Report of the trustees for the period ending 28 February 2024
The trustees of Keele World Affairs present their annual report and accounts for the period ended 28 February 2024 and confirm they comply with the requirements of the Charity Commission and the constitution of Keele World Affairs.
1 OUR AIMS
The charitable aims of Keele World Affairs are
(1) To advance education for the public benefit through lectures and other forms of learning in fields of international politics, economics, and global issues;
(2) To create an environment that encourages lifelong learning through the programmes it organises;
(3) To share the knowledge gained during its programme with the wider community.
Since the foundation of Keele World Affairs in 1980 as an informal community association, its primary focus has been on international politics, economics, and global issues. This remained the aim of the trustees following the registration of Keele World Affairs as a charity and has continued in the latest year.
It is increasingly recognised that a unique feature of Keele World Affairs, appreciated by speakers and members alike, is the lengthy Q & A session in which over 300 members can raise thoughtful questions about the speaker’s analysis and opinions. A two way process unlike a traditional lecture. For this reason, starting next season, we will replace all references to lectures and describe Keele World Affairs as the UK’s leading Forum for International Politics and Global Issues.
2 OUR ETHOS AND OUR ACCESS POLICY
Keele World Affairs serves the region and society more widely (by for example bringing public figures into contact with our members) and as a charitable trust it seeks to benefit the public through the pursuit of the above aims. Our policy is for subscriptions to be affordable by any member of the community whatever their economic status.
In return for the voluntary effort that is made to sustain the efforts of the charity, we expect subscribing members to follow our guiding principles of lifelong learning by
regular attendance during the season, engagement in the questioning of speakers on the topics covered, and support that leads to a good learning environment.
Applications to join Keele World Affairs are considered in the light of these principles and we are committed to maintaining a membership that is free from any form of discrimination on the grounds of colour, race, ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, or disability. We believe that our members benefit from learning within a diverse community and that a great deal of learning occurs through social interaction, conversation and shared experiences during our meetings.
3 STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
The charity trustees are responsible for the policies and overall management of Keele World Affairs activities; they meet during the season and the summer recess as required. With the longer term in mind, teams of member volunteers have been formed to help implement policies and manage activities. These include
Speaker Programme – to maintain relationships with and invite visiting speakers and host them on the day of their visit
Finance & Compliance – led by a trustee who takes responsibility for our accounts, insurances, data security, privacy policy, compliance with the requirements of the Charity Commission, and copyright/legal matters.
Systems – where volunteers with IT skills manage a range of systems that support our activities
Health & Safety – where a team monitors health and safety risks , and arrangements are also in place with St John Ambulance, arranged by the lead trustee
Front of House – with a team that manages attendance and order to ensure the effective running of these large occasions.
Membership – to manage leavers and joiners and subscription changes
Communications – to improve awareness of Keele World Affairs in the region and more widely via print and social media
All trustees and team members give of their time freely and no remuneration or expenses (other than out of pocket expenses) were paid in the accounting period.
4 OUR FINANCES
Our financial accounts are shown at the bottom of this report.
5 REVIEW OF ACTIVITIES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
5.1 Programme of meetings
During the period, 20 meetings took place. Many members who had joined in the years before the arrival of Covid restrictions in March 2020 had supported World Affairs Digital (Oct 2020 – Mar 2022) but, for a variety of reasons had been unable to attend resume their support in the Westminster. October 2022 had seen an influx of new members and this was repeated in the period covered by this report. Membership exceeded 500 and average attendances approached 300 (in the 397seat theatre). Trustees are encouraged to report this as evidence of the value of Keele World Affairs to the community and of continuing interest in international affairs.
5.2 Speakers
The following speakers addressed Keele World Affairs meeting during the period covered by the report. They include academics, historians, scientists, diplomats, journalists, and politicians.
