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THE ABBEY CHURCH OF ST. MARY & ST. ETHELFLAEDA with

ST. SWITHUN’S CRAMPMOOR

The Annual Vestry Meeting for the Election of Churchwardens and The Annual Parochial Church Meeting will be held in the Abbey on Sunday 27th April 2014 at 11.30am

Coffee will be served in the Abbey at the end of the 10am Sung Eucharist

AGENDA 1) Opening prayers 2) Apologies for Absence VESTRY MEETING

3) Minutes of the Vestry Meeting held on 23rd April 2013 4) Election of Churchwardens

ANNUAL PAROCHIAL CHURCH MEETING 5) Minutes of the APCM held on 23rd April 2013 (below) 6) Election of 6 members to Deanery Synod and 5 members to the Parochial Church Council 7) Election of Sidesmen 8) Report from the Electoral Roll Officer 9) Election of Electoral Roll Officer 10) To note the Reports submitted by PCC Committees (below):

a. ARC b. Church Rooms c. Deanery Synod d. Fabric and Health & Safety (sub-committee of Fabric) e. Fellowship & Fundraising f. Financial Resources g. Magazine h. Mission and Education – Children and Young People, Discipleship, Evangelism and Nurture, i. South Garth Development j. St. Swithun’s

11) To note the Reports submitted by Groups associated with the PCC and other Organisations (below): PCC Groups i. Bellringers ii. Christian Book Club iii. Communion Assistants and Subdeacons

iv. First Sunday Breakfasts v. Home groups vi. Infant Sunday School vii. Junior Sunday School viii. Ministers’ Meeting ix. Mothers’ Union x. Parish Lunches xi. Romsey Abbey Choir xii. Romsey Abbey Girls’ Choir xiii. Romsey Abbey Men’s Society xiv. Romsey Abbey & St Swithun’s Women’s Group xv. Romsey Abbey School xvi. Romsey Abbey Technical Support Team xvii. Romsey Abbey Youth Group – Youth 11+ xviii. Romsey Abbey Youth Orchestra xix. Servers

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xx. Sewing and Knitting Stewards xxi. Stewards Toddler Fellowship xxii. Toddler Fellowship xxiii. Web Site

Associated organisations i. Romsey Abbey Appeal Fund ii. Children’s Society iii. Christian Aid iv. George’s Trust v. Music in Romsey vi. Triangulate vii. Friends of Romsey Abbey

12) Annual Report of the Parochial Church Council for the year ended 31st December 2013 including the Accounts. 13) Election of Independent Examiner 14) Vicar’s report 15) Question Time 16) Closing prayers NOTE – Questions relating to Agenda items 10, 11 and 15 must be submitted to the PCC Secretary in writing no later than Noon on Thursday 24th April 2014.

___________________________________________________________________________________ AGENDA ITEM 5

THE ABBEY CHURCH OF ST. MARY & ST. ETHELFLAEDA WITH

ST.SWITHUN’S CRAMPMOOR

Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held in Romsey Abbey at 7:30pm on Tuesday 23rd April 2013 1.OPENING PRAYERS The Vicar, the Revd. Tim Sledge, took the chair and opened the meeting with a reading from twelfth chapter of the First Letter of St. Paul to the Church in Corinth. He then explained that there were two meetings. First was the Vestry Meeting, open to anyone living in the Parish, to elect the Churchwardens. The second was the Annual Parochial Church Meeting, which anyone could attend but their name must be on the Electoral Roll in order to speak or vote. 2.APOLOGIES There were 88 present and 24 apologies. Lists filed with these minutes. Items 3 and 4 are recorded in the minutes of the Annual Vestry Meeting. 5. MINUTES The Minutes of the Annual Parochial Church Meeting held on 24th April 2012 were taken as read. Their adoption was proposed by Mrs G Beasley, seconded by Mrs E Butcher and agreed unanimously. 6. ELECTIONS a) Deanery Synod. The size of the Electoral Roll entitles the Parish to elect 8 members to serve on the Deanery Synod. At present there were only 4 and no new nominations. The Vicar noted that his father, also a priest, had described Deanery Synod as “A group of Anglicans waiting to go home”. He further explained that it was a very different animal now and asked people to consider serving. b) Parochial Church Council. By rotation six members’ terms of office had come to an end. Mrs G Beasley and Mrs H Phillips were not standing again. The Vicar thanked them for their valuable contribution over a number of years.

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Mr D Johnson and Mr R Pratt had been proposed before the meeting. Mr T Rogerson was then proposed by Mrs M Dovey and seconded by Mr D Newman, whilst Mr D Newman was proposed by Mr S Martin and seconded by Mr N Sharman. There being no other nominations they were elected unanimously. This left two vacancies which the Vicar said could be filled by co-option at the end of the meeting. There was also a vacancy for one year due to the resignation of Mrs P Leech, whom the Vicar thanked for all her work over the years as member of PCC and Chairman of the Fabric Committee. 7. SIDESMEN Mrs D Hargreaves reported that there were currently 43 Sidesmen. There had been 3 resignations. Mrs J Hartley had indicated her willingness to serve as a Sidesman and this was proposed by Dr J Hargreaves, and seconded by Mrs E Hallett. Mrs Hargreaves then proposed the remaining Sidesmen and Mrs J Hartley be elected en-bloc, which was carried unanimously. Mr M Wallace, churchwarden, thanked all Sidesmen for their ministry of welcome. He said the workload had increased because there were more baptisms, so more volunteers would always be welcome. He also thanked Mrs Hargreaves for doing the rota. 8. REPORT OF THE ELECTORAL ROLL OFFICER The Electoral Roll Office, Mr I Cox, explained that the Electoral Roll had to be started afresh every six years and 2013 was such a year. He reported had received 459 applications from individuals to join the roll of whom 382 lived in the parish. The numbers were down considerably because of the effect of starting the new roll. Mrs E Wagner thanked Mr Cox. 9. ELECTION OF ELECTORAL ROLL OFFICER Mr I Cox was willing to continue as Electoral Roll Officer and his re-election was proposed by Mr R Bishop, seconded by Mrs B Brook and carried unanimously. 10. PARISH REPORTS – PCC committees Reports received from the following committees and associated organisations had been circulated before the meeting and so were taken as read. The Vicar thanked everyone who had submitted a report and asked for comments or questions as he went through the list.

a) ARC b) Church Rooms – it was noted that the new divider was in place. c) Deanery Synod d) Fabric and Health & Safety (sub-committee of Fabric) - The Vicar reported that Mrs P Leech was standing

down as Chairman of the Fabric Committee after serving for several years and recorded his thanks to her. e) Fellowship & Fundraising – The Vicar said it was terrific that over 600 people had attended the Open Day

organised by this group. f) Financial Resources g) Magazine – it was noted that the Magazine had made a contribution of £4.000 to the PCC General fund in

2012. Mr J Williams, on behalf of the committee, said this might not be repeatable. h) Mission and Education - Children and Young People i) Mission and Education – Discipleship and Nurture j) St. Swithun’s – the Vicar thanked worshippers at St Swithun’s for their fund raising this year.

11. ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS The Trustees’ Annual Report and Financial Statements had been available before the meeting. The Vicar asked if there were any questions about the report, which there were not. The Treasurer (Mr T Rogerson) then spoke about the financial statements. He said the structure of the report was determined by the requirements of the Charity Commission, noted that the accounts had been signed off by the Independent Examiner and explained the difference between unrestricted and restricted funds. He told the meeting that out of interest he had looked at the accounts for 1979 when the general fund had shown a surplus of £2,820. Income had been £16,627 and expenditure £13,807. The Fabric Fund had expenditure of £20,555, which included three hundred new chairs.

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The Treasurer explained that the Budget for 2012 had forecast a loss on the General Fund but the final result had been a small surplus partly due to a generous donation. He went on to explain that planned giving was slightly down on the previous year, which he attributed to the fact that there had been no annual review of giving in 2011 which in turn affected 2012. Collections were slightly up as were fees for weddings and carol services. He highlighted that the balance on the Capital Fund was slowly being increased and a policy had been established by the PCC whereby any legacies received were allocated to this designated fund. Costs had been kept under control and by the Diocese’s “Close of Books” the Parish Share had been paid in full. The Budget for 2013 showed a small deficit. The Treasurer spoke about the “Parish Giving Scheme” (PGS), which was trialled by members of the Financial Resources Committee and would then be offered to members of the PCC and others. He encouraged those who gave by other means to transfer to the PGS when it was made available as it reduced significantly the amount of work both for himself and the Gift Aid Secretary. The Treasurer concluded by noting that the Parish had achieved a surplus for four consecutive years and thanked those whose generous giving had helped to achieve this. He also thanked the whole treasury team and especially Mrs P Leech who was stepping down as Assistant Treasurer, noting that her knowledge acquired whilst as a former churchwarden had been particularly helpful. The Treasurer then invited questions about the accounts. Mr N Sharman asked why there was some outstanding Gift Aid and the treasurer replied that he was behind in submitting claims. The Vicar thanked the Treasurer for his clear presentation and also added his thanks to whole treasury team who supported the Treasurer so well. 12. ELECTION OF INDEPENDENT EXAMINER The Treasurer said that Richard Warwick’s team at Langdowns DKF had undertaken the work of Independent Examiner in great detail, which he welcomed and suggested that Richard Warwick of Langdowns DFK should be re-elected as Independent Examiner. This was formally proposed by Mr N Sharman, seconded by Mr I Cox, and agreed unanimously. 13. GROUP REPORTS Abbey Groups

i. Bellringers ii. Christian Book Club iii. Communion Assistants and Sub-Deacons iv. First Sunday Breakfasts – thanks were expressed to Miss E Hutchison who was retiring from running

these after twenty years. v. Home Groups – it was noted that it was very good to see these begin to be active again vi. Infant Sunday School – report received late. vii. Junior Sunday School viii. Ministers’ meeting ix. Mothers’ Union x. Parish Lunches xi. Romsey Abbey Choir xii. Romsey Abbey Girls’ Choir xiii. Romsey Abbey Men’s Society xiv. Romsey Abbey & St. Swithun’s Women’s group xv. Romsey Abbey Primary School – no report received xvi. Romsey Abbey Technical Support Team xvii. Servers xviii. Sewing and Knitting – no report xix. Stewards – more stewards would be welcome and someone to organise the rota. xx. Toddler Fellowship xxi. Unchained and Unchained Reloaded xxii. Web Site The Vicar drew attention to the supplementary reports at the end of the document, for Infant Sunday School, Sundays @ 8 and the Youth Orchestra.

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Associated Organisations i. Romsey Abbey Appeal Fund ii. Children’s Society iii. Christian Aid iv. George’s Trust v. Music in Romsey vi. Triangulate

The Vicar asked if there were any questions on the reports. He said that it was good to see the Romsey Abbey Appeal Fund report included and added that next year there would also be a report from the Friends of Romsey Abbey. The Vicar thanked everyone who had contributed reports. 14. VICAR’S REPORT – Part one, review of 2012 Following from last year’s APCM the Vicar said he wanted to remind everyone of the outreach we try to achieve. Our worship is like our shop window and we have extended the forms it takes. As well as the existing services we have Sundays @ 4 and Sundays @ 8. Both have small but growing numbers. “Way In” is well established now and continues to draw a sizable following. The first Sunday Eucharist does not work so well. There were now five Home Groups, the Christian Book Club and the Julian Group as well as short courses provided by the Discipleship Groups. Some of our activities work to open doors into the community. The Civic service has been revamped to celebrate all volunteers, not just members of the Abbey. The Church of England is still the biggest group of volunteers in the country. 2012 had been a special year with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics during the summer. Both occasions had involved sharing a meal and a range of activities for all ages. They were both open to the whole community. The churches had made several contacts with the Abbotswood Development and some new people had started coming to the church. The “Tree of Life” café meets upstairs in Café Nero (to discuss and provide support for those with Mental Health issues). We have links and use the facilities of “Wisdom House”. The Children and Families minister has enabled us to work in strengthening partnership with Romsey Abbey School to prepare children for communion before confirmation. The Good Friday workshop was attended by 70 children and the holiday club last year was a success to be repeated this coming summer. The Vicar expressed his thanks to Revd. Keith Thomasson for his work in this area. Instead of the Baptism classes, pastoral visitors now go to people’s homes and follow through by accompanying the family to the Baptism service. It is hoped these new arrangements will help people to feel more involved and welcomed. The Vicar spoke about the growing importance of the Deanery and Parish involvement as the laity take a more active role in the running of ministry. We are all called on to be a witnessing community. A copy of his talk is appended to this report. 15.VICAR’S REPORT - Part two, looking forward The Vicar explained that the purpose of the second half of his talk was to open up discussion, and engage everyone in the “Enlarging your Tents” agenda. There were three areas for consideration: Developing our Work with Children; Strengthening our Stakes – developing existing ministry; and Enhancing our Buildings. People were then asked to consider: What was working well; Anything we should be doing but aren’t; and Concerns in this area of work. After forty five minutes groups gave feedback and the Vicar announced that there would be a suggestion box at the back of the Abbey for any more points or for people who could not attend the meeting to add their ideas. He said he would collate the results of the discussions and they would form the basis for future developments. They would also inform the PCC’s programme for the coming year. He thanked everyone for coming and taking part. Mr M Wallace thanked the Vicar for his leadership, energy and vision. There being no further questions the Vicar closed the meeting with prayers and the Grace at 9.45p.m.

