THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST LADOCA IN THE PARISH OF LADOCK
The Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Parochial Church Council for
THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST LADOCA IN THE PARISH OF LADOCK 2022
The Annual Report and Financial Statement of the Parochial Church Council for 2022 for presentation at the Annual Parish Church Council Meeting in Ladock Church.
The report has been prepared to comply with the requirements of The Charities Act 2011.
Incumbent: Reverend Joachim Foot
The Sanctuary
Probus
Associate Priest: Reverend Linda Whetter
Curate: Reverend Paul Salaman
Banks: Lloyds Bank St Austell, CAF Bank
Treasurer: Dr David James
Independent Examiner: Mr Geoffrey Warring
The Parochial Church Council is a corporate body established by the Church of England. The PCC operates under the Parochial Church Council Measure. The Parochial Church Council is expected by order to register with the charity commissioners.
Members of the Parochial Church Council of Ladock Parish Church are either ex-officio or elected by the Annual Church Council meeting in accordance with the Church Representation Rules.
The Parochial Church Council met four times during 2022.
Shirley Soper is our designated Safeguarding Officer.
The Standing Committee, which consists of the incumbent, one church warden, treasurer and secretary, is the only committee required by law and has the power to transact the business of the PCC between its meetings, subject to any directions given by the council.
Members of the Parochial Church Council for 2022
Incumbent: The Reverend Joachim Foot, Rector of the Probus Benefice.
Non Stipendary Associate Priest: Reverend Linda Whetter
Curate: Reverend Paul Salaman
Ex officio
Church Warden: Mr Jeremy Sharp
Bell Tower Captain: Mr Jonathan Young
Head Teacher of Grampound Road School
Head Teacher Ladock School
Elected members
Chair: Reverend Joachim Foot
Lay Vice Chair: Mrs Shirley Soper
Associate Priest: Reverend Linda Whetter
Curate: Reverend Paul Salaman
Secretary: Mrs Jennifer Thomas
Safeguarding Officer: Mrs Shirley Soper
Fabric Officer: Mr Simon Holborow
Administration and Electoral Roll Officer: Mrs Barbara Holt
Website and Rotas: Mrs Suzanne Smith
General: Mrs Vanessa Morcom
Deanery Synod Representative: Mr Jeremy Sharp
At the end of 2022 the Electoral Roll number stood at 31.
Rector's Report
I want to thank everyone for all the hard work and dedication that has been put into caring for our church community over the past year.
Overall, I think the church is in a much stronger position than it was 12 months ago. The community feels very cohesive. We are even seeing some modest growth in the congregation. Our outreach with the wider community is also showing very positive results. People come to church for all sorts of reasons, but they stay for the community and welcome that they receive. Ladock’s welcome is second to none, so a very well done to you all.
2022 was certainly a royal year. The celebrations for the jubilee was a real community event, or rather ‘events’ that really helped to generate good will across the community. We also marked the Queen’s death with dignity and poignancy.
Some highlights of the year for me included the tree planting and watering with the school and community. Two events that brought the community together for a bit of fun.
Easter, Christmas and Harvest were all conducted with their usual flair and panache.
I want to thank everyone on the PCC for their continued hard work. For all those people who do little jobs that often go unnoticed, but without them our church would simply stop functioning. I also want to thank the clergy team for their continued care for the community.
Reverend Joachim Foot
Rector
Churchwarden’s Report
2022 started with a whimper and ended with a bang. As it began, we were still battling with Covid restrictions but as they eased and the weather improved so did the pace of our Church activities and the confidence with which we undertook them. On 31 December we were able to look back with pride on a series of successful events, concerts and services, a normal pattern of life having been fully restored. Our accounts and financial report are witness to the dramatic improvement in our fundraising activities; the rest of the annual report provides evidence of the increase in the numbers attending our services. The better financial background meant that we were able to make our full MMF contribution without any recourse to reserves, being one of a minority of parishes that were able to do so.
