For Ethiopian Heritage Fund The Charity Commission Return 2023
Charity Number 1110969
Address
Castle House Eardisley HR3 6NT
Trustees
Blair Priday Catherine de Meillac Cathy Giangrande Judith van Helden
Executive
Blair Priday
Independent Examiner
Helen Powers The Coach House Lower Breinton HR4 7PG
Constitution of the Trust
The Ethiopian Heritage Fund was constituted under a trust deed on 9 March 2005 and registered with the commission on 22 August 2005.
Trustees are appointed by the incumbent trustees in conjunction with the executive.
Mission statement
Working with national heritage organisations, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the regional bureaus of culture, the charity undertakes conservation and documentation of the churches’ artifacts and paintings. It also provides advice and education on their maintenance. Its other stated aim is to raise awareness of these beautiful objects within Ethiopia and internationally and to increase tourism in rural areas.
Reserves Policy
Our work is project-based and is subject to the approval of several Ethiopian agencies and the availability of experts to undertake the projects. It is therefore difficult to predict accurately the spending year to year. We aim to have sufficient reserves to exceed any unfunded expenditure predicted for the year. At the year-end reserves stood at £17859.
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Public Benefit Statement
Trustees are aware of the Charity Commission guidance on Charity and Public Benefit and confirm that they have complied with the duty in Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to it. They consider the full information which follows in this annual report, about the Trust’s aims, activities and achievements in the many areas of interest that the Trust supports, demonstrates the benefit to its beneficiaries, and through them to the public, that arise from those activities.
Financial Year 2023
Since the charity was set up in 2005, the Ethiopian Heritage Fund has been actively involved in the conservation and monitoring of the condition of manuscripts, icons, crosses and wallpaintings in the churches of Ethiopia.
The charity has also undertaken training of local guides and conservation professionals in order to enhance their knowledge and appreciation of the churches, their history and the remarkable craftmanship of their creators. It enables locals to provide informed commentary for tourism clients.
Communities actively worship in the churches. They appreciate the work we undertake to conserve the important history of these ancient buildings. Our work also helps to alert the community and the cultural bureaus of the potential and real threats to the buildings and their decorations.
Tourism had been growing in these rural areas as travellers seek out these authentic places of worship bringing much needed revenue. The war has dramatically reduced the number of tourists visiting Tigray. However, the end of the war and the rebuilding of the infrastructure may see visitors returning in greater numbers.
In 2019 we began a survey of the wall-paintings in the rock-hewn churches of Tigray. This is an important source of information as it will form a base from which the heritage authorities can assess the conditions of the wall-paintings over time.
Covid and the civil war which was centred in Tigray made it difficult to complete as we were unable to visit the region until 2023.
In September 2023, Lisa Shekede and Stephen Rickerby returned to Tigray to visit the important wall-painted churches to assess the impact the war had had on the paintings. Some churches had been shelled as people took shelter in them.
The survey of 17 sites was completed and the report written by October 2023. The findings can be viewed at through the link below.
htps://www.ethiopianheritagefund.org/events-publicaton
Damage to and loss of wall paintings in Tigray’s churches are occurring at an alarming rate. Although natural deterioration relating to geological context and environmental exposure are longstanding and real concerns, the greater and more immediate threats come from human action (and inaction). Well-meaning but misguided local attempts at renovation are a primary cause of deliberate or unintended obliteration or destruction of paintings. Survey findings to date indicate that almost 20% of all known wall paintings in Tigray have disappeared in the last 50 years; half of this amount has been lost in the last 10 years.
The post-war visit revealed that the war has also had a detrimental effect on some of the church sites. More work will be needed to assess what the long-term risk that poses to these unique sites and their paintings. Other unvisited churches were said to have sustained some bombardment but in the short time available, it was difficult to assess how urgent any conservation measures might be.
These trips and the report were funded by the Gerda Henkel Stiftung.
In 2023, we also were able to fund the digitisation of historical information about the rockhewn churches and their paintings held at Ethiopian Heritage Authority in Addis Ababa. To have access to an historic data base is invaluable when trying to assess the deterioration of the churches over time.
These two initiative will prove invaluable in assessing the war damage to the churches and to inform a conservation strategy for the future.
Financial Review
Because of the war, it has been difficult to make plans for our work in Ethiopia. In 2023, we undertook a survey of war damage to the important rock-hewn churches in Tigray. also completed an extensive report detailing the wall-paintings surveyed in our trip in 2019. In total we received £24,307 from The Gerda Henkel Stiftung
We also received £2,218 in private donations. We did not actively seek any further funding as it was not clear whether we would be able to safely undertake work in the region.
At the beginning of 2023, the charity had cash reserves of £35,301.
The original project of 2019 was to undertake a further visit to document smaller churches with less known paintings.
However, given the length and intensity of the war, Gerda Henkel Stiftung agreed that we could repurpose the funds to visit the important painting sites to assess the impact of the war on their condition.