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AGENDA ITEM 11 PCC Committee Reports in respect of the year ended 31 December 2013 a. ARC (ASSOCIATION of ROMSEY CHURCHES) Committee Report The ARC committee is made up of Ministers and lay representatives from all the seven churches in Romsey. We discuss joint events and these are often carried out by the focus groups, which are: Hope; Ministers; Worship; Youth and Environment. We also share news from our different churches. In January 2013 we had the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with a Unity Service in the Abbey on the evening of Sunday 20th. The ARC AGM was held on January 15th. As usual there was the Good Friday Service in the Cornmarket which was short and informal with a drama, a talk and some hymns. The Woodley Fun Day, organised by the Hope Focus Group, went very well. We can always do with more volunteers for that, especially the face painting. The climbing wall was a great attraction and there were more people than ever. The ARC choir sang in Care Homes at Easter, Harvest and Christmas and was much appreciated. There were more volunteers from the different churches at the Church Tent at Romsey Show this time. After much debate, a presentation at the AGM and a special meeting, it was decided that there would not be a Street Pastors' Scheme in Romsey but that people from the Romsey Churches are very welcome to join one of the schemes in the surrounding towns and cities. The Environment group organised an Environmental Service led by Andy Lester of A Rocha in September and they also organised an environment walk around Romsey both of which were very successful. We had another United Advent Service in the Abbey in November. Margaret How ARC Ministers Meetings The ministers of all the Romsey Churches continue to meet monthly at Wisdom House. This in itself is an important mark of our shared fellowship, friendship and desire to work together wherever possible. In the past year, we have run Lent Courses together, and this year it is good that all the churches want to engage with the Diocesan Lent Material. This act of grace and unity is a wonderful sign. There have been Unity Week, Advent, Good Friday and Environment Services, and a Christmas leaflet was distributed on behalf of all the churches. Last Christmas we went carol singing in Abbotswood, and we have this year produced a new welcome leaflet together for all the new housing areas. We have considered Street Pastors in Romsey, and decided that this is not the best move and better for those committed to serve in this way in Eastleigh and Southampton where the need is greater. Plans for the coming year include a real desire to unite around common themes of prayer, the new housing communities and our worshipping opportunities. Revd Tim Sledge b. Church Rooms The Committee met four times in 2013. In the Kitchen, the storage has been reviewed and rationalised and a microwave has been purchased. In the main hall the divider has been replaced. Hire of the Church Rooms is important to the financial status of the Church Rooms and so hire charges and conditions of hire have been reviewed and now form the basis of hire agreements. Current hirers were informed of changes. The Committee is continuing to encourage more usage of the Church Rooms, allowing for the Parish needs. Opportunities for fund raising, e.g. Parish Lunches, Teas and providing coffee for events, have been taken. Discussions have been on going with the current Cleaning Company concerning the cleaning of the interior. A cleaning schedule has been written and established and a slow improvement occurred at the end of the year, which it is hoped will be continued. Maintenance of essential gas appliances and electrical testing have both taken place. Future works are on hold, whilst discussions of proposed South Garth/Church Rooms redevelopment possibilities are considered. Jo Whitfield

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c. Deanery Synod Romsey Deanery Synod met three times during 2013, in February, June and October. In February, the accounts of the previous year were presented and the Deanery budget (largely covering administrative costs) was agreed for 2013. We heard about the challenges of bringing together the Chilworth and North Baddesley benefice with Ampfield, as a single benefice. The second part of the meeting focussed on the work of the Deanery Overseas Mission Committee, with presentations about recent visits to South Rwenzori and Burundi and the projects that the Deanery is supporting there and in Myanmar (Burma). At the June meeting, we talked about implementation of the Deanery Vision. A small group has been set up to take forward the issues identified in the Vision. A Deanery Website has been set up ( www.romseydeanery.org ) to share information about events. It was agreed that more shared opportunities for study and training were needed, in particular for the outlying parishes which may not have the resources or the numbers to support a course on their own. In October, the Bishop of Southampton attended the Synod meeting to commission the Revd Tim Sledge as Romsey Area Dean and the Revd Ron Corne as Assistant Area Dean. Those from the Deanery who had attended the very successful Diocesan Conference at Swanwick in September shared their experiences, and the outcomes of that Conference, including the four Diocesan Strategic Priorities for Mission, were presented and explained. The Deanery Vision Group organised a pre-advent course in November and December, looking at different aspects of Living the Mission of Jesus. It was held at Poppies with coffee/wine and cake at half-time, and was well-attended, helpful and very enjoyable. Similar events are planned in future years. Julie Carlton d. Fabric and Health & Safety (Sub Committee of Fabric) Fabric Report We are now approaching the next Quinquennial Inspection with the report being due in 2015. Significant progress towards the works identified in the previous Quinquennial Inspection Report as requiring attention has been made. Given the winter weather the works to the north triforium guttering were appropriately timed! The asphalt and barge boards were completely renewed but the leadwork was retained having been identified by the Abbey architect as being currently fit for purpose. The loose coping stones along the north frontage were also re-secured. The foliage growing out from the tiled roof was manually removed and will be chemically treated this spring. The PCC is indebted to the Abbey Appeal Fund for funding this essential maintenance work to ensure that the building remains watertight. The external Rood is still of major concern. The Fabric Committee closely monitors the condition of the Rood and the South Garth Development Group has looked further into the preservation requirements. The conclusion is that the Rood will be best preserved for posterity by being enclosed or protected from variations in temperature and humidity. The new internal signage for visitors caused some confusion initially and the Diocesan Advisory Committee required some minor alterations which have now been carried out. The choir vestry door has been sanded and re-oiled with the weather board replaced. The tympanum on the south turret door had also been replaced. In the south turret 18 Purbeck stone nosings have been renewed to facilitate a second safe access to and from the ringing chamber. Following a generous donation to the Abbey from two local families we have added a magnificent Christus Rex sculpture by Peter Eugene Ball to the artwork in St George’s Chapel. This necessitated some minor stonework repairs prior to installation, and again this work was generously funded by the Abbey Appeal. The previous representation of St George has been re-erected in the same Chapel on the north wall and the banner has been placed opposite. The stone pavement of the chancel and other discrete areas of flooring have been re-pointed to remove some trip hazards. The mortar used was a hydraulic lime mortar to ensure durability. Some larger areas have had the mortar dyed to ensure compatibility with existing stonework colours. The present fire alarm system needs to be upgraded in the foreseeable future and enquiries are underway to ensure that this work is carried out expeditiously. After receiving a report from the Vicar and Churchwardens concerning the policy of the Chancellor of the Diocese, a new statement on internal Memorials was adopted by the PCC. Extensive consultations were carried out looking at

