THOMAS FOWELL BUXTON SOCIETY
REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES
FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31[ST] DECEMBER 2022
THE AIM OF THE SOCIETY
The Thomas Fowell Buxton Society became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) in 2014. The aim or object of the organisation, set out in our governing document is:
“To advance the education of the public in general on the subject of the achievements of Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton philanthropist and MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis 1818-37 and in particular his achievement of the abolition of Slavery throughout the British Empire by Act of Parliament in 1833”.
THE SOCIETY’S OBJECTIVES FOR 2022
The Objectives of the Society for 2022 were to continue to educate the public in accordance with our aim by means of the following activities, but in accordance with the Government strictures on assembly during the Covid Pandemic.
-
a) The care of the Buxton Monument and its Information Board, erected on Bincleaves Green Weymouth. The monument and its information board provide a silent witness to Buxton’s achievements and is now a feature of the town’s heritage.
-
b) As far as practicable, to organise public events to foster recognition of Buxton as a philanthropist.
-
c) To keep members informed via newsletters and a website.
THE SOCIETY’S ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2022
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2022
The Society’s Annual General Meeting was held on 16th March 2022. The meeting was chaired by the Mayor of Weymouth Cllr Colin Huckle. The Mayoress Mrs Marion Huckle was also in attendance.
James Buxton presented the Trustees Annual Report and John Fannon presented the Treasurer’s report. In accordance with the terms of the Governing Document, one third of the Trustees must offer their resignation each year. At AGM 2022, Dr Fannon offered his resignation as a trustee, and offered himself for re-election. Mrs Anne McKechan and Miss Anna Viccars-Barber were appointed Trustees to help govern the Society. Dr Fannon was reelected as Trustee and Treasurer.
Later in the year, Mr Trefor Morgan sadly had to resign as Trustee because of ill health.
1
After the business of the meeting and a short break for refreshments, Joyce Fannon gave a presentation: “John Crunden, Architect of Belfield House: exploring the sources of his inspiration, (with a glimpse of Belfield, upstairs and downstairs in 1851 )”.
The Society’s new book “Invincible Determination; The Legacy of Thomas Fowell Buxton” was launched at the AGM. Only 14 copies of the book remain for sale at Society events in 2023 from a print run of 100.
CARE OF THE BUXTON MONUMENT
The Buxton Monument, erected in 2017 on Bincleaves Green by the Society, together with its National Lottery funded information Board educates the passing public every day, especially in the tourist season. The Thomas Fowell Buxton Society owns the Monument and has a 50-year lease on the public land on which it stands. The Society therefore has a duty of care to maintain the Monument and take out public liability insurance.
During 2022, the Monument needed no extra maintenance. Albion Stone who supplied the Portland stone with which the monument has been built, advise letting the monument ‘weather’ for a few years before cleaning and re-waxing. Minor work was carried out by members of the Society to remove weeds from the gravel path around the monument.
OUR EDUCATIONAL ROLE
The Society’s Trustees Annual Report needs to demonstrate that we are still fulfilling our constitutional aim to educate the public about the life and achievements of Thomas Fowell Buxton. We answer any queries from individuals and organisations.
To this end we have helped 6 museums with information since early 2020 and we are currently research partners for the Epping Forest and Saffron Walden Museums’ Arts Council Project. Two Society articles, “The Parliamentary Achievements of Thomas Fowell Buxton” and “Thomas Fowell Buxton and Empire: Humanitarian Colonialism” have been sent as requested to the Museums’ lead, Alice Lodge. Alice is allotting part of her museum display to Thomas Fowell Buxton as the first baronet
Following on from previous Society articles printed in Dorset Year Book in 2020, 2021, 2022, another article was accepted in 2022 and printed in the 2023 edition. This publication has a readership of 1600. An article, “Contrasts: T F Buxton and AWN Pugin” by Joyce Fannon has appeared too in The Pugin Society Magazine whose readership numbers 450.
A presentation on “Weymouth through the eyes of Thomas Fowell Buxton” was given in July to the Weymouth Catholic Women’s League by Joyce Fannon. Carl Whitehouse gave a presentation in November to Friends of Weymouth Museum on “Weymouth at the time of Thomas Fowell Buxton”. Forward bookings are being received for 2023.
Professor Richard Follett, history lecturer at Covenant College, Georgia, USA is researching for a biography of Thomas Fowell Buxton. Graham Perry and Joyce Fannon have been sending Richard relevant information. Professor Follett visited Weymouth in June 2022 and met with Society trustees and members. Further information was given him relevant to his
2
research, especially by trustee Anna Barber. We are still in contact with a group in Adelaide, South Australia called “The Buxton Collective”, led by one of our members David Donaldson.
The Buxton Monument with its information board on Bincleaves Green continues daily to educate the passing public both local residents and tourists.
BUXTON MEMORIAL SERVICE IN WEYMOUTH
Carl Whitehouse, lay preacher at St Mary’s Church, Weymouth, put together and officiated at our Society’s Service at the Buxton Monument, Bincleaves Green, on Sunday September 11th at 3pm. James Buxton, Anne McKechan and Frances Jones-Davies were readers.