All the parishes in the Deanery have been compelled to grapple with the rather dismal On the Way process. A new structure is being introduced, the aim of which is to ensure that our churches are ‘fruitful and sustainable’ for the long term. The PCC has expressed concerns about the initial consultation process and the nature of the outcome. The consultation was rushed and perfunctory; we were not informed of the results of the questionnaire that we were asked to complete. The decision to impose a focal minister system was not explained and we were not given any information about other ways of proceeding. Ladock has been part of a Team benefice for many years: all four parishes are used to working together, sharing resources and like having different clergy taking our services. The focal minister proposal threatens this for no good reason: there is a danger that it will become divisive and it places an over-reliance on the goodwill of retired clergy, who are being asked to do much more. The oversight minister will be even more overstretched, effectively becoming a full-time bureaucrat. The establishment of a Guild is an unnecessary duplication, likely to create discord instead of harmony.
The various plans for ministry to the poor are well intentioned but they are ‘top down’ instead of ‘bottom up’. There is little logic in dispensing with parish priests, only to replace them with salaried lay people. The worry is that there will be no ownership at parish level, the crucial local connections having been discarded, especially in pastoral provision. It is also highly unlikely the 1.2 people allocated will have any impact across the entire Deanery. There is a suspicion that the schemes have been adopted to attract central funding, not because they are suitable in the rural environment.
As the Deanery Synod report below states, Ladock voted against the Deanery Plan. We continue to resist the introduction of the focal minster system. The plan includes a formal relationship with the parishes of Tresillian and St Michael Penkevil. Our view remains that inclusion of these parishes in our Team only formalises the current position; in many ways it is to be welcomed, providing that the enlarged benefice is properly resourced and that our Patrons are content.
The concerns over On the Way aside, we start 2023 positively. I would like to thank the Rector, all our clergy, our Treasurer, the PCC and our wonderful volunteers for their help and support over the past year. I think we can celebrate what we have achieved.
Jeremy Sharp
Churchwarden
Ladock Church PCC Annual Report
‘Ladock Church is a place to welcome and embrace all who come to hear the word of God, to worship and pray, and for fellowship. This motivates and enables us to reach out to the wider community to share the love of God’
Objectives and Activities
The objective of the Parochial Church Council of Ladock Parish Church is to exercise the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent in promoting the Ecclesiastical Parish, the whole mission of the Church: pastoral, evangelistic, social and ecumenical.
Clergy
It is a sign of the times that we feel fortunate that we have had clergy presiding at all our services during the year. We are grateful to our Rector, Reverend Joachim Foot for ensuring that there was cover on every occasion. The task would have been impossible without the support of our associate Priest Linda Whetter, our curate Paul Salaman and the goodwill of our retired clergy, Canon Pat Robson and Father Greg Standen. We were lucky at the end of the year to have Reverend Michael Molano with us, who spent part of his curacy shadowing Reverend Foot. It should be emphasised that the clergy team between them took all the services in the rest of the benefice as well as the parishes of Tresillian and St Michael Penkevil. Reverend Linda had to cope with a bout of ill health at the beginning of the year; we were delighted that she made a full and speedy recovery.
Services
The year started with Covid restrictions still in force and several members of the congregation were ill during the first quarter. Having grown used to the restrictions over the previous twelve months we were able to cope with all the setbacks and resort the pre-Covid pattern of services in full: Holy Communion every Sunday morning, Morning Prayer on Tuesday mornings and Evensong on the fourth Sunday. There are Team services shared between the parishes on the benefice on the fifth Sunday.
The Choir sing on the first and third Sundays as well as on special occasions. The choir is growing in confidence and numbers, under the much-valued leadership of Margaret Edwards.
The children’s Sunday Club takes place during the morning service on the fourth Sunday. Numbers attending continued to grow steadily during the year. The children assist with the Eucharist, the intercessions and some of the readings. Our thanks to Roxana Foot and her dedicated team of helpers.
The School has continued to use the Church for assemblies twice a week during term. There is a School Eucharist at the end of each term.
For the first time in many years, Grampound Road School held their carol service in Ladock Church. Nearly 200 pupils and parents were present.
There were several special services during the year. The highlight was the Sunday service during the weekend of the Platinum Jubilee weekend, attended by over 100 people of all ages. The choir sang the anthem composed for the occasion. Sadly it was followed only too soon by the death of Queen Elizabeth, which again was marked by a special service.
Attendances were high for the Harvest, Remembrance and Carol Services later in the year. It was good to see so many people enjoying the return to normality on each occasion.
We have produced a new booklet for baptisms, bring all the options together into a single order of service.