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the possibility of installing solar panels on the Abbey and Church Rooms roofs. This work is currently in abeyance until the South Garth Development proposals are finalised. New bicycle racks have been installed in the South Garth, funded by the Friends of Romsey Abbey. Work has been undertaken to replace delaminating paving slabs on the north driveway and similarly repair work was undertaken on the South Garth pathways. Various works of a minor nature have been carried out at St Swithun’s including pointing and decorating. The PCC is grateful to the industrious volunteers of St Swithun’s for their time and effort. The Fabric Committee has decided that an annual budget of £2,000 will be allocated for structural/maintenance work at St Swithun’s. I am grateful to the members of the Fabric Committee for their interest and commitment throughout the year. David Johnson Health & Safety The purpose of the sub-committee is to keep under review arrangements for health and safety at the Abbey and St Swithun’s, to fulfil our statutory responsibilities towards those working, worshipping or volunteering in, or visiting, Abbey premises or St Swithun’s. During 2013, a morning session of fire safety training was arranged and successfully completed by key Abbey personnel. We have continued to develop our Health and Safety documentation, following guidance from our insurers. This includes developing a Personal Safety policy, for those working alone or visiting people in their homes or inviting people into their homes. We have also completed the Fire Risk Assessment for the Abbey, events risk assessments, and a regular “safety walk” checklist. The Site Specific Risk Assessment – including the salvage plan – was reviewed and updated with advice from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. We reviewed first aid provision, including identifying volunteers who can provide cover for events when the nominated first aiders are away. Julie Carlton & Howard Brisland e. Fellowship and Fund Raising The committee met six times during the year, during which plans were made for forthcoming events and recent activities were assessed. Our regular talks with delicious puddings ran throughout the year, with varied subjects including the work of the Abbey servers (given partly in the church to make explanations clearer); the work of the Romsey Deanery Mission Committee; an amazing evening hearing about Christmas cruise-ship chaplaincies; Sister Siobhan telling us about her Profession as a nun, her vows made in the Abbey, the first time this has happened since the Dissolution. Next was a wine tour of the Abbey including samplings of monastic wines, and the year finished with a demonstration of Christmas decorations with a chance to make some ourselves. These talks were fund-raisers, but the four pub quizzes held at The Star which began in January, were strictly to encourage fellowship together and were great fun. In June we once again hosted a ‘Celebrating Community’ event in the Abbey with around 30 local voluntary groups showcasing their work. This tied in with the Town Mayor’s Civic Service and brought the community together in a very real way. Lastly, we once again produced a parish Christmas card which added a welcome total to the general fund. All the committee members played a very active part during the year and their activities were able to contribute well over £2000 to parish funds. Liz Hallett f. Financial Resources The Financial Resources Committee (FRC) met six times during 2013. Major activities during the year included:

Organising the annual “Giving in Grace” stewardship campaign and introducing a new way of giving using Direct Debit, the Parish Giving Scheme. This is sponsored by the Diocese and is now the Parish's preferred way of receiving giving;

Reviewing the Parish Reserves Policy and proposing an updated version which was adopted by the PCC;

Developing a new Legacy Policy which was adopted by the PCC;

Meeting with the Diocesan Stewardship Advisor to review approaches to fund-raising;

Reviewing existing financial procedures and creating a new consolidated Financial Procedures document;

Reviewing a proposal to install a Biomass boiler promoted by the Diocese but which did not prove to be suitable for the Abbey;

Reviewing the Parish bank accounts and recommending consolidation of a number of accounts;

Reviewing the 2014 budget in detail prior to it being presented to the PCC;

Reviewing options for generating additional income and developing plans to take selected options forward.

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I would like to thank the members of the FRC who have put in a considerable amount of time in addition to the meetings in order to make progress on these activities. Nigel Herriott g. Magazine Open Door reports the parish news and articles of ecclesiastical interest that are unlikely to be reported in the local press. The magazine contains articles about many of the groups associated with the Abbey and St Swithun’s, and usually more copy is received than can be printed. The magazine usually runs to 20 pages increasing to 24 pages as required. Liz Hallett remains editor, with Amanda Taylor shadowing. We undertook a survey of the readership at the end of 2013, and the use of colour covers has proved popular. Most responses have been very positive, with a few suggestions that are being discussed by the committee. No objections to the changes were made. We would like to thank our 35 Distributors for their great service in all weathers and a special thanks to Biddy Massey for managing the distribution to our 440 subscribers. We are also grateful to Gareth Roberts for ably managing our accounts and most importantly, ensuring we have advertisers that contribute a third of our income. In addition we would like to thank Anita Wood for proofreading the magazine, and Mike Hallett for preparing the large print and audio copies. We have a monthly print run of 520 copies. John Williams h. Mission Children & Young Families Activities undertaken include:

Romsey Abbey Toddler Fellowship - This group is overseen by Helen Normington and continues to flourish on a Wednesday morning, with occasional times of worship in the Abbey together;

Sunday School - These groups have grown and the older children now form the core of 'Neros' which meets once a month. Staff plan together and share good practice and moved over experimenting with developing a curriculum based on symbols. The Sunday School extends into Crib service participation and the excellent craft days at festival times;

Romsey Family Support Group - I provide chaplaincy to both staff and individuals on Friday mornings to this group;

Family Visitors Group - This group has been established to provide a link with baptism/thanksgiving families. The visitors meet with the families in their homes and prepare them for the service as well as providing a link and taking part in the Baptism services themselves which now take place on Sundays at 12.15 on 3 out of 4 Sundays a month;

Holiday Bible Club - A series of all-age and age specific activities led by a variety of people around the theme of eating together, which has run during the summer for a few days;

Romsey Abbey Primary School - The clergy continue to provide regular weekly acts of Collective worship, Abbey visits and services, and pastoral care amongst families;

Romsey Primary School - Contact has been established with the new Head which has resulted in participation in assembly time;

School Visits to Romsey Abbey - There have also been a number of school visits to the Abbey;

Sundays@4 - Diane Kingston writes “Meeting one Sunday each month at 4pm the service aims to provide a time where people of all ages are welcomed to travel onwards in their faith journey through bible exploration and prayer experimentation using stories, activities, games and crafts, with development of relationships over a meal. We are currently working through the Diocesan Lent course material”. The service is led by the laity;

Baby & Children's Market - Diane Kingston hosts a stall to let the parents of Romsey know what we offer their families, while their children are engaged on a craft activity.

