The Blackley Centre
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES and
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
for the year ended
30[th] September 2020
Charity No. 1184714
Page 1 of 12
Annual Report of the Trustees
(Pages 2-6)
Page 2 of 12
The Blackley Centre is a Registered Charity working for peace, transforming conflict, and enabling good inter faith relations, providing quality hospitality at a centre in West Yorkshire. The Centre was founded by Blackley Baptist Church, with which it now works in partnership from a shared site in the village of Blackley.
Our vision is …
- for a society where any person may live safely in any community; be welcomed, accepted, valued and understood; contributing to community life; finding ways of living that are for mutual flourishing; and where the potential transformational power of conflict is embraced and transformed.
Our aims are …
-
to provide a Centre which is an inspiring and welcoming meeting place, offering respect and hospitality for people seeking to transform conflict and make peace, and for people of all religions and beliefs to develop understanding and friendship;
-
to create and enable respectful spaces where people are enabled through encounter to share stories, explore vulnerabilities, and recognise common interests, releasing energy and creativity that ultimately leads to transformation;
-
to seek to model in our relationships, within and without the organisation, attitudes of respect, generosity and hospitality, born of appropriate compassion for the other;
-
to provide training in conflict awareness and transformation and inter faith relations.
Our values …
- are to relate to individuals and communities with openness, respect, honesty, integrity and transparency, valuing diversity. We seek to be welcoming, hospitable and compassionate and to learn creatively as we work together for transformation.
Our roots …
For many years, Baptist ministers, Andy and Jo Williams, harboured a dream of bringing their particular specialisms within reconciliation and inter faith work together with ministry into one place or centre. Friends and colleagues encouraged them to pursue this, and Blackley Baptist Church and Centre was suggested as a possible place to consider. The Church’s history, since 1993, of providing quality hospitality through their existing Centre with a focus on spirituality and retreat certainly created an interesting possibility, and at the time the Church was about to enter a period of pastoral vacancy.
Meetings, further conversations, deliberations and prayers ensued, resulting in the call of Andy and Jo to be Joint Ministers of the Church in October 2016, unanimously endorsing the vision for a Centre for peace, reconciliation and dialogue/inter faith relations. The Yorkshire Baptist Association funded a six-month Scoping Project, which confirmed the need and the potential for such a place and made a three-year grant of seed funding to enable the work to begin in July 2017, with Andy and Jo delivering reconciliation and inter faith work at Blackley alongside their pastoral ministries. The combined resources of
Page 3 of 12
Church and its Minsters creates a unique place, well-resourced buildings blessed by beautiful and peaceful surroundings, with experienced professionals bringing their heart for reconciliation and hope for peace. With a focus on personal conversation, enabling direct transformative encounters, stimulating curiosity and grace, the Centre seeks to affect change and build peace.
The Scoping Project Group oversaw the initial work with Andy and Jo, developing a Constitution for The Blackley Centre to become a CIO with a Membership, in consultation with the Church and wider church structures. Seven trustees, including two from Blackley Baptist Church, with a broad range of skills and specialist knowledge of church, reconciliation and inter faith relations were recruited to form the Trustee Board. This replaced the Scoping Project Group, meeting formally for the first time in October 2018.
The Founding Trustees were …
Hugh Donald OBE Revd Dr Richard Kidd (Treasurer) Lord David Shutt Pam Smith Andrew Taylor Revd Mary Taylor (Chair) Professor Paul Weller
The Trustee Board is supported by a Minute Secretary, Desley Taylor, a volunteer from the Church.
The Directors …
From the start, the Joint Ministers of Blackley Baptist Church were recognised as the first Directors of the Centre. They are:
Revd Joanna Willams (Director for Reconciliation) Revd Andrew Williams (Director for inter faith)
Formal registration and launch …
- On 1st August 2019 (Yorkshire Day!) The Blackley Centre was registered as a Charity and was officially launched on 12th October 2019 with 80 friends and supporters.
