2023-03-31-accounts - The Ecological Conversion Group

This text was generated using OCR and may contain errors. Check the original PDF to see the document submitted to the regulator.

The

ECOLOGICAL CONVERSION GROUP

OUR MISSION IS TO HELP OUR CHURCH, MOTIVATED BY FAITH, TO RESPOND TO THE CRY OF THE EARTH AND THE CRY OF THE POOR.

T R U S T E E S ’ A N N U A L R E P O R T A N D A C C O U N T S 1 s t A p r i l 2 0 2 2 – 3 1 s t M a r c h 2 0 2 3 The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales

Ecological conversion’ is a commitment, inspired by faith, to change our lives so as to help heal the threefold rupture caused by sin, with God, with other human beings, and with the natural world.

It is the process of change towards living in a right relationship with Creator and creation. Recovering a God-centred life, living in communion with all that surrounds us.

----- Start of picture text -----
INFORMATION
Charity Name and structure:
The Ecological Conversion Group (registration
number 1197384) is a Charitable Incorporated
Organisation registered on 6th January 2022.
It is represented by the following board of
trustees:
• John Paul de Quay (Chair)
• Claire O’Sullivan
• Edward de Quay
• Rosie Read
• Fr Benedict Fadoju
• Dr Emma Gardner (served 01/04/22 -
07/11/22)
As laid our in the constitution, apart from the first
charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed
for a term of two years by a resolution passed at a
properly convened meeting of the charity trustees.
In selecting individuals for appointment as charity
trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to
the skills, knowledge and experience needed for
the effective administration of the CIO.
Address:
25 High Street,
Dormansland,
Lingfield,
RH7 6PU
CONTENTS
TIME LINE OF KEY EVENTS 4
OBJECTIVES 5
ACHIEVEMENTS :
• RESOURCES 6
• ACTIVITIES & UK COLLABORATIONS 12
• INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS 20
• TESTIMONIALS 21
FINANCIAL STATEMENT 22
TRUSTEE DECLARATION 23
3
----- End of picture text -----

OBJECTIVES

Taking Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ as our guide, our aim is to rebuild social fabric through positive, engaging resources that weave together involvement from all aspects of community, ensuring a holistic approach that integrates environmental and social action.

We help the Church and its wider communities hear both ‘the cry of the Earth’ and ‘the cry of the poor’. We encourage people to respond in an integrated way, motivating through faith, education and awareness raising, as well as encouraging creative solutions for long lasting, transformative, social and ecological change. Our charitable objectives as laid out in our governing document are:

To advance the education of the public, in particular but not exclusively by:

promoting and creating online resources focussed on integral ecology, focussed on but not limited to members of the Catholic Church;
providing and assisting in the provision of resources for environmental education in schools and other educational establishments, primarily in the United Kingdom;
promoting the holistic environmental education of people of all ages in such ways as the charity trustees think fit.

The advancement of the Catholic religion for the benefit of the public mainly, but not exclusively, by:

promoting the teachings of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ on care of our common home, the promotion of ecological conversion and integral ecology;
developing the capacity of the Catholic Church to acknowledge and respond to the ecological and social crises as laid out in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’.

To promote for the benefit of the public the conservation protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment by promoting the key messages of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’:

To advance the education of the public, particularly but not exclusively members of the Catholic faith, in the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment in particular, but not exclusively by:
promoting the principles of sustainable living that individuals can undertake such as sustainable waste management, recycling and community gardens
encouraging grassroots organisations, such as Catholic churches and schools, to make sustainable behavioural changes in their communities.

We meet our purposes through the following activities:

Creation of resources – creating opportunities for churches, schools and religious communities to engage with environmental and social issues.
Consultancy – helping organisations both national and international to integrate ecological and social issues, making scalable and cost-effective ready-made solutions.
Talks and workshops – educating schools, parishes and communities on the interconnectedness of social and ecological issues and of our interior motivations.
Network support – directly engaging with our communities to motivate and encourage action. Giving people the opportunity, capability and motivation to come forward as change makers within their local communities.
Communications and engagement – sharing of good news stories to inspire others through participation in networks and through our blog.
Journey to 2030 website – The Journey to 2030 website (www.journeyto2030.org) is key to our vision of creating resources that are accessible to all. It is a hub for people to see and contribute to positive visions of the future for their communities.