Keith Thomasson, Children and Young Families Minister Discipleship The Discipleship group is concerned with offering people a programme of events whereby they will be able to grow in depth of understanding of God in our lives and in the world. At our meetings we plan such events and publicise them in the weekly bulletin and in “Open Door”. We also hear reports from the House Groups and are pleased that

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we now have three groups in which about 40 people take part, including the Book and Film Club, but we realise that there is a need for more such groups. Over the past year we have offered a 4 week course on prayer, a pre-Advent series of Compline and Lectio Divina, and a 4 week course on Spirituality and Ageing. We also helped to facilitate a Sunday morning Spirituality course. We have encouraged people to take part in the Deanery pre-Advent Course at Poppies café. It is fair to say that there has been a mixed response to these events, with both the Pre-Advent Compline and Lectio Divina and the Deanery Course being well attended, as was the recent Course on Spirituality and Ageing. Susan Halliwell Evangelism and Nurture No report received. The reader is directed to the Reports from the Home groups in “Abbey Reports” section as these relate to the work of this Committee. i.South Garth Development The Steering Group was formally established as a PCC sub-committee on 16th May 2013 and met five times during the year. The Project is in the information gathering phase. Progress so far has included:

Development of a vision and Case Statement;

Gathering of requirements through detailed discussions with representatives of the Abbey community;

Assessment of known archaeological constraints;

Assessment of the options where development might be possible;

A Resources Study - this consisted of a series of interviews with representatives of the Abbey, the wider Romsey community, local authorities and trade associations, to test the level of support that the project might have, and to assess the chances of raising the necessary funds. For the purposes of this Study the estimated target figure was £4m;

A Feasibility Study- this looked at the feasibility of meeting our objectives within the known design constraints, together with the likely cost;

A number of consultations with church and local representatives. The final Resources Study and Feasibility Study Reports were received early in 2014 and the PCC will meet before the APCM to decide whether or not (and how) to proceed. The PCC authorised expenditure of up to £40k on this information gathering phase of the project. We are currently on track to spend about £33k. If the PCC decision is to proceed with the project then a future fundraising campaign will return this money to parish funds. Rob Gower j. St. Swithun’s The St Swithun’s Committee has been asked by the Vicar and Churchwardens to take more responsibility for the running of St Swithun’s Church. There were 39 regular worshippers on the electoral roll. The average Sunday congregation was 34; 70 attended the Christmas carol service (exceeding the capacity of the church), with 47 on Easter Day and 45 on Christmas Day. Members of the congregation act as sidesmen, arrange flowers, play the organ and act as communion assistants including preparation of vestments and setting up of the altar requisites. In addition to the weekly Sunday morning Services, the church was used by Sundays@8 (now Sundays@7), and Romsey Abbey Youth Orchestra. There were 7 Funerals and one Baptism during the year. The Mother’s Union and the committee of Woodley Friendship Club both occasionally used the church for meetings. The congregation raised £1,000 for parish funds in addition to the normal free will giving and £290 for St Swithun’s funds. They also raised £170 which was shared between Romsey Good Neighbours and Romsey Family Support Group. The committee co-operates with the Fabric Committee to organise upkeep and repairs to the church building. In May 2013 regular worshippers at the church re-decorated the vestry, and cleaned the nave, kitchen and toilet. Various other jobs were done outside. They also undertook further maintenance jobs during the year. The Quinquennial Inspection took place in July and confirmed that much remains to be done. Richard Pratt

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AGENDA ITEM 10 Reports from PCC Groups for the year ended 31 December 2013 i. Bell Ringers 2013 was another busy year in the tower, ringing for all Sunday morning services and most Sunday evening services. We also rang for 32 weddings, the opening of Abbey House, a memorial service, school carol services and New Years Eve. A quarter peal of New Cambridge Surprise Major was rung to welcome HRH Prince George of Cambridge in July. We had success again in both the District and Guild Striking Competitions wining the 8-bell inter-tower competition for the second year running and in the District competition we won the call-change competition. As well as ringing we had a number of social events during the year; the Christmas meal at the White Horse Hotel, a curry night and a Skittles evening. For the tower outing we headed up to London, and visited several new or restored rings including the Royal Jubilee Bells originally seen ringing down the Thames in the Diamond Jubilee Pageant, now installed at Garlickhythe Church. 8 quarter peals were successful during the year and there were 4 (out of 6) successful peal attempts. Two were by visiting bands and the Christmas peal was rung by past and present ringers of Romsey Abbey. We ‘rang out the old’ and ‘in with the new’ for 2013/14. Plenty of people joined us up in the ringing chamber and we thank Jax for climbing the tower to say the prayers and welcome in the New Year with us. Andrew Glover, Tower Captain ii. Christian Book Club During this past year the group has met and looked at Noreen McKay’s Secret Ladder, Rachel Joyce’s The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Sara Maitland’s Big Enough God. As an interesting break we looked at the painting Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio after we had ourselves shared a meal together. The books and meetings are always enjoyable and challenging, even when we don’t agree or understand everything. Our greatest problem is finding the time to read and meet in our busy private and parish lives. Sarah Hargreaves iii. Communion Assistants and Sub-Deacons Although I am primarily concerned with the Abbey team of Sub-deacons and Communion Assistants, also assisting clergy are the St. Swithun’s team, the group involved with the regular Romsey Hospital visits, those who help with visiting the housebound residents and those who take communion to the Care and Nursing Homes. These helpers comprise a large and dedicated group to assist the clergy with their duties. I am very grateful to the Abbey Sub-deacons and Communion Assistants whose co-operation (sometimes at very last minute) ensures that the names published in the weekly Bulletin usually bear some resemblance to those who are actually on duty. Brian Drysdall iv. First Sunday Breakfasts Eunice Hutchison retired from doing the First Sunday breakfasts and unfortunately no one else came forward to continue with them. It is hoped that someone might offer for the future. Adrienne Mordan v. Home Groups Jan and Howard Green’s home group meets twice a month on a Wednesday evening. Barbie and Jean Evans - Since our last report we have considered the lives of Saints Paul, Peter, Boniface and Benedict. We looked at the effect they had on the building of Christianity in Europe and the conditions they faced as they pioneered this new belief in an age of numerous Gods or barbarianism. Since October we have been joined monthly by the Revd John Reynolds who is leading us in a journey through St John’s gospel, giving us a sense of Christ through the eyes of St John. We plan to continue our journey and look forward to a fresh understanding of the Good News. Barbie and Jean Evans Margaret How can be contacted on 01794 516185

