the parish of gainford

Gainford St Mary
Winston St Andrew
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THE PARISHES OF GAINFORD AND WINSTON
SETTING THE SCENE
Situated in the beautiful valley of the River Tees, on the boundary between Durham
and North Yorkshire, some eight miles from Darlington, Gainford and Winston are
the two main villages in the benefice with several smaller settlements in each parish.
The total population is approximately 1675 of which 75% live in Gainford parish.
The parishes have been a plurality since 1976 and each has a P.C.C. The proximity
of the parishes to Darlington and Barnard Castle means that most working age
people commute.
The churches are well integrated into their local communities and form a focal point
at key times in people’s lives, (baptisms, weddings and funerals) as well as at
harvest, remembrance and carol services – when the churches can be full.
The parishes are in the Deanery of Barnard Castle on the Southern boundary of the
Diocese of Durham. Although large in area, the deanery which has eleven parishes
and a total of four incumbent status priests when at full strength is known to be a
very friendly deanery. At present, a retired priest lives in Gainford and is active in
the parishes.
HOW WE ARE DEVELOPING
Both churches tend to work separately, as the communities are in some ways
different. But, working jointly, we run a monthly breakfast club in a local café and a
home group open to all. We are developing a new website covering both parishes, www.gainfordwinstonanglican.com.
Eucharistic worship is at the heart of our worship, but both parishes have developed
family services and Sunday school provision.
THE FUTURE
Over the next five years we feel we need to focus on:
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ensuring that our churches continue to be seen as significant, integral
elements of the community, open and available to all
continuing to grow all congregations, recognising the diocesan priority of work
with children and families, including continuation into teenage years, but not
neglecting the elderly
supporting this growth with vibrant lay ministry in all its forms
developing engagement with visitors and pilgrims
responding to the needs of the communities, particularly by building up
pastoral care provision
ensuring that we address the needs and concerns of the wider world in a
practical way, having in mind the diocesan priority of fighting poverty
WHAT RESOURCES WE CAN OFFER…
We will support you with
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Two enthusiastic, open-minded and supportive PCCs
Lay leaders who can support you at worship and also lead worship when
needed
Offering experienced support with administration and practical matters,
including accepting responsibility for the maintenance of the buildings.
Organising social and fundraising events.
Laity who are open and welcoming, committed and faithful.
THEREFORE WHAT WE FEEL WE NEED IS.…
….A spiritual and inclusive priest who is young at heart and who will:
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Be a visible presence in the life of the community and strengthen links
between all sections of the community and the church
Be a vibrant worship leader and willing to help us grow the churches
Be a good delegator and time manager
Be willing to help us develop a pastoral visiting team and a worship team
Work closely with the local school both as a governor and priest
Be committed to ecumenical work and collaborative working in the Deanery
and the area
We hope this profile and the following pages will attract you to our area. Whether this
is for you or not, we would be grateful for your prayers as we seek God’s will for us in
this place.
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CONTENTS
DAILY LIFE
Page 4
LIVING HERE
Page 6
OUR COMMUNITIES AND CHURCHES:
GAINFORD
Page 8
WINSTON
Page 9
Appendix A: MAP OF AREA
Page 11
Appendix B: FLOOR PLANS OF THE VICARAGE
Page 12
Appendix C: ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR 2014
OF GAINFORD PCC
Page 14
Appendix D: ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS FOR 2014
OF WINSTON PCC
Page 17
DAILY LIFE
Although both villages are surrounded by farms, most of which are mixed, agriculture
does not form the largest sector for employment. Many people travel to the towns
and cities of the North East and Barnard Castle has a large pharmaceutical plant.
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Gainford has long been
called
“The Queen of Durham
Villages”
(photo is of the village green)
and the view from the door of Winston church is magnificent.
(photo below)
In short, it is a lovely area
with plenty of opportunity for
walking and other pursuits.
The Yorkshire and Durham
Dales, North Yorkshire Moors
and Lake District National
Parks are close to hand and
the beauties of upper
Teesdale, which is an Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty,
even closer.
There is a half hourly bus service linking us to Darlington and Barnard Castle and
good north/south links via the A1(M) and the M6 with an east/west link via the A66.