TIME LINE OF KEY EVENTS

David Oakley and Terry Drainey.

09/05/2022 Presented on biodiversity for the Southern Diocese Environment Group. https:// westminsterjusticeandpeace.org/southern-diocesesenvironment-network/

28/01/2023 Delivered talk to Arundel & Brighton’s Justice and Peace Assembly

09/06/2022 Journey to 2030 delivered a biodiversity talk to the Care of Creation group at the Association of Catholic Chaplains in Education Conference, Leeds.

04/02/2023 Conducted ‘Let us Dream’ workshop in York deanery, Middlesborough Diocese.

07/02/2023 Delivered talk to Chichester parish, Diocese of Arundel & Brighton.

27/06/2022 Delivered three workshops to Sixth formers for their ethics day.

13/02/2023 Presented at Southern Dioceses Environmental Network.

22/07/2022 We launched our Let us Dream posters at the National Justice and Peace Conference and ran a mega workshop with the whole conference (more on this below).

17-19/02/2023 In partnership with Boarbank Hall, we delivered an online workshop about Laudato Si’ in your parish. With Input from Bishops Patrick McKinney and Ralph Heskett.

01/10/2022 Our first ‘Let us Dream’ workshop in Launceston Deanery, Plymouth.

07/03/2023 Conducted ‘Let us Dream’ workshop in Cathedral deanery, Diocese of Arundel & Brighton.

22/10/2022 ‘Let Us Dream’ Deanery workshop in Bamber Bridge, Salford Diocese, as part of the Guardians of Creation research project. https:// journeyto2030.org/let-us-dream-activity-workshopsbegin/

08/03/2023 Attended Guardians of Creation research paper launch (more on this below).

24/03/2023 Delivered talk to Sixth Form students at Cardinal Pole school, Homerton.

09/11/2022 We delivered an assembly on discipleship to St Gregory’s Year 7s (Archdiocese of Southwark).

25/03/23 Participated in Integral Ecology farming conference at the Laudato Si’ Research institute, Oxford.

12/11/2022 Delivered a workshop using the ‘building a caring community’ activity posters with the Poole deanery of Plymouth diocese for their World Day of the Poor.

27/03/23 Participated in the School for Synodality Conference event.

16/11/22 Took part in a round table discussion on behaviour change as part of the Guardians of creation project.

Total number of workshops/talks: 22 Total number of people attending talks and workshops: 1178

03/12/22 Our second deanery day in Salford diocese for the St John Southworth deanery.

09/01/2023 Presented Journey to 2030 resources at the Northern and Southern dioceses environmental meeting.

13–15/01/2023 In partnership with Boarbank Hall, we delivered an online workshop about Laudato Si’ in your parish. With input from Bishops

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23

RESOURCES

Visit www.journeyto2030.org to see what we have been up to.

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23

“Building a Caring Community” Poster Pack

A2 POSTER

Our latest resource, the “Building a Caring Communities” poster activity back, is being used across the country (and world) by groups and individuals to help their communities dream of and build a better future. This is a resource that uses the “See-Judge-Act” framework as a guide to creating a parish or community project tailored to local and global needs. The current version of the pack has been downloaded/printed 49 times; we are in the process of evaluating the resources to improve them based on the feedback of those who have used them.

THIS RESOURCE PACK HELPS IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS..

A3 POSTER AND ACTIVITY CARDS

FACILITATOR HANDBOOK

‘Let us Dream’ Creative Challenge

As a part of our vision for building a better future, we have been inviting parishes, schools, and communities to get creative and dare to dream! Our Let us Dream resource is a place where we invite individuals and groups to share their creative dreams for a world that enables flourishing for all of Creation.

