Norfolk Federation of WIs Trustees’ Report 2023
We were delighted that the Federation was able to return to a busy schedule of events, following the difficult few years that we all had experienced. Amongst the highlights were the Craft Day, Literary Lunch and the three-day trip to Blenheim, held in late 2021.
The social element of the organisation is just as important as the educational benefits – the two go hand in hand. The fact that we had been unable to meet properly for such a long time doubtless had a detrimental affect on members, so we were extremely pleased to be able to hold the Federation Annual Meeting at the Theatre Royal in Norwich, take two coaches to the National Annual Meeting in Liverpool and hold four Autumn Federation Meetings around the county.
It was encouraging to see that members were keen and enthusiastic to support not only the Federation, but also their own WI meetings and activities.
Committees resumed meetings in Evelyn Suffield House, planning and organising events. They continued to work extremely hard on behalf of the Federation and we thank them for their commitment. As with other voluntary organisations, the Federation needs more volunteers to fill vacancies on these committees. We therefore launched an appeal at both the Federation Annual and Autumn Federation Meetings for members to come forward.
The Queen’s death in September was a momentous event in all our lives. We were honoured that Her Majesty was a Norfolk member and we felt her loss keenly. A major exhibition celebrating the Federation was due to be held at the time of her death, but out of respect was postponed until 2023. We opened a Book of Condolence at Evelyn Suffield House and sent WIs copy pages, enabling those members unable to travel to sign; these will be incorporated into the Book of Condolence. We also produced a commemorative edition of the Norfolk WI News magazine. Both will form an important part of our archive for future generations. As Chairman I was privileged to be invited to attend Her Majesty’s funeral, to represent the Federation.
The most important decision since our formation was that the Federation should become a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, to safeguard Trustees. Members were kept abreast of the decision and progress, culminating in a vote at the 2022 Federation Annual Meeting to become Incorporated; this was unanimously passed. Registration with the Charity Commission was eventually completed on 16[th] January 2023 and the “old”, Unincorporated Federation was closed. The Federation’s financial year end was extended to that date, allowing for the presentation of one set of Final Accounts.
At the end of the previous year we were concerned that the pandemic would cause use to lose WIs and members. Luckily the situation has not been as serious as feared, although it must be acknowledged that membership has decreased.
The Trustees would like to acknowledge and thank the Staff for their hard work over the past 15 months. The smooth running of the Federation owes much to their dedication to the Federation and its members.
The Board of Trustees, six Committees, three members of staff and 38 Federation volunteers who make up the Norfolk Federation will continue to work on behalf of all our members and look forward to the calendar of events planned for the coming year.
Margaret Collingwood Chairman
Norfolk Federation of WIs
Charity Number: 1201046
Report Regarding Annual Financial Statement for CIO – Charity No. 1201046
It has taken some considerable time to set up a new bank account for the CIO.
Until the new account was in place, we continued to transact payments using our current account, held under Charity No. 227411.
Until the new bank account is fully operational we are unable to transfer our bank assets there have therefore been no financial transactions during the financial year 17[th] November 2022 to 31[st] October 2023.
Louise Casson Federation Secretary
Evelyn Suffield House 45 All Saints Green Norwich NR1 3LY Tel: 01603 624580 fedsec@norfolkwi.org.uk www.norfolk.thewi.org.uk