Early achievements through to the end of our first trading year …
A great deal has been achieved in this first year of trading, 2019-2020, much of it building on initiatives that originated in the pre-registration period. During this first year, the newly formed Charity has faced a major impact from the global Covid-19 pandemic. This necessitated a radical shift in ‘normal’ ways of working, rapidly moving from predominantly face-to-face work, to almost entirely online meetings and conversations. Despite difficult challenges, under the creative leadership of its Directors, the Centre did not suffer any serious down-turn in its work and influence, and, at the end of year, there is an immense amount to celebrate.
Page 4 of 12
Highlights include:
-
becoming a partner in Reconcilers Together , the national network of centres for Christian peacemakers, with a shared vision for reconciliation and social cohesion;
-
providing training events for Christian Ministers and other mediation providers;
-
providing ‘church facilitations’, working with local Christian leaders and their communities towards community reconciliation;
-
coaching for individuals seeking to develop their own skills in reconciliation processes;
-
hosting ‘peace and quiet days’, exploiting the peaceful context of the Centre;
-
hosting meetings between Muslim, Sikh and Jewish leaders and their communities across the region;
-
hosting sessions for ‘scriptural reasoning’, settings in which people from different faith traditions can share insights from their precious religious texts;
-
enabling inter faith visits crossing the boundaries between Christians, Muslim and Jews;
-
providing a major input to the ‘Gathering in Glasgow Conference’ that brought together more than 200 peacemakers in a pioneering event;
-
encouraging the Centre Directors to offer inputs as keynote speakers at a wide range of events around the country.
There have been a number organisational developments, many still in process. The Centre has:
-
established an initial Membership of around 50 members, and a substantial list of regular contacts;
-
established a bursary fund of £2,000 to enable the widest possible take-up of Centre events and resources;
-
secured sufficient funding to install a lift in the Prospect Suite, providing wheelchair access to both floors;
-
seen an increasing number of friends taking out Standing Orders, in order to support the day-to-day work of the Centre.
None of this would have been possible without the generous support of the Yorkshire Baptist Association (YBA). The YBA provided a half-stipend and start-up costs from July 2017, that has enabled Andy and Jo Williams to develop the work of The Blackley Centre, first with the help and oversight of the Scoping Project Group, and then with the founding Trustees. Andy and Jo have worked on a self-employed basis, with Jo’s mediation and training work supplementing the half-stipend to provide the equivalent of a full-time shared income for them as Centre Directors.
Page 5 of 12
Christine Allcock, the Centre Manager (voluntary) has continued efficiently to manage all the Centre bookings and to arrange volunteer teams from the Church and its friends to provide catering. Up to September 2019, the Centre’s finances had been run through the accounts of Blackley Baptist Church, with the excellent support of the Church’s Treasurer, Michael Whitworth. From October 2019, the Centre’s finances have been overseen by the Honorary Treasurer of the Centre, Richard Kidd, with book-keeping assistance by Pauline Barnard, a volunteer from the Church.
As we enter our second year of trading …
Hopeful indicators include:
-
increased support from volunteers;
-
continuing investment in the search for external funding to develop the work of the Centre in strategic areas;
-
plans to appoint a part-time staff member, with a special focus on administration;
-
hopes to fulfil the original aspiration to support Andy and Jo with a shared Baptist minister’s stipend, starting as early as possible in 2021;
-
hopes to appoint further Trustees, who will provide additional skills and, most significantly, explicitly represent non-Christian interests in the work of the Centre.
All the above provides no more than a snapshot of the rapid development of the Centre’s work and influence. Strategic planning for the future is our continuing priority, and with the help of the YBA and an increasing range of supporters, the Centre is confident of its potential for growth over the coming three years.
Through 2020-2021 and the following years, the Trustees will continue to build a secure structural framework, sufficiently robust to provide confidence in strategic planning, and to enable the Centre to develop ever more widely its ability to fulfil the original vision.
One note of sadness …
Soon after the end of this first trading years, everyone involved with the Centre was shocked and saddened by the sudden death of Lord David Shutt, one of the founding Trustees who, in a very short time, contributed so much to the rapidly developing life of the Centre, offering a wide range of skills and a great deal of encouragement to his colleague Trustees. He is already greatly missed.
Page 6 of 12
Financial Statements
(Pages 7-12)
Page 7 of 12
1. Report of the Independent Examiner
Basis for the Independent Examiner’s Report
My examination was carried out in accordance with general Directions given by the Charity Commission. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from the trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently no opinion is given as to whether the accounts present a 'true and fair' view and the report is limited to those matters set out in the statement below.
