OpenCharities

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

2021-09-30-accounts

The Incorporated

SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

ANNUAL REPORT AND STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS

1[st] October 2020 to 30[th] September 2021

Council, Officers, Staff and Advisers ……………… 2 President’s Report …………………………………. 3 Research Research Grants Committee .................................... 4 Buckmaster Oversight Committee .......................... 4 Spontaneous Cases Committee ............................... 4 Survival Research Committee ................................. 5 Library ....................................................................... 6 Archives .................................................................... 6 Education and Publicity Committee .......................... 7 Website Manager ...................................................... 8 The Journal ................................................................ 8 The Paranormal Review/The Magazine .................... 9 Annual Conference ..................................................... 9 Secretary’s Report .................................................... 10 ~Data Protection Officer’s Report .............................. 10 The Financial Position ............................................ 12 Annual Report and Accounts ............................... 13 Minutes of 2021 A.G.M. and E.G.M. ...................... 33 Candidates for Election to Council ........................ 36 Agenda for 2022 A.G.M. ........................................ 38

A Company Limited by Guarantee Registered No. 44861 England Registered Charity No. 207325

COUNCIL, OFFICERS, STAFF AND ADVISERS as at 30[th] September 2021

President: Prof. A. D. Parker, MA, PhD

Vice-Presidents

Dr R. S. Broughton, BA, PhD Prof. B. J. Carr, MA, PhD Prof. D. L. Delanoy, BA, PhD

Dr A. O. Gauld, MA, PhD, DLitt Prof. J. C. Poynton, MSc, PhD Prof. C. A. Roe, BSc, MSc, PhD, AFBPsS

Elected Members of Council

Mrs M. E. Barton

Dr R. S. Broughton, BA, PhD Prof. B. J. Carr, MA, PhD Dr B. G. Colvin, BSc, PhD Dr C. E. Cooper, BSc, MRes, PhD, CPsychol., FHEA Prof. D. L. Delanoy, BA, PhD Mr C. J. Farrell, BSc, GRSC

Mr J. Fraser, BA Dr D. N. Rousseau, BSc, PhD Dr G. T. B. Kidd, MBBS, Mrs J. A. Rousseau, BSc MRCPsych Dr T. H. Ruffles, BSc, BA, MA, Mr R. G. McLuhan, BA, BLitt PhD, ARPS Mr A. D. Murdie, LL B LL B B Mr A. P. Ryan Prof. C. A. Roe, BSc, MSc, PhD, Dr M. J. Willin, BMus, MMus, PhD, AFBPsS LRAM

Mr J. Fraser, BA Dr G. T. B. Kidd, MBBS, MRCPsych Mr R. G. McLuhan, BA, BLitt Mr A. D. Murdie, LL B LL B B Prof. C. A. Roe, BSc, MSc, PhD,

(for the purpose of the Companies Act 2006 the elected members of Council are directors) Prof. D. L. Delanoy was removed as a director on 28 April 2022 , Dr L. P. Ruickbie was appointed as a director on 28 May 2022.

Co-opted Members of Council

Mr D. R. Bury, AFBPsS., CPsychol, BA (Theol), MA, Dip Psychol, Dip Couns Dr D. L. Erickson, MBA, PhD Mr S. T. Parsons

Dr L. P. Ruickbie, BA, MA, PhD, Assoc. of King’s College Dr M. B. Schofield, BSc, MRes, PhD Dr D. J. Vernon, BSc, PhD Dr Z. Weaver, BA, PhD

Council Appointments

Officers:

Hon. Secretary – Dr Kidd

Hon. Treasurer – Dr Broughton

Other appointments:

Hon. Editor, Journal & Proceedings – Dr Schofield Editorial Assistant – Dr Tammy Dempster Associate Editor – Dr Weaver Hon. Editor, The Magazine – Dr Ruickbie Hon. Communications Officer – Dr Ruffles

Hon. Archives Liaison Officer – Dr Willin Hon. Website Manager – Dr Erickson Website Content Manager – Mr Nemo Mörck Data Protection Officer – Mr Farrell Hon. Book Review Editor, JSPR – Mr Nemo Mörck

Secretary: Mr Peter. Johnson

Librarian: Mrs Karen Patel

Council Committees

Committee Chairman Members Education & Publicity Prof. Carr Dr Erickson, Mr McLuhan, Mr Nemo Mörck, Prof. Roe, Dr Ruickbie, Dr Ruffles Research Grants Prof. Delanoy Dr Broughton, Prof. Carr, Dr Gauld, Mr Ryan Buckmaster Oversight Dr Broughton Prof. Carr, Mr Fraser, Mr Murdie, Dr Kidd, Mr Ryan, Dr Weaver Library Dr Ruffles Dr Kidd, Mr McLuhan, Mr Mörck, Dr John Newton, Mrs Patel, Prof. Poynton, Dr Willin. Spontaneous Cases Dr Kidd Dr Colvin, Dr Cooper, Mr Paul Cropper, Mr Farrell, Mr Fraser, Mr Ashley Knibb, Mr Murdie, Dr John Newton, Dr Ruickbie. Survival Research Mrs Barton Mr Bury, Dr Matthew Colborn, Dr Cooper, Dr Gauld, Dr Rousseau, Dr David Saunders. Editorial Board Prof. Parker Prof. Stephen Braude, Dr Broughton, Prof. Carr, Prof. Delanoy, Dr Gauld, Dr James Houran, Dr Harvey Irwin, Dr Julia Mossbridge, Prof. Roe, Prof. Poynton, Mr Ryan, Dr Stefan Schmidt, Dr Paul Stevens, Dr Vernon, Prof. Caroline Watt, Dr Robin Wooffitt. Conference Programme Prof. Parker Prof. Carr, Dr Gauld, Mr Nemo Mörck, Mr Murdie, Prof. Roe, Dr Ruffles.

Professional Advisers

Auditors & Accountants PK Audit LLP Chartered Accountants Investment Manager Newton Investment Management Ltd.

2

ANNUAL REPORT

Report of the President - Professor Adrian Parker

This annual report, covering the period to 30[th] September 2021, is inevitably a difficult one to write given that it is a year that I suspect many people, including myself, will want to erase from memory when much of that year has been associated with the COVID-19 mandates. This is also a year in which the death occurred of prominent researchers Erlendur Haraldsson and Carlos Alvarado, who will be much missed

There were however some very positive developments, foremost the growth in international contacts and the sharing of knowledge, which were facilitated by the enormous surge in Zoom-based lectures. In order to facilitate the use of this new technology, an extensive guide is provided for new users of Zoom on the SPR website. A total of 13 such lectures were given during the period under review. Please note that, in order to receive email notifications from us about upcoming events, it is essential that you consent and join our mailing list. You can do this from the top of the homepage on our website.

These events were popular and ran smoothly, doubtless due to the managerial competence of our Secretary, Peter Johnson and the pedagogic skills of Dr David Vernon in hosting these meetings. The efforts of Professor Bernard Carr were also much appreciated in organising two Zoom-based Study Days during this period: One was devoted to highlighting the contributions of the two above-mentioned recently deceased members. The other was entitled “Psi and Post-materialistic Science” with several well-known international contributors taking part. Video recordings of these Lectures and Study Days are available on the SPR website. Many other SPR lectures are also available on our YouTube channel.

I would also like to draw attention to some of the other informative features of the SPR website: the numerous book reviews arranged and/or written by Nemo Mörck. In addition, we have very active pages on Facebook and Twitter, which are tirelessly managed by Dr Tom Ruffles. Please follow us on these social media platforms and join in with some lively discussion of what is happening in the field. Thanks also to our Data Protection Officer, Ciaran Farrell, for his inexorable work on updating the SPR’s data protection policy, as set out on the website.

finances. This led to the first increase in membership fees since 2005 being scheduled for the start of 2022. Dr Broughton has also organised a new committee to find effective ways of raising funds especially reaching out to individuals who might be willing to give major support.

Two new books by Steve Parsons were published by the Society during this period: Guidance Notes for Investigators of Spontaneous Cases and Using Equipment Guidance Notes for Investigators of Apparitions, Hauntings, Poltergeists and Similar Phenomena . Both can be bought via the SPR Shop to be found on the website.

Under the continued and much valued editorship of Dr Leo Ruickbie, it was decided to change the name of the Paranormal Review to the more appropriate The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research . The Myers Memorial Medal (given irregularly on merit) was awarded to Dr Edward Kelly for his outstanding contributions honouring the work of F W H Myers (see his entry in the Psi Encyclopedia on our website).

For most of this period under review the COVID-19 restrictions meant that the Librarian, Mrs Patel was furloughed, and Mr Johnson worked from home. From July 2020 the SPR Office and Library were opened one day a week.

Dr Melvyn Willin continues to look after the SPR’s considerable archive of documents and audio/visual material. He works closely with Cambridge University Library, where the documents and manuscripts are housed in a Special Collection that is highly prized by the CUL. The a/v collection is managed and housed at Dr Willin’s own home, and we thank him for his work dealing with archival enquiries from members and others, such as TV companies who make use of the material

The Annual International Conference of the SPR, chaired by me, took place 18-19 September 2021 via Zoom linkups to various countries and was well attended, with speakers and audience from around the world.

Having taken on the President’s role at the beginning of May 2021, I would like to thank Council and all the various committee members for their helpful suggestions and guidance.