The East Coast mainline runs through Darlington with frequent trains to most
destinations. Bishop Auckland (10 miles) and Durham (20 miles) are easily reached
by car. Airports can be found at Durham/Tees Valley, Newcastle and Leeds/
Bradford. On a more pedestrian note, the Teesdale Way long distance footpath
passes through both parishes and links into the Pennine Way.
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LIVING HERE
The Vicarage….
…is situated on Gainford village green about two minutes’ walk from the church and
is a 1970’s brick built house with full double glazing and a modern gas boiler. It has
two South facing reception rooms, a family sized kitchen which was refitted about six
years ago, utility room and four double bedrooms. The house is set within a walled
garden, adjacent to the former vicarage and overlooks the River Tees. It is unique in
this diocese for having fishing rights on the river.
Vicarage entrance
Vicarage garden
View from the garden
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Shopping…
In addition to a corner shop, post office and butcher/greengrocer in Gainford there
are supermarkets in Barnard Castle (8 miles), Darlington (8 miles) and Bishop
Auckland (10 miles). There are all the usual shops in all three towns and an
interesting range of small shops in Barnard Castle.
Schools…
There is a Church of England primary school with pre-school provision in Gainford
The school has a roll of about 80 and is rated good with excellent features (R.E. is
rated excellent by the diocesan inspector). There is also an independent pre-school.
Secondary provision is in Staindrop (5 miles) and Barnard Castle which has both a
state secondary school and a public school. There is an excellent sixth form college
in Darlington.
Medical…
Gainford has a medical practice in modern premises which has an in-house
pharmacy. There is a community hospital in Barnard Castle and major hospitals in
Darlington and Bishop Auckland. There are dental practices in all three local towns.
Leisure…
The village halls in Gainford and Winston are a focus for local leisure and social
activities where numerous societies and clubs meet to suit various interests.
Gainford has a small theatre. There is an active Scout Group in Gainford.
There are two cafes, a fish and chip shop and a pub in Gainford and a restaurant/
pub in Winston.
A sports centre with pool can be found in Barnard Castle and there is a golf club.
The Witham Arts Centre and the widely acclaimed Bowes Museum are located in
Barnard Castle.
Darlington has a theatre, cinemas and the Dolphin Centre; a centre for swimming,
sport and cultural activities. For major artistic events Newcastle is easily reached by
train or car, with Leeds and York a little further away. The Northern branch of the
National Railway Museum is in Shildon (11 miles) and the Beamish Outdoor
Museum is less than hour away.
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OUR COMMUNITIES AND CHURCHES
Gainford has about 600 dwellings and some 1245 inhabitants. The community
has a good mix of people and many different types of housing, both old and new. It
is an ancient settlement built around a large village green and was founded on a ford
across the River Tees in Anglo-Saxon times.
The riverbank, which is accessible through the churchyard, is owned by a community
trust and is a much loved feature of village life.
The parish is part of a Local Ecumenical Partnership linked with Saint Osmund’s
Roman Catholic Church and a Methodist House Group. The council of “Churches
Together in Gainford” meets about four times a year and organises a carol service,
lent groups and lunches, joint Good Friday service, occasional joint worship and
Remembrance Sunday. The Roman Catholic Church has two congregations, one
the original “Catholics” and one linked to the Ordinariate and the priest is a former
Anglican vicar. However we work well together and our witness as Christians is
strengthened.
St Mary’s Church is a grade 1 listed building, originally dating from the 8th century
and founded on a monastery which was a centre of stone carving. It was remodelled and extended in the Early-English style in the 13th century and still retains
many features from that period. The Victorian restoration was sympathetic and left
us with a legacy of a famed three manual organ and a ring of six bells, both of which
are in regular use.
The building is in fine condition and has an accessible toilet and kitchen with the
west-end opened up as a coffee area and meeting place.
Recently, interpretation boards have been installed to illustrate our long history and
how it relates to our faith today. The P.C.C. has a policy to keep the church open
every day and so use it as a silent witness to our faith down the ages. We have
many appreciative comments in our visitor’s book and our recently created chapel,
dedicated to St. Cuthbert, is used for prayer and quiet.