The Let us Dream activity is a simple one where you prayerfully reflect on your hopes for the future with Christ at it’s centre and what this practically looks like– and use any creative medium you like to share this dream.

We are building our online gallery of these dreams and are always looking for new submissions.

There are materials to help get imagination flowing on the website: https://journeyto2030.org/let-us-dream/ - including an excellent reflection on the ‘dream school’ by Sr Margaret Atkins: https://journeyto2030.org/the dream-school/

Dreams from schools in Lancaster diocese.

A Dream from the NJPN conference

A Dream from a Salford diocese deanery day

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23

ACTIVITIES & UK COLLABORATIONS

Deanery Workshops

In October 2022, we started our first deanery workshops; training days using the Building a Caring Community poster pack to build local network designed to:

Help participants realise the potential of our communities to make real change in the world.
To encourage them to dream about and share the world they would like to see.
To help form a deanery network of people keen to make a change.
To give training on using Journey to 2030 resources, so that by the end of the session you will have the confidence to run these activities in your parishes, schools and communities.

We will be continuing to run these workshops in deaneries over the coming months.

Boarbank Hall Retreats

Having completed six online retreats during the pandemic, we were delighted to run two more in January and February of 2023. In partnership with Boarbank Hall, we ran two weekend programmes with contributions by Bishop David Oakley, Bishop Terry Drainey, Bishop Ralf Heskett and Bishop Patrick McKinney. These were a great opportunity to meet new people and reconnect with others who had previously participated in a retreat. These retreats, particularly listening to the challenges faced by individuals wanting to do more, have helped form many of our resources. You can catch up on what the Bishops had to say here: https://theecg.org/about/what-do-our-bishops-have-to-say-about-care-for-the-planet/

Sue Grubic, Faith & Justice Worker for Lancaster Diocese has written a lovely reflection on her experience at one of our Boarbank Hall Retreats from earlier this year. You can read all about it on page 4 of the MouthPiece here.

Sr Margaret Atkins focused on the theme of Hope, while John Paul spoke on ‘Folly and Fellowship’ what we can learn about tackling our ecological crisis from Tolkein.

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23

National Justice and Peace Conference

We had the pleasure of being invited to speak at the annual National Justice and Peace Conference held in Derbyshire, UK. John Paul spoke to the whole delegation about signs of hope in our times, introducing The Journey to 2030 ‘Let us Dream’ activity and inviting people to come with us in re-imagining a better future. We led the final input to the conference, talking of our need to be co-creators, rather than spectators in helping our Church communities to be hubs of the change we would like to see in the world. What does a Christ centred community look like? And how can Justice and Peace flow from it? Arming the participants with art-pens and paper we asked them as groups to sit and discuss practically what this future looks like, as the first step towards getting there on our Journey to 2030.

You can hear his talk here:

https://www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/conference-reports/john-paul-de-quay-ecg-signs-of-hope-journeyto-2030/

And read the write up of the conference here: https://www.justice-and-peace.org.uk/conference/

Right: Report of the event in the Tablet

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23

Guardians of Creation research project

Working in partnership with The Diocese of Salford, St Mary’s University (Twickenham) and The Laudato Si’ Research Institute, (Campion Hall, Oxford), we were delighted to collaborate on The Guardians of Creation research project. Edward (ECG trustee) co-led the project, whilst John Paul consulted on the education and behavioural change work streams.

We were very happy to be contributors to the Guardians of Creation’s (Diocese of Salford) research paper Understanding Catholic Parishioners’ Responses to the Ecological Crisis, which was launched alongside 3 other reports at the Salford Cathedral Centre in March 2023. As well as supporting Jakub Kowalewski, the writer of this paper, we took part in the round table discussions and, the paper took 2 of our deanery days as case studies to look at the different barriers that people face in “living life to the full” through ecological conversion in their communities.

Read all about the launch here:

https://laudatosicentre.org.uk/general/guardians-of-creation-launches-decarbonisation-guidance/

The Guardians of Creation resources can be found here: https://www.stmarys.ac.uk/research/areas/theology-and-ethics/guardians-of-creation-project/about.aspx

Right: Jakub Kowalewski presenting the study. Below: The Guardians of Creation team with Bishop John Arnold.