Twenty one supporters attended and all agreed that it was an excellent service, which included references to Buxton’s achievements. After the Service the Society Stall raised £68 of which £46 was from sales of our 2022 Society Book.
ANTI-SLAVERY EVENT AT ST ALDHELM’S WEYMOUTH
The Society’s Anti-Slavery Event on 18th October at St Aldhelm’s main hall from 2pm-4pm was another success . There were two presentations. Joyce Fannon gave A Brief History of Sierra Leone, Province of Freedom, linking this to the current work of the charity Home Leone , which our Society is sponsoring.
After the interval Graham Perry followed with a presentation on Promoting Weymouth and Portland Heritage.
Linda Perry’s Fairtrade Stall raised over £100. Linda is our Fairtrade networking partner contact.
It was an informative and very enjoyable afternoon.
PROMOTING THE WORK OF THE CHARITY HOME LEONE
All members and supporters were notified in November about our Society’s promotion and support of the work of the charity Home Leone . The response to the mail drop has been most generous with donations amounting at the end of the year to £2615. With gift aid,we have very good confidence that we will achieve our target of providing funds for the building of a one bedroomed house in Destiny village in Freetown, Sierra Leone, allowing people from the slums to be comfortably housed.
NEWSLETTERS
Each year Society members receive at least three newsletters. In 2022 the newsletter format was changed to that of an 8 page A5 booklet. Each newsletter now includes a short article of 500 words on a Buxton theme or general topic on slavery. Our Autumn Newsletter fielded an article on “Liverpool and the Trade in Slaves: What’s in a name?” It explored Liverpool’s street names that are linked to slavery, both those of plantation owners and of abolitionists.
The Society is also using the newsletter to promote organisations that combat modern slavery. The Autumn Newsletter contained an article on Bakhita House , a refuge for women exploited by traffickers and who were then subsequently rescued.
3
The Christmas Newsletter featured an article on the Reverend Ajayi Crowther of Sierra Leone and Nigeria (c1890-1891), a slave rescued by the Royal Navy Preventative Squadron and educated at the Fourah Bay Institute in Sierra Leone by the Church Missionary Society, of which Thomas Fowell Buxton was a vice president. Crowther became the first African Anglican Bishop in 1864.
An article on modern slavery featured the work of the Salvation Army on the borders of war-torn Ukraine, where traffickers take advantage of the chaos of war.
In this way the new Newsletter format is allowing the inclusion of even more educational material. Members can also print out hard copies of the booklet for reference or to give to friends.
MEMBERSHIP
The current supporter list stands at 72, and of these 33 are life members and 39 are ordinary members. Many members have now taken up the option of paying membership dues by standing order.
FINANCES
Annex A to this document shows the financial report. A summary is given below.
Our income for the year 2022 was £1929 and expenditure was £1528.
Our major expenditure was £562 for public liability insurance for the Monument, which is unfortunately rising steadily each year well above inflation. The printing cost for the book was £491 and we had a much heavier expenditure on postage arising from book sales and the need to canvass members old and new, seeking their assistance in the Home Leone project.
Our closing balance for our main account on 31[st] December 2022 was £8868 comprising:
Main Account £5253 Home Leone Account £2615
The Paypal account held £60 at the end of the year. The Society’s net assets at the end of 2022 therefore stand at £5253 + £60 = £5313
THE SOCIETY’S PLANS FOR 2023
-
a) To continue the care and maintenance of the Monument
-
b) To continue to give presentations to local groups on request
-
c) To continue to provide 3 newsletters per year and maintain the website
-
d) To seek new members
-
e) To prepare a calendar of events for members
On 15[th] May 1823, Thomas Fowell Buxton, successor to William Wilberforce rose in Parliament to put forward proposals for the abolition of slavery. The slave trade had been
4
abolished on 1807 but slavery had persisted, against the hopes of Wilberforce and all those assuming that this disgraceful practice would wither away. Buxton’s opening speech signalled the start of became a ten-year struggle. 2023 is therefore bicentenary of this momentous beginning which culminated in 1833 with Royal assent to the Abolition of Slavery in the British Empire.
The Society will be holding a commemorative service in June at St Mary’s Weymouth, and we plan a service at Westminster Abbey and also on Bincleaves Green for our local members. Mr Simon Gurney is hoping to organise an event at Northrepps in August or September, but details are not yet available.