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The church is a community collection point for the Durham Foodbank
The ‘living’ is held by Trinity College, Cambridge and they actively support the
incumbent and church
Sunday services are held at 10.45 a.m., mainly Eucharist but with a family
service monthly. A Sunday school and play space are available at the westend. Coffee is served after the service
Attendance is, on average, in the upper thirties or low forties with some 73
persons on the electoral roll
We have regular organists, a praise band for family services, a rota for
reading, leading intercessions and assisting at communion
Church social events are a regular feature of village life
The PCC meets every two months
In the last twelve months we have had 5 baptisms, 4 weddings and 6 funerals
The number of covenanted givers is 33
The annual income is in the region of £30,000 with an end of year balance of
£1200. We have paid our parish share in full in recent years and have an
investment fund of £70,000, half of which is tied and only the interest from that
half can be used.
Winston parish comprises the village of Winston on the A67, with three hamlets to
the north of the A67 namely Westholme, South Cleatlam and Little Newsham and
one hamlet to the south over the river named Winston Gate, and seven farms across
the parish. The population is 430 people in about 200 houses, with limited local
employment in the area. Winston is friendly and close knit with a strong sense of
community working together to raise funds for activities, supporting each other.
There is a mix of ages but the greater population consists of active retired people
with a wide range of skills. There are no shops or schools within the parish, the
nearest small shops and schools are in Gainford or Staindrop. There are two holiday
caravan sites, one in the village and one on the south side of the river.
Winston village has an active Village Hall which has recently been refurbished and is
used by many organisations. Church social events in the Village Hall are a regular
feature of village life. There is a Methodist Chapel in the village which meets
fortnightly and a private chapel of ease in Little Newsham which has not been used
since the previous owner died. The land to the south of the church was purchased by
the village as the Millennium field for the use of the community with a newly planted
wood and a walkway down the hill through the field which then leads down through
the woods to the banks of the River Tees.
St Andrew’s Church is a focal point for the area standing on a prominent hilltop,
simple yet majestic in its setting with striking views over the Tees valley. The
environment around the village is calm and peaceful and the church is listed in
“Small Pilgrim Places” as a site for meditation. The church is well integrated into the
local community and forms a focal point at key times in people’s lives as well as at
harvest and carol services. The church is open for visitors at weekends and Bank
Holidays, with a key available at other times by request.
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St Andrew’s Church was built in 1254 in Early English style, set within what is
probably an ancient burial ground. The wide 13th century Chancel is almost entirely
Medieval internally. The choir stalls
incorporate 17th century bench
poppy heads. In 1848 the Nave was
extended and pews installed, porch
and octagonal bell turret with two
bells added. The vestry was added
in the 1890’s. Extensive work was
done in 2014 for which a grant from
English Heritage Lottery Fund was
made (approximately half the cost)
to replace the Chancel roof, the east
and south walls of the Chancel were
structurally tied and repointed,
together with some repointing to
other walls of the church. The
church is well maintained and in
good order, however the Nave roof
dates from 1848 and is of slate which needs to be restored probably in 2016/7. The
church has no disabled access due to the limitations of the site, no toilet or kitchen
facilities but we do have an arrangement with the nearby village hall. The church
yard contains a considerable number of headstones and is now closed for burials,
except for a section for cremated remains.
We are a traditional church with a simple yet flexible worship style. We have a
service every Sunday at 9.30 a.m. with Common Worship communion, finishing at
10.15 a.m. There are 31 members on the electoral roll with several regular attenders
who are not on the roll, living outside the parish. The average attendance is around
20 each week with most using planned giving and gift aid. There are 10 members on
the PCC, including the priest in charge and the PCC meets 4 or 5 times annually.
We have a regular organist and a rota for reading, leading intercessions and
assisting at communion.
We have a Sunday school in the village hall on the first Sunday of the month from
October to May, with the children coming into church for the Eucharist. Attendance
varies from 4 to 11 children.
In 2014/5 there were 2 baptisms, 3 funerals and no marriages but 3 marriages are
planned in 2016. Special services usually attract 40 to 50 people and the Christmas
Eve Candlelit Carol Service sees the church full to capacity each year with about 140
people attending. We have held a number of Christmas Tree Festivals, Flower
Festivals and Open Gardens which attract many visitors from a wide area.
