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Annual Financial Report
Year
We enclose the Financ=
ial
Statement for the Parish for the year ended
Sadly, the financial =
picture
for the Parish makes gloomy reading.
We prepare a budget each year and, based on recent trends, we antici=
pate
the Parish collection will not cover expenses by nearly £12,000 in the
next year. At
The major problems ar=
e our
falling income and our substantial stock of aged buildings which need
significant maintenance. Afte=
r many
years of carrying out only such repairs as we could afford to fund, we have=
an
increasing list of routine but important items which we are now struggling =
to
fund. Our income is falling, =
but
the number of repairs is on the increase and the cost of each repair contin=
ues
to climb.
By way of example, we
currently have some structural damage to the exterior rear pillars of the
Church with major cracking at a high level which needs repair to maintain t=
he
integrity and weatherproofing of the structure. The work has been tendered and wil=
l cost
approximately £5,500 with a £2,000 contingency for potential
structural problems with the roof.
We have significant water leakage into The Priest’s House caus=
ed
by the ageing of the guttering and some problems with the roof and windows.=
The estimate of the first stage of=
renewal
is £15,000 and there will need to be a second stage of work to repair=
the
damage that has been done. We=
do
not yet have estimates for that but it will be several thousand pounds. Many of the windows in the Church =
and
The Priest’s House have rotted over many years and we have been carry=
ing
out a programme of replacing the worst windows for a couple of years allowi=
ng
about £2,500 a year. Ho=
wever,
the problem is getting worse. We
are advised we must replace two windows in The Priest’s House connect=
ed
with the guttering work. That=
will
still leave us needing to replace the Sacristy window which is in very poor
condition as well as the other leaking windows throughout the various build=
ings
and without the funds to do it.
Finally, I have mentioned for several years that we are advised our
organ needs substantial overhaul.
The work can be done in phases but there is a cost of approximately
£33,400. If unattended,=
it
will ultimately cease to work.
At present, we have t=
he funds
to carry out the repairs to the rear pillars but we do not have the funds f=
or
any of the other items. I men=
tioned
last year that the Finance Committee had recommended to the Parish Council =
that
a major fund raising initiative was necessary. We are very pleased that a Christm=
as
Market took place this year and many congratulations to all those who worke=
d so
hard but the above list shows that it is not enough. The Parish as a whole needs to arr=
est
the declining collection so that we stop running at a deficit and are able =
to
fund the maintenance of our buildings.&nbs=
p;
The Parish Council are considering the options available but we all =
need
to do our bit even in these difficult times. We therefore welcome ideas, initia=
tives
or suggestions as to how the Parish can meet these challenges. Please do speak to Father Joseph, =
me,
Mark Lee who is Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council or any other member of=
the
Council.
I must also take this
opportunity to mention that John Ross has resigned after nearly four years =
on
the Finance Committee. During=
that
time, he has run the Gift Aid Scheme raising some £70,000 for the
Parish. We are all very grate=
ful
for his input and he will be much missed.
Finally, I am sorry t=
o be the
bearer of bad news but we have nothing to fear. This is a real opportunity for us =
as a
Parish community to address the needs of our Parish and ensure we continue =
to
thrive.
Adrian Livesl=
ey
Secretary of =
the
Finance Committee