Genesis Research & Education Foundation
Report and Financial Statements Year ended 31st December 2023 Charity No.: 1081334
| Contents | Page |
|---|---|
| Legal & Administrative Information | 3 |
| Report of the Trustees | 4 |
| Status & Objects | 4 |
| Organisational Structure | 4 |
| Progress Report | 5 |
| Reporting Serious Incidents | 7 |
| Approval by the Trustees | 7 |
| Receipts & Payments Account | 8 |
| Statement of Assets & Liabilities | 10 |
| Report of the Independent Examiner | 11 |
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Legal & Administrative Information
Trustees
Mr Adrian Umpleby (Chairman) Mr Stephen Alliband (Treasurer) Dr Paul Burgess (Secretary)
Advisors to the Trustees
Mr Matt Hudson Mrs Madeline Umpleby
Director
Dr David Ellis
Principal Office
Genesis Research & Education Foundation PO Box 300 London SE11 5WP
Independent Examiner
Mr Darren Warren Paxton Independent Examiners 61a High Street South Rushden Northants NN10 0RA
Bankers
Santander UK plc Bridle Road Bootle Merseyside L30 4GB
Solicitors
Stewardship 1 Lamb's Passage EC1Y 8AB
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Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 31st December 2023
The Trustees present their report together with the financial statements of the Charity for the year ending 31st December 2023. This report is prepared in accordance with the Trust Deed and complies with the applicable law.
Status & Objects
Genesis Research & Education Foundation is a Charitable Trust. Its Trust Deed was dated 6th November 1998, and modified by a Supplementary Deed dated 10th June 2000. It became a Registered Charity on 29th June 2000.
The objects of the Charity are as follows:
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(A) The advancement of research and education in disciplines relating to the origin and development of the universe, of life, and of man and civilisation.
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(B) The advancement of the Christian religion, with particular reference to the relationship between the Christian religion and science, archaeology, ancient history, medicine and philosophy.
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(C) The relief of sickness, poverty and hardship, especially by applying innovative scientific and technological methods to areas such as agriculture and medicine, methods which may be developed through research carried out under object (A).
and these objects are to be fulfilled within the United Kingdom or elsewhere in the world as the Trustees may from time to time decide.
Organisational Structure
Genesis Research & Education Foundation is governed by three Trustees, supported by two formal Advisors to the Trustees. The Trustees & Advisors receive no payment for their work, nor do any members of their families.
The Trustees mandate an executive Director who is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Charity. The Director in turn co-ordinates a team of key volunteers. The Charity does not employ formally salaried workers; but those working for it are remunerated as contractors or are given honoraria.
Our library, museum & laboratory facilities are divided between the two locations.
Our beneficiaries are specialist groups of scientists & archaeologists, university students, school children, and the wider public in general.
Much of our work is in the UK; but other aspects are carried out in Europe, the Middle East, and in East Asia, amongst other places.
The Charity has a reserves policy, reviewed by the Trustees annually, allowing the Charity to continue operating for at least 3 months, should all funding suddenly cease, and much longer if the Charity’s substantial reserve of assets were to be progressively sold.
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Progress Report
Students, academics & other members of the general public can usually have access there, by appointment, to our library and museum collections, and also the opportunity to meet members of our team involved in primary research supported by the charity, and thereby to take part in evidence-based discussions & presentations. Access this year has been somewhat more limited though, whilst refurbishments and reorganisation of the museum & library collections have been taking place.
Public demonstration lectures are one of our signature activities, as inspired by the founding scientists of The Royal Institution of Great Britain. These continued both in museums and in the field, supplemented by online slideshow lectures via videoconferencing. The latter allowed audience members to join us from distant parts of the UK, Europe, and as far as East Asia. Participants on different occasions were members of the general public, including school children sometimes, and university students & academics.
Public presentations this year covered aspects of astronomy & cosmology; palaeoanthropology, palaeontology & ecology; Egyptian, Levantine, Persian & Roman archaeology; and the history and philosophy of science. Particular highlights included a winter night’s star watching in the depths of Surrey through our new telescopes; a visit to the early Neanderthal site at Swanscombe in Kent, with the chance to handle contemporary stone tools and fossils of ice age mammals; and an ecological excursion to Beachy Head studying zonation in seashore life and the adaptations of chalk downland flora & fauna. Presentations were well attended and, in some cases, over-booked. Risk analysis was carried out for all excursions; and thermal wear, sunscreen and tick sprays were offered, as appropriate. Private presentations and mentoring sessions have continued too, to groups and individuals, both in person and online.
