2021-12-31-accounts

Triratna South East Buddhist Group (TSEBG) Registered Charity No 1179930

Trustees Annual Report for y/e 31-12-2021

Management

Trustees :

Sraddhamayi Chair of Trustees Nicci Lowit Secretary and Trustee Jane Bolger Finance Group Treasurer and Trustee Nagarakshita Finance Group and Trustee Fiona Smith Finance Group and Trustee Vidyaketu Communications Group and Trustee Shuddhadhara Communications Group and Trustee Satyamati Communications Group and Trustee Penny Moyse Trustee

Spiritual Team

Nagarakshita Satyamati Women’s Mitra Convenor Shuddhadhara Mens’ Mitra Convenor Vidyakeyu Sraddhamayi

Safeguarding Officers

Satyamati Sraddhamayi Penny Moyse

1 | P a g e

Triratna South East Buddhist Group (TSEBG) Registered Charity No 1179930

Governance

• At The Annual General Meeting of Members held on 10 June 2021 it was agreed by special resolution that the name of the charity be changed to Triratna South East Buddhist Group. This has enabled us to formally pool our resources and finances.

• Constitution and Governing Document - Triratna South East Buddhist Group. (TSEBG) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Registered Charity No 1179930. It was granted charitable status by the Charity Commissioners on 14 September 2018. It is governed by a constitution dated 1 August 2018, amended 7[th] September 2020 and amended again on 10 June 2021

• Relationships – TSEBG maintains close communication with and works under the guidance of the Triratna Buddhist Order and in co-operation with other centres and groups with the same objects.

• Organisation – TSEBG is run on a day to day basis by the Board of Trustees appointed by the membership at the AGM. The Trustees and their duties are shown above.

• Activities – The teaching and Practice of Buddhism.

• Members - Membership of the CIO is open to those who are members of the Triratna Buddhist order who are actively practicing with The Triratna Buddhist Community or who are Mitras

• Trustees - Every trustee of the CIO must be a member of the Triratna Buddhist Order or a Mitra of the Triratna Buddhist Order practicing and committed to TSEBG

• Safeguarding – TSEBG has prepared specific guidelines intended to offer guidance where Order Members or other experienced members of the Triratna community are presenting to and communicating with those where a duty of care is owed. There are overall Ethical Guidelines with separate documents for the spiritual and secular activities covering Child Protection and the treatment of Sub-Adults and “Adults at Risk”. All documents were last updated in October 2019

• • Health and Safety – TWKBG has additional procedures for handling and evacuating the premises in the case of fire or flooding. The Health, Safety and Security Risk Register is updated annually.

2 | P a g e

Triratna South East Buddhist Group (TSEBG) Registered Charity No 1179930

Objects and Activities

Summary

The object of the TSEBG is to support the advancement of the Buddhist religion, by:

1. Encouraging members and others to live ethical lives in accordance with the teachings of the Buddha.

2. Supporting ordained members of the Triratna Buddhist Community and other members of the Sangha, at the discretion of the Trustees of the TSEBG.

3. Maintaining close communication with and working under the guidance of the Triratna Buddhist Order and in co-operation with other centres and groups with the same objects.

4. Using applications of the Buddha’s teaching to promote the health and well-being of all.

Main Activities

With the easing of the Covid 19 situation we were once again able to return to in person Sangha Night meetings and other in person meetings and events in the accordance with our objectives. However, our online meetings had proved to be very popular not only for our existing Sangha Members but also new members jointing us who would not otherwise have been able to attend one of our in person meetings.

• Sangha Night – every Wednesday evening throughout the year providing teaching, discussion, and group meditation for our regular attendees. Sangha nights are open to all regardless of any previous experience of Buddhism or meditation These now alternate each week between meeting in person at our venues in Eastbourne, Hastings and Tunbridge Wells and meeting online using the Zoom platform.

• Organising weekend retreats at Rivendell Retreat Centre.

• Organising day retreats

• Classes – our weekly Mitra study groups are now covering all four years of the Mitra Study Course.

3 | P a g e

Triratna South East Buddhist Group (TSEBG) Registered Charity No 1179930

• Monthly online Men’s Group and Women’s Group.

• Supporting those in the ordination process through our two Mitra Convenors

• Supporting newcomers to our group.

• Supporting and leading other groups, centres, and retreats.

The Role of Volunteers

All spiritual activities are provided by volunteers. Order members of the Triratna Buddhist Community give of their time freely to teach and provide spiritual guidance.

Where a guest order member must travel to attend a meeting of TSEBG then only their travel expenses are reimbursed.

Occasionally an order member and or Mitra would be reimbursed for the travel expenses and the cost of attending a retreat where such a retreat has a direct bearing on the duties the order member / Mitra carries out in relation to the group and its members e.g. Mitra Convenor retreats and Groups and Pioneers retreats

Order Members, Mitras and Friends bring their organisational skills to the group which are given without payment.

Grant Making Policy

TWKBG may, from time to time, make grants at the discretion of the Trustees. These would normally be to financially assist Sangha members to attend retreats or undertake training that they may otherwise not be able to afford. Grants may also be made to other Triratna charities at the discretion of the Trustees.

Financial Overview

Our income from donations has remained steady and combining the accounts for our three groups into one has left us in a strong position for further growth and development in the years ahead

The combined Balance sheet is included on pages 6 below

Funding

TWKBG is funded by a combination of donations and fees.

4 | P a g e

Triratna South East Buddhist Group (TSEBG) Registered Charity No 1179930

• Those attending the regular weekly spiritual activities i.e. Sangha Night and Mitra Study donate to the Group what they can afford either on a monthly basis or at each meeting.

• Weekend retreats, are charged on a fee basis with reduced rates offered to any that cannot afford the full fee.

• TSEBG has also benefitted in the past by small one-off donations from ‘sister organisations’ which have been used for the purchase of meditation mats and cushions and second hand books for our library. However, no such donations were applied for or received in the current year that this report relates to.

Expenditure

Some of the expenditure which would normally be expected is covered at no cost by our volunteers (see above) who donate their time freely.

So, our income from the sources described above was able to deliver:

• The Trustees agreed that our Charity would make a donation of £1000 to the Abhayaratna Trust in response to their urgent appeal for support for order members in India during the big COVID outbreak.

• The day to day running costs of the Group, the main ones being room hire, insurance, the Zoom platform and the cost of maintaining our website and email communications.

• The cost of consumables i.e. stationary, shrine sundries (candles shrine cloths etc.)

• Payment for other venues, such as halls for day retreats and retreat centre costs for weekend retreats.

• Where a professional service (for example accountancy or legal) cannot be provided by one of the Sangha then it may be necessary to use a paid for outside source. This has not been necessary in the year this report refers to.

5 | P a g e

Triratna South East Buddhist Group ITSEBGI Registered Charity No 1179930 Tfiratna South East Buddhist Group ITSEBGI Re8lStered Charity No 1179930 l+Thkniin930 ethrtStrmt31 DK•mb•r2021 4,018.w QtOLpoa.92-998576te89 .fjO CaBhatew t>rntfvLcfAnl Ea&1 B￿thIS￿GrfjvPOW&9￿672319J 13759 Casha1P￿￿nl &074.34 1.511.2 LeMrJJrT•rrtllobIA￿1 31.122020 .10001 31.112021 11.83& Sraddhamayi Chair of Trustees