Our Honorary Treasurer, Richard Broughton has endeavoured to find new ways of improving the SPR’s

I commend this report to the Society’s members and other interested bodies.

3

RESEARCH

Report of the Research Grants Committee Chairman: Professor Deborah Delanoy

Firstly, as the Committee Chairperson, I extend my gratitude and thanks to the Research Grants Committee (RGC) members who gave their time and expertise to evaluate the research applications submitted this year. The 2021 RGC committee members are: Dr Richard Broughton, Professor Bernard Carr, Dr Alan Gauld and Mr Adrian Ryan.

Also, the Research Grants Committee extends thanks to everyone who submitted a research proposal; the effort that went into the research proposals is much appreciated. The proposals represented broad-ranging questions from distinguished, as well as ‘up and coming’, researchers. There are two successful applicants to whom we send our congratulations and wish them every success with their research. They are:

Leo Ruickbie who has been awarded £6,840 to conduct an online survey investigating the correlation between reported premonitions and real-world events; and,

Lance Storm who has been awarded £6,494.58 for a study of imagery-cultivation impact on phenomenological and paranormal experience.

Sadly, the limit on our funds continues to restrict the number of proposals we are able to fund. To help advance our knowledge of this critically important area via the funding of research, please make donations and/or bequests specifically to the SPR’s Research Grants Committee. Your support would help achieve the ultimate and far-reaching goal of extending our understanding of psychical phenomena.

Report of the Buckmaster Oversight Committee (BOC) Chairman: Dr Richard S. Broughton

The role of the Buckmaster Oversight Committee is to oversee the projects approved by Council that are funded by a legacy from Mr Nigel Buckmaster. During the past year the committee has continued to monitor the two projects remaining in its portfolio.

The SPR’s online Psi Encyclopedia, the flagship project of the Buckmaster fund continues to flourish. As the main component to implement Mr Buckmaster’s wishes that the SPR would be the source of the best evidence for psychical research the Psi Encyclopedia continued to grow over the year while the Editor, Robert McLuhan focussed on improving editorial consistency across the entries. In addition to the online Psi Encyclopedia, printed volumes are planned to supplement the digital offerings. The first of these, an edited volume of essays exploring the best evidence for survival, is well

underway under the editorship of Dr Ruickbie and Mr McLuhan. It is expected that this will be published in 2022.

The delayed Systems Methodology for Exploratory Science project under Dr David Rousseau is finally nearing completion but has encountered yet another delay due to family reasons. The remaining and final product of this project is a practical handbook for applying Systems Methodology to the problems of psychical research, and this is now expected early in 2022.

The BOC is pleased to report that the projects are proceeding satisfactorily and that benefits of Mr Buckmaster’s generosity are being realised by our scientific colleagues as well as by our members and the general public.

Report of the Spontaneous Cases Committee Chairman: Graham Kidd

This year was of course marred by the ongoing pandemic, causing a disinclination to carry out field investigations despite the enthusiasm and organisational ability of Steven Parsons. In addition, much of committee work in the first part of the year was taken up with attempting to clarify the role of GDPR in the functioning of the SCC which has direct contact with members of the public who deliver personal information into the keeping of the SPR. This, together with a misunderstanding as to the ownership of this information, the formal structure of the

SPR, and how to proceed in the most scientific fashion as a committee, generated considerable discussion and some unhappiness with consequent understandable resignations.

Ashley Knibb initiated some much-needed changes in the collection and organisation of data, which has been accumulating steadily via the Experiences In box on the SPR website, in his role as Case Coordinator, for which we are most grateful. It is regrettable that for personal reasons he also recently resigned. There has, however,

4

been no shortage of volunteers for recruitment into the SCC from the ranks of the SPR membership, and Prof Paul Dieppe has recently been accepted.

The SCC has continued to develop its role. We have completed the task of defining the functions of the SCC in the form of a Policy and Procedures document, written largely by Leo Ruickbie in coordination with a GDPR Data Agreement document written by Ciaran Farrell, which we are committed to abide by. These documents should prevent further misunderstandings and help coordinate the functions of the SCC, without limiting personal initiative. They have been sent to the GDPRIT for approval. The work of Ciaran and Leo is hereby recognised, as is that of John Fraser who has completed a year as the SCC secretary, the tasks of which are now to be rotated among committee members.

While we await the notification of a poltergeist case of sufficient significance to warrant a field investigation, and for which we are preparing the less experienced of the SCC members with regular seminars, we continue to have regular submissions to the Experiences in box. Between November 2020 and November 2021, we have had some 200 entries. Most are relatively lacking in substantial evidential information and thus not allocated for further investigation, but they are not necessarily without psychological and sociological interest. Few may be termed without value at all, or clearly the result of illness. They are therefore all, except the most irrelevant ones, being documented and will be accessible to researchers in digital form, (providing of course that permissions have been given). Many are being investigated by members of the SCC and have been or will be written up and as fully documented as possible and put forward for publication in the Magazine. The aim is also to make ongoing scientific use of this information at the outset by methodical use of validated questionnaires and protocols relevant to the particular type of case.

Of the approximately 200 cases, a rough breakdown of categories is as follows: Mediumship 16, media offerings 13, orbs 10, time slips 3, sense of presence 3, apparitions 16, (of which 4 are crisis apparitions ), JOTTs 3, psychokinesis 6, poltergeist phenomena 13, hauntings 3, OBEs 5, NDEs 6, telepathy claims 11, precognitive claims 13, clairvoyance 3, synchronicities 5, lucid dreams 3, past life memories 2, after death communication 1, and

4 UFO events. In addition, there have been some 6 entries by individuals keen to express their theories regarding the supernatural, some not without merit, but several concerned about the danger of evil spirits and curses. Most cases can of course be classified with more than one tag, for example the conjunction of a UFO sighting and healing. One aim is to classify experiences so that possible correlations can be readily assessed.

Probably a quarter of cases are from outside the UK, emanating from all parts of the globe, including the middle East (notably Iran and Saudi Arabia) and the far East, though mostly from the USA.

Typical of cases that stand out as having perhaps significant evidential value include a case reported lucidly some years after the event of an entity manifesting itself and, in the process, terrifying a wide awake 15-year-old boy in the middle of the night, by muttering in a foreign language, breathing heavily into his ear, shuffling about and moving furniture. The Portuguese lodging had, it was discovered, been built on an old graveyard. One experiencer keeps us informed of his clairvoyant dreams concerning the activities of his friends which he verifies with them the next day, to their astonishment. Another keeps us informed of ongoing intermittent poltergeist like activity plaguing him in his flat. One notable precognitive dream just reported is the prediction by 10 years of the Japanese Olympics being made strange by empty Stadium seats. We have received a quite convincing video of a paper disc balanced on a pin made to rotate by the power of thought, the paper being reasonably covered by a perspex bowl. The man with this apparent PK ability was an Iranian and thus was not unfortunately available for laboratory study, despite his willingness.

Paul Cropper continues to survey the web for reports of poltergeists in various parts of the world, and these lately have included stone throwing and fire outbreaks both from rural parts of India.

Finally, while little to do with the activity of the SCC as such, we are nevertheless proud to note that our own Dr Leo Ruickbie has distinguished himself by coming third of some 2000 entrants in the Bigelow Essay competition concerning evidence for survival, collecting his substantial but extremely well-earned reward in Las Vegas for what may be considered one of the most thoughtful, erudite, and indeed literary, of the essays.

Report of the Survival Research Committee Chairman: Marian Barton

We have not held a Gwen Tate Lecture this year owing to the restrictions of COVID-19.

We received nine requests for funding and the following are the awards made during this year:

5

We wish them every success with these projects.

We continue to give some support to the valuable work of the Hon. Archives Liaison Officer. We also respond to survival-related enquiries referred to us by the Hon. Communications Officer which come into the SPR via the Contact Us link on the SPR website.

I would like to offer my very special appreciation to the Survival Research Committee members Mr Dennis Bury, Dr Matthew Colborn, Dr Callum Cooper, Dr Alan Gauld, Dr David Rousseau and Dr David Saunders. They have given help and support on these various projects and the queries we have received during another difficult year.

Report of the Library Committee Chairman: Dr Tom Ruffles

Library usage has again been severely limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The office and library were closed from March 2020 until July 2021, and library access since has been restricted, with an appointment system in place. This meant that the postal loan service proved particularly useful once the office reopened (details of the service are available from the Librarian; the library catalogue can be viewed on the website).

In the current reporting year 73 loans were made, compared to 77 the previous year, the lower figure reflecting the library’s closure for a significant portion of the year. Twenty-one books were purchased at a cost of £349.75. The Librarian reports that library users have commented very favourably on the Committee’s choices.

Book collections were received from the estates of Miss Mary Rose Barrington and Prof. Donald West, and a further 11 books were donated. We are grateful to donors for their generosity. The Librarian continues to operate a second-hand books sale, now available to purchase via the website as well as in the library.

The Library Committee has not met in person since March 2020, but it has continued to discuss possible acquisitions via email. Committee members are: Graham Kidd, Robert McLuhan, Nemo Mörck, John Newton, Karen Patel (Librarian and committee secretary), John Poynton, Tom Ruffles (chair) and Melvyn Willin.

Hon. Archives Liaison Officer’s Report Dr Melvyn Willin

It has obviously been a more difficult year than usual as far as collecting and depositing archive material, but the work of cataloguing and conservation has continued unaffected by COVID-19 and recently (September 2021) visits to institutions including Cambridge University Library have re-started.