The visit to Tigray was successfully concluded and later in the year, an extensive report on the sites and condition of the churches was completed. This report was a culmination of the visits undertaken since 2019. (see link above).
Funding of the digitisation project of £3700 came from our general funds.
At the end of 2023 the charity had £17,859 in reserves.
Future Projects
EHF has undertaken to write a report on the war damage to the condition of the paintings in the churches visited in September 2023.
EHF has also been asked to return to Dengelat to undertake a survey of the incredible wall paintings found in this abandoned church. Because the way up to the entrance collapsed some time ago, access is only available by being hoisted up the cliff face. The project will be a unique chance to make a lasting comprehensive record of the church site and its incredible paintings.
Shelling had damaged Debre Tsion where the plaster was already in a concerning state. It appears that quite a large amount of plaster has now fallen from the walls and ceiling and more may be in a very precarious condition. The roof of this church has recently been repaired with the support of the World Monuments Fund. EHF intend to return to Debre Tsion to try and conserve the plaster and paintings of this nationally important church.
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Charity Name No (if any) Ethiopian Heritage Fund 1110969 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 1/1/2023 12/31/2023
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts Grants and donations 2,218 - - - - - - - 2,218 - - Sub total - Total receipts 2,218 A3 Payments Surveyand report - exhibition - digitisation 3,700 cost of sales 1,432 - - - - - Sub total 5,132 - - Sub total - Total payments 5,132 Net of receipts/(payments) - 2,914 A5 Transfers between funds - A6 Cash funds last year end 35,301 Cash funds this year end 32,387 Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ Sub total(Gross income for AR) A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
to the nearest £ Restricted funds |
to the nearest £ Endowment funds |
Total funds to the nearest £ |
Last year to the nearest £ |
| 24,307 - - - - - - - 24,307 |
- - - - - - - - - |
26,525 - - - - - - - 26,525 |
- | |
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
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| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
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- - - |
- - - |
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| 24,307 | - | 26,525 | - | |
| 38835 | ||||
| - - - - - - - - - - |
38,835 - 3,700 1,432 - - - - - 43,967 |
- | ||
| - - - - - - - - 38,835 |
2,178 | |||
| - | ||||
| 987.2 | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| - | ||||
| 3,165 | ||||
| - - - |
- - - |
- - - |
||
| - | ||||
| 38,835 | - | 43,967 | 3,165 | |
| - 14,528 - - - 14,528 |
- - - - |
- 17,442 - 35,301 17,859 |
- 3,165 | |
| - | ||||
| 38,466 | ||||
| 35,301 |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B5 Liabilities B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Details Details Details Details Details Signature Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
to nearest £ to nearest £ 35,301 - - - - - 35,301 - Agreement Error Agreement Error to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Print Name Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) |
to nearest £ Endowment funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| to nearest £ Endowment funds |
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| - | |||
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| Current value (optional) |
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| Current value (optional) |
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| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
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CHARITY COMMISSION I Independent examinerfs FOR ENGLAND AND WALES report on the accounts Seclioii A Iiidependeiit ExcllFiiiier s Report momber• of EthKwhan Heritage Fd On accounts for th• y•ar •nd•d 31112f23 Charlty no (If any) 1110969 S•1 out on pag•• 14Annual Report 1 Accn I report to tho trustees on my examinatlon of the accounts of the above chanty (Ihe TNsf) lor th8 year ended 3111W2023. R•spon•lbllftl•• •nd As Ihe charity trustees of Ihg Trust. you are pC$$ble lor the preparation bas1• of r•port of the accounts in accordance V#ith the requir8ments of the Chartts'es AGt 2011 ('the Acr>. I report In respect of my examinallon of the Trust's accounts carriod olrt u18r 3edion 145 of th8 2011 Act and in carying out my examinallon, I ha follod the applicable Directions gbven by Ihe Charlty Ccxnm1&81on urKler sectlon 145(5Xb) ol the Act. I have ynptod my examination. l o)nfirrn that no materlal matters have come to rny attents'on (other than that disdosed below ') in connectr'on wSth the examination which glve8 m8 to believ8 Ihat In, any matertal J aCcoun9 rgLxxd8 wer• not W In accordance wlth sectlon 130 of theAdor the accounts do not ac<xyd with th• accounljng rowd8 Ind•pend•nt •xaminorf •tat•mont I have r CAxThms have ))ffo no othor matters in Mmedon wlih the exwvNnaticwi to which attention should be drawn in order to enabla a oper understanding of the a(£ots lo be reached. . Please delets the in Iho l)r8ck6ts rfthey do not apply. 8lgn•d: lry Zo Nam•: l+eLe•4 PoWs TeACfrFER Ctre l-wed) Relevant profe•slonal qualmcatlon(s) or body Ilf any): AddrM•: CoAc4 FtOVSE 8 fvtro fvj cck) Irr IER October 2018