Triratna Buddhist Communlty (Nottlngham) (Registered charity, nurnber 1044031) Flnancial statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 Page Contents Trustees, annual report Independent exam inerfs report Receipts & payments account Statement of assets & liabilities Notes to the accounts 10 capLUS uCIl,'IIILI.'lJiTY i'iLLUUNTiiNG
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Trustees, annual report for the year ended 31 December 2023 Full name Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingharn) Other names by which the charity is known Nottingham Buddhist Centre Reglstered charlty number 1044031 Principal address 9 St Marrfs Place, La Market, Nottingham, NG1 1 PH Trustees Lucy Jane Spence (Kusaladevi), Chair, Rachel Woodburn. Treasurer Gareth Austin (Dayajava). Secretary Joanne Coates (Kshantika) Cornelia Anna Maria Remijn (Khemasiri) Paul Johnson Upekshanandi Monika Podgorska, frorn 27.3.23 Peter Robert Cox (Jnanaruchi), from 27.3.23 Jesus Marquez Briceno (Aryavacin) until 20.2.23 Dory Lake (Karunavaca), until 22.5.23 Jyotida Melboume. until 28.7.23 Independent examiner John O'Brien. employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West. 41 Talbot StreeL Nottsngham, NG15GL Governance and management The charity is operated under the njles of its constitution adopted 23 October 1994 and most recently amended 27 March 2011. All new trustees are invited through discussion between existing trustees (the Council), to ensure that they are in harmony with the aims of the charity. In practice this means that trustees are selected from the pool of ordained Buddhists and those who have requested Ordination in Triratna in Nottingham. Trustees are nominated by the charitls members and appointed at the AGM as per the constitution. The constitution allows a minimum of 4 and maximum of 10 trustees. Fifteen regular trustee (Council) meetings were held in 2023. Objectives and activlties The object of the Triratna Buddhist Community is the advancement of the Buddhist religion. in particular: To encourage the mernbers and others to live in ac(J)rdance with the teachings of the Buddha; To support ordained members of the Triratna Buddhist Order and other duly ordained Buddhists. at the discretion of the council of the Nottingham Buddhist Centre. To maintain close communication with, and work under the guidance ol the Triratna Buddhist Order and in co-operation with other groups with the same objects.
Triratna Buddhist Communlty (Nottingham) We are an intemational Buddhist movement bringing the Buddha's teaching to the general public. In 2021 The Counciltrrustees revisited the centre's vision and agreed key themes." 1 . Facing outwardlresponding to the world with the Buddha's teathing; 2. Deepening practi of the Buddha's teaching within our community; 3. Making the Buddha's teachings accessible (by encouraging a diverse and inclusive sangha/comrnunity). We have sustained a diverse range of events and activities that make available the teachings and practices of the Buddha to the local cornrnunity. We run events for the general public and when possible. to educational establishments across the region. We run activities at the ntre and in various locations outside. This year most of our activities have moved back to in-person events, although we have maintained t)oth online and hybrid events (t)oth online and in person) to make our activities more acSsible for those who find it difficult to attend in person. Public beneflt statement The Trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit. 'Charities and Public Benefir. Summary of the main actlvities undertaken for the public benefit Meditation classes and Buddhist teachings can provide valuable support to people and assist them to deal with the uncertainties of their lives and meditation can improve mental health and decrease stress. This can enable people to rnore fully participate in all areas of their lives. Summary of the maln achievements durlng the period In 2023, our activities were back in person at the Buddhist Centre. We maintained a hybrid (in person and online) element for our sangha (cornmunity) nights, to ensure that as many people as possible &qn attend and to ensure we are more accessible to those who find it difficult to attend physically. There continued to be a high demand for Introductory courses in 2023, which seemed to be due to people coming out of the Covid 19 lockdowns and searching for community and Buddhist teaching to support their lives and the suffering they had encountered. This meant that we could fulfil one of our main charitable objectives, reaching and intr(¥Jucing people to the Buddha's teachings, whilst also helping reduce the isolation present in society due to the pandemic. EVENTS The Buddhist Centre runs regular classes and events for sangha members and also introductory classes for newcomers. We have now increased to 3 weekly drop in
Trlratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) meditation classes, open to anyone who wishes to leam meditation. These have been popular and full throughout the year. Our main regular events this year were sangha night for the whole community (weekly), Drop in meditation classes (3x weekly), study sessions for Mitras and those doing the foundation course, puja nights (monthly), meditation momings (occasional), Introduction to Buddhism and Meditation courses, follow on courses, men's and women's gatherings, sub 35 adivities and the monthly People of Colour (EMPOC) group. We also had a residential retreat for the sangha, some guest run weekends at the Buddhist Centre and some Order Member and Mitra gatherings. We also celebrated the main Buddhist festivals this year. Yoga - Bodhiyoga is a regular part of the Buddhist centre offerings, on a donation basis. These classes are a wonderful way for new people to meet the Buddhist centre. as well as supporting those who are regular in the sangha. This year there were a number of successful Yoga day retreats, which had benefits to our regular sangha, as well as introducing new people to the centre. We held special events during Buddhist Action Month in June, including a working day in partnership with Stonebridge City Fami, a local fanm charity and a street meditation to raise awareness of the