Archive material has continued to arrive via Alan Murdie from the Guy Playfair estate, and I completed the cataloguing of Mary Rose Barrington’s archive and deposited it at Cambridge…30 boxes of correspondence and articles.

One particularly exciting donation consisted of three volumes of correspondence concerning the Society for

Supernormal Photography and one volume of extremely rare spirit photos. I have catalogued this collection as best I can despite many items being unidentified and in a very poor state of repair. I visited the College of Psychic Studies and will be returning to discuss the photos with their staff.

I have liaised with members of the Spontaneous Cases Committee about their collection and have also had contact throughout the year with numerous other members of the Society and the general public concerning their diverse queries which have included such subjects as JOTTs, the SORRAT photos, the cross-correspondences, the Bircham Newton haunting, Rosemary Brown’s musical mediumship and the work of Fanny Moser and

6

Matthew Manning. Tom Ruffles regularly sends me queries to look into.

I hosted the launch in Cambridge of Kate Summerscale’s new book on the haunting of Alma Fielding which was an in-depth study by Nandor Fodor which required substantial archive work and I have received numerous reports by a member of the public about various premonitions she has experienced and information from another lady who believes her previous home was haunted.

I have had a meeting with a film company who are interested in doing a follow-up to their ‘Survival’ programmes on poltergeist via Netflix and I continue to assist another film company who have negotiated with the SPR to make a documentary about the Enfield poltergeist.

I collected from a member of the public seven boxes of books some of which the library does not possess and some of which are both rare and interesting. These include

obscure books by Eric Dingwall and William McDougal; an Indian publication from 1922 about Blavatsky; and various other books which will be deposited in the library.

After I contacted Lord Rayleigh, I received a positive reply from him concerning psychical research material that may be held on the estate and his archivist will be in touch should anything arise with a view to donating it to the SPR.

I finish with my usual request repeated from previous years and tinged with disappointment at the lack of response. Some members receive financial and archival support from the SPR. Could they PLEASE send me copies of their dissertations, photographs, correspondence and articles for inclusion in the archives when they are of relevance to psychical research. We need more contemporary material to add to the enormous amount of research deposited in the past. Items given to the SPR archives will then be available in the future for the education of the public and academics alike.

Education and Publicity Committee Chairman: Professor Bernard Carr

The Education and Publicity Committee (EPC) coordinates the SPR’s educational activities and develops strategies for publicising these. The promotion of our events is now primarily via the internet and our website, so our members include Robert McLuhan (chair of the former Electronic Communications Committee), Deborah Erickson (Honorary Website Manager) and Nemo Mörck (Website Content Manager). Deborah also covers some of these activities in her individual report. Other members are Tom Ruffles (Honorary Communications Officer), Leo Ruickbie (editor of The Magazine ) and Chris Roe.

This year has seen a continuation of the change in our educational activities due to the pandemic, with online rather than physical meetings. Although we miss meeting physically, this has the advantage of attracting speakers and participants from all over the world and it also reduces the expenses involved. In particular, we now hold regular evening webinars. These were initially organised and chaired by David Vernon, but Deborah Erickson temporarily took over the role in September. This initiative has proved very successful, attracting much larger audiences than our physical meetings, and we are most grateful to David and Deborah. In the reported period, webinars were given by Chris French, Dean Radin, Chris Roe, Adrian Parker, Neil Langdon Inglis, Simon Duan (twice), Malcolm Schofield, Eric Dullin, Christine Simmonds-Moore, Everton Maraldi, Rodrigo Machado Tavares and Gary Schwartz.

Our educational role includes overseeing evening discussions and study days. There were no evening discussions this year but Dennis Bury hopes to initiate them again in either physical or virtual form soon. In

December 2020 we held an online study day, “Psi and Post-Materialist Science: the Search for a New Paradigm”. It was chaired by Bernard Carr, with contributions from David Lorimer, Harald Walach, Brian Josephson and Evelyn Elsaesser. This was prompted by the Galileo Commission Report, written by Harald Walach and commissioned by the Scientific & Medical Network. The online study day in April 2021 marked the passing of three eminent and much missed members: “On Life, Death and the Nature of Reality: A Tribute to Mary Rose Barrington, Erlendur Haraldsson and Donald West”. It was chaired by Bernard Carr and featured talks by Zofia Weaver, David Rousseau, Adrian Parker, Melvyn Willin, Jim Matlock, Cal Cooper and Matt Colborn.

The Committee plays a key role in the annual conference, with four of our members (Carr, Roe, Ruffles and Mörck) serving on the Programme Committee under the chairmanship of Adrian Parker. This year’s conference was held online in September 2021 and had a different format from usual, with invited talks by students and six plenary speakers (Jim Tucker, Bruce Greyson, Bernard Carr, Christine Simmonds-Moore, Marjorie Woollacott and Stanley Krippner).

Steve Parsons has followed up his excellent Guidance Notes for the Investigation of Spontaneous Cases with a second booklet, Using Equipment: Guidance Notes for Investigators of Apparitions, Hauntings, Poltergeists and Similar Phenomena , financed by Buckmaster Fund. This was launched at the annual conference and can be combined with the original booklet at a special price. Both booklets are now in the ‘required reading’ list for students

7

of the Rhine Education Center in Durham N.C. They are aimed at the general ghost-hunting community and are reestablishing the SPR’s crucial role in this area. Associated ghost-hunting workshops were postponed due to the pandemic but will take place in the coming year if possible.

As part of the publication activities funded by the Buckmaster bequest, Psi Encyclopedia continues to expand under the management of Robert McLuhan; it now has 530 articles and a word count of 175 million. The general readership is growing and citations to its articles now regularly appear in scholarly publications, attesting to its value to academic users. The entries on 20th century researchers continue to grow and articles on several other topics are planned. These are often prompted by readers’ suggestions, which are being received in ever greater numbers. Members should contact Mr McLuhan if they have suggestions for other items. Another Buckmaster project is a book of scholarly essays about survival of consciousness after death. The collection is being edited by Leo Ruickbie and Robert McLuhan and they are also planning a second volume. This topic has attained prominence as a result of the much-publicised Bigelow prize on the same topic and we congratulate Leo on obtaining one of the major prizes.

Tom Ruffles regularly respond to enquiries via the website and social media. Frequent references to the SPR, both in print and online, can be followed on our Facebook page and Twitter feed, all of which are overseen by Tom. At the end of the reporting year the Facebook page had 15,921 'likes', and the general Twitter feed had 8,336 followers. These sites publicise SPR events and carry news about the field in general. Tom also runs a Twitter feed dedicated to Psi Encyclopedia, which had 1397 followers. Posts on all three are circulated by readers and thereby reach a very large audience. Significant information relating to the SPR appears on our website as news items posted by Nemo Mörck, who also adds information about new books and their reviews. SPR members frequently make media appearances, and these are mostly reported on our website.

We continue to build bridges with other organisations since this allows news of our activities to reach a wider audience. During the pandemic we are unable to distribute SPR leaflets at events arranged by other groups because there are none. However, Leo Ruickbie promotes the SPR and our magazine through his own website, social media channels and Supernatural Magazine . Also, Ashley Knibb's blog frequently carries digests of links featuring the SPR from sources of psychical research news.

Report of the Hon. Website Manager Dr Deborah Erickson

The SPR website has continued smooth operations this fiscal year. Content Manager Nemo Mörck has continued to perform content maintenance, upload book reviews as they have been available, and he posted an informal guide to Lexscien on Twitter. As the Website

Manager I picked up scheduling and hosting three webinars last Fall, filling in while David Vernon was on sabbatical. Presentations by Gary Schwartz, PhD, Diane Hennacy-Powell, PhD and Julia Mossbridge, PhD were well received and attended.

The Journal of the Society for Psychical Research Editor: Dr Malcolm Schofield

This is my first full report as Editor of the JSPR . Four issues were published from 1 October 2020 to 30 September 2021. This period has given the team some significant challenges that have impacted publication dates. Our typesetters, Hope Services, earlier in the year, and without warning, ceased business. This caused a significant delay while I secured a new typesetter. The new typesetters are User Design, Illustration and Typesetting. They have completed the July 2021 issue with understandable delays while we get used to each other's way of working. They are shaping up to be an excellent asset to the team. Also, we experienced some delays in copy for the July 2021 issue. This year I had to investigate accusations of plagiarism against Dr Alejandro Parra. Plagiarism was found to have occurred in several articles, details of which were published in the July 2021 issue. These articles will be retracted in 2022. While we endeavour to get each issue out on time and in the corresponding month, this is not always possible; however, working with the new typesetters and working

on multiple issues at once, I am confident we can catch up and get future issues out on time.

Eight peer-review articles, one research note, and 16 book reviews were published throughout the four issues, as well as three obituaries, various correspondence and notices. Various methodological approaches were published, such as quantitative, mixed methods and metaanalysis. The discipline areas were wide-ranging, including physics and psychology, looking at topics such as remote viewing, mediumship, and levitation. The Journal continues to uphold the methodological rigour required of contributions, and it has been great to see publications from international researchers once again. Furthermore, the action resulting from the plagiarism investigation further demonstrates the Journal ’s integrity.

