anybody can be elected on to the PCC provided they are on the electoral roll. Elections take place annually at the APCM.

Deborah Tozer Secretary

14

St M A R Y ' S C H U R C H P L Y M P T O N Y E A R E N D E D 31 D E C E M B E R 2012

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE PCC OF St MARY'S PLYMPTON

This report on the accounts of the PCC for the year ended 31 December 2012, which are set out on pages 5 to 12, is in respect of an examination carried out under of the Church Accounting Regulations 2006 ('the Regulations') and the need to fully comply with SORP (Statement of Recommended Practice) 2005. Also Part VI of the Charities Act 1993; The Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2005 and Accounting and Financial Reporting Standards.

Respective responsibilities of the PCC and the examiner

As members of the PCC you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of Regulation 3 (3) and section 43 (2) of the Act do not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those accounts in accordance with the terms of Regulation 25.

Basis of this report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Commission under section 43 (7) (b) of the Act and to be found in the Church guidance, 2005 Charity edition, issued by the Finance Division of the Archbishops' Council. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the PCC and a comparison of the accounts with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner's statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

(1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

- to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and

- to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act and the Regulations have not been met; or

(2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Page A 1

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES 2012 2011

Note Unrestricted Restricted Total Total INCOME AND EXPENDITURE Funds Funds Funds Funds

£ £ £

Voluntary income 90,938 0 90,938 81,688

Actiivities for Generating Funds 18,099 0 18,099 16,380

Income from Investments 1,681 0 1,681 2,750

Church Activities 36,552 0 36,552 47,121

Other Incoming Resources 0 0 0

TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 147,269 0 147,269 147,939

RESOURCES EXPENDED

Cost of generating funds 706 0 706 5,663

Mission Giving/Donations to Charities 3,244 0 3,244 1,964

Church Activities 146,852 0 146,852 137,916

Major repairs and redecoration to the church 52,466 52,466 7,045

Major repairs to Hall/Other PCC property 0 0 0 0

New building work 0 0 0 0

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 199,317 0 199,317 152,588

NET INCOMING RESOURCES (52,048) 0 (52,048) (4,649)

TRANSFER BETWEEN FUNDS 0 0 0

BALANCES B/F AT 1 JAN 2012 329,926 329,926 340,450

BALANCES C/F AT 31 DEC 2012 277,878 0 277,878 329,926

PageA2

BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2012

FIXED ASSETS

Note

Tangible assets Investment

CURRENT ASSETS

Debtors Cash at bank and in hand

NET CURRENT ASSETS

LIABILITIES : AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR

2012 £ £

227,270 1,892

229,162

7,675 73,015 80,690

229,162

80,690 309,852

(31,974) (31,974)

2011 £

227,270 1,892

229,162

7,487 110,898 118,385 347,547

(17,621)

TOTAL ASSETS L E S S CURRENT LIABILITIES

LIABILITIES : AMOUNTS FALLING DUE AFTER ONE YEAR

NET ASSETS

277,878

277,878

329,926

329,926

FUNDS

Unrestricted funds

Restricted funds

TOTAL FUNDS

277,878

0

277,878

329,926

0

329,926

Approved by the Parochial Church Council on 19th March 2013 and signed on its behalf by:

Signed: 1: ^ U ^ J ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ Margaret M Cameron

The notes on pages A 4 to A 8 form part of these accounts

Page A 3

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Church Accounting Regulations2006 prescribed by the Business Committee of the General Synod. These regulations have made a number of changes in the way that the figures are presented. In a number of cases previous groupings have been divided. For example our charity giving is now divided into four groups.

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention.

Funds

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

Following advice received from the diocese previously funds listed as Restricted are now classified as Designated. The intention to only use them only on the intended purpose remains.

The amounts include all transactions, assets and liabilities for which the PCC is responsible in law. They do not include the accounts of church groups that owe their main affiliation to another body or those that are informal gatherings of church members. Charity collections made by the congregation away from the church no longer form part of the accounts.

Incoming resources Collections are recognised when received by or on behalf of the PCC. Planned giving receivable under Gift Aid is recognised only when received. Income tax recoverable on Gift Aid donations is recognised when the income is recognised. Grants and legacies to the PCC are accounted for as soon as the PCC is notified of its legal entitlement, the amount due is quantifiable and its ultimate receipt by the PCC is reasonably certain. Income from bazaars, socials and other events is shown net of the expenditure incurred. Although this is not in accordance with accounting standards it is the opinion of the PCC that no material understatement of the funds raised occurs as a result of this treatment.

Resources expended All expenditure incurred by the PCC is recognised on an accruals basis and analysed to the appropriate cost category.

