Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) (Registered charity, number 1044031) Financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2025 Page Contents Trustees, annual report Independent examiner's report Receipts & payments account statement of assets & liabilities Notes to the accounts 10 12 capLUS COivlll,LIPhil I I, P,4 'LOUNTINIi
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Trustees, annual report for the year ended 31 December 2025 Full name Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottinghaml other names by which the charity is known Nottingham Buddhist Centre Registered charlty number 1044031 Principal address 9 St Mary's Place, Lace Market, Nottingham. NG1 1PH Trustees Lucy Jane Spence (Kusaladevi), Chair Rachel Woodbum (Pasannacitta), Treasurer Gareth Austin (Dayajava), Secretary Joanne Coates {Kshantika) Comelia Anna Maria Remijn {Khemasiri) Monika Podgorska (Upekshanandi) Peter Robert Cox (Jnanaruchi) Paul Johnson (Danabha), until 12.10.25 Independent examlner Eva Stevens, employee of Community Accounting Plus, Units 1 & 2 North West, 41 Talbot Street, Nottingham, NG15GL Governance and management The charity is operated under the rules 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 hamiony 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 ar& nominated by the charity's members and appointed at the AGM as per the constitution. The constitution allows a minimum of 4 and maximum of 10 trustees. Eleven regular trustee (Council) meetings were held in 2025. Objectives and activities The object of the Triratna Buddhist Community is the advancement of the Buddhist religion. in particular: To encourage the members and oth8rs to live in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha., To support ordainod membèrs of thè Triratna Buddhist Ord@r 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 of the Triratna Buddhist Order and in co-operation with other groups with the same objècts.
Triratna Buddhist Community {Nottingham) Trustees, annual report for the year ended 31 December 2025 We are an intemational Buddhist movement bringing the Buddha's teaching to the general public. In 2021 The council rustees revisited the centre's vision and agreed key themes.. 1. Facing Ouard/reSpondIng to the world with the Buddha's teaching., 2. Deepening practice of the Buddha's teaching within our community; 3. Making the Buddha's teachings acSsible (by encouraging a divers8 and inclusive sanghalcommunity). We have sustained a diverse range of events and activities that make available the teachings and practlces of the Buddha to the local community. We run events for the general public and when possible, to educational establishments across the region. We run activities at the centre and in various locations outside. This year most of our activities have been in-person events, although we have maintained both online and hybrid events (both online and in person) to make our activities more accessible for those who find it difficult to attend in person. Publlc 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 guidan on public benefit. 'Charities and Public Benefit.. Summary of the maln actlviti•s undertaken for the publlc beneflt 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 more fully participate in all areas of their lives. Summary of the main achievements durlng the perlod In 2025, we ran regular sangha nights for the whole community to gather. We maintained a hybrid {in person and online) element for our sangha {comrnunity) nights, to ensure that as many people as possible can attend and to ensure we are more accessible to those who find it difficult to attend physically. This continued at one session each month. There continued to be a high demand for introductory courses in 2025. This meant that we could fulfil one of our main charitable objectives, reaGhing and introducing people to the Buddha's teachings, whilst also helping reduce the isolation present in socialy. We ran a number of other events to fulfil our charitable objectives. EVENTS The Buddhist centre runs regular classes and events for sangha members and also introductory classes for newcomers. We have 3 weekly drop in meditation classes, open to anyone who wishes to learn 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
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Trustees, annual report for the year ended 31 December 2025 Mitras and those doing the foundation course, puja nights (monthly), meditation mornings (occasional), introduction to Buddhism and meditation courses, follow on courses, men's and women's gatherings, sub 35 activities and the monthly People of Colour IEMPOC) 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 had a working retreat for women at Taraloka retreat centre in May and a working retreat for the whole sangha at A0xtOn retreat centre in August. The was also a December weekend retreat for women at Taraloka. We celebrated the main Buddhist festivals this year and added some additional special events such as study seminars. We also had some guest Order members visit from Triratna centres to offer events for our sangha. We started a new regular event for Mitras and Order members in October 2025- A Canto reading session, reading the Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava. This has been well met by our sangha. 