2024-01-31-accounts

The NEWMAN ASSOCIATION

Promoting open discussion and greater understanding in today’s Church

Annual Report 2023-4

www.newman.org.uk

The Newman Association is registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), charity no. 1006769. Registered office: Swallow & Company Commercial House Bridge Road Stokesley North Yorkshire TS9 5AA.

Email: [e-mail] Website: www.newman.org.uk. Member of Pax Romana – International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs

OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF COUNCIL 2023-4

*** denotes Council members who are also Trustees**

President Brian Hamill* York Circle Email: [e-mail] (elected President and Trustee June 2022)

Chaplain

Mgr Patrick Kilgarriff Email: [e-mail]

Vice-President

Alex Mthobi* Eastbourne and Bexhill Circle Email: [e-mail] (elected as Vice President June 2022)

Journal Editor

Barry Riley Ealing Circle Email: [e-mail]

Secretary Sophie Rudge* Email: [e-mail]

Treasurer Anthony Baker* Hertfordshire Circle Email:[e-mail]

Membership Registrar

Cindy Hamill York Circle Email: [e-mail] (appointed as Membership Registrar December 2022)

Council Members

John Duckett* Coventry Circle (Elected June 2022) Email: [e-mail]

Barbara Bolgiano* Hertfordshire Circle (elected June 2023) Email: [e-mail]

Carole O'Toole* Wrexham Circle (elected June 2023) Email: [e-mail]

2

PRESIDENT'S REVIEW OF THE YEAR

The year 2023-24 has overall been a year of further consolidation and rebuilding after Covid. Some Circles are now back to a full programme of events, while others are finding this more difficult to attain. The list of events which are send out in the regular Newsletter show the large spread of events which are now taking place. However, some Circles are close to failing, mainly owing to lack of volunteers willing and able to take over the various administrative jobs. This is a great pity as the actual membership of those Circles has not necessarily diminished a great deal. This situation also applies at the Council level. The present members of Council have all worked hard to keep the Association moving forward, but many are now in their 80s and feeling the resulting failing of energy. There is therefore an urgent need for new blood to be brought onto Council to gain some experience in the various tasks so they can take over the key roles in due time – a time which is not all that far distant. From the point of view of membership numbers overall, these continue to decrease but there are signs in some Circles of genuine growth. This is encouraging news indeed.

The 2023 Annual General Meeting took place by Zoom on June 17[th] . This was an important event from a constitutional point of view since at this meeting it was necessary to elect the new Board of Trustees (in Newman parlance ‘Council’), according to our new CIO status. All the voting for the nominees was conducted this year, as it was during Covid, by postal voting. We intend to try and see if we can have ‘live’ voting by Zoom at the forthcoming 2024 AGM. This will be a further development in our permitted use of electronic communication. Moving onto the topic of our Website, we have been trying, with varying degrees of success, to post talks and references to interesting Webinars on the site. This requires a certain technical expertise but the hope is that many of our members who now are unable to attend meeting owing to age etc, plus those who are not at this time attached to a Circle, will be able to join in what "the Newman" has to offer. As an example, we were able to put on the website a recording of the talk given by Austin Ivereigh to the online attendees of the AGM "Reflections on Newman's "conspiracy of the faithful and their pastors." He linked this theme with his thoughts on the upcoming Synod on Synodality to which he had been invited. This was followed by a live streamed Mass celebrated by our chaplain Father Pat Kilgarriff. Council has also been looking into the possibility of moving forward with regard to the question of Membership Status. At present only (Roman) Catholics can be full voting members of the Association and there are many members who have considered that this distinction is now out of date, valid though it was in 1942. A vote on this topic may well be an item on the agenda at the next AGM.

The two main events set up by Council over the year have been a very successful pilgrimage to Padua led by our National Chaplain, Fr Pat Kilgarriff and the Newman Retreat, also led by him, at Ampleforth Abbey. There is a clear wish for these two events to be repeated during the coming year, if the necessary arrangements can be completed in time. Two members of Council, I and Sophie Rudge, with her role on Andante , were invited in the Conference on Synodality which was arranged by the Centre of Catholic Studies at Durham University. It was a wonderful experience in fulfilling the Synodal idea of listening with full attention to the ideas of all the Christian denominations on how they build up the ways and means of listening and speaking ‘in the Spirit’ within their own communities. Information on the various Webinars and online conference at the CCS has become a feature of the information sent out to all online members. Alex Mthobi as our representative on Pax Romana, the international Christian organisation with whom we have had a close connection since the Association began, continues to circulate updates and invitations to take part in Webinars by