Associate Editor Dr Zofia Weaver and the Editorial Assistant Dr Tammy Dempster have once again been an invaluable source of support and guidance over the past year, and I wish to thank them for all their help and

8

advice. I am pleased that we have such a good team working on the journal. While I was sad to lose Hope Services as typesetters, I would like to thank them for their help with the Journal . I would also like to thank Thomas Bohm at the new typesetters for his patience with me as we learn how we both work and his dedication to making the journal look its best. Thanks to the Book Review

Editor, Nemo Mörck, for his help and guidance. Thank you to the editorial board for their guidance during the plagiarism investigation, and to Dr Richard Broughton and Peter Johnson for their help securing the new typesetters. Finally, a big thank you to all the people who have reviewed articles providing great feedback and so often gone above and beyond to assist authors.

The Paranormal Review/The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research Editor: Dr Leo Ruickbie

During the reporting period four issues of the magazine were developed, with ongoing effort put into acquiring articles for future issues. The year 2021 began with a name change and re-design. With the support of Council, the previous title of Paranormal Review was replaced with The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research , bringing it into line with the Society’s other publications.

Notable features were an in-depth report on the attendance of several of the Society’s Members and Council Members at a conference in Vietnam, tributes to Prof. Donald West and Mary Rose Barrington, a largescale tribute to Prof. Erlendur Haraldsson organised by Walter Meyer zu Erpen, and interviews with the photographer Stéphanie Solinas, the US billionaire Robert Bigelow, founder of the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies, and the Tower of London’s Raven Master, Yeoman Warder Chris Skaife, with the regular President’s Column supplied by then President, Prof. Chris Roe, and the current President, Prof. Adrian Parker. With

regard to the Vietnam issue, Vice President Prof. Bernard Carr was kind enough to express his thanks, saying (quoted with permission):

I've just read your wonderful report on the Vietnam meeting – informative, insightful and also humorous. It brought back many nice memories. This was probably the last conference I attended before the pandemic struck, which makes your account even more special. A very valuable aspect of the magazine now is your astute use of photographs. This was evident, for example, in the tributes to Donald and Mary Rose.

David Ellis is to be thanked for his valuable role as proofreader. The usual marketing activities were also undertaken, with support gratefully received from the Society’s Hon. Communications Officer Dr Tom Ruffles and the website’s Content Manager Nemo Mörck. Finally, our production of The Magazine continues to save the Society considerable software licensing fees by using open-source solutions.

Annual Conference

Programme Chairman: Professor Adrian Parker, Conference Organiser: Peter Johnson

The 44th International Conference took place 18-19[th] September 2021. It was for the first time held online as a Zoom meeting. Following the suggestion from the then SPR president, Professor Chris Roe, the Council decided that the meeting would be centered around invited student presentations and invited speakers prominent in the research fields. The internet form of the meeting gave us the opportunity to invite some international speakers whose travel costs would normally be beyond the SPR’s conference resources. The invited speakers were Bernard Carr, Bruce Greyson, Stanley Krippner, Jim Tucker, Christine Simmonds-Moore, and Margorie Woollacott. In addition, David Luke kindly substituted at short notice for Christine Simmonds-Moore when she was unable to take part as had been planned in the panel discussion.

The conference form of the zoom meeting (rather than the webinar form) meant that the audience members were asked to submit comments via the Q and A chat facility rather than directly. (On special occasions, it was possible to move participants to main speakers allowing direct questions.) A maximum of 140 attendees to the

conference were on-line at once.

There were 16 participant sessions and two panel discussions. Two participants sessions were given to invited presentations concerned the SPR: Ann Winsper gave an invited talk titled “A Brief Account of Some Historical Cases Investigated by the SPR”, and Steve Parsons presented “The SPR’s Equipment Guidance - Notes for Investigators of Spontaneous Cases ”. The first panel discussion related to the nature of consciousness and brought together Bernard Carr, Bruce Greyson, and Tucker. Sunday’s panel discussion involved a wideranging discussion with Stanley Krippner, Margorie Woollacott and David Luke.

The nine student participants came from the following universities: Newcastle, Northampton, Canterbury, Edinburgh and Gothenburg. One student (Gävle University) was forced to drop out due to a domestic accident and another student withdrew (Greenwich University) due to a death in the family. The topics covered in the conference included the public perception

9

of parapsychology, mediumship, nutrition and psychic experiences, the Ganzfeld, memories of former lives, NDEs and mystical & transpersonal experiences.

Because of the non-residential location of speakers, it is worth noting that the conference appeared to be more prone to last minute unexpected changes and drops outs. It also involved managing 4 time zones. Adrian Parker chose to be the session leader throughout in order to minimise these changes in location and possible problems with linkups.

Video recordings and printed abstracts of the conference proceedings are now available on the SPR’s website.

A thank you is due the SPR Conference Organising Committee, and special thanks to Peter Johnson for solving all the practical difficulties (being the first such conference, this was a learning experience for us all). I want to express heart-felt thanks to the invited speakers for so generously giving their personal time free of charge.

Secretary’s Report Peter Johnson

In the table below, you will be able to see that our membership numbers have increased again this year,

continuing the trend from last year, with a 7.2% increase in the total number of members at year end.

Members & Associates Members & Associates Members & Associates Student Associates Student Associates Student Associates Totals
2021 2020 Change 2021 2020 Change 2021 2020 Change
UK 575 559 +2.9% 51 33 +54.5% 626 592 +5.7%
USA 170 157 +8.3% 19 14 +35.7% 189 171 +10.5%
Other 150 141 +6.4% 20 15 +33.3% 170 156 +9%
TOTAL 895 857 +4.4% 90 62 +45.2% 985 919 +7.2%

Audio recordings of all our events are available free of charge for members only, and purchase by nonmembers. Thanks to David Vernon and Deborah Erickson for finding so many interesting speakers for our online Web Events during the year. Thanks to Melvyn Willin for maintaining our archive catalogue of recordings. Please note that, in addition to borrowing physical recordings, members may also listen to talks directly from our website.

The Office and Library have been operating from home when we were told to do so and, during the summer of 2021, we were able to reopen our Library on one day per week, with Karen Patel (Librarian) coming out of furlough and returning to work.

We held our 2021 Annual General Meeting via Zoom in April. The elections of Council Members planned for the 2020 AGM were held at this meeting.

Data Protection Officer’s Report Ciaran Farrell

The last reporting year has been a difficult one due to the continuation of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns has which meant that we were not able to hold any physical meetings, and the SPR office was closed for much of the year.

Therefore, the SPR’s operations had largely to be conducted remotely. This made it difficult to carry out the detailed work which needed to be done in relation to examining the SPR’s entire operation to ensure that the systems that had been put in place were the correct ones and that they were functioning as intended.

The previous reporting year had finished on a high thanks to the hard work of the General Data Protection Implementation Team (GDPRIT), as the SPR was able to register as being compliant with the Data Protection Act 2018 which is the UK’s version of the European

General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR. This was done through registration with the UK’s data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The SPR’s official registration Certificate is Number ZA574485. This has been placed on the SPR’s website together with the SPR’s new Cookie and Website Terms & Conditions policy which was completed at around the same time.

A further GDPRIT meeting was held, and this was followed by remote meetings after it was decided that the Team should be wound up as the major objective of basic GDPR compliance and ICO registration had been achieved. There were some outstanding areas of work that it was considered should be addressed through the DPO liaising with whomever might be necessary rather than continuing to hold further remote GDPRIT meetings.

10

This left the DPO free to take a more through look at revising the SPR’s overarching Privacy and Data Protection Policy in the light of the legal opinion commissioned by the Chair of the Spontaneous Cases Committee in relation principally to the activities of the SCC. The report also referred to a number of crosscutting issues that would also need to be addressed. This work continued from the previous reporting period into the current one as it is a major project. Therefore, the DPO liaised as planned with other officers of the SPR as and when required remotely or by email during this period.

This revision of the policy was, to a certain extent, to be expected as the policy would have needed to be reviewed and revised in the light of more recent developments in area of GDPR. This was because the policy was drawn up and put in place by the SPR as a matter of urgency by GDPRIT and the SPR Council at a relatively early stage in the development of GDPR guidance to meet the tight compliance timetable.

Then another set of issues arose out of the Spontaneous Cases Committee’s (SCC) initiative to form a First Response Group to actively undertake field investigations as part of a broader initiative within the SPR. The First Response Group later became the Field Research Group.

These issues have added to and compounded those that were already known about and were being worked upon as new GDPR complaint systems, procedures and protocols needed to be drawn up. This meant that the DPO needed to work intensely with the SCC and its officers to ensure that the new working practices and procedures would make sense as far as GDPR and GDPR compliance were concerned.

One aspect of this has been to ensure that spontaneous cases are reported to the SPR through a transparent and GDPR-compliant procedure through the SPR’s website and via other routes so that that the cases themselves are handled in a GDPR-compliant way right through to their conclusion. This has proven to be the most challenging area of GDPR work within the SPR as the information or data involved in the handling of spontaneous cases is of a far more sensitive and personal nature and therefore requires a higher level of protection and security.

Another aspect of this work is to ensure the relevant data is collected with the appropriate permissions and consents so that the SPR can achieve our mission to include suitably anonymised cases in publications and/or they are retained for research and archival purposes. This has also proved to be a difficult area of work as it involves the use of additional procedures and additional IT facilities so that all the required documents can be held within a secure digital environment.