Work on our library included the acquisition of over 40 additional monographs, with books in the categories of biology, palaeontology, archaeology and polemics being purchased most frequently this time. The most expensive acquisitions were technical academic reports on human origins. New additions usually had a direct connection with the public presentations being offered at the time, and with our own ongoing research projects. Subscriptions were maintained for some 15 leading current journals, from across the fields of science & archaeology, and also in some cases the interface with philosophical & theological viewpoints. Historical documents included prints, past newspapers & magazines, all relevant to key discoveries. These provide both research materials, and also tangible connections with primary historical materials for participants to scrutinise.
New fossils have ranged from collections of Mesozoic invertebrates to examples of mammals from the last Ice Age. These have been acquired as part of a long-term project illustrating the nature & development of the geological column; to exemplify specific educational points; and for research purposes. Particular work was also done in acquiring further casts and replicas of fossil hominins for the discussion of human origins, most notably rarely available casts of the Neanderthal type skeleton and of the Swanscombe skull. Archaeological objects have included lithics contemporary with the original hominins, and ceramic vessels illustrating typological development and the ways of life in ancient Israel. Many of these museum objects have already been used in presentations. They also have research value, for example, in the case of ancient pottery, for training students to recognise sherds in our excavation work in Israel.
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As always, great care has been taken to ensure that these objects have been legally acquired. In the case of the antiquities, for example – of greatest concern, because of the especially fragile nature of the archaeological record – objects were from carefully selected old collections, certified dealers, and mainly from regulated professional auctions, with appropriate export licences. This approach discourages new illegal excavations which damage archaeological sites. – The Charity does not support the personal ownership of antiquities, believing that those already in circulation should find their way into publicly accessible educational collections, or be returned to their country of origin in the case of objects of particular value. Indeed, giving the public the chance to handle antiquities directly is not only a significant educational experience: it reduces the need for participants to purchase their own exemplars.
With regard to research, in addition to work on the literature and writing, fieldwork this year was mainly on the geology & palaeontology of the Cretaceous chalk in Sussex; the wildfowl of UK wetlands; and museum studies in the British Museum on ancient Egypt & Iran. In the field of evolutionary genetics, we continue to support a long-term project on the brightly coloured western European Grove Snail, Cepaea nemoralis , in the central Pyrenees, investigating evolutionary stasis amongst other phenomena. Support of the Egypt in Israel Project continued too, although a formal archaeological field season in Jerusalem this summer was not possible.
In terms of equipment, the most important acquisition this year was a nearly new Ford Focus Estate Active X to replace our previous 24-year-old vehicle. This new car has environmental advantages as it is a 3-cylinder, mild hybrid. It is also suitable for rougher fieldwork, as well as for transporting sizable displays to venues, and people and team members in the everyday course of the work. – Some large donations this year made this long-awaited purchase possible; and we are very grateful to our faithful supporters for their generosity in so many different ways. Other main items acquired were equipment for astronomy, and for sampling & microscopy in biological fieldwork.
Sponsorships this year included financial support for six similar causes; entrance tickets and travel refunds for those attending our presentations; ongoing living expenses for workers in the UK and further afield; and books given away for educational purposes.
More generally, we've continued to network & collaborate with individuals, projects, universities, museums, and similar charitable organisations worldwide. A professional email automation service has helped us improve the quality of updates. This year we've particularly worked with, or supported, those in other parts of the UK, Europe, Lebanon & Southeast Asia.
As always, a central aim has been to place primary evidence relating to diverse questions from across the field of Origins into the hands of the public, in order that people might come to their own conclusions, as objectively as possible, by being fully and accurately informed. These matters are important since they contribute to the foundational philosophies of human society, and to the quest for meaning & purpose in the lives of individuals. Over the last year, many have benefited to this end, not only through gaining intellectual knowledge, but also in life-changing ways.
The Trustees are therefore glad to confirm that all of our activities have been directed towards public advantage, and that neither they, nor their families, have gained any material benefit.
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Reporting Serious Incidents
The Charity Commission requires that the trustees of a charity with annual income greater than £ 25 000 report serious incidents. The Trustees understand "serious incidents" to include the following:
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Significant fraud, theft or loss of funds.
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Significant sums of money or other property donated to the charity from an unknown or unverified source.
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The charity (including individual staff or trustees or both) has any known or alleged link to a proscribed organisation or to terrorist or other unlawful activities.
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A person disqualified from acting as a trustee has been or is currently acting as a trustee of the charity.
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The charity does not have a policy for safeguarding its vulnerable beneficiaries (e.g. children and young people, people with disabilities and the elderly /old people.)