The annual income is in the region of £14,000 and the balance of funds at the end of
the year is approximately £3000. Although the contribution to the parish share in
recent years was reduced as the rebuilding work needed to be funded, the amount
offered has always been paid in full. We have increased the offer for 2016 by 10%.
Special collections are raised each year for charity giving for local, national and
international event appeals, raising approximately £1000 each year.
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APPENDIX A: MAP OF AREA (scale 1:190000)
Winston
Gainford
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APPENDIX B: FLOOR PLAN OF VICARAGE
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APPENDIX C:
St Mary’s Church, Gainford Annual Report For the year ending
31 Dec 2014
Priest in charge:
Elected Officers of the Parish
Vice Chairman:
Churchwardens:
Rev. M Jacques
Mr G Taylor
Ms S Taylor
Mr P Graham [who is also Treasurer]
Secretary:
Mr M Roff
Minutes Secretary:
Ms C Maughan
Electoral Roll Officer: Ms J Starr
Deanery Synod delegates:
Mr Taylor and Mr Graham
PCC Members:
Ms M Headlam-Morley,
Ms C Maughan, Ms J Starr, Ms S Taylor
Mr R Elliot, Mr W Goyder, Mr P Graham,
Mr M Roff, Mr G Taylor.
The above were elected at the Annual Church Meeting held on 26 April 2014.
In 2014 the PCC met more regularly and 6 meetings were held.
During the year there were held: 6 Weddings, 7 Baptisms and 4 funerals, plus a service of
Thanksgiving for a child and 1 burial of cremated remains.
The number of persons on the Electoral Roll now stands at 71 which is reasonably stable.
In 2014 Sunday attendance, although variable, generally held up.
Average Sundays attracted 34 and 3.5 children.
Sunday School continues to be led most Sundays by Christine Graham, and has resulted in a
few children and families attending some of whom are frequent of not regular attendees. We
are grateful to Christine for this work.
Attendances at Key Festivals were:
Easter Day 80 plus 16 children;
CTIG Remembrance Day 150 plus 28 children;
CTIG Carol Service 160 plus 40 Children; Christmas Eve [Midnight] 35
Christmas Day 56 plus 4 children
The ecumenical service at the Big Weekend was attended by 130
An Innovation was a Service for All Souls day and 10 persons attended
Also new in 2014 were Saturday family services
At Easter 26 Children and 27 Adults; at Advent 12 Children and 18 Adults and on Christmas
Eve the Crib Service 20 Children and 30 Adults
Financially St Mary’s continues to meet the challenge of an increased contribution to the
Diocese. We continued to focus on the numbers giving through the Gift Aid scheme, through
which we gain extra income from a tax refund.
In 2014 we again met our financial commitment to the Diocese in full. The new system
introduced in 2013 allows us to set ourselves a realistic but challenging target for our parish
contribution. St Mary’s set itself a significant challenge during the 2014 and we are again
pleased to have met our target.
We have again raised our “bid” for 2015 after discussion in the PCC of the Treasurer’s
recommendation
2014 was a very active year at St Mary’s in all areas.
We began the social year with a concert by the Stockton and Darlington Ukelele Band in
February which was a great success.
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This was closely followed by the event of the year, the wedding of our vicar, Martin with Dr
Louise Allen in March. Many members of the congregation attended the moving ceremony
in church and the reception afterwards.
In June, The Church again took a large part in the “Gainford Big Weekend”, which was very
successful in its third year and is now an established part of the Gainford summer scene
In the summer we also held a strawberry tea on the vicarage lawn which was well attended.
Sadly, in the middle part of the year both Ms Joyce Line who had been a regular member of
our congregation for many years, and also Mr Harry Wilson who had been a member of the
PCC for many years and Secretary to the PCC for much of that time both died
We again combined our Patronal Festival with participation in English Heritage’s Heritage
Open Days in September. Attendance was again rather less than we hoped for, but we look
forward to renewed interest in 2015 when the long awaited re-ordering of the Church, which
includes learned displays about the history of the building, might be completed.
Later in the year we had a Jazz concert, by the Bill Goyder Jazzmen which was particularly
well attended and finally we held our Christmas Fayre in December.
The Gainford Singers who have been a feature of the Gainford scene for many years gave
their valedictory concert in church.