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23

Lancaster Diocese Justice and Peace commission

The team at Lancaster Diocese are positively running with the 2030 resources. Read about their work in schools here:

Middlesbrough Diocese environment group

Barbara Hungin, Justice and Peace lead for Middlesbrough diocese has been talking at a range of events around Middlesbrough and has distributed many of our activity packs. As well as running ‘Let us dream’ workshops in her diocese. We were very pleased to run a workshop for the diocesan environment group and help form a network.

Nottingham Diocese

Nottingham Diocese have created their own programme for ecological action called ‘Pioneer Parishes’. We were very pleased to help create their own web page linked to the Journey to 2030 website. We also partnered with them to help create the ‘Ethical Consumption’ and ‘Awards’ pages on the 2030 website. https://journeyto2030.org/pioneerparishes/

Southern Dioceses Environment Network (SDEN)

As a part of the planning team for the SDEN, we have continued to work together to plan monthly Zoom meetings which cover updates from each diocese, guest speakers, reflections, and sharing of new environmental action resources. Attendees have found these meetings very helpful in both building community and giving ideas for action.

We also exhibited the Journey to 2030 materials at the SDEN mass of Creation at Farm Street Church, Mayfair.

World Day of the Poor – Plymouth Diocese

We participated in Plymouth Diocese’s World Day of the Poor event. John Paul led a presentation exploring the concept of integral ecology as well as sharing some of our resources. You can read more about the event here.

Photos courtesy of Tanya Trevena

Leeds Diocese

Consulted in formulating a DRAFT diocesan Strategy for Communicating Laudato Si’ and encouraging engagement with the environment.

East Anglia Diocese

Together with Paul Maddison, we have worked on parish audits, which have helped us develop our own poster packs and reflections on the Laudato Si’ goals.

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23

----- Start of picture text -----
Annual
Justice & Peace
Assembly
----- End of picture text -----

Diocese of Arundel and Brighton Justice and Peace Conference

We were key members on the organising group for planning and delivery of the conference, ensuring that the theme of integral ecology was used as a narrative. John Paul delivered a talk on getting closer to producing food as a means of understanding our place in God’s creation.

Hungry For Change

----- Start of picture text -----
28 January 2023 Our Annual Justice & Peace Assemblywill explore food and conflict and the
positive steps we can take towards a
9.30am - 1.30pm fairer, more peaceful world.
With Bishop Richard and speakers from
The St Philip Howard Centre, CAFOD, Pax Christi and the EcologicalConversion Group.
Crawley, RH10 6RP Book your free place here >>>
or contact our Social Action Adviser
E: Tessa.Ricketts@abdiocese.org.uk
----- End of picture text -----

Laudato Si’ Research Institute

We took part in the Integral Ecology and Sustainable Agriculture Conference, run by the Laudato Si’ Research Institute, Campion Hall, Oxford, which looked at the Church’s role in bringing us closer to God, people and land.

www.abdiocese.org.uk Registered Charity No 252878

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIONS

The European Laudato Si’ Alliance (ELSIA)

The poster packs being used on a Taizé retreat Our ‘building a caring community’ activity packs have been demonstrated at the European Laudato Si’ Alliance retreat in Taizé by our friend of the ECG and ELSIA member Prof. Mark Charlesworth.

Laudato Si’ Action Platform

The ECG have continued working as members of the parishes and diocese working group for the Laudato Si’ action platform, run by the Vatican’s Dicastery for integral human development. We help bring our experiences of working in parishes and dioceses to the project, as well as discussing our experiences globally and exchanging resources and expertise with the other members. The ECG was involved in helping run a 1st year evaluation of the program as well as having input on the formulation of the Laudato Si’ Goal: ‘Ecological Spirituality’.

Caritas Internationalis

We have attended the ‘Together we’ conference on integral ecology projects. Caritas Internationalis have been incredibly helpful in feedback on our ‘building a caring community’ activity packs, which we hope will be useful for bringing an integral ecology lens to social action projects in a range of settings.