It was soon realised that GDPRIT would need to be

reconvened to tackle some of these issues and especially the cross-cutting ones. There was also a need to continue with the work of reviewing and revising the Privacy and Data Protection policy in the light of the changed circumstances and requirements. This was done and further remote meetings of GDPRIT were held.

Then there were further changes within the SCC which were followed by a change of leadership of the committee around the time of the AGM when Mr Alan Murdie stood down as SCC Chair. Dr Graham Kidd was elected as SCC Chair other SCC officers were appointed. The new SCC leadership team redefined the SCC’s mission and operation in general and with respect to field operations which was already the focus for development work within the SCC.

This led on to a further period of intensive data protection work as the new procedures, protocols and administrative handling of spontaneous cases first needs to be worked though in a GDPR-compliant way and then checked for GDPR compliance. Therefore, further meetings of GDPRIT were called for and held. This work is still ongoing as the SCC develops its processes, procedures and protocols. It has also raised some further cross cutting issues which will need to be considered by GDPRIT as there are implications for the SPR in general, and for the review and revision of the SPR’s Privacy & Data protection policy.

In addition to these areas of work the DPO has been involved with working with the Policy Working Group to ensure that certain key policy documents were drawn up with GDPR in mind. This work is for the present time complete as the policy documents concerned have been finalised and approved by Council for use.

During the reporting period the DPO made regular reports on all relevant aspects of data protection work within SPR and in general to the SPR Council. This is in keeping with the requirement under the Data Protection Act 2018 for corporate boards of Trustees/Directors to be kept informed and involved with the requirements of data protection work as it applies to their own organisations.

The DPO looks forward to working with GDPRIT and the SCC and the Policy Working Group in the future as well as the SPR Council over the forthcoming year.

The Data Protection Officer would like to thank the other members of GDPRIT for all their hard work. They are Peter Johnson, Richard Broughton and Adrian Ryan.

In addition to this the DPO would like to thank the old and new officers and members of the SCC for all their hard work, understanding and forbearance of what has turned out to be some very technical and knotty issues.

11

The Financial Position

Honorary Treasurer: Dr Richard Broughton

Although the continuing pandemic overshadowed this entire financial year, the financial report reveals the Society to be in a better position than might have been expected given the difficulties we were facing at the close of last year.

Throughout the year the Society has operated in accordance with the restrictions mandated by the government as well as those deemed necessary by our ongoing evaluations of our own health and safety situation. All of our offerings to members have remained online, with the added benefit of attracting larger numbers of participants from around the world. While the disruption of the customary pattern of income and expenses continues, it does not have a major impact on our overall finances.

At the operations level our expenses continue to exceed our income, but we were able to reduce the gap considerably this year, thanks to growing membership income and small legacies. Of course, we continue to keep operations expenses at a minimum and we continue to explore ways of developing an effective ongoing fundraising campaign.

This year the Society benefited from a major legacy of £300,000 from the estate of Miss Mary Rose Barrington, a long-serving Member of the Council, and even longer member of the Society. Over the years Miss Barrington had been very generous in her financial support to the Society and she led the effort to secure the Society’s present headquarters as well as ensuring that the library was outfitted to a standard that befit such an ancient institution of learning as ours.

Our investments have weathered this difficult year much better than expected, with growth in value of the funds that underly our operations and our grant-giving programmes so that we are able to support researchers to a greater degree than previously possible.

After very careful consideration Council decided that for the first time in over 15 years it would be necessary to increase membership dues. This was a largely inflationary increase and, with the agreement of the membership at an Extraordinary General Meeting, would take effect at the start of 2022.

Although this report shows that the Society has benefited from favourable financial conditions and the continued hard work of our staff and volunteers to provide our services while keeping expenses low, as I write, the country is facing one of the most severe cost-of-living crises in a generation, and the Society must expect its consequences on membership retention and uptake of our offerings. More than ever, it remains vitally important that the Society receives donations to the general fund that can provide the additional income required to offer our scientific and educational services at the lowest possible costs to our members. Those who are in a position to be generous now can help future generations of psychical researchers develop into productive scientists.

As we have seen this year, income from bequests is another important means of supporting the SPR and I would like to take this opportunity to remind our members of the importance of maintaining the SPR’s services for the future when they are reviewing their charitable giving plans. Remember that your Will can be an important way to support the work of the SPR and we would be happy to discuss this and other ways of making substantial contributions.

This year the accounts have again been subject to a full audit, and I am pleased to report that the auditor has submitted a positive report. Please note that in the Auditor’s Report, included with the Accounts, references to “members” is a technical usage to refer to members of the Corporation, i.e., the Directors of the SPR.

.

12

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH A company limited by guarantee and without a share capital

DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES The members of Council – Page 2 COMPANY SECRETARY P M Johnson COMPANY NUMBER 00044861 (England and Wales) CHARITY NUMBER 207325 REGISTERED OFFICE 1 Vernon Mews London W14 0RL BANKERS CAF Bank Ltd 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent ME19 4JQ NatWest Bank plc 55 Kensington High Street London W8 5ZG INVESTMENT MANAGERS BNY Mellon Fund Managers Ltd PO Box 366 Darlington, DL1 9RF ACCOUNTANTS PK Group Ventures Limited 1 Parkshot, Richmond Surrey TW9 2RD AUDITORS PK Audit LLP Chartered Accountants Registered Auditors 1 Parkshot, Richmond Surrey TW9 2RD

ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS - 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Pages: 14-17 Report of the Directors and Trustees 18-21 Auditor ’ s report Accounts, comprising: 22 Statement of Financial Activities 23 Balance Sheet 24 – 32 Notes to the accounts

_

13

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

The directors and trustees present their report and accounts for the year ended 30 September 2021.

Objects of the charity, principal activities and organisation of work for the public benefit

The Incorporated Society for Psychical Research (the Society) was incorporated in 1895 and is governed by a memorandum and articles of association, being both a company limited by guarantee without a share capital and a registered charity.

The Society is controlled by a Council whose elected members are directors of the Society, and all of whose members, elected and co-opted, are trustees of the Society. The names of members of Council and subsidiary committees are listed in the Annual Report of Council preceding these accounts. The day-to-day administration of the Society is managed by a full-time administrator supported by a part time librarian.

The objects and principal activities of the Society during the year continued to be the investigation of psychic and other paranormal phenomena, including awarding grants, and other services to further such investigation, the publication of research findings and related matters in its journal and magazine, the maintenance of a library and archives, the maintenance of an information website and an online library of the Society’s publications, the holding of public lectures, symposia and an international conference, and the reception of and due response to enquiries and requests for information from the Society’s members and the general public.

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission's general guidance on public benefit when reviewing the Society's aims and objectives and in planning future activities and settling the grant making policy for the year. Specific details of how these objectives have been achieved and maintained during the year can be found in the preceding individual reports of the various Committees and Officers.

Development, activities and achievements this year and future developments

These matters are addressed in the attached Annual Report of Council preceding these accounts.

Transactions and financial position

The Statement of Financial Activities (page 22) shows a net surplus before gains on investments of £265,627 (2020: a deficit of £117,682). Gains on investments changed from a decrease of £165,984 in 2020 to an increase of £404,173 in the current year. This was as a result of the movement on markets during the year. The net movement in funds for the year was an increase of £669,800 (2020: a decrease of £283,666).

The closing balance on reserves, representing the net assets of the Society, increased by this amount from £3,414,019 as at 30 September 2020 to £4,083,819 as at 30 September 2021 (see Balance Sheet on page 23).

Tangible fixed assets for use by the Society

Details of movements in fixed assets are set out in note 11 to the accounts (page 29).

14

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Reserves available

The planned use of the SPR Reserves is as follows. The use of the General Fund (GF) is unrestricted, and it is invested in a medium-risk portfolio to provide income for the payment of the SPR’s operational expenses, and such expenditure is reported in the Accounts under “Charitable Activities Costs” (Note 6). The SPR Research Fund (RF) is restricted for use towards research, as described in Note 16 of the Accounts. This fund is invested in a medium-risk portfolio, and the dividend earnings from this investment are made available for grants to be awarded by the Research Grants Committee. Such awards are reported in the Accounts (Note 16) and in the annual report of the Chairman of the Research Grants Committee. The Survival Research Fund (SRF) is restricted for promoting activities that might lead to a scientific theory of life after death. This fund is invested in a medium-risk portfolio, and the annual increase in portfolio value is made available for grants to be awarded by the SPR Council on recommendations from the Survival Research Committee. Such awards are reported in the Accounts (Note 16) and in the annual report of the Chairman of the Survival Research Committee.

The Buckmaster Fund is restricted in accordance with the Will of the donor, Nigel Buckmaster, for collating and presenting the best evidence for anomalous phenomena relevant to Psychical Research and related work, and allowing a portion to be used for securing a freehold premises for housing the SPR headquarters and library. In 2014, the SPR Council approved that £250,000 of the legacy be reserved for use in purchasing new premises, and the remainder be reserved for project use. In 2015, the capital of the Buckmaster Building Fund was applied to the purchase of a long leasehold on the 1 Vernon Mews property for the Society’s offices resulting in a zero balance and the Buckmaster Building Fund was wound up. The Buckmaster Projects Fund is invested in medium risk portfolios. The capital and earnings of the Buckmaster Projects Fund is available for spending on appropriate projects approved by the SPR Council, and these projects are managed by the Buckmaster Oversight Committee. Such expenditure is reported in the Accounts (Note 16) and the report of the Chairman of the Buckmaster Oversight Committee. The earnings on the investment of the Buckmaster Funds will be transferred for use to the SPR Research Fund and Survival Research Fund at the beginning of each fiscal year in equal parts.