Adam Boulton
Former Political Editor Sky News, Sunday Times Political Columnist Governments and the Media
Professor Guy Standing
Professorial Research Associate, SOAS University of London The Blue Commons: Combating Rentier Capitalism in the Sea
Professor Michael Clarke
former Director-General, RUSI (Royal United Services Institute) The New Global Politics of the 2020's
Sir Peter Westmacott GCMG LVO
Former British Ambassador to USA, France, and Turkey, Senior RUSI Adviser The US and Britain in the 21st Century: Is the Relationship Still ‘Special’ ?
Professor Lord Martin Rees OM FRS
Astronomer Royal and former President Royal Society If Science Is to Save Us
Baroness Brenda Hale DBE FBA
former President, Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
Why is Britain One of Only Four Western Democracies with No Written Constitution?
Yasmine Ahmed
Director, United Kingdom, Human Rights Watch Power and Human Rights in a Changing World
Rt. Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind KCMG KC
former Foreign Secretary and Defence Secretary
The UK at Home and in the World: The Future is Not What it Used to Be
Gaia Vince
Hon Snr Research Fellow, UCL Geography Nomad Century
The Honourable Ralph Goodale PC
High Commissioner for Canada in the UK Canada in a Turbulent World
Stephen Kinnock MP
Shadow Minister for Immigration, House of Commons Where Next on Immigration?
Professor Bobby Duffy
Director of the Policy Institute, King’s College London Generations - Does When You’re Born Shape Who You Are?
Professor Klaus Dodds
Executive Dean, School of Life Sciences & Environment, Royal Holloway University of London What Future for the Polar Regions? Geopolitics, Resources and Climate
Professor Jonathan Hopkin
Professor of Comparative Politics, London School of Economics and Political Science The Art of Survival: Southern Europe’s Messy Politics and Resilient Society
Dr Rory Horner
Global Development Institute, University of Manchester The Future of Pharmaceuticals in a Fractured World
Professor Tim Lenton
Director, Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter
Tipping Points of Our Living Planet
Professor David Runciman FBA
Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS), University of Cambridge Is Authoritarianism Winning?
Dr Jon Herbert
Senior Lecturer in Politics, Keele University Race For the White House 2024: Presidents Biden, Trump & Their Parties
David Pilling
Africa Editor, Financial Times
How Africa Will Reshape Our World
Dr Elisabeth Kendall
Mistress, Girton College, University of Cambridge
Yemen and al-Qaeda: How to Rebuild a Vulnerable Country
5.3 Attendances
Attendances in the Westminster during the period was 5,493, an increase of 20% on the previous period despite the necessity to cancel one meeting in March 2023 for safety reasons due to extreme weather in the area.
5.4 Communications
We communicate frequently with all World Affairs members by email and this encourages commitment to the programme that is the basis of their educational experience. There is a preview of each meeting and guidance on how to benefit most from attendance at our meetings.
5.5 Our Systems
Our current website is well-maintained and there is a long-term intention to move to another platform that will be easier to update. Our Speaker Database, a bespoke Microsoft Access solution developed by a member, now works well on a multi-user platform with further development planned.
For cloud storage we continue with our secure Tresorit platform under advantageous terms as a charity that our late Systems Trustee had agreed with Tresorit.
5.6 Our Website
Information about Keele World Affairs and its aims is available to subscribing members and to the public at www. htp://kwaku.org.uk/. To make our educational activities widely available, we maintain an archive of our meetings at htp://kwaku.org.uk/Video.html where the meetings are published whenever we have the consent of the speaker.
5.7 Member Feedback and Opinion
Keele World Affairs is run by the trustees on the Foundation Model in which they take the decisions, so regular surveys of subscribing members are important to provide feedback about their educational experience. Following our return to face-toface meetings, we again see high levels of satisfaction in the survey conducted for the season to spring 2024 shown as MS24 in the chart below.
For the first time, members are able to rate the range of topics as distinct from the speakers they encountered. This dimension will be reported in future years.