Independent Examiner’s Statement
In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
-
Which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect The Blackley Centre has failed:
-
To keep accounting records in accordance with the Charities Act;
-
To prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Charities Act;
-
To which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Page 8 of 12
2. Statement of Financial Activities
For the year ended 30[th] September 2020
| Notes Incoming resources Income and endowments from: Grants and donations 1 Fee income from provision of services 2 Other Total Resources expended 3 Expenditure on: Promotion and publicity Practitioner costs Project delivery costs Services and equipment Governance Other Total Net income/(expenditure) before investment gains/(losses) Net gains/(losses) on investments Net income/(expenditure) Extraordinary items Transfers between funds Other recognised gains/(losses): Gains and losses on revaluation of fixed assets for the charity’s own use Other gains/(losses) Net movement in funds Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward 4 Total funds carried forward |
Total 2019-20 |
|---|---|
| 21,417 | |
| 2,683 | |
| - | |
| 24,100 | |
| 644 | |
| 11,552 | |
| 350 | |
| 2,056 | |
| 321 | |
| 2,475 | |
| 17,398 | |
| 6,702 | |
| - | |
| 6,702 | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| 6,702 | |
| 10,475 | |
| 17,177 |
Page 9 of 12
3. Balance Sheet
As at 30[th] September 2020
| Notes Fixed assets Intangible assets Tangible assets Heritage assets Investments Total fixed assets 5 Current assets Stocks Debtors Investments Cash at bank and in hand Total current assets Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Net current assets/(liabilities) Total assets less current liabilities Creditors: amounts falling due after one year Provisions for liabilities Total net assets or liabilities Funds of the Charity Endowment funds Restricted income funds Unrestricted funds Revaluation reserve Total funds |
2020 £ |
|---|---|
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| 17,177 | |
| 17,177 | |
| - | |
| 17,177 | |
| 17,177 | |
| - | |
| - | |
| 17,177 | |
| - | |
| 17,177 | |
| 17,177 |
Page 10 of 12
4. Notes to the Financial Statements
For the year ended 30[th] September 2020
2020 £
1. Grants and Donations
| Grants Yorkshire Baptist Association Donations One-off donation Standing Orders Other occasional donations |
£11,812.00 £8,000.00 £1,561.00 £44.00 |
|---|---|
| £21,417.00 |
| 2. Fee income from provision of services These include teaching, training, mediation services and special events consistent with the objects of the charity. TOTAL INCOME |
|
|---|---|
| £2,683.00 | |
| £24,100.00 |
3. Resources expended
| Promotions and publicity Practitioner costs Director's Stipend (Rev Andrew Williams) Director's Stipend (Rev Joanna Williams) Directors' expenses Remuneration for occasional services Project delivery costs Resources for special events |
£644.00 |
|---|---|
| £7,906.00 £2,906.00 £440.00 £300.00 |
|
| £11,552.00 | |
| £350.00 |
Page 11 of 12
| Services and equipment Insurances Telephone Internet Computer accessories Governance Trustee travel expenses Other Agreed contribution to Blackley Baptist Church One-off feasibility study Contribution to installation of lift Gift to visiting choir TOTAL EXPENDITURE |
£663.00 £719.00 £558.00 £116.00 |
|---|---|
| £2,056.00 | |
| £321.00 | |
| £900.00 £500.00 £1,000.00 £75.00 |
|
| £2,475.00 | |
| £17,398.00 |
4. Total funds brought forward
This is the charity’s first year of trading and there are, therefore, no records relating to previous years. The ‘funds brought forward’ were a one-off transfer from Blackley Baptist Church, which enabled the formation of the new charity.
5. Fixed assets
At the end of the first year of this new charity, there are no fixed assets. Most of the infrastructure that enables the charity's work is provided by Blackley Baptist Church and, as yet, it has not been necessary to buy new equipment. This will most likely begin to change during the coming year.
ADDITIONAL NOTE
At this early stage in the life of the charity, there are no other funds to be considered, other than the general fund. This is also likely to change during coming years.
Page 12 of 12