All three restricted funds are assessed a small administration charge to defray the costs of administering the funds, and this transfer to the general fund is shown in Note 16.

Plans for the future

With well over a century’s experience in providing reliable information on psychical research to the public and high quality professional research reports to the scientific community, as well as financially supporting new research, the Society plans to continue its work as described in the accompanying Annual Report of its activities. Near term plans including continuing the Society’s policy of keeping costs low for membership, conferences, and other educational activities in order to encourage greater participation by students and academics from around the world. Recognising that this places a considerable burden on the general fund of the Society efforts are ongoing to attract benefactors and develop new sources of funding that can provide additional support to the General Fund following the acquisition of the Society’s new headquarters.

Investment policy and returns

Council is empowered to direct the investment of surplus funds of the General Fund and the capital of the restricted funds in whichever way it sees fit, subject to the investment guidelines of the Charity Commission. The Society’s portfolios of listed investments is now managed by its investment managers, BNY Mellon Fund Managers, the parent company of its former investment managers Newton Investment Management Limited. The investment performance is monitored on a regular basis by the Hon. Treasurer.

15

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Grants

Research grants are awarded on an annual basis by the Research Grants Committees and are sourced from the SPR Research Fund and the Survival Research Fund.

Directors and trustees

All of the elected members of Council are directors of the company and trustees of the charity and there are a further seven co-opted members who are also trustees. All the members listed in the attached Annual Report of Council served throughout the year. No remuneration is paid to the Society’s officers in their capacity as trustees or directors.

The Society’s Articles of Association stipulate that 18 trustees are elected by the voting members of the Society. Co-opted trustees are appointed by the Council and are recruited primarily through coming to the attention of existing trustees through their interest in the goals and work of the Society. Co-opted trustees are sought who can bring to the Society particular talents, expertise and experience not only in science but also in other professions such as can enhance and facilitate its operations and future direction.

Risk management

The trustees review as part of their regular Council meetings all potential areas of risk which may affect the Society. Procedures are in place to identify and mitigate risk.

Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements

The trustees (who are also the directors of the company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing a trustees’ annual report and financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the charity trustees to prepare financial statements for each year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the company for that year. In preparing the financial statements the trustees are required to:

The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Society and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Society and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company’s website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

16

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS AND TRUSTEES

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Statement as to disclosure to our auditors

In so far as the trustees are aware at the time of approving this report, there is no relevant information of which the company’s auditor is unaware. Additionally, the trustees, individually, have taken all necessary steps that they ought to have taken as trustees in order to make themselves aware of all relevant audit information and to establish that the company’s auditor is aware of that information.

This report was approved by Council representing the board of directors and trustees on 30 July 2022 and signed on its behalf:

A. D. Parker - President

17

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of The Incorporated Society for Psychical Research for the year ended 30 September 2021 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet and the notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion, the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors’/trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors/trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The directors/trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements, or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (continued)

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the directors' report included within the trustees’ report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the statement of trustees’ responsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the company for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (continued)

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:

Based on our understanding of the charitable company and the industry and through discussion with the directors and other management (as required by auditing standards), we identified that the principal risks were:

Audit procedures performed by the engagement team

In response to the risk of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT (continued)

TO THE MEMBERS OF THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors' report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

02.08.2022

Monika Trzcinska (Senior Statutory Auditor) for and on behalf of PK Audit LLP Chartered Accountants Statutory Auditor 1 Parkshot Richmond Surrey TW9 2RD

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES

INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Notes
INCOME
Donations and legacies
2
Membership and journal subscriptions
Investment income
Charitable activities income
3
Other income
4
TOTAL INCOME
RESOURCES EXPENDED:
Cost of generating funds:
Activities for generating funds
5
Charitable activities costs
6
Governance costs
7
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
Net (outgoing) resources
before gains/(losses) on investments
Transfers between funds
Net gain/(loss) on investments
8
Net movement in funds for the year
Funds brought forward 1 October
2020
Funds carried forward 30 September
2021		 Unrestricted
£
333,062
34,495
16,055
6,109
85,095
474,816
22,206
74,477
22,700
119,383
355,433
(20,864)
122,391
456,960
1,885,344
2,342,304		 Restricted
£
-
-
35,219

-
217
35,436
-
125,242
-
125,242
(89,806)
20,864
281,782
212,840
1,528,675
1,741,515		 Total
2021
£
333,062
34,495
51,274
6,109
85,312
510,252
22,206
199,719
22,700
244,625
265,627
-
404,173
669,800
3,414,019
4,083,819		 Total
2020
£
12,057
29,735
51,146
1,266
8,972
103,176
16,333
182,988
21,537
220,858
(117,682)
-
(165,984)
(283,666)
3,697,685
3,414,019

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH BALANCE SHEET

AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Notes
FIXED ASSETS:
Tangible assets
11
Leasehold property
11
Investments
12
CURRENT ASSETS:
Stocks
13
Debtors
14
Cash at bank and in hand
CREDITORS:
Amounts falling due within one year
15
NET CURRENT ASSETS
/(LIABILITIES)
NET ASSETS
ACCUMULATED GENERAL
RESERVE
RESTRICTED FUNDS
16		 Unrestricted
£
8,058
1,264,610
1,004,698
2,277,366
3,283
86,337
15,731
105,351
(40,413)
64,938
2,342,304
2,342,304
-
2,342,304		 Restricted
£
-
-
1,743,072
1,743,072
-
1,027
16,352
17,379
(18,936)
(1,557)
1,741,515
-
1,741,515
1,741,515		 Total
2021
£
8,058
1,264,610
2,747,770
4,020,438
3,283
87,364
32,083
122,730
(59,349)
63,381
4,083,819
2,342,304
1,741,515
4,083,819		 Total
2020
£
9,800
1,264,610
2,144,742
3,419,152
1,647
9,765
34,176
45,588
(50,721)
(5,133)
3,414,019
1,885,344
1,528,675
3,414,019

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions relating to companies subject to the small companies regime within Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 and in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

This report was approved by Council representing the board of directors and trustees on 30 July 2022 and signed on its behalf:

A. D. Parker – President

R. S. Broughton - Honorary Treasurer

Registered number: 00044861

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

1 ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

1.1 BASIS OF PREPARATION

The accounts (financial statements) have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant note(s) to these accounts. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019) – (Charities SORP (FRS102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006. The trust constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

The company is a private company, limited by guarantee and incorporated in England and Wales. The company’s registered office is 1 Vernon Mews, London W14 0RL.

The accounts are prepared in sterling and monetary amounts are rounded to the nearest £.

1.2 PREPARATION OF THE ACCOUNTS ON A GOING CONCERN BASIS

The trustees have carried out a detailed review of the company’s financial position including a review of cash flow forecasts taking into account the increasingly broad effects of COVID-19 as a result of its negative impact on the global economy and major financial markets.

At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus, the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.

1.3 INCOMING RESOURCES

Legacies are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charitable company is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy.

Income from membership and journal subscriptions, conferences and sales of publications and other items is accounted for in each case as the amount due for the year. Provision is made against a proportion of outstanding subscriptions on the basis of non-recoveries experienced in previous years.

Other income is accounted for when received. Government grants are accounted for when receivable and included in Other Sales.

1.4 RESOURCES EXPENDED

Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis as a liability is incurred.

Charitable expenditure includes expenditure associated with the delivery of activities meeting charitable objects and comprises direct costs relating to these activities. Governance costs include those costs associated with the governance of the charitable company and include audit fees and costs limited to the strategic management of the charitable company.

All costs are allocated between the expenditure categories of the Statement of Financial Activities on a basis designed to reflect the use of the resource. Costs relating to a particular activity comprise costs that can be allocated directly to such activities to support them. The company makes grants to individuals for research which furthers the charity’s objects and as agreed by the Trustees.

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

1.5 TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS

Tangible assets are measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:

Leasehold property over 100 years Furniture and equipment 15% p.a. on written down value. Computer equipment 25% p.a. on cost.

At each balance sheet date, the company reviews the carrying amount of its tangible fixed assets to determine whether there is any indication that any items have suffered an impairment loss and if so the extent of the loss

1.6 STOCKS

Stocks of publications and other items for resale are valued at the lower of cost and net realisable value, due allowance being made for slow-moving and obsolete items.

1.7 INVESTMENTS

Investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price. The statement of financial activities includes the net gains and losses arising on revaluation and disposals throughout the year. The Trust does not acquire put options, derivatives or other complex financial instruments. The main form of financial risk faced by the charity is that of volatility in equity markets and investment markets due to wider economic conditions, the attitude of investors to investment risk, and changes in sentiment concerning equities and within particular sectors or sub sectors.

All gains and losses are taken to the Statement of Financial Activities as they arise. Realised gains and losses on investments are calculated as the difference between sales proceeds and their opening carrying value or their purchase value if acquired subsequent to the first day of the financial year. Unrealised gains and losses are calculated as the difference between the fair value at the year end and their carrying value. Realised and unrealised investment gains and losses are combined in the Statement of Financial Activities.