Extremely & Very Satisfied % 2014-2023
Speakers/ Lectures Q&A Sessions Pre-meeting Communications Lifelong Learning Experience Social Environment
----- Start of picture text -----
100%
95%
90%
85%
80%
75%
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
45%
40%
35%
MS15 MS16 MS17 MS18 MS19 MS20 MS21 MS22 MS23
----- End of picture text -----
5.8 Engagement with our educational programme
During the period covered by this report, books by the following speakers were available at book signings at our meetings. We invite local booksellers to organise them and we seek no profit:
Professor Guy Standing Baroness Brenda Hale DBE FBA Gaia Vince Professor Bobby Duffy Professor Klaus Dodds Professor David Runciman FBA
6 ADVISORY PANEL .
The Honorary President Lord Peter Hennessy informed us with regret in November 2023 that, due to continuing ill-health he was obliged to stand down. We have been truly fortunate to have benefitted from his support. Many notable speakers have appeared at Keele World Affairs in recent years on account of his association with us.
Peter Hennessy has been succeeded by another distinguished figure, Prof Margaret MacMillan OM CH. Margaret who was appointed to the Order of Merit in 2022 is already an Advisory Panel member, she contributes suggestions informally and helps the Chair to introduce thinkers with new ideas to the Keele World Affairs platform. We look forward to her support in the future.
7 RELATIONSHIP WITH KEELE UNIVERSITY
Our relationship with the university remains strong and we are grateful for access to its excellent facilities. The Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences are ex-officio members of Keele World Affairs. The Vice-Chancellor is invited annually to address our members about developments at Keele University and did so in February 2024.
8 CONCLUDING REMARKS
Outstanding speakers and in-depth discussion of a wide range of international issues enabled us to fulfil our aims once more.
Signed:
Date: 18 Dec 2024
Bill Boynton, Chair
Website www.kwaku.org.uk Registered Charity No. 1164457
CIO Keele World Affairs
Financial Statement 2024
The Trustees report the Financial Statements of Keele World Affairs ("the CIO"), for the financial year ended 29 February 2024.
The accounts have been prepared using the Receipts and Payments basis and, verified by our Independent Examiner, as permitted by its constitution and by regulation.
The financial situation is considered satisfactory.
The CIO has continued and developed its educational activities which began as an informal community association: a full report of activities and Trustees is contained in the accompanying Annual Report.
The notes following the accounts form part of this report.
Registered charity number 1164457
http://kwaku.org.uk
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CIO Keele World Affairs
Financial Statement 2024
Notes to the Accounts
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This statement has been prepared on the Receipts & Payments basis, for the financial year to 29 February 2024;
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Equipment: the Trustees' valuation (mainly computer systems etc.) is £3,000 after disposals and replacements;
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There were no accounts payable at year end.
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There were no accounts receivable at year end.
Signed as a true record
J W BOYNTON, Chairman
18 December 2024
D MUIR, Trustee 18 December 2024
Registered charity number 1164457
http://kwaku.org.uk
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Intemal examlner's report to the trustees of Keeie World Affalrs Charltsbl• Incorporated Organlsatlon (-ClO°) I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the CIO forthe year ended 29 February2024. R8$pon$lbilitiaS and b8s1s of rnport Asthe charitytrustees ofthe CIO. you are responsible forthe prep8ratlon ofthe accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 {'the Act'l- I report in respect of my examination ofthe CIO'S accounts carried out under section 145 ofthe 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed aLithe applicable Directions given tythe Charity Commlsslon under section 14515llb) of th8 Act. Intemal MIner'S 8tat•ment I h8ve completed my examSnatlon. I confimi that no material matters h8ve come to my attentlon In connection wfth the examination ging me c8U8e to believe that in any rnaterial respect: 1. 8ccountlng records were not kept In respect of the Trust a8 fequlr8d ty 8ectSon 130 of the Act: or 2. the accounts do not accord with those record8. I h8ve no concems and have come across no other matter8 In ¢onnectlon wlth the examinationto whlch attentlon 8hould be drawn Inthl8 report Sn orderto enable a prop8r und8rst8ndingof the accountsto be reached. signed: Nam•: Richard M Arkle Professlonal qualfflcatlon= Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants In Engtsnd and Wales Address: 1 The Mynd. Norton in Hales, Shropshlre, TF9 4FF Date{ D8C8mb8r 2024