The average attendance on Sundays has been 28. (2019, 25)
There were 3 weddings, 5 baptisms and 8 funerals during the year
Pastoral & Mission
The monthly coffee mornings have been reinstated in full; it has been encouraging to see numbers increasing each month. Even so we are aware that many people are still finding it hard to adjust after the Pandemic. In an effort to make contact we have attempted sending personal invitations to village events in which we are involved.
Sadly we have been unable to recruit a youth worker; attempts to do so are still ongoing.
We worry that it will be increasingly hard to maintain individual pastoral visits as clergy numbers fall and those who remain become more stretched. We hope that this can be addressed in 202
Fund Raising and Community
The financial statement shows a marked recovery in fund raising over the year. In part this reflects the staging of events that had been postponed because of the pandemic: the Johnny Cowling concert and the wonderful flower festival had been planned for 2020 and 2021. In addition we were lucky to be approached by singer Will Keating and banjo player John Dowling, who wanted to perform in our church.
We tried to ensure that our activities did not compete with other village events and that we shared opportunities to raise funds with other organisations in the parish. This new approach was tried for the first time over the Jubilee weekend and worked well, building community links as well as boosting finances. It will be repeated in 2023. We would like to thank Jennifer Thomas and her team for all their hard work on behalf of the entire village.
The flower festival in September was a celebration of the Sea in all its forms and guises. It attracted contributions from local clubs in Ladock and further afield, as well as from people who do not normally attend church. The weekend was rounded off by a concert given by Will and John, which had a nautical theme. Shirley Soper is to be congratulated for staging such a magnificent display against all the odds.
As indicated elsewhere, Joachim and Roxana Foot have worked hard to engage the School in church life. As part of the Green Canopy Jubilee celebrations we obtained some hedging for the new churchyard extension. The schoolchildren were invited to plant the whips and the Jubilee Oak in March; this was followed by a watering party in the summer. Large numbers of children and their parents attended on both occasions; amazingly nearly all the plants have flourished.
Deanery Synod Report
We voted against the On the Way plan for the Deanery. Our concerns are contained in the Churchwarden’s Report.
Churchyard Report
Colin Haines has continued to maintain the churchyard to a high standard, for which we are most grateful.
With the help of the schoolchildren we planted a Jubilee Green Canopy hedge along the boundary of the new extension during the Spring. We have cut back branches and excess vegetation along all our boundaries during the winter, felling and pollarding diseased and dangerous trees (mainly Ash) at the same time.
The purchase of land from the Glebe for the new burial area was completed in September. We are currently awaiting planning consent for change of use. This has involved an archeological survey and considerable delay.
Jeremy Sharp
Churchwarden
Fabric Report
The PCC have adhered to the requirements for the 2019 Quinquennial report.
Urgent requirements were to reinstate missing and slipped or damaged slates. These were address at the time and continue to be monitored and replaced/repaired.
Year one requirements:
Point and repair Polyphant to north
Overhaul and upgrade remaining rainwater goods
Reset loose lead work
Commence windows and door maintenance
Remove carpets
All have been addressed and are continually monitored
Within Two years
Point coping stones and lead weathering’s
Ongoing window repair and maintenance
Repairs to graves and graveyard boundaries
Assess condition of reredos
All being monitored and addressed and ongoing
For information the requirements within 5 years will be :
Point Tower Pinnacles
Repair facias
Continue programme of pointing walling with lime plaster
Our routine maintenance programme includes:
Reinstate slipped slates and loose tingles
Test all services
Clean gutters and downpipes
Ensure adequate ventilation
Redecorate
Remove debris from gullies and plant growth
Clear paths
Check security
We have additionally repaired some ceiling plaster that had degraded and either dropped or was on the cusp of doing so.
Much of this is covered in our arrangement for regular inspections and remedial work carried out by http://www.westaccess.co.uk a specialist church conservation business based in the South West.
Simon Holborow
Fabric Officer
Safeguarding Report
At last restrictions have been lifted on Covid and our services and traditions are back to normal. Our church though is ever vigilant for a resurgence of Covid cases in our midst.
The welfare and safety of all who enter our church is a priority.
Our congregation has been patient, understanding and accepting when we have had to put restrictions in place and joyous when they have been lifted.
As a church we now function as pre-Covid.
Ladock church does take Safeguarding very seriously and endeavours to keep all safe and free from harm.