TESTIMONIALS

“Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Laudato Si’ both inspired and galvanised a group of us within the Middlesbrough Diocese Justice and Peace Commission. Having produced an Environmental Policy for the Diocese we were then considering the most effective way of helping parishes and communities to engage with the Laudato Si goals. The NJPN conference in July 2021 was our first encounter with the Journey to 2030 material created by the Ecological Conversion Group. It was immediately evident that here was a brilliant resource, artistically created which not only captured the imagination but also used the concept of integral ecology through the Laudato Si goals as a focus for parish and school mission. Each goal has a written reflection to focus and encourage the group. The idea of a Journey is a good one and the material accepts that each group will be in a different position on that journey and that many are already engaged in activities which promote the care of our common home. The material has a wealth of practical suggestions for both individual and group action.

Within the Middlesbrough Diocese we have both used the material and distributed packs at various Diocesan meetings. John Paul facilitated our Diocesan Justice and Peace meeting in February this year – from which we established a networking group to take the material into their own parishes. We were also able to promote the sixth form syllabus within the Diocesan Education Service. Most recently I have given a presentation to a group of nuns at their annual meeting who took packs home and were enthusiastic about the possibilities of use in various settings.

We have appreciated working in partnership with the Ecological Conversion Group through John Paul, whose advice, creativity and encouragement has been fundamental to our own Diocesan journey.”

Barbara Hungin, Justice and Peace worker for Middlesborough Diocese, sharing her thoughts on our resources.

“The Ecological Conversion Group material on the Journey to 2030 material has also published 'Building a Caring Community' pack for parishes and schools to help with this process so please access the link below if you are interested in purchasing this resource. The website is also a fabulous resource and provides information on the Laudato Si goals/ CST links so please do use it to assist in curriculum objectives.”

Sue Grubic, Faith and Justice Worker of the Diocese of Lancaster, to schools of the diocese.

“It was a pleasure to meet you and hear your brilliant presentation. I can’t thank you enough for your work spreading the Laudato si’ mission. Your approach regarding the role of the dioceses seems nothing short of revolutionary… (a XXI Century continuation, I suppose, of the teachings of Vatican II…).”

A workshop participant.

“It was inspirational working with you, thank for all your encouragement and support.”

Fr Paul Maddison

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23

FINANCIAL SUMMARY

2022-2023 has been The Ecological Conversion Group’s first full year as a registered charity; we have ended the year with a total income of £72,456, of which £25,286 has been spent. Cash funds for the year end are £48,170.

Reserves Policy

It is the Ecological Conversion Group’s policy to maintain a balance of unrestricted funds (if possible) which equates to one years unrestricted payments equivalent of at least £60,000, to cover emergency situations and allow security and forward planning of the delivery of our objectives.

TRUSTEE DECLARATIONS

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above. Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

John Paul de Quay Trustee Date: 20/01/2024

- Receipts and Payments (1st April 2022 31st March 2023)


RECEIPTS	£
Grants	59,111
Donations	100
Charitable Activities	12,245
Loans	1,000
SUB TOTAL	72,456

PAYMENTS	£
Salaries	22,123
Travel Costs	322
Postage	40
Computer Expenses	244
WorkshopMaterials	557
Printing	1,865
Accommodation	135
SUB TOTAL TOTAL FUNDS THIS YEAR END (all unrestricted) Liabilities: Loans PAYE	25,286 47,170 1000 4904

The Ecological Conversion Group have chosen Costanza Tognini to independently examine the accounts. She is a supporter of The Ecological Conversion Group and has a long-standing career in institutional fundraising.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination.

I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with my examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect accounting records were not kept as required by section 130 of the Act, or that the accounts do not accord with those records.

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Costanza Tognini costanzatognini@gmail.com

EXPLANATION FOR ANY DISCREPANCIES

See reserves policy. Our reserves balance has yet to be realised.

The Ecological Conversion Group, Registered Charity No: 1197384 in England and Wales, Report 22-23