FINANCIAL UPDATE

In the past few days St George's has gratefully received a large legacy of nearly £8,000 from the estate of Roslyn Edwards. This generous bequest is unrestricted which means the money can be put to immediate use by the P.C.C. for any useful purpose (and is not restricted to a certain area of church work or a project), the most practical way of leaving a legacy. This demonstrates how beneficial it can be to remember the church in a will, perhaps something we should all be thinking about doing. Part of Roslyn's legacy will be used for something specific in her memory.

The tax refund due on planned giving for the months of July, August and September totalled £1,606 with a further £37 due on gift aided Eucharistic Gift donations. The bookstall safe yielded £148.30 and fixed interest of £157 was received on investments during October. The retiring collection for the Church Army during October increased the £50.50 raised at the Coffee Morning on September 21st by a further £109.03 and half of the Remembrance Day Service collection on November 10th, £47.20, has been sent to the Royal British Legion.

£50 has been distributed from the Wednesday coffee morning monies to each of the following charities; St Dunstans, Portsmouth Hospitals Trust Rocky Appeal for a Unique Cancer Laboratory at Queen Alexandra Hospital, the MacMillan Cancer Relief Fund and Canine Partners for Independence.

Recent expenses include organ tune, £97.53, water rates for the church £22.50 half year, bulletins £25.20 a month (£31.50 if there are five Sundays in the month), and Altar Breads £15.50. The cost of advent candles £30.48 has been met by donation and we now have a good stock of candles £107 and votive candles £341. Renewal of the church copyright annual licence for words only reproduction cost £88.

Finally I was delighted to receive a receipt from St Mary's Anglican Church in the Diocese of Sekondi, Axim, Ghana, for our contribution to their rebuilding fund. Our small sterling donation of £269 had turned into three million, one hundred and forty-four thousand, four hundred and twenty eight cedis!!

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas.

LINDA WAINWRIGHT, Hon Treasurer to the PCC