## **2021 Annual Report**
## **Overview**
_The Flag Institute is the UK’s leading research and documentation centre for flags and flag information. The Institute is Europe’s largest vexillological membership organisation. The Institute was founded on St. George’s Day, 23 April, 1971._
_The Flag Institute maintains and manages the national United Kingdom Flag Registry. This is to ensure there is a definitive record of those United Kingdom flags which exist, both nationally and regionally. The flags so listed then become exempt from planning permission as laid out in_ The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021.
_Members receive the journal, Flagmaster, and are entitled to attend the meetings of the Institute. All members resident in the UK can take part in the government of the Institute. Members also have free access to the extensive library of the Flag Institute and to the Members’ Area of the web site, which contains a number of papers and resources._
_The Institute provides vexillological services to HM Government in the UK and to many other organizations around the world, including the United Nations. These services include advising on the use of flags, designing new flags and collating information on flags of the world._
## **Trustees**
Present Trustees: Graham Bartram 2018-2021 John Hall 2018-2021 Craig Hughes 2018-2021 Lesley Ross 2019-2022 Philip Thompson 2019-2022 Philip Tibbetts 2020-2023
## **Registered Information**
The Flag Institute William Crampton Library 161 High Street Kingston-upon-Hull East Riding HU1 1NQ
The Flag Institute is an active member of the international vexillological organization, FIAV (Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques).
Registered as an incorporated Charity (CIO) in England and Wales (No. 1152496)
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## **Chairman’s Overview:** _**John Hall**_
This year 2021 has been the Institute’s golden year. The fiftieth anniversary of its foundation by Dr William Crampton in 1971. In many ways it has also been our golden year, not just because of anniversaries, but in terms of our great successes. With a growing membership, a high attendance nationally and internationally of our meetings, both virtual and actual. The raising of standards in the production of Flagmaster to a serious academic and high-quality production, truly the flagship of vexillological journals in the world. Our trustee Philip Tibbetts, who for a number of years has been honorary vexillologist to the Lord Lyon, has been appoint March Pursuivant in the Lyon court, cementing the good relationships between the Institute and the world of heraldry and ceremonial in the Northern Kingdom. Behind the scenes many have worked tremendously hard, Leigh Wetherell, Jos Poels, Ian and Maggie Sumner to name a few. On behalf of the Institute, thank you. In our Golden Jubilee Year, it is safe to say we ‘have never had is s good’.
## **Library:** _**Ian Sumner**_
The William Crampton Library continues to index and develop its collections in support of the Flag Institute and the wider vexillological world. New for 2021: the Library catalogue – updated twice yearly and currently comprising over 30,000 items – is now available on the Flag Institute website, as is the twiceyearly Catalogue Update and Index to House Flags.
## **Website:** _**Maggie Sumner**_
Work continues to refresh and add content to the Flag Institute website. New for 2021: the complete Flagmaster Archive (Issues 1 to 162) is now available in PDF format for members only. Also newly available in PDF format are the complete Flagmaster Index (Issues 1-162), unlocking fifty years of flag scholarship; Colours of the Fleet (revised edition); and Rudi Longueville's Badges of the British Commonwealth. Further new content includes the Library Catalogue, twice-yearly Catalogue Update and Index to House Flags.
## **Social Media Report:** _**Bernard Muscat**_
We have continued to use social media to engage with our audience, often with simple 'Guess the flag' competitions, mentions of flags on tv or in popular culture, and questions meant to generate engagement, such as asking people what their latest acquired flag item is.
In recent months we received a few submissions for Flag Master content directly from Twitter users.
We have 1,439 followers on Facebook, and 5,883 followers on Twitter.
In November 2022 I plan to run #WorldCupOfFlags2022 like I did in 2018, to find who among the teams competing in the men's football World Cup has the best flag. Fingers crossed for more media coverage.
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## **Membership Report:** _**Kath Kearney**_
Three tables are given below:
_**Table 1:**_ Documents various items pertaining to the current state of the membership in terms of membership numbers in various categories, and changes since October 2018
_**Table 2:**_ Shows a breakdown of countries in which we have a presence
_**Table 3:**_ Shows the number of members in different regions within the UK
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**Table 1**|||||||
||**Apr**
**17**|**Oct**
**17**|**June**
**18**|**Oct**
**18**|**Mar**
**19**|**Oct**
**19**|**Apr**
**20**|**Oct 20**|**Oct**
**21**|
|Active Members|466|475|492|457|434|417|390|388|410|
|New Members|23|25|27|16|24|28|24|28|68|
|Exchange
Membership|17|17|17|17|17|17|17|16|17|
|Complimentary
Membership|16|17|17|17|16|16|16|15|15|
|Life Membership|52|52|52|52|52|50|50|49|47|
|Group Membership|5|7|7|7|6|4|6|5|3|
|Classic Membership|314|312|325|303|284|273|248|241|258|
|Digital Membership|35|42|45|38|38|36|37|43|54|
|Trade Membership|21|21|23|18|16|16|12|14|11|
|Register British
Flagmakers|6|6|6|5|5|5|4|5|5|
|Overseas Members|160|166|172|157|148|144|131|130|145|
|UK Members|306|309|320|300|286|274|259|258|265|
|Countries|32|35|35|35|32|34|32|32|33|
|Members with
Email|402|411|427|394|376|366|338|344|369|
- Of the 68 new members joining since the end of October 2020, 24 are Digital and 44 Classic Memberships. 55 are UK members and 13 from the rest of the world.