benefits of stillness and meditation in the rnidst of busy lives. DONATIONS Regular monthly donations were as expected throughout the year. Our total donations for the year were around £2700 higher than budgeted. We are very grateful for these generous donations. MAINTENANCE We were approached to take part in a Nottingham Trent University Sustainability in Enterprise project back in 2022. As part of this project. students came to assess the sustainability of our building and make suggestions as to how we rnight become rnore environmentally sustainable and use less CaOn. Of the suggestions made. the work we chose to carry out in 2022 was to double glaze the windows at the back ol the building and to install new insulation in the loft space. We received a grant in January 2023 towards 400/0 ol the woth carried out thanks to the project. We successfully fundraised for the remaining amount in February 2023. Other Regular maintenance occurred in the building this year as required. cio Work continues to help us transition to being a CIO.
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) OTHER ACTIVITIES We had a Presidential visit from Ratnaghosha. who met with the Buddhist Centre council. Mitras and Order members, as well as other sangha members. He also led a morning for volunteers. Jnanaruchi became the new Men's Mitra Convenor in October 2023. We continued with Interfaith work this year. One of our Trustees, Rachel Woodbum. is now a chaplain at the University of Nottingham. There have been some changes in the men's residential community above the ntre. A new community member moved in during January 2023. A second moved in during June 2023. Another rnoved out in June 2023. We adopted new Safeguarding policies for 2023 - these &an be found on our website: htt s:l/nottin hambuddhistcentre.or /our- olicies Our safeguarding officer has co-ordinated the work to address any safeguarding issues throughout the year. The details of what has been done by whom and why. have been securely logged by her. We appointed a new Safeguarding officer. Upekshanandi Monika Podgorska, on 27th March 2023 and a new Safeguarding Trustee, Gareth Austin (Dayajava) on 24th July 2023. Many volunteers joined or continued with us in 2023, for which we are so grateful. As well as supporting the Centre's activities, volunteering is an opportunity for members of our sangha to creatively engage together on projects, as part of their Dharma practice. This year. two people joined the Order, which was very joyful. Also. twelve people made the commitrnent of becoming Mitras and 5 people asked for ordination. There are currently 13 active Order members. There are currently 54 Mitras and 27 of them have requested Ordination. The Buddhist Centre and sangha are thriving. with many people making commitments in their Buddhist practice and supporting each other, as well as newcomers. in their Buddhist practice. EMPLOYEE CHANGES The Men's Mitra Convenor, Aryavacin, left at the end of Jan 2023. The Buddhist Centre Council extended thanks for all his work over his time working at the centre. He has given much love and energy to support the centre. Our Centre Manager, Dayajava. left at the beginning of October 2023. The Buddhist Centre Council extended thanks for all his work over his time working at the centre. He has been very generous in the time and energy he has given to support the centre.
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) A new Men's Mitra Convenor, Jnanaruchi and a new Centre Administrator, Eve, started in October 2023- we are very glad to have them as part of the team. At the point of writing, there are 3 supported Order Members (Chair, Women's Mitra Convenor and Men's Mitra Convenor), a PT salaried Centre Administrator and a PT salaried bookkeeper. Financial review We've ended 2023 with just under £12.000 surplus. Even once we allocate £10.000 of that to cover the shortfall we had last year (due to our 2022 building work for which grant money and fundraising came in 2023). we still brought in £2000 more than we spent in 2023. This is good news as it allows us to plan for further growth in our Centre. Our recurring donations continue their steady rise year on year, another encouraging sign of our financial health as well as the number and commitment of our members. We were also very pleased wth the SucsS of a new fundraising campaign we ran in 2023, 'February is Giving Month.. Through two large events and a well-designed regular giving campaign, all run by a team of dedicated rnembers of our community with the help of many other community members. we were able to raise around £6000 in one-off donations and £400 per month in increased regular giving. We plan to make Giving Month an annual event. Financial risks As stated above, we face financial risks from any decreases in regular donations, in event-specific donations, or in rent. Of these three, the biggest risk is probably in regular donations, which is likely to be sensitive to the economic environment. As living costs and inflation increase, donors may have less income available to give us. We mitigate this risk by keeping a close eye on regular giving each month, so we will be able to resFK)nd quickly to changes. We also an to do a regular giving appeal each year. On the cost side, we also face risks associated with our building. particularly as the climate crisis leads to more frequent and more severe storms which may cause damage which we'll need to repair. We have replaced windows on the north side of the building as well as improving our loft insulation in 2022, so we can feel confident that we shouldn't need to do more in that area in the near future. The charitys policy on reserves We rely on income Irom regular donations, from event-specific donations and from rent of our building to cover our operational costs. If any of those three were to decrease substantially, we would need to rely on our reserves to cover those costs until we were able to increase income again or costs in some way. It's also possible that we will lace an unexpected one-off cost, most likely if we needed an emergency repair or upgrade to our building. We consider it prudent to maintain reserves representing 3-6 months of operating costs in order to protect against these risks.