3

Pax Romana. Through Sophie Rudge, Barbara Bolgiano and Anthony Baker (all members of Council), we have kept in close touch with our partner organisation, Andante, the National Board of Catholic Women and the National Council of Lay Associations respectively. The Newman Newsletter, which has had a difficult history over recent times with the death of one long-time editor and the resignation owing to serious health problems of his successor, is now ably edited by Barbara Bolgiano. She has expanded its recipients with a drive to draw in the unattached members of the Association via their email addresses, and also developed the information contained in the Newsletter.

Barry Riley, our long serving editor with a small and loyal editorial board, has continued to publish the Newman Journal which always includes interesting articles and information to keep members informed. We have had a review of those individuals and organisations which receive complimentary copies of the Journal by asking them directly if they still would like to receive this copy. Many did not reply and so we have been able to pare down some of the financial commitment involved.

As part of our 80[th] anniversary events last year we had set up a programme, organised by Patricia Egerton, of inviting Catholic Educational bodies to apply for funds to assist their various projects. The offer was taken up this year by Liverpool University Chaplaincy to assist some students financially in attending a residential faith development retreat. The Hertfordshire University Chaplain, Fr Innocent, also applied for funds to help develop his work, which was in a preliminary stage of growth. There was an interesting follow-up to this particular award as the Herts Circle has been involved in meeting many of the students and some students have been drawn into attending local events with that Circle. Perhaps this model of connection between University and local Circle may be something to develop in the future in other places. Council decided that we needed to draw this Award scheme within a review of the general strategy of connections with organisation outside the Association and so has put it on hold for this year. My own attempts to establish a link between my local University of Leeds and the Newman are continuing on a slightly different path with the possibility, hopefully, of establishing a Newman Circle actually with the Chaplaincy community.

Brian Hamill, President, April 2024

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED JANUARY 31, 2024

The trustees present their report and the financial statements for the year ended January 31, 2024.

Aims and Objectives

The object of the Association is to further the mission to the world of the Christian religion with particular reference to the Roman Catholic Church and in the light of the life and work of Saint John Henry Newman, by promoting greater understanding of the Christian faith and the application of its principles to the contemporary world.

Much of the activity of the Association is carried out through activities in local “Circles”, though some members are “unattached” where no Circle exists locally. These activities, typically talks or conferences on religious, artistic, and philosophical subjects, are open to non-members including Christians of other denominations, non-Christians and those

4

professing no religion. The trustees confirm that in governing the Association they have had regard to the Charity Commission statement on public benefit.

Structure, Governance and Management Governing Document

The Newman Association was founded in 1942 as a company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 1 May 1947 and was registered as a charity on 13 December 1991. The new Constitution as a C.I.O. was adopted by the membership in June 2022 and approved by the Charities Commission in November 2022.

Recruitment and Appointment of Council and Trustees

The charity trustees are the principal members of the Association's Council, which may also include advisory members such as the chaplain and The Newman journal editor. Trustees are elected for a period of 3 years, but may be re-elected for a further term. The trustees may appoint a replacement trustee to fill a casual vacancy, and may also co-opt up to three further trustees, but such appointed trustees automatically retire at the following Annual General Meeting.

A trustee may serve for sets of two 3 year periods, after which they must cease office for at least a year, after which they may stand for re-election at a general meeting, as specified in the constitution. Council normally meets at least four times each year, which may be in person or by electronic means. The Association's success in meeting its aims and objectives is reviewed each year in the President’s review.

New trustees are directed to the Charity Commission website, in particular those sections outlining the legal obligations of trustees under charity law. They also receive a copy of the previous year’s annual report and accounts and a representative section of the Association’s current literature. All trustees are encouraged to continue to make them aware of information published by the Charity Commission and to keep abreast of developments in Charity governance.

Responsibilities of the Trustees

Charities law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements that give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity at the end of the financial year and of its surplus or deficit for the financial year. In doing so the trustees are required to:

• Select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently:

• Make sound judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent and

• Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis, unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Association will continue on that basis.

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records, which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011. The trustees are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. In accordance with charities law, as trustees, we certify that:

5

• So far as we are aware there is no relevant audit information of which the company’s independent examiner is unaware and

• As the trustees, we have taken all the steps that we ought to have taken in order to make ourselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s independent examiner is aware of that information.