1.8 FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

Assets and liabilities in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rates of exchange ruling at the balance sheet date. Transactions in foreign currencies are translated into sterling at the rate of exchange ruling at the date of the transaction. Exchange differences are taken into account in arriving at total net income.

1.9 LIBRARY

The Society owns a library of books which have been acquired over a considerable period of time since the Society was founded. Since there is no reliable cost information, and any conventional valuation would either lack sufficient reliability, or the costs involved in valuing the library would be onerous compared with the additional benefit to the users of the financial statements in assessing the directors’ and trustees’ stewardship, no valuation has been carried out and the library is excluded from the balance sheet.

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

1.10 FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The charity has only financial assets and liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognized at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

1.11 JUDGEMENTS AND KEY SOURCE OF ESTIMATION ENCERTAINTY

In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the directors required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.

Residual value of the leasehold property

Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives. As at 31 December 2021 the estimated residual value of the leasehold amounted to £1,264,610 (2020: £1,264,610).

2 VOLUNTARY INCOME

Gifts and donations
Bequests and legacies		 Unrestricted
£
1,244
331,818
333,062		 Restricted
£
-
-
-		 Total
2021
£
1,244
331,818
333,062		 Total
2020
£
4,801
7,256
12,057

3 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES INCOME

ARITABLE ACTIVITIES INCOME
Conferences
Lectures
Study days		 Unrestricted
£
2,721
838
2,550
6,109		 Restricted
£
-
-
-
-		 Total
2021
£
2,721
838
2,550
6,109		 Total
2020
£
-
176
1,090
1,266

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

4 OTHER INCOME

Unrestricted
£
Publication and other sales
1,332
Royalties
860
Other sales
245
Job Retention Scheme
3,833
Other income
78,825
Interest
-
85,086
5 ACTIVITIES FOR GENERATING FUNDS
Unrestricted
£
Publication costs
22,206
Publicity cost
-
22,206
6 CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS
Unrestricted
£
Grants for research and
education
3,000
Conferences
(21)
Lectures
189
Study days
-
Library and archive
641
Staff costs
66,852
Premises
5,509
Postage and stationery
4,436
Telecommunications
530
Website and internet expenses
1,926
Advertising & Marketing
257
Software
1,470
General expenses
5,690
Gift Aid adjustment
-
Depreciation
1,742
Administration fee
(17,744)
74,477		 Unrestricted
£
1,332
860
245
3,833
78,825
-
Restricted
£
217
-
-
-
-
-
217
Restricted
£
-
-
-
Restricted
£
104,483
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
3,015
-
-
-
-
-
17,744
125,242		 Restricted
£
217
-
-
-
-
-

-
-
-		 Total
2021
£
1,549
860
245
3,833
78,825
-		 Total
2020
£
994
2,044
89
2,845
2,873
127
85,086 217 85,312 8,972
Restricted
£
-
-		 Total
2021
£
22,206
-		 Total
2020
£
16,333
-
- 22,206 16,333
Total
2021
£
107,483
(21)
189
-
641
66,852
5,509
4,436
530
4,941
257
1,470
5,690
-
1,742
-
199,719		 Total
2020
£
83,998
1,215
596
955
1,177
64,230
8,263
4,753
518
4,954
513
2,563
7,282
-
1,971
-
182,988

No member of staff was paid over £60,000. Apart from the payments set out in note 9, the average number of employees in the year was 7 (2020: 7). Staff costs includes £4,885 (2020: £4,555) social security costs.

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

7 GOVERNANCE COSTS

GOVERNANCE COSTS
Legal and professional fees
Council meetings
Audit fee
Bank and credit card charges		 Unrestricted
£
7,936
-
12,600
2,164
22,700		 Restricted
£
-
-
-
-
-		 Total
2021
£
7,936
-
12,600
2,164
22,700		 Total
2020
£
6,643
1,221
12,000
1,673
21,537

8 NET GAINS/ (LOSSES) ON INVESTMENTS

Unrealised gain/ (loss) on
investments
Realised gain on investments
Net gains/ (loss) on investment		 Unrestricted
£
109,181
13,210
122,391		 Restricted
£
125,316
156,466
281,782		 Total
2021
£
234,497
169,676
404,173		 Total
2020
£
(237,618)
71,634
(165,984)

9 TRUSTEE REMUNERATION AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

No trustee or member of Council received remuneration during the year in their capacity as trustees or directors. Travel and other expenses amounting to £299.45 (2020: £1,310) were reimbursed to Council members.

The following Council members received honoraria in recognition of specialised services rendered to the Society and in accordance with the company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association:

Prof. A. Parker: £nil (2020: £202) for council meeting expenses and £5,000 (2020: £nil) as a grant to his partner, Annekatrin Puhle , from the Survival Research Fund.

Dr C. Cooper: £nil (2020: £127) for travel expenses and £9,000 (2020: £2,000) as a grant from the Survival Research Fund.

Mr Robert McLuhan £8,647 (2020: £nil) as a grant from the Buckmaster Projects Fund for work done for the PSI Encyclopedia project.

Dr Malcolm Schofield £2,880 (2020: £2,160) as Editor of Journal and £5,481.30 (2020: £nil) as a grant from the SPR Research Fund.

Dr David Rousseau and Mrs Julie Rousseau £19,500 (2020: £5,008) as a grant to C-FAR (a non-profit company owned by Dr and Mrs Rousseau) from the Buckmaster Projects Fund.

Prof. C. A. Roe: £5,042 (2020: £7,250) as a grant from the Survival Research Fund, £nil (2020: £5,250) as a grant from the SPR Research Fund and £410 (2020: £nil) as a grant from the Buckmaster Projects Fund for work done for the PSI Encyclopedia project.

Dr T. H. Ruffles: £4,800 (2020: £4,800) as Hon Communications Officer.

Dr M. J. Willin: £1,911.40 (2020: £1,300) from the General Fund and £3,000 (2020: £nil) from the Survival Research Fund for his work on the archives, £nil (2020: £5,454) as a grant from the Survival Research

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

Fund, £299.45 (2020: £nil) for travel expenses and £5,440 (2020: £nil) as a grant from the Buckmaster Projects Fund for work done for the PSI Encyclopedia project.

Dr L Ruickbie £3,999.96 (2020: £2,800) as Editor of the Paranormal Review, £1,200 (2020: £1,300) for typesetting costs, £nil (2020: £776) for travel expenses and £5,000 (2020: £4,500) as a grant from the Buckmaster Projects Fund.

Mr S T Parsons £nil (2020: £70) for travel expenses and £nil (2020: £2,120) as a grant from the Buckmaster Projects Fund.

Dr D J Vernon £nil (2020: £720) for his editorial work on the SPR Journal.

Dr D Bury the donation of £nil (2020: £60) was received by the Society.

Other than these payments and receipts no trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity during the year.

10 TAXATION

As a charity, the Society is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 256 of the taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No such tax charges have arisen in the charity.

11 FIXED ASSETS – Tangible assets

COST OR VALUATION
At 1 October 2020
Additions
At 30 September 2021
DEPRECIATION
At 1 October 2020
Charge for the year

At 30 September 2021
NET BOOK VALUE –
30 September 2021
NET BOOK VALUE –
30 September 2020		 Leasehold
Property
£
1,264,610
-
1,264,610
-
-
-
1,264,610
1,264,610		 Furniture &
equipment
£
32,403
-
32,403
23,744
1,299
25,043
7,360
8,659		 Computer
equipment
£
14,304
-
14,304
13,163
443
13,606
698
1,141		 Total
£
1,311,317
-
1,311,317
36,907
1,742
38,649
1,272,668
1,274,410

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

12a FIXED ASSETS – Investments

Investments are shown in the balance
sheet at market value. The movement
in market values during the year is as
follows:-
Market value at 1 October 2020
Net additional funds invested/
(funds withdrawn)
Increase/(decrease) in market value
during the year
Market value at 30 September 2021
UK listed investments
Cash balances on deposit and
awaiting investment
Historical cost of listed investments
on 30 September 2021		 Unrestricted
£
604,307
278,000
122,391
1,004,698
1,004,698
-
557,011		 Restricted
£
1,540,435
(79,145)
281,782
1,743,072
1,743,072
-
1,085,092		 2021
£
2,144,742
198,855
404,173
2,747,770
2,747,770
-
1,642,103		 2020
£
2,414,403
(103,677)
(165,984)
2,144,742
2,144,742
-
1,273,572

Investments at 30 September 2021 comprise 1,716,135 (2020: 1,589,404) units held in Newton Growth and Income Fund for Charities.

12b FIXED ASSET INVESTMENTS

At 1 October 2020 and 30 September 2021

Unlisted Investment £1

The Society has a 20% beneficial interest in Vernon Mews Management Company Limited, a company registered in England and Wales, under the company number 01791332. The company is dormant and holds the freehold of 30 to 36 (even) North End Road and 1 Vernon Mews, London, W14 0RL.