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) At the end of 2023, our reseNes stood at £28,241 representing 3.1 months of projected costs. This is in line with our policy, but on the low end. This is due to our increased plans for spending in 2024 in order to provide more services to our community and to the wider Nottingham public. For example, we are offering an extra six-week Introduction to Buddhism & Meditation course this year. It's important to us to make good use of the funds generously donated to us, and while remaining financially prudent, not tying up too much of them in reserves. Signed on behalf of the charity's trustees: Signed Lucy Jane Spenc Date (Kusaladevi). Trustee
Independent examinetrs report to the trustees of Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) for the year ended 31 December 2023 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2023. Responsibilities and basis of report As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordan with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). I report in respect of rny examination of the charity'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 Act. Independent examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confirm that no 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 charity as required by section 130 of the Act" or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records. I have no concems 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 John O'Brien MSC, CCA, FCIE Employee of Comrnunity Accounting Plus Date
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 December 2023 20 Note Receipts Activities contri bulior6 Bank interest Gift Aid reclaim Grarts & donatiorB Rent Sales SurL1ryirrne Totsl receipts 3012 53 7524 51363 15920 2655 3824 315 10512 64262 19225 3526 877 102541 80527 Payments Activities & events Bank trarLsaction charges Cortsumable items Donations paid Equipmerrt. repairs & rerEwals FurKlraisiro & publicity leperKlent exami nation fee knSurare Payroll & professional seNces Premises PrintirKJ & statiorEry SIK)p purchases Support costs Tep1K)ne & postage Trai riro, accommodation & retreat expenses sU1ry payments Total payments 972 974 1033 2145 879 420 612 1983 851 18482 108 1325 52739 132 1117 1748 2501 803 1204 630 2261 1273 11244 243 2222 58542 901 5734 7479 90886 90563 (10359) Net receiptsl(payments) 31040 Cash furxls at start of this period 20681 Cash funds at end of this period 11978 20681 32659
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Statement of assets and liabilities at 31 December 2023 Cash assets Bank accoLrts Cash in hatKI Nole 20673 32659 20681 32659 Other monetary assets Debtors - Bank interest Prepayments - knSurare Stock 4129 826 6402 11357 142 942 6424 7508 Assets retained forthe charity's own use Lar£1 & buikJirKJ purchased in 1995, cost £135,000 GerEral equipment retairEd for use by charity Liabillties 1145 L Creditors (1145) 1213 (1213) These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charity by: Signed Rachel Woodburn, Trustee Dated 10
Triratna Buddhist Communlty (Nottingham) Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2023 1. Recelpts & payments accounts Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money received and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usualty, cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand. 2. Grants & donations Nottingham Trent Building rna1ntenan donations Sundry donations 4077 5625 54560 64262 3. Premises Council tax Utilities & servicing Maintenance & repairs 2400 7939 905 11244 4. Creditors Support costs Independent examination fee 481 732 1213 5. Premises The premises are owned by the Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham). The cost of the property in 1995 was £135,000. the property was last valued in 2019 at approximately £350,000. 6. Trustees, remuneration 6 Tnjstees are ordained Buddhists and they received financial support in the form of a salary totalling £46,635. Trustees are also allowed £1,800 each a year towards retreats. Another trustee reiVed £1.115 which was 500/0 of donation takings foi the yoga class she delivered.
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Notes to the accounts (continued) for the year ended 31 December 2023 7. Related party transactions There were no related paty transactions during the period. 8. Glossary of terms Creditors: These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting period. Debtors: These are amounts owed to the charity. but not reiVed in the accounting period. Prepayments: These are services that the charity has paid for in advance. but not used during the accounting period. 12