Each member of the PCC has undertaken some safeguard training and they endeavour to keep this training up to date.
The Bell Tower captain has undertaken training. The tower Captain has been advised that each member of the ringing team should have a basic safeguard training. As many of the ringers ring elsewhere it is difficult to it is difficult to police.
Some members of the Parochial Church Council and all clergy require DBS checks (Disclosure and Barring Service) due to the positions they hold within Ladock Church. Checks are made 3 yearly. These checks are undertaken by Dr D Jenkin. Training records are kept.
Confidential documentation is kept under lock and key away from the church building.
Ladock church reviews their Safeguarding policy annually.
With Covid restrictions, Safeguard training was undertaken via Zoom or on the House of Bishops website and this has remained, although it does not suit everyone and it does limit those who are not technology proficient.
Details of Safeguarding contacts are displayed on Ladock church website, on the church Notice board and displayed in the local magazine monthly.
Any Safeguarding issues that have occurred during the past 12 months have been dealt with in the strictest confidence and reported ,help and advice is always sought from the Diocese Safeguarding team and I am most grateful.
It is some sadness we hear that Sarah Acraman is to leave in April of this year after some 13 years as the Diocese Safeguarding adviser and we wish her well in whereever life takes her. Her role will be taken up by Andy Earl.
Our role is to report but not to investigate any issues that may crop up. Anyone reporting anything to the Parish Safeguarding officer or Clergy is confidential.
Sadly, we hear and read that abuse in its many forms is on the increase.
We, as a church and PCC, can help by being alert, vigilant and willing to report it.
If we can only but help one individual we will have done a good job.
I should like to take this opportunity to thank our clergy, churchwarden and PCC members particularly for the commitment they have in making our church a safer place.
Shirley Soper
Safeguarding Officer
Choir Report
I have to start by saying a big thank you to every member of the choir who has worked so hard and been so loyal throughout the year. Not forgetting our “choir dog” Kes, who can be relied upon to sleep throughout the services!
This has been a very good year for the choir. At last, we were able to sing “properly” again after all the Covid restrictions of the past two years. Limited numbers, social distancing, mask wearing had challenged us all for so long. I think that we followed the government guidance and brought singing back as quickly as possible.
At present the choir has eleven regular members, six ladies and five gentlemen. This is unusual for a church choir, which are often very short of lower parts. We have welcomed two new members, Pam and Joe, who have quickly fitted in and are making a great contribution overall. It is good to know that we can (nearly) always manage a four-part choir, even when several members are on holiday.
The highlight of the year was probably the service to celebrate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June. The anthem which had been specially composed for the occasion challenged us all, but on the day it went well. Another special event was the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, for which we were very pleased to welcome some friends from Probus; they add to the richness of the sound. This year our choir carols featured music composed through the ages.
In an attempt to widen our repertoire, we have bought a set of books of anthems by Margaret Rizza, which seem to suit the choir well as they can be varied to suit the singers available. Thank you to the PCC for enabling us to do this.
All I can say in conclusion is “Please keep up the good work”.
Margaret Edwards
Choir Director
Ringers Report
It was a busy year for the Ladock bell ringers will a number of important national events to mark. During the Platinum Jubilee weekend the local band rang immediately following the special celebration service, prior to the village big lunch. A quarter peal was rung in which we were very pleased that former Tower Captain Renfree Stephens rang the tenor. We had hoped to have an open tower session during the village jubilee lunch outside the church; an ideal recruitment opportunity. However, the weather was not kind to us and caused the lunch to be moved to the community hall. We had a number of visitors during the afternoon including a tower full of children but I feel we need another event to capitalise on.
With the death of the Queen in September we found ourselves in a position not seen for a lifetime. Operation London Bridge was something many of us had been aware of but were now part of. Protocols had been prepared by the Central Council of Church Bellringers, The Royal Household and the CofE for how bells were to be used during this period. The tenor was tolled immediately following the death, the bells then had to be rung in a mournful manner (half or fully muffled) for the following 10 days up to the funeral, with the exception of the proclamation where they were to be rung open in celebration. We were able to accommodate all these requirements with several trips to the belfry were needed to put on or remove muffles. We were sorry to not be able to ring for the wedding that took place on the morning after the Queen’s death. My thanks to Jeremy for allowing us to ‘just get on with it’ and letting me tell him where and when would be best to ring during that week. Many favourable comments were made from the village on social media about the bells. It was a very busy time for all bellringers and there are simply not enough to ring all at the same time. Ladock ringers were involved in ringing for the Queen at Truro Cathedral, Stephen in Brannel and Probus. It was also a time to illustrate how the church and bells can be used for bringing the community closer. Bells can be heard across the fields and valleys and signify more than just a call to worship. Our next big event is that of the Coronation when, again, Ladock bells will be in full voice.