Page A 4

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

2. INCOMING RESOURCES 2012 2011 Note Unrestricted Restricted Total Total

Funds Funds Funds Funds Voluntary Income £ £ £ Gift Aided Planned Giving 55,168 55,168 55,791 Other Planned Giving 2,139 2,139 1,667 Collections at Services 9,874 9,874 9,308 All Other Recurring Giving/Donations 3,184 3,184 3,175 All Non-Recurring Giving/Donations 263 263 All Tax Recovered through Gift Aid 13,204 13,204 11,748 Legacies Received 0 0 1,000 Income from Grants 4,207 4,207 2,340 Non recurring or one off grants 2,900 2,900 p_

90,938 90,938 85,029 Activities for Generating Funds

Gross Income from Fund-raising Activities 18,099 18,099 15,380

Income from Investments

Dividends, Interest, Income from Property 1,681 1,681 410

Church Activities

PCC Fees 21,012 21,012 19,569 Gross Income from Trading/Activities 15,540 15,540 27,551 Other Incoming Resources 0 0 TOTAL INCOMING RESOURCES 147,269 0 147,269 147,939

Page A 5

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

RESOURCES EXPENDED 2012 2011 Note Unrestricted Restricted Total Total

Funds Funds Funds Funds £ £ £

Church Activities Costs of Generating Funds 706 706 5,663 Mission Giving/Donations to Charities 3,244 3,244 1,964 Diocesan parish share 83,923 83,923 81,112 Salaries, wages & honoraria 6,842 6,842 9,867 Expenses of Clergy etc 3,721 3,721 3,387 Mission and Evangelism Projects 2,949 2,949 0 Church Running Expenses 19,039 19,039 27,606 Church Utility Bills 12,875 12,875 5,875 Costs of Trading 13,553 13,553 15,944 Governance Costs 0 0

146,852 146,852 151,418

Major Capital Expenditure Major Repairs and Redecoration of Church 52,466 52,466 7,045 Major repairs (Hall/OtherPCC property) 0 0 New building work 0 0

TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED 199,317 0 199,317 158,463

Page A 6

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

We continued to have a Director of Music, a Deputy Organist, a Hall Manager and a hall cleaner. In November the then Hall Cleaner resigned due to a change in his full time employment. We appointed an Assistant Hall Manager and he worked purely as a volunteer until the end of the year. Part of his duties have included the role of Hall cleaner and since the New Year he has become a paid employee. The role of Assistant Hall Manager was created to enable the Hall Manager to reduce his commitment which was necessary due to his health problems, at the same time he voluntarily reduced his monthly pay.

Mr D Nicholls, PCC member and Church Warden, received £3,632 (gross) during the year as Church Hall Manager and Verger. His wife, Mrs P Nicholls, received £2930 in pay and fees during the year as the Deputy Organist. There were no other disclosable transactions in respect of PCC members, persons closely connected with them or members, persons closely connected with them or other related parties.

The PCC has continued to hire a contractor to maintain the upper churchyard. The Inland Revenue figure figure comprises of income tax payments for the Sexton, Hall Manager and the Hall cleaner.

It assist the Vicar with her clerical work she has a continued to have a part time clerical assistant. Her wages are shared bewteen the PCC and the Vicar. As reported previously the Sexton only receives fees when attending occasional services such as weddings, funerals and internments. None of these earned £50,000 p.a. or more.

No PCC members were reimbursed travelling and subsistence expenses during the year.

5. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Cost or valuation

At 1 January 2012 227,270 At 31 December 2012 227,270 Depreciation

At 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2012

Net book value

At 1 January 2012 227,270 At 31 December 2012 227,270 Freehold land and buildings comprise the following properties:

£

Church Hall at cost 27 Pinewood Close, Plympton at 1994 valuatk

194,970 32,300

227,270

For accounting purposes, the value of 27 Pinewood Close is deemed to be its 1994 valuation.

6. INVESTMENTS 2012 2011

2 x War stock bonds (at nominal value) £

1,892 £

1,892

Page A 7

NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS continued

7. DEBTORS 2012 2011 £

Prepayments 7,675 7,150

7,675 7,150

8. LIABILITIES : AMOUNTS FALLING DUE 2012 2011 WITHIN ONE YEAR £ £

Accruals (31,974) (24,900)

9. ANALYSIS OF NET ASSETS BY FUNDS Unrestricted Restricted

funds funds Total £ £ £

Fixed assets for church use 227,270 227,270 Investments 1,892 1,892 Current assets 80,690 118,385 Current liabilities (31,974) (17,621)

Fund balance 277,878 0 329,926

10. FUND DETAILS 2012 2011

Funds for specific purposes: £ £

Choir Members' account 330 330 Bereavement Group 463 413 Bells maintenance 5,223 4,621 Organ fund 9,672 4,622 700th Anniversary 0 1,668 Flower Festival (Fabric) 0 7,263

15,688 18,917

11. OTHER GROUPS

Other groups operating under St. Mary's umbrella but whose financial activities do not form part of

these accounts and their cash balances at 31 December 2012 are:

£ Chaddlewood United Church 107

St. Mary's Altar Flower Fund 139

St Mary's Bell Ringers 279

Page A 8