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||**Table 2**|**Table 2**|
|---|---|---|
|**Country**|**Members Present**||
||**October 2020**|**October 2021**|
|Argentina|0|1|
|Australia|8|12|
|Belarus|0|1|
|Belgium|3|5|
|Canada|6|7|
|Chile|1|1|
|Czech Republic|4|4|
|Denmark|2|3|
|Estonia|1|1|
|Finland|0|1|
|France|9|7|
|Georgia|1|1|
|Germany|8|10|
|Greece|1|1|
|Hungary|1|1|
|India|1|0|
|Israel|1|1|
|Italy|6|5|
|Japan|3|2|
|Luxembourg|1|1|
|Mexico|1|1|
|Netherlands|4|5|
|New Zealand|1|1|
|Norway|5|5|
|Portugal|1|1|
|Republic of Ireland|6|6|
|Russia|1|1|
|South Africa|2|2|
|Spain|3|3|
|Sweden|3|2|
|Switzerland|5|5|
|Ukraine|1|1|
|United Kingdom|258|265|
|USA|37|47|
|**Table 3: United Kingdom 265**|**Table 3: United Kingdom 265**|
|---|---|
|England|236|
|Channel Islands|2|
|Northern Ireland|1|
|Scotland|20|
|Wales|6|
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## **2020 Report Editor** _**Flagmaster: Jos Poels**_
During the year under review Flagmaster (FM) was published twice. FM 161 in December 2020 and FM 162 in June 2021. Both editions appeared within the publication date imposed by us: 21 December and 21 June. FM 161 contained 48 pages; FM 162 contained 56 pages, which is the maximum of pages our printer in Swansea is able to print as a magazine. This was a special issue on the occasion of the 50[th] anniversary of the Flag Institute.
The editorial team consists of Alex Cachinero-Gorman, Prof. James Flloyd, Bernard Muscat (social media), Ian Sumner (deputy editor) Leigh Wetherall, and Jos Poels as chief editor. Malcom Good joined the team early in the year. It is our aim to produce a contemporary magazine, with a mix of news, research, opinion, and human interest, which outstands other vexillogical magazines. We meet at an average of once every two months, via our online work platform Teams. Despite writing for FM ourselves, we try as ‘ambassadors’ to convince other FI members to write up contributions.
We have tried to find within the ‘pond’ of the Flag Institute members a designer for FM, but failed to do so. Therefore, we approached and welcomed the Dutch vexillologist and designer Theun Okkerse as FM’s designer, which is a very time-consuming job. Theun Okkerse does also design the Dutch flag journal Vlag!, of which your FM chief editor is chief editor as well. Vlag! Is issued by the NVvV in the Netherlands.
Every word written, and every illustration shown in Flagmaster came there free of charge. The members of the editorial team have taken up their job on a voluntary basis. FM’s costs in the spreadsheet of the treasurer are build up of fees for design, printing and postage. It should be said at this place, that illustrations, or more the quality of the illustrations, are FM’s weakest spot.
In FI’s recent survey some members indicated they were willing to help with FM. They will be contacted. The survey indicated members asking for a higher frequency of Flagmaster. This is also a desire of the editorial team, but under the current circumstances (time and people) this is not (yet) possible.
The plan of the editorial team for the coming year is to publish 2 FM’s (December 2021 and June 2022), each with 48 pages, and to involve more FI members and other vexillologist to write up and share their vexillological interest in Flagmaster.
**Presented to the AGM of the Institute**
**Held at the People’s Museum, Manchester 20[th] November 2021**
The Revd Canon John Hall FFI FF BA Hons
Chairman of the Trustees of the Flag Institute
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## **FLAG INSTITUTE Financial Statement 1[st] April 2020 - 31[st] March 2021**
Bank Account opening balance Paypal Account opening balance
£17,444.79
## Opening Balance 1st April 2020
£17,444.79
## TRADING STATEMENT
||INCOME|_2019-2020_||EXPENDITURE|_2019-2020_|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||Admin|£2,772.04|_£2,690.91_|
|Income Paypal|£8,360.00|_£6,089.00_|Library|£3,083.17|_£2,914.90_|
|Bank Income|£14,144.00|_£3,208.00_|Flagmaster|£6,252.04|_£1,674.85_|
|Events - Meetings|£0.00|_£775.00_|FI Meetings|£0.00|_£2,872.50_|
||||FI Cost Income|£351.12|_£763.57_|
||||FI other cost|£1,696.54|_£219.90_|
|TOTAL INCOME|£22,504.00|_£10,072.00_|TOTAL EXPENSES|£14,154.91|_£11,136.63_|
|Difference between|Income and Exp|enses||£8,349.09|_-£1,064.63_|
Difference between Income and Expenses
## Closing Balance of Trade 31st March 2021
## £25,793.88
## CASH STATEMENT
Bank Account £25,758.52 Deposit £0.00 Paypal £35.36
## CASH Balance 31st March 2021
## £25,793.88
I certify that to the best of my knowledge these figures represent a true and accur
PA Thompson Treasurer