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vi .Infant Sunday School We continue to have three regular teachers (Anne Williams, Grace Birch and myself) presenting each session and the very welcome addition of Victoria Johnson whenever we ask. Parents are always welcome to settle their children and seem to be willing to be roped in to sticking, glueing, cooking and playing games. I am extremely grateful to everyone for their steadfast work and support; continuity for this age group is very important and we all feel that we know our children really well. Highlights this year were: the Good Friday workshop, which had record attendance of both regular children and others from the Abbey School, families from the family support group and the Sundays@4 community; a month looking at the harvest of the Brazil nut and how nature works together (thank you to our enthusiastic congregation who showed so much interest in this project and lived out the theme of all working together); a successful Advent workshop which helped us prepare for Christmas and our regular Sunday morning sessions where the teachers learn as much as the children. Along with the Junior Sunday School, we broke with our usual pattern in the winter to look at symbols in the bible. This worked so well we plan to repeat this experiment and have a themed term again The children love to share their work and thoroughly enjoy their moment at the front of the Abbey each week. It helps us as teachers to know how much they have understood as well as a chance to share the fun and enjoyment we have experienced. Louise Newman vii. Junior Sunday School The Junior Sunday has school has met as usual on the second and fourth Sundays of each month in term time. The sessions have been led by Adrian Hargreaves and me with help from Revd Keith Thomason and Tristan Holt. Tristan is a sixth form student who joined us to complete his Duke of Edinburgh community service challenge last year. We are very pleased that he still comes to help, long after his D of E requirements have been met. Attendance has been down on previous years with between 7 and 14 children each Sunday. Children are aged between 7 and 13 years old (Years 2 to 7). Most children are from families who regularly attend the Abbey. All children are welcome, and regular attendance is not essential. Our aim is to ensure that the children have a clear grounding in their Faith in a way that is both age appropriate and engaging. This means that we like to learn by having fun! On most Sundays we try to mirror activities or themes in the main service, using the Lectionary as our guide. However, during the Autumn term we examined different Christian symbols with the Infant Sunday school. This activity also tied in with the Way In services for that term. We have a continued challenge to welcome families with children into the Abbey community. This is becoming increasingly pressing with each year that passes. We aim to provide a fun and engaging Sunday school that is open to all and would be interested to hear of ideas that could increase our appeal to the wider community. We would also like to hear from anyone who is interested in helping with Sunday school, the more the merrier! Mich Erlewyn-Lajeunesse ix. Mothers’ Union Currently the Romsey Abbey branch is the largest in the diocese with 54 members. Sadly over the past year several members have died but new members have arrived to help fill the gaps. The aim of the Mothers’ Union is to support marriage and family life and many of our speakers and fund raising events over the year have reflected this. Our speakers have been varied and we learned much about the work of hospital chaplain, the churches in Ethiopia and the work done by our members overseas. Keith Thomasson spoke in January on the Mothers’ Union theme for this year, Sowing The Seeds Of The Future Together. Funds have been raised to support our overseas work including the Literacy Campaign and the work of the Mothers’ Union in Burma together with the family holiday in this country. The family holiday gives a much needed break to families who are under stress and going through difficult times. Although we are unable to raise funds for work other than for charities specified by the Mothers’ Union, members have also, in small groups, raised and donated funds to the Family Support Group in Romsey and to the education of orphans in South Rwenzori. This last charity has long been supported by us and is one close to our hearts. Romsey Branch is, I feel, contributing to both our parish and the wider world. Barbara Parker

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x. Parish Lunches Twelve lunches were held during 2013, on the second Thursday of each month in the Church Rooms. Over the year 583 two-course meals were served at £4 each. Necessary expenses included the purchase of two replacement hotplates costing £221 each. Adrienne Mordan continues to lead the team of caterers and helpers, most of whom sit down to eat with the diners. The customers' raffle was managed by different people during the year and raised a total of £471. Barbara Knight xi. Romsey Abbey Choir The Abbey Choir has worked hard over the last year and has continued to provide a wide ranging selection of music for the Abbey services. The back rows of the stalls hardly contains the full body of gentlemen when all of them are in attendance! The boys have grown in stature and experience and are producing a more sensitive and blended sound. Highlights of the year were singing ‘I was glad’ by Parry on the Queen’s birthday in April, ‘God is gone up’ by Finzi on Ascension Day, a vocal workshop for the boys with Keith Davis, learning Tavener’s ‘Funeral Ikos’ and ‘The Lamb’, and singing Howells’ Evening Canticles in G. The Summer visit to Worcester Cathedral produced fine singing which was much appreciated by the staff and congregation there. The boys gave an excellent performance of Britten’s ‘St Nicolas’ which they sang with The Romsey Singers. This was hard work on top of their other Advent and Christmas commitments. Choral Scholars continue to be kindly supported by George’s Trust and were joined by the long serving Nicho Newman on Cantoris Alto. Other boys had left through ill health and pressures of other commitments earlier in the year but we have been fortunate in attracting four Probationers so far and are working to bring more boys to the joy of singing in the choir. I would like to express my thanks for the support of the PCC, FORAC, choir parents, Gentlemen of the choir and our excellent Assistant Organist, Adrian Taylor. Robert Fielding, Organist and Master of the Choristers xii. Romsey Abbey Girls’ Choir This year has seen the Girls’ Choir grow in confidence, taking whatever has been thrown at them in their stride, and exploring new repertoire in their services, which include the first Sunday Eucharist and Evensong (with the men) and joint services with the men and boys. We said goodbye to Siobhan Hogan last summer and we are sustaining numbers with 19 on register. The girls have participated in two workshops: one with Jeffrey Williams in April 2013 exploring vocal technique; and one with Paul Dowbekin in March 2014 exploring the art of Plainsong. The sponsored sleepover in the Abbey was a great success raising over £500 for choir funds which will contribute to funding a special venture in 2015. We’re hoping we can do the same again this year. We’ve also had three joint social events with the boys – Snowtrax, RAODS pantomime and Bowling which were enjoyed by all. A concert last July in the Abbey with the Romsey Counterpoint Singers and Cantatrice was a great success. We look forward to another concert with these groups this July as part of the Romsey Festival. In December we thoroughly enjoyed taking part in George’s Trust Concert. Two highlights this year have been our joint Evensong with Christchurch Priory Girls’ Choir for St. Ethelflaeda where we sang an anthem written by June Boyce-Tillman and our Evensong at Portsmouth Cathedral in February 2014. We have a ‘rematch’ booked with Christchurch in July and we’re in negotiation with Portsmouth about a ‘girls’ choir exchange’ Sunday! It is such a privilege for the girls and me to be a part of the worship here in the Abbey. Thanks must go to the parents of the girls, Robert Fielding, Adrian Taylor, Jeffrey Williams, Rev Tim Sledge, the PCC and the congregation of the Abbey for their continued support. Diane Williams xiii. Romsey Abbey Men’s Society No report received. xiv. Romsey Abbey & St. Swithun’s Women’s group We are a group of women, of all ages, who enjoy learning, living, and each other’s company. We meet twice a month in the Abbey Church rooms and have a diverse programme which includes talks, travelogues, craft demonstrations, outings and parties. We think of ourselves as a friendly group affiliated to the Abbey, but offering a