We are always looking for new recruits or returning ringers. We have seen since Covid the end of the band at Probus and those wonderful bells are now rarely rung, I’m sure Ladock will not fall silent but our band is ageing and our bells not easy. We must be proactive in attracting new blood.
Jonathan Young
Tower Captain
Electoral Roll Report
Numbers on the Electoral Roll stand at 32. Over the past year, sadly two of our congregation have died, Ian Holt and Michael Cole. No-one has asked for their name to be removed. Three people have joined the Roll, Robert and Pamela Dodd and Christine Rimmer.
Jennifer Thomas, Electoral Roll Officer
Financial Report and Accounts
Church of St Ladoca 2022
This financial year has been encouraging. A positive cash balance of £4041.93 at the beginning of the year grew to £10,253.11 by its end. This has enabled us to meet our MMF call in full together with all routine expenditure. This has been achieved through the continued generosity of the congregation, and other supporters, and the imagination and dedication of many members of the wider community, who have organised the many fund-raising events listed below. We continued to receive the financial support of our patrons, The Worshipful Company of Grocers, the Parish Council (through a grant to help towards the upkeep of the churchyard) and significant dividend income from part of the Hotten bequest. We have also benefitted from another significant bequest left by Mrs J.M. Mitchell.
Fund raising events have included:
Raffle for the Children’s Society
A Johnny Cowling Concert
Three Will Keating and John Dowling concerts
The Queen’s Jubilee Weekend
Howard and Jacqui Ball’s garden party
The Flower Festival and Concert
A Raffle for the Children’s Cancer UK
Charitable Giving
During the year we were also able to donate funds to the following causes and charities:
Children’s Society £15
Cornwall Historic Trust £125
The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution £125
St Erme Playing Field Trust £125
The Royal British Legion £150
St Petroc’s Christmas Appeal £355.12
Cornwall Refuge Trust £305.20
Significant one-off expenditures
The major unexpected expenditure occurred following a storm in September when a large beech tree just inside the Church Lane wall suffered terminal damage. The felling cost amounted to £3319.20 which was settled through the Capital account. The purchase and installation of a dishwasher, storage cupboard and resources for the Sunday School, and the printing of 100 Baptism booklets all contributed to improving the Church’s resources. Youth Bibles were also purchased for each of the Ladock Primary school leavers.
Churchyard extensions
A fence and access gate was installed on the external boundary of the original churchyard extension at a cost of £342. The purchase of land for a further extension to the Churchyard was concluded at a cost of £6000 with associated legal costs of £3984.70. There will be some further costs resulting from planning permission conditions.
Geoffrey and Lady Holborow Memorial plaque
This beautiful plaque had now been installed on the south wall of the Lady Chapel. Funds for this had been raised some time ago and were being held in the Capital Fund.
Electricity Costs
The advent of a significant increase in electricity costs caused much anxiety. The effect has been mitigated in the immediate future by the introduction of the Government Energy Bill relief scheme. Nevertheless, the day rate for electricity has increased from 15.09p/kWh to 38.01/kWh and the night rate from 10.89p/kWh to 23.8p/kWh. Inexplicably the day rate has increased from 28.63p/day to 45.84p/day. Fortunately, the purchase of the pew heating system, whilst fortuitous, appears to have been wise because, although we still incur considerable costs by turning the storage heaters on the night before a service, the pew heaters have proved invaluable in reducing the extra cost of overhead heaters on most occasions. We will, nevertheless, have to absorb much greater heating costs for the foreseeable future.
In conclusion, we have met our financial commitments with some comfort. It is, however, important to note that, whist we have many generous parishioners who give their financial support, time, expertise and energy to the church, we are also the beneficiaries of wonderful historic and recent endowments.
As usual, I am indebted to Jeremy Sharp without whose indefatigable spirit, knowledge and advice I would flounder.
David James
January 2023