In Mission and Ministry;
The School again held the now traditional four services in Church;
at Easter, the Y6 leavers [July], Harvest, and Christingle, All 90 children at the School
attended and were supported by between 30 and 60 adults
Innovations during the year were the Alpha course and Bible study groups, and the Saturday
breakfast club, at which a succession of distinguished speakers have given informative and
entertaining presentations about their Christian life.
Family services were also introduced on a regular basis and these have been successful in
attracting a younger demographic to church which we so much need.
Our Remembrance Day service was attended by large numbers. The Last Post was again
played for us by the trumpeter from the St Osmond’s congregation. The continuing service
of members of the UK Armed Forces around the World continues to make Remembrance
Day an important occasion for many people in the village. The wreath from Her Majesty the
Queen was laid this year by Dr Sandy Anderson, Deputy Lieutenant of Durham County, and
the Village wreath was laid by David Pullan, who has done so much to research the stories of
the men from Gainford who lost their lives in WW1.
We continue to be grateful to the many people who help in different ways at St Mary’s for
their work throughout the year, the organists, the sidesmen, the bell ringing team, the altar
workers, those who regularly clean the Church, the flower arrangers and many others who
generously give their time and energy to the Church and in particular Canon Neil Russell for
all his work during the year, editing the weekly pew sheets, playing music and taking services
when needed and for his enthusiasm and ideas.
During the year Mr Goyder retired as a Churchwarden after many years service, but he
continues as a member of the PCC.
PCC numbers are down after the resignations of Ms Bain and Mr Thebe and new members
willing to serve the Church by joining the PCC will be very welcome.
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ST MARY'S CHURCH GAINFORD
st
Income and expenditure to 31 December 2014
2013
£1,376.14
£4,930.21
£7,805.48
£2,913.67
£1,935.24
£2,153.00
£3,096.51
£487.71
£6,888.45
£500.00
£30,710.27
Opening Bank Balance
Income
Sunday collections & envelopes
Covenants & Bank Transfers
Tax Refund
Donations and free will offerings (see schedule)
Fees PCC for Funerals, Weddings etc
Fund Raising (see schedule)
Appeal collections ,Royal British Legion and Crisis etc
Miscellaneous (see schedule)
Fabric, Church re-ordering,East Chancel Gable, Bell tower
£32,086.41
2014
£2,382.18
£4,334.99
£9,073.40
£3,132.92
£2,790.31
£1,430.00
£2,532.41
£513.99
£42,737.44
£20,893.15
£87,483.61
£89,865.79
Payments
£14,700.00
£182.00
£487.71
£3,474.78
£95.90
£326.65
£231.72
£276.00
£3,181.81
£6,747.66
£29,704.23
Diocese
Deanery
Appeal collections, Royal British Legion and Crisis etc
Gas & Electric
Water Rate
Priest Expenses & visiting clergy
Candles Wine etc
Fabric (see schedule)
Insurance
Miscellaneous (see schedule)
£2,382.18 Closing bank balance
£15,000.00
£0.00
£513.99
£3,006.37
£98.70
£499.05
£194.51
£16,587.34
£3,610.41
£34,251.16
£73,761.53
£16,104.26
St Mary's Gainford, brief explanation of Finances.
St Mary's has a Treasury Team; Treasurer Peter Graham, Covenants Secretary Bill Goyder
Sunday Collections & Envelopes Anne Walton
The Church financial year runs from 1st January - 31st December.
Our main sources of income are.
Sunday collections, envelopes and covenants (last year £13,408.39).
HMRC Gift Aid tax reclaimed. (last year £3,132.92).
Donations, baptism, weddings& funeral collections, and free will offertory box.(last year £2,790.31.
Fund raising (last year £2532.41).
Our main expenditure
Parish Share to the Diocese. For the running of the Durham Diocese, (Priests, Housing etc.) £15,000.00 paid in 2014.
£15,250.00 to pay 2015. PCC to make a decision of amount we will pay 2016 by 14th July.
Utility bills Gas, Electric& Water.(last year £3,104.87)
Insurance (last year £3,610.41) .Church valued for Insurance at £5.6million pounds other than the chancel
Our Patrons Trinity College Cambridge, are responsible for 75% of Chancel.