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non-church social experience that everyone can enjoy. We hope newcomers will make friends and maybe even join the Abbey congregation. Carole Allen-Morley xv. Romsey Abbey School No report received xvi.Romsey Abbey Technical Support No report received xvii Romsey Abbey Youth Group - Youth 11+ Our 11+youth group continues to meet in term-time on Tuesdays between 6.45pm and 8.15pm in the Church Rooms. The nucleus continues to grow, primarily from our own church families. Spring Term saw new leadership, with Andy Welsh stepping up. Thank you too to Cordelia for her help. Alongside studying Joseph through film and the Bible, we played table tennis, skittles and Jenga! At half-term we went bowling and, following our annual pancake evening, used Godly Play for Lent. Summer Term was primarily spent at the park! We discussed the challenges of living as Christians. Together with the year 10+, we were part of “Transformations” the 6th and final Element, hosted by North Baddesley. August ended with a BBQ preparing for “Jesus will Light up Your World!” our weekend-away at Avon Tyrrell. Thirty of us from the 11+, the year10+ and the new 18+ group canoed, kayaked, worshipped, BBQ’d, prayed, discussed, sang round the bonfire and survived Extraveganza! Jax led superbly on the subject “Jesus as the Light”. Photos and snippets from the weekend decorated our harvest pillar and are now on the Church Rooms notice-board. Mid-September we lengthened our evenings and started Youth Alpha jointly with the year10+ group, this also formed the confirmation preparation for five of our young people. We were delighted to be joined by two young people from Wellow who are being confirmed in March. In December the united group went carol singing, bowling and enjoyed a joint Christmas party. Many of us meet midweek at Romsey and Mountbatten School CU’s. A massive THANK YOU to Andy and Jax! Jane Thompson xviii. Romsey Abbey Youth Orchestra Romsey Abbey Youth Orchestra (RAYO) is a group of young musicians who rehearse once a month and play during the first Sunday Eucharist in the Abbey. They play for about 20 minutes before the start of the service and usually accompany the congregation for some of the hymns and songs during the service. The Abbey congregation has welcomed the Orchestra to the Abbey and this encourages them to develop and continue their musical skills within RAYO. In addition to playing at the Abbey, RAYO has been asked to provide orchestral entertainment at various events. In the past year it has played at the opening of Wisdom House, at Woodley Grange Nursing Home and at ARC services in the Abbey and the United Reformed Church. Caroline Willshire xix. Servers Little change from last year. The servers continue to attend faithfully. More volunteers always welcome. Chris Harpham xx. Sewing & Knitting – We are very happy to report that our membership continues to increase. On average we have between sixteen and twenty members at meetings. Throughout the year we have knitted and crocheted garments, blankets and teddies for ‘Jacob’s Well ’ and the ‘Trussell Trust’, balaclavas and mittens for ‘The Mission to Seafarers’ in Southampton, and purses, bags, hats, scarves, mittens and hand puppets for ‘Samaritan’s Purse’. We were very grateful to receive a cash donation from the estate of the late Captain Stead. The money is being put towards the purchase of wool. Last summer Jane Horne visited us to request our help to make figures for the travelling crib. We enjoyed a new challenge to our skills. Maureen Batten and Anne Hewett

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xxi. Abbey Stewards There were over 80 stewards sharing in this important ministry of welcome to the 34,000 visitors to the Abbey in 2013. Most commit to a weekly or fortnightly duty of two hours whilst others provide valuable support by covering absence through holidays and illness. We continued to recruit new stewards throughout the year and the rota is currently 90% full; the best it has been for some years. Thank you to Norma Gutteridge and Muriel Edmonds for their support in training these welcome recruits. There remains one outstanding concern and that is to recruit a leader for the steward body to avoid Churchwardens having to carry out the role. A huge thank you to all the stewards for their continuing support and commitment. Mike Wallace xxii. Toddler Fellowship Romsey Abbey Toddler Fellowship meets in the Church Rooms between 9:30am and 11am on Wednesday mornings during term time. During 2013 about 40 families accessed the group with about 15 families present on any one morning. Children attend Toddler Fellowship with their parents, grandparents or child-minders. The Group offers an opportunity for families in Romsey to come together mid-week so that children can enjoy engaging and stimulating activities together whilst adults enjoy the opportunity to socialise. For the vast majority of families in attendance, Toddler Fellowship is the only contact they have with a Church community. Keith Thomasson is regularly present and strives to make families aware of all that the Church can offer them. In 2013 Keith provided a number of opportunities for worship on a Wednesday morning. We celebrated Candlemas, Mothering Sunday, Easter, Harvest and Christmas at our services in the Abbey. Helen Normington xxiii. Website and Social Media The Abbey website at www.romseyabbey.org.uk recorded a modest but encouraging 9% growth in visits during the year, with small spikes in traffic being driven by Easter and the Ethelflaeda Festival before the end of year surge in traffic, arising from pre-Christmas visitors. The most popular pages beneath the home page (22,321 visits) are Visiting Romsey Abbey (4,617), Travel directions (3,047) and Contact us (3,040). The Bulletin was downloaded over 2,500 times compared with 1,985 in 2012. Reflecting wider trends, there has been a significant shift in devices used to visit the site. Whereas desktop or laptop computers accounted for 82% of visits in 2012, in 2013 this fell to 70%. The percentage of visits on tablet devices doubled to 16% over the year. In June, we added a link from the home page to www.panoscope.co.uk, where you can take an online tour of the Abbey, moving around and tilting the angle of view any direction you choose; this is similar to the Street View facility offered by Google Maps. We sent 1,500 visits to the site during the year. David Newman uploads audio recordings of sermons each week, which are often live before the end of the service! Over 260 people visited romseyabbey.podbean.com, where they are hosted, from the Abbey site during 2013. I pay tribute also to Debbie, who ensures that notices and the bulletin are published online efficiently every week. On Facebook our following more than doubled during 2013 from 93 likes to 214, whilst on Twitter it grew by a quarter to 384. Our presence on Google Plus has yet to gain traction but, whereas we have been active there for over a year, major cathedrals such as Winchester and Canterbury have yet to do anything at all with theirs. Social media channels, then, continue to be an important virtual congregation. You will find their web addresses in the weekly parish bulletin; I encourage you to like or follow us online and share content we post with your friends and followers. Dominic Brenton

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Reports from Associated Oragnisations for the year ended 31 December 2013 i. Romsey Appeal Fund The Appeal Fund continues to provide funds for the restoration and repair of the fabric of Romsey Abbey and its contents. The main sources of income to the fund are donations from visitors, income from tours of the Abbey, regular donations and from legacies. Grants are made to Romsey Parochial Church Council as and when appropriate. During the most recent accounting period (to 31st August 2013) only £3,778 of grants were made. This figure varies