The Trustees consider that while the Society was inaugurated to educate the public on the achievements of Thomas Fowell Buxton, we should also offer social events for our members. In 2019 and early 2020 we arranged for lunches at the Wishing Well at Upwey which were well attended. This year we decided to reintroduce these lunches to give members the opportunity to meet and chat. We have already held one of these lunches on 6[th] February and intend to hold a second lunch in late summer. We have also introduced 2 coffee mornings into the calendar for April and November.
| Date | Time | Event | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15thMar | 2 pm | AGM and Presentation | St Aldhelms Church Centre, Weymouth |
| 11thApr | 3pm | Presentation to CWL | St Joseph’s Hall,Weymouth |
| 25th Apr |
10 am | Coffee Morning | _Chez_Anne McKechan |
| 19thJun | 7:30 pm | Presentation to Louviers Society |
United Reform Church Spa Road Weymouth |
| 28th Jun |
2:30 pm | Service and Presentation commemorating the start of TFB’s campaign |
St Mary’s Church, Weymouth |
| 10thJul | 7pm | Presentation to WI | Willowbed Hall,Chickerell |
| 29thJul | 3 pm and 6.15 pm |
A picnic in Victoria Tower Gdns with a Memorial Service at Westminster Abbey after Evensong. |
|
| 10th Sep |
3 pm | Memorial Service at the Buxton Monument |
Bincleaves Green, Weymouth |
| 16th Sep 17th Sep |
TBC | Saturday 16thand/or Sunday 17thSeptember at Northrepps Details to be confirmed |
|
| 18th Oct |
2 pm | Anti-Slavery day Presentations |
St Aldhelms Church Centre, Weymouth |
| 2ndNov | 10:30 am | Presentation to Portland Probus |
'The Lodmoor’ on Preston Beach Road |
| 15th Nov |
10 am | Coffee Morning | _Chez_Joyce Fannon |
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The Governance and Management of the Society comprises:
- The Honorary President. Since the formation of the Society, the current Mayor has been invited to be honorary President and all incumbents so far have accepted this office. The President will preside over the Annual General Meeting and if diary permits will attend the various functions of the Society.
5
- The Trustees. At present there are three trustees which is the minimum as required by
law. Members of the society may volunteer to be a trustee. The process of appointing Trustees is set out in the governing document.
- A committee or council which has no formal standing but meets regularly to advise the Trustees on the management of the society. Any member of the Society may attend these meetings which are held approximately every 2 months.
CHARITY TRUSTEES
During 2022 the Trustees were
-
Mr James Buxton
-
Mrs Joyce Fannon
-
Mrs Anne McKechan
-
Miss Anne Viccars-Barber
-
Dr John Fannon who acts as Treasurer and Web master. Dr Fannon also coordinates the annual programme of events.
At committee meetings the Chair is taken by rotation amongst the attendees.
At each AGM, one third of the trustees resign in accordance with the Governing Document.
WEBSITE www.thomasfowellbuxton.org.uk
REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER 1158648
BANKERS Barclays Bank Plc, Leicester LE87 2BB
6
ANNEXA Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period 01=-22 31-Dec- Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted fund5 totheneorest Restricted funds Endowment funds Totsl fund5 La5tyeaT tothe nearest£ tothe neatest£ tothe nearest£ tothe nearest£ A1 R•¢•ipfS Membership 462 462 361 30 654 200 S46 654 270 647 13 IB Events Books BadgesNlerchandise HDme LeDne DoTraligns Granlfrom iveymouth Town Counul AmaLOn Smile S46 3,615 3.615 810 12 43 21 42 10 26 10 28 Froni closing Aco*03782050 FrDtn Pa pal Ac Sub torallGross income for ARI 2243 A2 Asset and investment 5al•5, s•• tsbl• . Sub toral Totalrecelprs 2,243 A3 Paym•nis 562 98 213 562 99 213 492 88 Wpbsile Postage Room hire 105 38 491 20 60 Pnfttng olBook Home Leone To Paypal 491 zo 300 fj70 69 Performer5 Olher Expenses Sub toral 1,528 1,751 A4Asset and Investmeni purchases,15ee tablel Sub total Totalpayments 1,52B.10 1,528.10 1.75B Net of receiprsl(paymenrsJ A5 Transfers bettyeen funds A6 Cash fund5 last year end Cash funds thisyearend 4.015.49 4,015.49 4,¥52.58 8,868.07 4,B52. 8,868.07 3.055
ANNEXA Section B Stat8m8nt of assets and liabilities at the end of th8 period Unrestricted funds to nearest£ Restricted funds toTreares1£ Endowment funds tonearest£ Caiegari¢s B1 Cash funds MainAccount S,253 Hotlle LeoneAccount 3,615 Totalcash funds 8.86B lagrepbfikncBswth recews and payments Unr•strlet•d funds nt4ro$t£ R•strltt•d funds End¢)wm•nt funds tO*ottro$t Dettsi15 Fund t0hh asset beh) Cost{opkn&ll c[rentYae Detsils B3 Investment assets Fund towhKh CutTentvakne Dgt4i15 Cost (opknl B4 Assets retained for the harity's own u¥• Fund athlity rektes Amountduè loptK>na When ae loptionary Details Trpasurer's Expenses B5 LIabili•¥ Voice Amplifier SIAdhelms 18 Oct9)èF2022 S062 SigRed by one ortwo INstees on behalf of all the ITustee5 SnatUre Prirrt Narlle Date of roval JOHN A FANNON 0510312023