Financial Review

The trustees have reviewed the required level of the financial reserve. The total funds available in January 2024 were just in excess of £120,000 which may seem excessive in the light of the current levels of expenditure of around £30,000/year.

However the trustees recognise that:

a) A significant portion (currently around £95,000) of the fund is held in a CCLA COIF investment fund, the value of which can fluctuate. Investment in this fund is also a modest hedge against rising cost inflation. While the main costs of the Association continue to increase with inflation, the Trustees judge that there are very limited opportunities to increase revenue by raising subscriptions.

b) Circles will require further funding to encourage them to resume their levels of pre-Covid activity, as will covering the costs of resuming of the national lectures each year. The income generated and expenditure incurred directly by Circles is included in the financial report. Grants are regularly made to Circles which manage a significant meetings programme.

c) In addition, other IT activity to enable Circles to provide a wider coverage of lectures will require significant future expenditure

The trustees therefore conclude that the gap between operational income and expenditure is may well increase over the next years, and believe it prudent to retain a balance of around £100,000 for the present, with a significant proportion continuing to be held in an investment fund.

Nevertheless the Trustees will continue to assess opportunities to make other grants to external (mainly educational) institutions in support of projects which promote the Association's objectives.

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 28 September 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Brian Hamill, President

6

Statement of Financial Activities (Balance Sheet and Income & Expenditure Account) for the Year Ended January 31, 2024

	Balance Sheet
2022-3		2023-4
£		£
134,780	Net assets brought forward	127,325
(7,455)	Net gain/(loss) in the year	(4,537)
127,325	Net assets carried forward	122,788
	Represented by:
90,165	COIF Charities investment Fund	95,715
22,674	Cash in banks managed by Newman Council	15,706
13,448	Cash in Circles banks	11,075
3,100	Debtors and prepayments	1,800
129,387	Gross Assets	124,296
2,061	Less liabilities	(1,508)
127,326	Net Assets	122,788
	Income and Expenditure
2023	Income	2024
10,201	Membership subscriptions	9,475
2,083	Donations	314
2,122	Gift Aid Receipts	1,938
-	National events -retreat	1,522
3,902	Circles Income (note1)	5,070
2,748	Bank and investment income	2,801
(1,649)	Increase/ (decrease) in value of COIF	5,551
	investment
-	Other income	-
19,407	Total income	26,672
	Expenditure
89	National events	1,894
3,756	Newman Journal	3,110
850	Public liability insurance	308
8,642	Circles expenditure - note 1	9,756
2,677	Annual general meeting (net expense)	1,744
0	Council meetings (incl.UK travel)	396
1,584	Website maintenance costs	1,653
982	IT/Zoom services	848
1,134	Pax Romana and national subscriptions (note2)	(270)
5,000	Donations to educational institutions (note 3)	9,500
2,143	Other expenses (note 4)	2,271
26,859	Total expenditure	31,210
(7,455)	Overall Surplus/(deficit)	(4,537)

The notes below form part of these accounts.

7

Notes on the accounts 2023-4
Note 1	2023		2024
Circles Income
Meetings		1,635		2,475
Functions		2,046		2,046
Other		221		549
Total		3,902		5,070
Circles expenditure
Meetings		5,358		4,544
Functions		1,777		1,625
Other		1,507		906
Total		8,642		9,756
Note2
Pax Romana and other
subscriptions
Pax Romana*		1000		(463)
National Board of Catholic Women		134		45
National Council for Lay Associations		0		0
Andante ( European Catholic Women)		0		148
* the 2024 payment was a correction of
earlier overpaid subscriptions
Note 3
In 2023-4 grants were made to
University of Durham CCS conference				2,000
Edmund Plowden Trust, lecture fund				5,000
University of Hertfordshire Catholic				2,400
Society
Liverpool University chaplaincy				100
	2023			2024
Note 4 Miscellaneous expenditure
Bank charges		256		262
BACS charges		80		101
Chaplain's honorarium		700		700
Examiner honorarium		480		500
Registered office services		210		210
postage		219		186
Travel		48		199
Other small items		150		113
Total		2143		2271

8

Note 5 Trustee remuneration and related party transactions

No Trustee received any remuneration during the year 2023-4 (2022-3: nil). Specialist IT skills are needed for the development of the website and the provision of electronic links to and within Circles. Michael Hamill of Smarts Group, son of a trustee, responded to an earlier request to provide such services. Smarts Group was paid £2501 (VAT inclusive) in 2023-4 but around £400 of that was for 3rd party IT software. The trustees remain satisfied that the provision of such services is essential, and that the arrangement with Michael Hamill is good value and does not commit the Association in any long term way.