St Mary's Investments
St Mary's had Trust Funds Invested with the Diocese until last August. The Interest had been poor over the last few years and
last August with the permission of the Diocese we withdrew them. The value at closure £42,267.27. This amount and
£27,732.73 a large part of a legacy from Nancy Deas received October 2014 was invested in a Charinco Common
Investment Account, similar to the one held by the village charity £70,000.00 in total.
The Trust Funds that we withdrew from the Diocese had restrictions that we could only use the interest for the upkeep of the
fabric and not touch the capital. These restrictions are carried over to the Charinco investment.
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APPENDIX D:
St Andrew’s Church, Winston
2014 Report and Accounts of the Parochial Church Council (PCC)
Administrative information
St Andrew’s Church is situated at the eastern end of the village in an elevated position giving fine panoramic
views all around. It is part of the Diocese of Durham in the Deanery of Barnard Castle within the Church of
England. The correspondence address is Mr B Clarke, Streatlam Cottage, Winston, Darlington, Co. Durham
DL2 3 RH. The PCC is a body corporate (PCC Powers Measure 1956, Church Representation Rules 2006) and
a charity currently excepted from registration with the Charity Commission.
PCC members who have served at any time from 1 January 2014 until the date of this report are:
Ex Officio members:
Incumbent
The Reverend Martin Jacques – Chairman
Wardens
Mrs Joyce Wilson
Mrs Lynne Lobley – Vice Chairman
Representative on Deanery Synod Mrs Lynne Lobley and one vacancy
Elected members:
Mr Brian Clarke - Secretary
Mr Jim Wilson - Treasurer
Mrs Chris Barnett
Mrs Vera Featherstone
Mr John McBain
Mrs V Raper
Mr Graham Young
Standing Committee: this is our only established committee:
Mrs Lobley, Mrs Wilson, Mr Wilson, Mr Clarke, Mr McBain, Mr Young.
Ad hoc working parties are set up as necessary
Structure, Governance and Management
The method and appointment of PCC members is set out in the Church Representation Rules. All church
attendees are encouraged to register in the Electoral Roll and stand for election to the PCC. The PCC members
are responsible for making decisions on all matters of general concern and importance to the parish including
deciding on how the funds of the PCC are to be spent. The full PCC met six times during the year with an
average level of attendance of 86%. There was one Standing Committee meeting and two short meetings,
minutes of their deliberations were received by the full PCC and discussed where necessary.
Objectives and Activities
St Andrew’s PCC has the responsibility of co-operating with the incumbent, the Reverend Martin Jacques, in
promoting in the ecclesiastical parish and beyond the whole mission of the Church, pastoral, evangelistic, social
and ecumenical. The PCC is committed to enabling as many people as possible to worship at our church. The
PCC makes suggestions on how our service can involve the many groups that live within our parish. Our
services and worship put faith into practice through prayer and scripture, music and sacrament.
Achievements and Performance
All are welcome to attend our regular services. At present there are 31 parishioners on the Electoral Roll, four
of whom are not resident in the parish. One was removed from the roll through death. The average weekly
attendance counted during October was 23 but this number increased at festivals – Easter 42, Harvest 50,
Christmas Day 37 and the candlelit Carol Service 142. As well as our regular services we enable our
community to celebrate and thank God at the milestones of the journey through life. Through baptism we thank
God for the gift of life, in marriage public vows are exchanged with God‘s blessing and through funeral services
friends and family express their grief and give thanks for the life that is now complete in this world and
commend the person into God’s keeping. We have celebrated one baptism and one funeral in our church this
year. We are entitled to two representatives on the Deanery synod. Lynne Lobley has been our representative
with one place vacant.
Review of the Year
Last year (2013) our AGM noted attendance at our morning services had fallen and totalled between 13 and 22.
In contrast in 2014 numbers have risen markedly with congregations between 20 and 30. We are drawing a
number of worshippers from outside the village (Eppleby and Caldwell especially) and there are several factors
responsible. Feedback mentions the friendly welcome (in particular from the rector!) and the uplifting quality of
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the services. The service booklets and weekly newsletter all reflect a vibrant church community. All in all, this
trend is an inspiration to us all.