2025 was a special year for the whole Triratna Buddhist Community, marking the 100th (centenary) year since the birth of our founder of the movement. For this reason, we had some particularly special events through the year. Four of us from Nottingham sangha attended the summer sanghas retreat at Adhisthana marking the centenary year. We also included video foolage of the history and lineage of the Triratna movement during the sangha day festival in November and our New Year's Eve event. The year began with a Nottingham Buddhist Centre sangha pilgrimage to India and Nepal to visit pilgrimage sites related to the Buddha. other historical Buddhist figures and the founder. Sangharakshita and his teachers. This was a very special and joyful Occasion and the reverberations from this were felt through the whole year in the sangha. For the first time this year, we were invited to have a stall at Sneinton festival (a local festival open to the public) in the summer, where we offered free meditation sessions. These were well attended and enjoyed. Yoga- Bodhiyoga is a regular part of the Buddhist centre offerings, on a donation basis. These classe5 are a wonderful way for the new people to meet the Buddhist centre, as well as supporting those who are regular in the sangha. This year there were a numbor of successful Yoga day retreats. which had benefits to our regular sangha, as wèll as introducing new people to the centr8. DONATIONS Our regular monthly donations were £4,000 lower than expected total for the year. This was because our phone campaign led to slightly less of an increase than we had hoped for. Our total donations for the year were £7,000 less than expected. The other
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Trustees, annual report for the year ended 31 December 2025 £3.000 of that is made up of small shortfalls from what we budgeted for classes, drop in meditations and meditation momings. We are very grateful for the generous donations we receive. The financial review below outlines more fully our financial outcom8 for the year. MAINTENANCE Regular maintenance occurred in the building this year as required. We undertook a big project as a sangha this y@ar- redecorating our shrine room. This was undertaken by around 25 of us (employees and volunteers). The result is beautifully decorated shrine room for all to enjoy. The decoration project was great to unite volunteers. cio Work continues to help us transition to being a CIO. OTHER ACTIVITIES We celebrated Light Night with the city of Nottingham- a wonderful event to open our doors to the public and share drinks and vegan cakes on a donation basis. This event was a successful fundraiser for us, as well as allowing people to enjoy our building and understand what we offer to the public. A number of people start8d attending our events following this. We had a Presidential visit from Ratnaghosha, who met with the Buddhist Centre Councll, Mltras and Order members, as well as other sangha members. H8 led a special event for Mitras training for Ordination. We continued with interfaith work this year. One of our trustees Rachel Woodburn (Pasannacitta) also continued her role as chaplain at the University of Nottingham. There have been some changes in the men's residential community above the centre. A new communlty member moved in during April and one moved out in September. Our safeguarding policies can be found on our website: htt s.'Ilnottin hambuddhistcentre.or lour- olicies Our safeguarding officer has co-ordinated the work to address any safeguarding issues throughout the y&ar. The details of what has been done by whom and why, have been securely logged by her. Our Safeguarding officer, Monika Podgorska Iupekshanandi), works closely with the Safèguarding trustee. Gareth Austin (Dayajava) and the Chair Lucy Spence {Kusaladevi). Many volunteers Joined or continued with us in 2025. for which we 8re 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. One of our trustees, Rachel Woodbum (Pasannacitta) has stepped in very fully as a
Trlratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Trustees, annual report for the year ended 31 December 2025 volunteer to support us especially since the summer of 2025, for which we are very grateful. This year, two people joined the Order, which was veryjoyful. Also, 5 people made the commitment of becoming Mitras and 4 people asked for Ordination. There are currently 19 active Order members. There are currently 74 Mitras and 31 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. We ran a very successful phone campalgn In May to raise more regular donations (standing order and donorbox) for the charity. This was also an excellent opportunity for people to volunteer. We raised around £8,000 over the year in new or increased monthly donations. The phone campaign was also a wonderful opportunity to talk to sangha members about what they value about the centre and get their feedback. There wss a lot of rejoicing and positive feedback about the Buddhist centre. We had a visit from a Triratna wide consultant in March to support us to find creatlve ways to attract and retain more men in our sangha - as part of a Triratna wide pattern, we had noticed fewer men committing and continuing far past our introductory courses. The result was a creative plan to engage men, including a new course structure we would start in 2026, which would encourage and support all people. but especially be accessible to men who may book last minute. or not be willing to wait months for the next course. EMPLOYEE CHANGES There have been a couple of changes in employees this year. Our part time salaried bookkeeper left in January. This role was taken on by our part time cent Administrator. Our Men's Mitra Convenor left in July 2025. His role has not yet been replaced. At the end of 2025, there were 2 supported Order members (Chair and Women's Mitra Convenor) and a Part time Centre and Finance Administrator. CHALLENGES At the 8nd of July 2025, the charity was the subject of local media coverage relating to the past sexual activity of Ihe (now deceased) founder of Triratna, Sangharakshita. Whilst this is not a local issue, some were unhappy that the Nottingham Buddhist Centre planned to celebrate the centenary of the founder of Triratna. Kusaladevi, the charity Chair, spoke to the reporter and communicated the ntre,$ procedures and challen9es in this area. This includes the centre having robust safeguarding policies and procedures to ensure prevention of harm. The matter was considered amongst the trustees and the charity infomied regular attendees that the article would be published. The article was reasonably balanced and had a limited Impact on the centre and beneficiaries.
