St Michael’s Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2005
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting was held after the 10 a.m. service on Sunday 24th April, with The Rev David Eaton in the chair. John Banfield and Ron Morton were re-elected as churchwardens. Tim Mathieson was elected to serve on the PCC for three years and Kate Morton was elected for one year to take the place of Tony Venn, who has resigned. All other members of the PCC remain in place. Below are two of the reports which were presented to the meeting.

Treasurer’s Report Last year I was able to report that 2003 was a very good year financially: the PCC Accounts showed a net excess of receipts over expenditure of some £8,315. Coincidentally, the sum spent by the PCC in 2004 on much-needed Rectory refurbishment was £8,313! This was one of the major factors which has resulted in a loss for 2004 of £7,571. Other reasons for the turnaround from a healthy surplus to a substantial loss include: The fact that there have been no Summer Concerts or equivalent fundraising events. The Westhumble Gardens Open raised some £2,300, and we are very grateful to all who participated. The Beryl Maile lunch also raised some £1,141 for the PCC, and the ‘Steeplejack Tea’, Harvest Supper and Christmas Sale together raised some £1,524. We are also very grateful to all who were involved in the organization of these events. But the absence of any Summer Concerts or equivalent resulted in a reduction in our fund-raising income from £12,722 in 2003 to £5,269 in 2004. As I said last year, we need to find alternative ways of raising similar sums towards the ongoing costs of restoration and maintenance of our beautiful Church.

The fact that both planned giving and collections at services were down: from £20,001 (excluding tax recovered on planned giving) in 2003 to £17,840 (excluding tax recovered) in 2004. That reduction should be compared with the increase in Parish Share, from £22,515 in 2003 to £25,300 in 2004. There has been a further increase in the Parish Share for 2005, to £26,180. In view of all the other calls on the PCC’s resources, it would be good to think that at least the Parish Share was covered by planned giving and collections at services. As the above figures demonstrate, we are still a long way short of that ideal – and worryingly the gap is growing.

These and other factors resulted in a loss on our General Fund receipts and payments account of £13,362.51, as compared with a surplus in 2003 of £5,460.64. I regret to say that, unless there is a significant increase in planned giving and fundraising receipts for 2005, we are likely to record a similar deficit in 2005, which would more or less wipe out our reserves.

On a happier note, I am able to confirm, now that all the bills are in and duly paid, that the Spire Fund appeal covered all the costs of the Spire refurbishment and related works, as can be seen from the 2004 accounts. Taking other ‘restricted fund’ donations into account (including donations from the Parish Council and the Surrey Churches Preservation Trust), we finished the year with a surplus on our restoration and repairs fund of £5,790 – which will, together with funds received this year, be needed to complete the works required to comply with the requirements of the Quinquennial Inspection, including the much needed refurbishment of the interior of the south wall, which was postponed from last year while further investigations were carried out.

Finally, I can report that the Parish Magazine recorded only a small loss for 2004, despite the enhancements in presentation. Richard Siberry, Hon Treasurer

Churchwardens and Parish Administrator’s Report - Fabric, Furnishings and Ornaments of St Michael’s Church and the Chapel of Ease, Westhumble Following the major project in 2003 to re-shingle the church spire 2004 has been a relatively quiet year in the church. Most of our effort and money have been focused on the Rectory which was refurbished during October and November. This was a joint effort between the diocese and the parish. The diocese funded and supervised renovation of the kitchen and bathroom and the installation of a separate shower. The parish funded re-decoration and re-carpeting throughout the Rectory.
The re-ordering of the Norbury Chapel has progressed. The old carpet has been removed and the wooden floor sanded and waxed. The furniture and in particular the chairs will need to be looked at during 2005. A survey was carried out and new lightning conductors were put in place for the church and chapel.

A faculty has finally been obtained to allow small brass marker plaques to be used in the Garden of Remembrance to identify ashes. An application for a faculty has been made to let us attend to the damp on the south and west walls and entrance area.
The chapel has had some remedial work carried out on the west facing wall and the roof where it leaked over the altar and electrical repairs carried out. The congregation has kept up with necessary maintenance and Lady Aarvold and her grandchildren continued to keep the garden in good order.

We are looking for volunteers to take over the Chapel garden and to keep the Garden of Remembrance in the churchyard tidy. Our thanks go to Kate Warren for the beautiful area she maintains all year in the overflow churchyard. We will also be looking for volunteers to do some work in and around the church for example giving the vestry and church porch a coat of paint. Would anyone who can help please let us know? John Banfield and Ron Morton, Churchwardens; Rose Spence, Parish Administrator

Reports from Annual Parish Meeting 2004 Fabric Furnishings and Ornaments of St. Michael’s Church and the Chapel of Ease Westhumble
The major project this year has been re-shingling the church spire. Some storm damage in October 2002 had finally convinced us that the 50-year-old shingles had to be replaced. During that work it was found that some of the beams within the spire also needed repair. These repairs cost about £20,000 in total, all of which was raised by the ‘sale’ of tiles.

Six pews have been removed from the church and sold. This gives more space in the reception area by the west door, in the coffee area and in the Norbury Chapel. The hatchments hanging on the central pillars of the church have been re-sited on the sidewalls. The sound system has been serviced and upgraded. An audit has been completed to test compliance with the Disability Act.

Future work in the church will include attending to damp on the south and west walls and in the entrance area, re-ordering the Norbury Chapel, meeting the requirements of the Disability Act and at some stage complete interior redecoration.

Some repairs have been needed to the chapel. These have been carried out and funded by the Westhumble Residents Association and individual Westhumble residents for which we are very grateful. Appreciation also goes to Lady Aarvold for looking after the garden. A slightly more significant repair is needed to the roof above the altar where rain has been getting in. This will be completed shortly.
John Banfield & Ron Morton, Churchwardens; Rose Spence, Parish Administrator