Our parish finance committee (PFC) meets regularly to support Fr Ian with parish finances and the maintenance and improvement of all our parish facilities. You can read a summary of our recent meetings below.
February meeting
At St Ann’s we are blessed with lovely and extensive grounds surrounding the church and hall. The PFC meeting on 26 February included a focus on several projects designed to further enhance our grounds, both aesthetically and in their use. A dedicated group of parishioners, including gardeners and grass cutters, help to maintain and develop our grounds. We are very appreciative of their efforts and always looking for more volunteers to join them.
Jenny Kehoe attended the meeting to outline a new project to create a flower garden. Not only will this introduce more colour into one corner of the site, but we hope it will also provide a regular supply of fresh flowers for the church. The PFC is very keen to support this project and is grateful to Jenny and her team of volunteers for instigating it. You will already have seen requests in the newsletter for help. We will have the area professionally prepared in the coming weeks, ready for the first planting in May.
We also discussed an on-going project to improve our Garden of Remembrance. Recent work has been undertaken to level the paving slabs and remove the collapsing entrance pergola. A larger replacement has been purchased and will be installed soon. As well as creating an attractive entrance, it will also provide space for a covered bench and a Marian grotto. We are also exploring the possibility of installing one or more columbaria. We are very grateful to Banstead Five Churches, who have generously given us a donation of £1,000 for our work on the Garden of Remembrance.
Other recent maintenance work has been carried out around the site, including jet-washing many areas (to improve appearance and avoid slipperiness) and drainage improvements.
January meeting
Here is a summary of some of the topics covered at the PFC meeting on 22 January 2025.
1) Enhancement fund
Thanks to a generous bequest, we have established an enhancement fund. This will support projects that we would not normally be able to progress using parish funds. So far, we have been cautious in spending from the enhancement fund, though knowing it is available has allowed us to more confidently use parish funds for other projects, for example replacing the church boilers in 2024. The only spending from the enhancement fund so far has been on three relatively small projects:
- installing air conditioning units in the annexe (which also provide heating);
- installing solar powered lighting units at the front of the site;
- doubling the number of pews with cushions (although we have deliberately left a few pews without them as we know some parishioners prefer a wooden seat).
We are now looking to progress some much larger projects. To do so we need approval from the Diocese. Potential projects include:
- installing solar panels and batteries;
- installing double glazing in the church, including some coloured glass;
- developing the Garden of Remembrance.
2) Parish budget for 2025
We discussed and agreed a budget for 2025, based on a draft prepared by our parish treasurer, Ann Lienard. Going forward, we want to ensure that spending is always focused on the mission of the parish.
3) Ways of working
We evaluated the way the PFC currently works and how this could be improved. Although we fully meet all Diocesan expectations, we believe that we could do so more effectively. For example, we will start to meet more regularly, though for shorter and more focussed meetings. We will also look for new ways to share our work with the wider parish. The hope is that the more parishioners know about what is going on, the more opportunities there will be to get involved.
The next PFC meeting is at the end of February, when we will look at how to progress the major projects outlined above and check we meet all current health & safety requirements, especially relating to fire safety.
St Ann's Catholic Church 