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The charity has no vetting procedure to ensure that a trustee or member of staff is eligible to act in the position he or she is being appointed to.
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Beneficiaries have been or are suspected of being abused or mistreated.
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The charity has been subject to a criminal investigation or an investigation by another regulator or agency; or sanctions have been imposed or concerns raised by another regulator or agency (e.g. the Health and Safety Executive, or Ofsted).
The Trustees hereby report no such incidents.
Report Approval
Report approved by the Trustees, 28th October 2024.
Signed on behalf of the Trustees:
Adrian P. Umpleby Chairman
Signed original kept in the charity’s archive
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Receipts & Payments Account for year ended 31st December 2023
| RECEIPTS | £ | £ |
|---|---|---|
| Income Receipts | ||
| From voluntary sources: | ||
| Donations – individuals | 50 686 | |
| Donations – organisations | 56 | |
| Gift Aid | 10 094 | 60 836 |
| _ | ||
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | 60 836 | |
| PAYMENTS | £ | £ |
| Charitable activity direct expenditure | ||
| Equipment: | ||
| Office, electrical & general | 322 | |
| Library, museum & laboratory | 121 | |
| Presentation & demonstration | 675 | |
| Fieldwork | 759 | |
| Computer hardware | 215 | |
| Computer software | 158 | |
| Computer consumables (incl. ISP fees) | 1 392 | |
| Specimens: | ||
| Biological, geological, palaeontological | ||
| & archaeological | 15 495 | |
| Media: | ||
| Books, journals & maps (incl. e-books) | 2 010 | |
| Audio (CD/SFX), video (DVD) & slides | 16 | |
| Photographic library (digital) | 116 | |
| Information (education & research): | ||
| Stationery | 45 | |
| Postage & packaging | 230 | |
| Telephone & communications | 1 020 | |
| Entrance fees | 136 | |
| Support: | ||
| Membership & subscriptions | 323 | |
| Donations & honoraria | 4 912 | 27 945 |
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| Other payments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle costs | 25 035 | |
| Travel & transport | 362 | |
| Hospitality | 126 | |
| Insurances | 1 025 | |
| Licences, customs & miscellaneous fees | 745 | |
| Training | 145 | 27 438 |
| _ | ||
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | 55 383 | |
| Net receipts for the year | 5 453 | |
| Bank Current Account & Cash Balance as at 31st December 2022 | 6 787 | |
| _ | ||
| Bank Current Account & Cash Balance as at 31st December 2023 | 12 240 |
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Statement of Assets & Liabilities as at 31st December 2023
(numbers in brackets are from 2022 statement)
| £ | £ | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monetary Assets | ||||
| Bank Account | (6 787) | 12 240 | ||
| Cash Tin | (0) | 0 |
||
| SUB-TOTAL | (6 787) | 12 240 | ||
| Other Assets | ||||
| Furniture | ||||
| Office, library, museum & laboratory | (220) | 190 |
||
| Equipment | ||||
| Office, museum, laboratory & general | (3 300) | 2 900 | ||
| Electrical & telecommunications | (1 850) | 1 400 | ||
| Fieldwork | (850) | 1 700 | ||
| Audio, photographic, video, film & art | (800) | 700 |
||
| Computer hardware & software | (3 450) | 2 600 | 9 300 | |
| Specimens | ||||
| Biological, geological, palaeontological | ||||
| & archaeological | (72 | 100)85 400 | ||
| Media | ||||
| Books, journals & maps | (9 500) | 8 900 | ||
| Audio tapes & CDs, slides, videos & DVDs | (500) | 500 |
9 400 | |
| Transport | ||||
| Vehicles | (850)24 000 | |||
| _ | ||||
| TOTAL | (100 207) | 141 240 | ||
| Liabilities | ||||
| _ | ||||
| TOTAL | (0) | 0 | ||
| _ | ||||
| NET ASSETS | (100 207) | 141 240 |
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Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Genesis Research & Education Foundation Charity Number 1081334
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity Genesis Research & Education Foundation (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Responsibilities and Basis of Report
The Charity’s Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (CA2011 – “the Act”). The Charity’s Trustees consider that an audit is not required for the year ended 31 December 2023 under section 144(2) of CA2011.
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the CA2011 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 Examiner's Statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which give me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
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the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or
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the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or
• the accounts did 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.
Name: Mr Darren Warren – Paxton Independent Examiners
Relevant professional qualification or membership of professional bodies (if any):
FMAAT
Address: 61a High Street South, Rushden, Northants, NN10 0RA Date: 18th October 2024 Signed:
Signed original kept in the charity’s archive
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