Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date From 1st April 2023 To 31st March 2024
Section A Reference and administration details
Charity name Other names charity is known by MJR Registered charity number (if any) 1161441 Charity's principal address 115 Preston Hill Kenton, Harrow Middlesex Postcode HA3 9SQ
Movement for Justice and Reconciliation
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
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Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates active if not for whole **year ** |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (ifany) |
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| Revd Alton Bell | Chair | |||
| The Venerable Karen Lund |
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| Keith Cottrell | ||||
| Clive Ireson | ||||
| Sarah-Jane Adejei | ||||
| Khareem Jamal | ||||
| Beatrice Smith | ||||
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
Constitution and Governance
Type of governing document (eg. trust deed, constitution) CIO How the charity is constituted (eg. trust, association, company) Appointed by resolution in properly constituted trustee meeting Trustee selection methods
- (eg. appointed by, elected by)
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You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees.
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works.
During the year, the Trustees have reviewed and ratified current policy and strategy documents. These include:
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Trustee responsibilities and Financial Procedures Policy
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Data Protection Policy
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Structure and Working Groups Policy
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Safeguarding Policy
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Reviewed our aims and objectives
The Trustees have also agreed a process for trustee re-election in accordance with the MJR Constitution.
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relationship with any related parties.
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Section C Objectives and activities
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To advance the education of the public in general on the subject of colonial slavery and industrial exploitation in the 18th and 19th centuries and the effect it has had on today’s society, in particular but not exclusively by raising awareness and providing information about how this era of our nation’s history is impacting on British society today, and by promoting research in all aspects of this subject and publishing the results.
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Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its 2. To develop the capacity and skills of members of socially and economically governing document disadvantaged communities in such a way that they are better able to meet their needs, identify problems and to be able to participate more fully in society.
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Such other purposes as are exclusively charitable in accordance with the laws of England and Wales as the trustees may from time to time deem fit.
| The Movement for Justice and Reconciliation operates in accordance with the | |
|---|---|
| Constitution and Governance document submitted to the Charity Commission | |
| in April 2015. | |
| The trustees are satisfied that the charity is complying with the terms of this | |
| Summary of the main | governance document and have complied with their duty to have due regard to |
| activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within |
the guidance on public benefit published by the commission in exercising their powers and duties. |
| this section the statutory | In particular, MJR are continuing to conduct research relating to legacy issues |
| declaration that trustees have | with the view of organising wider projects focussing on the findings. These |
| had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public |
projects will be undertaken in collaboration with academic institutions, various local community groups and faith-based organisations in Britain & Ireland. |
| benefit) |
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Section D Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
1. Research
MJR have produced and are actively promoting our documentary film, ‘After The Flood’ throughout the UK and beyond. Copies for Individual hire or purchase are available on our website, www.mjr-uk.com. We are now exploring the possibility of a virtual reality project to depict life on slave ships during the ‘middle passage’. We are currently in the consultation stage.
2. The Film ‘After the Flood’
The project started in earnest in 2021 with the working title of ‘Christian Reconciliation: Repairing the damage of the transatlantic slave trade’ The finished documentary, ‘After the Flood: the church, slavery and reconciliation' was released in February 2022 and premiered at Bloomsbury Baptist Church, Central London on 25[th] May 2022. The anniversary of the death of George Floyd in the United States of America. Since then, we have had screenings throughout the UK and are now looking to scree the film overseas.
The film is both educational and redemptive. And achieves the following:
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Raise awareness of Britain’s leading role in the transatlantic slave trade, and how the churches were complicit in the trade. With the aim to bring about racial reconciliation.
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Providing encouragement to existing community cohesion projects and to act as a catalyst for new local community-led projects seeking to address legacy issues identified.
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Create greater national collective understanding and sharing of information and ideas to address legacy issues relating to our core values.
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Produce concrete practical models of reconciliation.
3. MJR Manchester
In addition to the legacy of enslavement, MJR is also investigating the legacy of industrial exploitation. Our ‘Proving Legacy’ research on educational achievement across the board, showed that poverty affects achievement levels among the white working classes more than any other group. Our lead on this issue stepped back in 2023/2024, therefore the programmes of Manchester MJR will be incorporated into the overall programme of MJR UK.
The Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, are advisors to MJR, and hosts an ongoing social justice course there.
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Brief statement of the
charity’s policy on reserves
These is no formal policy on reserves. Current fixed costs are minimal and Trustees are confident of the charity’s financial security. The policy on Minimal Reserves is to always keep the equivalent of at least six months expenditure available.
Details of any funds materially in deficit
n/a
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) APBell Full name(s) Alton P Bell Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Chair etc)
Date 11/02/2025
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