Triratna Buddhist Communlty {Nottlngham) Trustees, annual report for the year ended 31 December 2025 Through this process, three people who were Mitra's stepped away from the Buddhist Centre and cancelled their regular donations and some other regular attendees requested more communication with members of the council, which we were happy to give. The charity continues to monitor reputstional risk. Flnancial revlew We've ended 2025 with a £4,315 surplus due mainly to our men's Mitra Convenor stepping down in September. It was agreed that we would pay a bonus of £4,000 to our Chair and Women's Mitra Convenor, the £4,315 surplus is after paying those bonuses. Our recurring donations increased in 2025 from about £2,5001month to about £3,5001month due to our phone campaign in May. In 2025 we did not run a 'Giving Month, appeal due to our phone campaign, but we still received about £2,000 from our annual Light Night installation - where we joined with a Nottingham city festival and welcomed many visitors to our centre. Flnancial rlsks 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 Ihis risk by keeping a close eye on regular giving each month, so we will be able to respond quickly to changes. We also plan 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 stoms which may cause damage which we'll need to repair. The charfty's policy on reserves We rely on income from regular donations, from ev8nt-specific donations and from rent of our building to cover our operational costs. If any of those three were to decrease substantially, we would rtreed to rely on our feserves to cover those costs until we were able to increase income again or cut costs in some way. It's also possible that we will face 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 months of operating Costs in ordèr to protect against these risks. At the end of 2025, our reserves stood at £35,000 representing 4.2 months of projected costs. This is in line with our policy and a bit better than last year and approaching the middle of our target range. We will Continue to monitor our reserves. It is still important
Trlratna Buddhlst Community (Nottingham) Trustees, annual report for the year ended 31 December 2025 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 Sp Date ce {Kusaladevi), Trustea
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottlngham) for the year ended 31 December 2025 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) (the charity) for the year ended 31 December 2025. Responsibllltles and basis of report As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). I report in respect of my examination of the charity's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Acl and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 14515)(b) of the Act. Independent examlner's 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 spect: l. accounting records were not kept in SpeCt of the charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord wlth those records. 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 proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Signed Eva Stevens Bsc, CPFA Employee of Community Accounting Plus Date
Triratna Buddhist Community (Nottingham) Receipts & payments account for the year ended 31 December 2025 2024 2025 Noto Receipts 3073 Activities contributions 648 Bank irrterest 11130 Gift Aid reclaim 67620 Grants & donations 15964 Rent 2753 Sales 101188 Total receipts 2188 490 12640 68546 23551 2548 109963 Payments 1629 Actimties & ents 1587 Bank and transaction charges 2048 Consumable items 4233 Donations paid 500 Equipment, repairs & renewals 1194 FurTrJraisiro & publicity 732 Independent 6xamination fee 1794 Insurance 1393 Payroll & professional seNices 10127 Premises 336 PrintiryJ & stationery 1887 SIK)p purchases 68359 Support costs 993 TelephorE & postage 6249 Training. accommodation & retreat eenSeS Sundry payments Total payments 1657 1931 2068 3173 752 1464 732 2179 1625 10739 535 1344 70683 785 5970 103061 105648 (1873) Net recelptsl(payments} 32659 Cash funds at start of this period 30786 Cash funds at end of this perlod 4315 30786 35101 10
Trlratna Buddhist Communlty (Nottingham) Statement of assets and Ilabllltles at 31 December 2025 2024 2025 Cash assets Bank accounts Cash in haTr 30786 35081 20 35101 30786 Other monetary assets Debtors - Bank interest Prepayments - irtsUrae Stock 265 747 5082 6094 61 998 6119 7178 Assets retained for the charhy's own use LaThY & buildirKJ purchased in 1995, cost £135,000 Gera1 equipment retained for use by charity. Llabllities Creditors 1141 {1141) 2970 2970 These financial statements are accepted on behalf of the charty by: Signed Rachel Woodburn (Pasannacitta), Trustee Date 1317Qo
Triratna Buddhist Communlty (Nottingham) Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 December 2025 l. Recelpts & payments accounts Receipts and payments accounts contain a summary of money reIved and money spent during the period and a list of assets and liabilities at the end of the period. Usually. cash received and cash spent will include transactions through bank accounts and cash in hand. 2. Grants & donatlons Sundry donations 68546 68546 3. Credltors Support costs Independent examination fee 2208 762 2970 4. Premlses & staff Council tax Ulilities & servicing Maintenance & repairs 2643 7299 797 10739 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 2024 at £734.820. 5. Trustees, remuneratlon Three Trustees are ordained Buddhists and they received financial support in the fomi of support pay totalling £48,539 (gross pay), this includes an allowance towards retreats. Two of these trustees also received travel expenses totalling £808. Another trustee received £791 which was 50Wo of donation takings for the yoga class she delivered. 6. Related party transactlons There were no related paty transactions during the period. 7. Glossary of terms Creditors: These are amounts owed by the charity, but not paid during the accounting perlod. Debtors: These are amounts owed to the charity, but not received In the accounting period. Prepayments: These are services that the charity has paid for in advance, but not used during the accounting perlod. 12