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greatly from year to year, depending upon need, and in the previous year grants of £117,336 were made. The trustees are pleased that the Appeal Fund is able to continue to support the upkeep of the Abbey. Rachel Edwards ii. Children’s Society The Children's Society Committee is the local fund-raising group of the national charity associated with the Church of England, which helps make childhood better for disadvantaged and vulnerable children throughout the UK. We hold local events, organise an annual street and house-to-house collection in Romsey, co-ordinate the Abbey Christingle service and distribute the gifts from the Epiphany gift service. A large part of the income comes from generous parish home and business box-holders. This year we celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the fund raising group in Romsey, which was started by Canon Norris. We were delighted to have the Society's Chief Executive, Matthew Reed, join us at our AGM to celebrate this special anniversary and inspire us with his talk. Our fund-raising highlight was a special Diamond Tea Party in the South Garth, including cream teas, stalls and entertainment from Meeko the Clown. In October, Andy MacIndoe amused a packed audience with his tales from Behind the Scenes at Chelsea. Other events included an Easter raffle, the annual street collection and the Christingle service. As always there were many lovely epiphany gifts which were gratefully received by Romsey Family Support Group, Romsey Young Carers, Allsorts Disability Group and Youth in Romsey. We have raised over £6,000 this year, which is amazing in these difficult times. We thank the congregation and our wonderful box-holders for their generous help and support as always. Angela Howes iii. Christian Aid No report received iv. George’s Trust George’s Trust goes from strength to strength and has enjoyed another successful year. The support we receive from the people of Romsey continues to be unending and something that we feel is very special to George’s Trust. We are particularly grateful though, for the help and support that Romsey Abbey gives us and the association we share with it. We continue to raise funds for the three objectives of George’s Trust and work tirelessly to hold many events of our own and also attend many other supporting events. During the year we gave grants to the Romsey Abbey Choir, to the Lantern Project for Teenage workshops in Mountbatten School. We also helped with equipment for the Romsey and Abbey Tennis Club to start a Disabled Tennis Section for Teenagers. The main drive however, was to raise funds for the New Teenage Cancer Trust Unit in Southampton General Hospital and we awarded a cheque for £45,000 at the Christmas Concert in Romsey Abbey in December 2012. The Unit was opened in September 2013. It is a great joy to be able to help this project and one that George would be very proud of supporting. We would like to say a special thank you to Reverend Tim Sledge and the Staff of Romsey Abbey who allow us to use this wonderful Abbey for our Annual Christmas Concert, always a fitting highlight to the end of the George’s Trust Fundraising year. We look forward to the coming year with new energy and hope for another successful year. Jane O’Brien v. Music in Romsey The 2013 season proved to be another very busy one with a total of sixteen contrasting concerts between March and December. As well as our regular local choirs and orchestral concerts, this year included such additions as The Slavyane vocal group from Saint Elizabeth Convent in Belarus, The London Welsh Male Voice Choir, The Royal Marines Band with the Military Wives Choir, the Cor Meibion Caldecote Male Voice Choir (celebrating their 50th Anniversary), the Hampshire County Youth Orchestra and a very large Generations concert involving 200 local participants with an age range of 7 years to 84 years. Two particular local concerts were the Ethelflaeda Concert during the Patronal Festival and The Romsey Choral Society’s Remembrance week-end concert which included the performance of Howard Goodall’s Eternal Light conducted by the celebrated composer. Music in Romsey again organised seven lunch-time recitals on Wednesdays during 2013. There is no fee to attend these but a retiring collection is taken for local charities which this year included Romsey Family Support Group and Jane Scarth House. Two organ recitals were also arranged during the year. A new brochure of concerts and recitals is

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available each February giving full details of planned events which are also listed on the Music in Romsey board in the Abbey. If you wish to help Music in Romsey in any way to ensure these concerts continue please contact Edna Rowland on 01794 512502 or via e-mail msronthenet@ntlworld.com . Edna Rowland vi. Triangulate

We launched our new booklet ‘Your Guide to a Mentally Healthy Workplace’ with an event in the Town Hall in February. Attended by over 30 people including the Mayor of Test Valley and the Mayor of Romsey, plus local employers and health professionals, we talked about why we had brought the information together into one booklet and asked everyone to take copies away with them and to distribute. Over 6,500 have now been distributed, including copies to every business in Romsey. We have developed our stand in the Abbey and know that information from here is being used a source of support and information. Mental Health Sunday was preceded by a play the night before performed by Revd Eva McIntyre. Eva is a writer, actor and priest who has, since 2011, taken on a national brief on mental health for the Church of England and has been involved in developing resources for churches. Eva then preached at the 10am service the next day. Tim and Bridget attended a fringe meeting at General Synod in July and explained how our work, both in the Abbey and with Triangulate, has developed. Following the meeting we had more requests for our booklet. We entered a team in the first Romsey Relay marathon and were hugely surprised to be the team raising the most sponsorship. This resulted in us being awarded a trophy at a lunch with the Rotary Club. Proceeds were shared equally between the Abbey General Fund and Triangulate. The Tree of Life café was set up in Café Nero, meeting every Monday afternoon. This is a partnership event between Southern Health, the Abbey and Triangulate. Huge thanks are due to Café Nero for their willingness to host this innovative initiative which is proving very popular. Bridget Brook vii.Friends of Romsey Abbey Our membership continues to grow and is set to reach 307 at the end of our membership year. Subscriptions from our members yield around £4,000 per year to apply to Abbey projects consistent with our aims. Last year we made a commitment to engage more closely with the PCC and to this end a Projects Sub Committee was set up in October 2013. This has enabled us to establish improved communication with the Vicar and the PCC subgroups and to identify projects we can fund. We have committed to provide the bulk of the funds for the St Anne's Chapel refurbishment, and we have funded Internet and Audio Visual equipment already in use to publicise the South Garth project. Grants have been made for the new Bike Racks, for translations of the Visitor leaflets, and for a number of items needed to publicise Abbey fundraising Activities. We are the Sponsors of the Ethelflaeda festival this year and continue to pay for the Speaker herself. We have reduced the number of outside visits in our Events Programme to four per year including one with an overnight stay. It is also our intention three or four times each year to encourage speakers to give talks in The Abbey on subjects of particular interest to our members. We owe a debt of gratitude to the many hard working helpers who make the FRA Coffee Mornings such a success every other month as these are an are an important part of our work both in terms of Fundraising and developing our fellowship with members. The FRA Annual General Meeting will be held in the Abbey at 7.30 pm on Tuesday June 3rd. Our guest speaker this year will be Professor Peter Toyne CBE, former Vice-Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University, Chairman of the Friends of Cathedral Music and sometime member of Archbishops’ Council. John Twigg This document has been compiled by the PCC Secretary and edited by the PCC Treasurer. The PCC is grateful to all those who have submitted a report. This document gives only a flavour of the varied life of the Parish of Romsey.