The demographic make-up of the congregation remains in the upper age groups but efforts are being made to
attract young adults and children and this is to be commended. Occasional family services have been a success
but the crowning glory has been the monthly Sunday school, instituted by Joyce Wilson (warden) towards the
end of the year and it looks set to continue and thrive. Aided by some of the mothers, they all meet in the
Village Hall at 9.30 a.m. for half an hour of activities and then come to church for the blessing at communion.
2014 was a remarkable year for the fabric of St Andrew’s. Most people will be aware of the construction of a
new chancel roof and vestry roof but there is a historical significance of these changes. The vestry was built in
1893 but the old chancel roof was put in place in 1848, the cost was less than £1000 and subscribed by the great
and the good. Lady Bridgewater gave £300, the Rev Webb £38. The 2014 works necessitated blocking off the
chancel but the services continued in the nave (and one in the village hall) and congregation numbers held up
and even increased. Was there a novelty factor at work here? Our two church wardens Lynne Lobley and Joyce
Wilson are to be commended for their work and effort in bringing the project to fruition. The work was
complex and often frustrating but in the end, very satisfying. The largest part of the cost was met from grants
but individual and corporate efforts and donations played an important part. A book ‘Sweet Winston – a history
of a Teesdale Village’ was written in aid of the roof, involving not only the author but salesperson and computer
expert all working (harmoniously?) together.
We would like to thank all the volunteers who work so hard to make our church the lively and vibrant
community it is. In particular we want to mention the ladies (one man!) who supply the church with such fine
floral arrangements and all those on the cleaning rota. There should be no detritus falling from the roof now to
affect the fine new chancel carpet. We just managed to accommodate the Candlelit Carol Service congregation,
the chancel by now restored (just in time!) and the towering Christmas tree, kindly donated by Fred Jones of
Hallow Hall, was decorated by the Sunday school children.
Services were held on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and the church was open for an hour on Monday
evenings during Lent for quiet reflection and prayer. The church remained open all day on Saturdays
throughout the year and on Sundays from April to September for visitors, access was available on request at
other times.
Mission and Evangelism
Helping those in need is a demonstration of our faith. Despite financial pressure from part funding of the new
chancel roof and the day to day running of the church, we have donated to several charitable organisations. Jars
to be filled with loose change were taken by members of our congregation during Lent and these plus our
donations from the Lent lunch organised jointly with the Methodist Chapel all went to Water Aid. The Carol
Service Collections was given to the Children’s Society as was the £450 from the Children’s Society collection
boxes submitted annually in March. Donations from our Advent Service held jointly with the Methodists were
given this year to the Butterwick Children and Young Person’s Hospice. A special collection was held in the
autumn for Open Doors UK for persecuted Christians in Iraq.
Social Events
A successful organ recital was given in August by a young music scholar from Derby Cathedral who is related
to a parishioner, just before the work commenced on the Chancel roof. The auction after our Friday evening
Harvest Thanksgiving not only provided income but also some hilarity courtesy of the auctioneer. The St
Andrew’s day lunch, now a fixture in our calendar, was an enjoyable event.
Ecumenical Relationships
Our church has close links with the Winston Methodists with, as mentioned, a joint Advent service in the
Village Hall and some Methodists attending our services when every other Sunday there is no service in the
Chapel. We share our incumbent with Gainford and some from our church attend courses at the Vicarage –
during the autumn a course was run discussing Rowan Williams book ‘Being Christian’. Once a month a
Breakfast Club is held at the Laurels in Gainford where a local person relates how and when he/she turned to
God and the church. Some Winstonians are always present and also of course enjoying suitable refreshments.
Financial Review
Our Church funds expenditure exceeded income by £1187 whilst maintaining the parish share payment at the
reduced level of £6000. The large increase in general administration cost was due to the cost of the
quinquennial and the electrical inspections. The church general account balance at the end of the year was
£4410 but from this we are committed to expenditure on the new carpet in the Chancel, not covered by grant.
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The main expenditure of the year was the restoration of the Chancel Roof; with a bridging loan necessary to
meet the stage invoices until the grant funding is received at the conclusion of the project and also the recovery
of the VAT on the paid invoices.
Conclusion
In 2014 we have all pulled together to ensure our church is in good shape and fit to play its part in the life of our
community and beyond.
General accounts
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