Otherwise, no trustee or any other person related to the charity has any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity during the year, save as a potential beneficiary of the charity in the normal course of its activities (2022-3: none).

£479 travel expenses were reimbursed to four trustees in the course of the year (2022-3: £48 to one trustee)

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 28 September 2024 and signed on its behalf by:

Anthony Brian Hamill Baker President & Trustee Treasurer & Trustee

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE NEWMAN ASSOCIATION

I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Newman Association for the year ended 31 January 2024, which are set out on pages 6-9.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011(‘the Act’).

9

I report in respect of my examination of the Trustee’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

• (1) accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or

• (2) the accounts do not accord with those records; or

• (3) the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view’ which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Signed:

David A Swallow F.C.A.

Commercial House, Bridge Road, Stokesley, TS9 5AA 20 September 2024

MEMBERSHIP REPORT

This membership report covers the period from 1 February 2023 until 31 January 2024. Having completed one complete cycle of being membership registrar I would like to thank all those members with whom I have had contact and those who have sent wonderful greetings.

Since the last annual report we have been delighted to welcome the following new members of the Association: Dr Denis Rose (unattached), Mr Tom Piotrowski (Worcester), Dr George Kondratowicz and Dr Ewa Kondratowicz (Worcester), Mr Kieran Keating and Mrs Mary Keating (North Gloucester), Mrs Anne Rose (Hertfordshire), Mr Anthony Bracuti (York), Dr David Tibbutt (Worcester), Rev Peter Conley (Coventry), Mrs Fiona Hill (York), Mrs Eileen Sparks (York), Mr David McLoughlin and Mrs Fleur Dorrrell (Worcester), Ms Barbara Cookson (York).

10

Circle	Roll		**Change **
	01/02/2023	31/01/24
Birmingham	10	9	-1
Cleveland	26	23	-3
Coventry	40	38	-2
Ealing	22	21	-1
Eastbourne & Bexhill	10	9	-1
Edinburgh	16	12	-4
Glasgow	27	25	-2
Hertfordshire	54	48	-6
Manchester & North Cheshire	35	32	-3
North Gloucester	16	17	1
North Merseyside	18	16	-2
Overseas	3	3	0
SurreyHills	5 now closed	3	-2
Tyneside	23	23	0
Unattached	97	89	-8
Wimbledon	15	13	-2
Worcester	25	26	1
Wrexham	17	15	-2
York	17	21	4
Total	476	443	-33

The decrease in membership is about seven percent this year in the period from 1[st] February 2023 to 31[st] January 2024.

There are fifteen active circles which have a wide variety of face to face meetings throughout the year. Some of the meetings from some circles are available on a Zoom link and the Newsletter is an excellent source of information for this.

If you are unattached, as far as being in an active Circle, do make sure we have an email address to send a Newsletter directly to you.

Some members have become ill and need care or have resigned their membership and there are those members and ex-members who have died; may they rest in peace. We hold all of these and their families in our prayers.

In Memoriam – Requiescant in pace

In the period February 2023 – January 2024, the Newman Association was notified of the deaths of the following members:

Mrs P Collins, (N.Gloucester) Feb 2023; Mr J J Bell, (Coventry) Feb 2023; Dr Maura Murphy, (North Merseyside) Feb 2023; Mr Richard Barnes, (Worcester) March 2023; Mrs J M Way, (unattached) Aug 2023; Mr Jim Naisbitt, (Herts) Sept 2023; Mrs L Greenwell-Bliss, (Cleveland) Oct 2023; Mr Kevin Ryan,(Cleveland) Nov 2023; Dr Narishta Ratnanather,

11

(London (closed)) Dec 2023; Dr Michael Ryan, (Herts) Jan 2024; Miss Moira O’Connor, (Croydon (closed)) Jan 2024; Mr Michael O’Hanlon (Edinburgh), December 2022; Mrs M Clement (unattached), Feb 2022 (Newman Association notified May 2023)

Josephine Way was President of the Association from 1995-7. Kevin Ryan served as Treasurer from 2015-20.

May they all rest in peace.

Cindy Hamill Membership Secretary

12