13 STOCKS

Stock of publications etc.
14 DEBTORS
Other debtors
Prepayments		 Unrestricted
£
3,283
Unrestricted

£
84,053
2,284
86,337		 Restricted
£
-
Restricted
£
1,027
-
1,027		 Total
2021
£
3,283
Total
2021
£
85,080
2,284
87,364		 Total
2020
£
1,647
Total
2020
£
8,376
1,389
9,765

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

15 CREDITORS: Amounts falling due within one year

Trade creditors
Deferred income – Memberships and
subscriptions
Social security
Other creditors and accruals		 Unrestricted
£
1,813
16,233
-
22,367
40,413		 Restricted
£
-
-
-
18,936
18,936		 Total
2021
£
1,813
16,233
-
41,303
59,349		 Total
2020
£
-
14,643
44
36,034
50,721

Other creditors and accruals includes grants payable of £18,936 (2020: £17,936).

16 RESTRICTED FUNDS

The Society’s restricted funds include:

SPR Research Fund

Under the terms of its Trust Deed the fund’s assets are to be applied solely for investigations, experiments and other research activities appropriate to the purposes of the Society.

S urvival Research Fund

The funds of the Survival Research Fund are to be applied for the pursuance of such activities as may lead to the establishment of a theory of survival after death.

Buckmaster Fund

The Buckmaster Fund was donated by Mr. Nigel Buckmaster for the purpose of collating and presenting the best evidence for each class of anomalous phenomena relevant to Psychical Research, and related work. Movements in the restricted funds during the year were:

Balance at 1 October 2020
Investment income
Allocation of 2020
investment income
Other income
Grants awarded
Lecture expenses
Website
Net Movement in
investments
Transfers between
restricted funds
Transfers between funds
Administration fees
Balance at 30 September
2021		 SPR
Research
Fund
£
567,137
13,738
4,075
-
(13,335)
-
-
108,651
49,620
5,671
(5,671)
729,886		 Survival
Research
Fund
£
633,895
15,149
4,075
217
(31,324)
-
-
119,364
49,620
9,339
(6,339)
793,996		 Buckmaster
Projects
Fund
£
327,643
6,332
(8,150)
-
(59,824)
-
(3,015)
53,767
(99,240)
5,854
(5,734)
217,633		 Total
£
1,528,675
35,219
-
217
(104,483)
-
(3,015)
281,782
-
20,864
(17,744)
1,741,515

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2021

The SPR Council has made a prudent and reasonable assessment of the costs involved in relation to the SPR’s stated aims and objectives in order to strike a fair and reasonable balance between the SPR’s general administration and running costs and the SPR’s priority for the vital research and educational work conducted through the application of these Restricted or Designated funds. The assessments for the SPR Research Fund and the Survival Research Fund amounts to 1% of the respective fund’s closing balance at the end of the previous fiscal year and is taken from the fund’s capital and placed in the General Fund. For the Buckmaster Fund, a short-term fund with higher operational costs, the assessment amounts to 1.75%. Any funds created in the future shall enter the scheme at the 1% level pending review of the operational costs associated with the fund. The levels of assessment may be subject to review and revision as necessary.

17 RETIREMENT BENEFIT SCHEMES

Defined contribution schemes
Charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes		 2021
£
2,633		 2020
£
2,484

The Company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.

18 COMPANY LIMITED BY GUARANTEE

The Incorporated Society for Psychical Research is a private company limited by guarantee and accordingly, does not have a share capital. In accordance with the Articles of Association, each member of the company undertakes to contribute an amount, not exceeding £1 each, to the assets of the charitable company in the event of it being wound up.

19 COMPARATIVE INFORMATION

The charitable company’s Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2020 are available in full on the Charity Commission’s website.

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

HELD ON SATURDAY 24[TH] APRIL 2021

The meeting took place as a Zoom Meeting. Prof. Chris Roe (President of the Society) opened the meeting at 5.15 p.m., welcoming 32 voting members to the Annual General Meeting of the Society.

Item 1 - To endorse the actions of Council for the AGM effectively held on 25[th] April 2020 as described in this statement:

“At a meeting of the Council on 12th March 2020, it was decided that the 2020 AGM should be postponed.

“Further to consultation with Companies House and the Charities Commission, it was agreed at a meeting of the Council on 14th June 2020 that the 2020 AGM should be deemed to have taken place on 25th April 2020. All motions contained in the Agenda for that 25[th] April 2020 meeting were deemed to have carried, except for the proposal under Item 3:

To elect six members to the Council. The following six Council members are due to retire in rotation and offer themselves for re-election: Mr C. J. Farrell, BSc, GRSC; Mr J. A. Fraser, BA; Mr R. G. McLuhan, BA, BLitt; Prof. C. A. Roe, BSc, MSc, PhD, AFBPsS; Mr A. P. Ryan; Dr C. E. Cooper, BSc, MRes, PhD, CPsychol., FHEA. The required nominations have also been received from two members for the following candidate: Mr D. J. Ellis, MA.

The Council decided that this item should be carried over to the next AGM, to be held in 2021.”

The President explained that it had not been possible to hold an Annual General Meeting in 2020. He proposed that the actions of the Council should be endorsed by this meeting, and this was approved unanimously.

Item 2 – To receive the Report of the Council and the Annual Statement of Accounts made up to 30[th] September 2020

The President summarised the contents of the Annual Report for the year ending 30[th] September 2020 and explained more about how the Society had continued its operations during the difficult periods of lockdown and other restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. He particularly noted the success of the online lectures and Study Days that had been held via Zoom.

Dr Broughton, Hon Treasurer, spoke on the matter of the Annual Accounts for the year ending 30[th] September 2020. He summarised his report contained in the Annual Report and recommended that the Annual Statement of Accounts should be received. He also took the opportunity to encourage all members to consider including the Society in their Will.

The President proposed that the Report of the Council and the Annual Statement of Accounts made up to 30[th] September 2020 should be received by the meeting.

This was approved with just one vote against.

Item 3 – Held over from the 2020 AGM:

33

To elect six members to the Council. The following six Council members are due to retire in rotation and offer themselves for re-election: Mr C. J. Farrell, BSc, GRSC; Mr J. A. Fraser, BA; Mr R. G. McLuhan, BA, BLitt; Prof. C. A. Roe, BSc, MSc, PhD, AFBPsS; Mr A. P. Ryan; Dr C. E. Cooper, BSc, MRes, PhD, CPsychol., FHEA. The required nominations had also been received from two members for the following candidate:

Mr D. J. Ellis, MA.

A poll was held and the six candidates with the most votes were duly elected. These candidates were: Mr C. J. Farrell, BSc, GRSC; Mr J. A. Fraser, BA; Mr R. G. McLuhan, BA, BLitt; Prof. C. A. Roe, BSc, MSc, PhD, AFBPsS; Mr A. P. Ryan; Dr C. E. Cooper, BSc, MRes, PhD, CPsychol., FHEA

Item 4 – To re-appoint PK Audit LLP Chartered Accountants as Reporting Accountants for the period prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In answer to a question from Mr Chris Bratcher, Dr Broughton confirmed that the option to appoint alternative accountants was certainly considered from time to time. With relevant experience in this areas, Mr Bratcher offered to assist in any such review. Dr Broughton thanked him for this offer. The President then proposed the re-appointment of PK Audit LLP as the Society’s Accountants and the motion was carried.

Item 5 – To authorise the Council to determine the remuneration of the Reporting Accountants

Dr Broughton proposed that the Council should be authorised to determine the remuneration of the Accountants. Seconded by Dr Rousseau, the motion was carried.

The meeting was closed at 5.50 p.m.

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH

MINUTES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING

Convened to be held on 13[th] November 2021 at 2 p.m.

AT 1 VERNON MEWS, LONDON, W14 0RL

The required quorum of 10 members was not present within half an hour of the time announced for the commencement of the meeting. In accordance with Article 43 of the Articles of Association, the meeting was adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and place, with the provision that if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting, the Members present shall be a quorum. Therefore, the adjourned meeting, with three members present, commenced at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday 20[th] November 2021.

The President was not present and the Hon. Treasurer, Dr Richard Broughton, was appointed as Chairman of the Meeting.

New subscription fees (dues) effective 1[st] January 2022

34

Membership Type Newfees
Individual - Regular £84
Individual - Concession £56
Individual - Student £42
Joint - Regular £98
Joint - Concession £70
Individual - Donor £112
Individual - PA member discount £76
Subscription - Journal £56
Subscription - Magazine £28
Subscription - Both £84

Along with the new fees, a discount of £15 will be available for members who choose to ‘go paperless’ and read their SPR publications online only.

Dr Broughton immediately demanded a poll in order that the proxy votes could be included in the decision. A total of 25 valid proxy forms had been received. The proxy votes received were also valid in a vote to call for a poll. The call for a poll was agreed with three votes in favour in the room and 23 proxy votes in favour (either specifically or in line with the vote of the Chairman), a total of 26 in favour and two votes (both proxies) against. The motion was proposed by the Chairman and the result of the poll was that the motion was carried with 26 votes in favour and 2 votes against.

The amendment to Article 18 will enable the SPR to adjust membership dues in a more timely and efficient manner, without the need to call an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society.

The amendment to Article 19 will simply reflect current practice that is enabled by the use of automatic subscription and billing systems.]

To consider (in a single vote) the following resolutions as Special Business pursuant to Article 45 of the Articles of Association:

That pursuant to the recommendation of the Council made at the meeting held on 9[th] September 2021 that Articles 18 and 19 be amended to read as follows:

SUBSCRIPTIONS.

18. The subscriptions payable by Members and Associates of the Society shall be such annual sums as the Council may determine from time to time.

19. Subscriptions are payable prior to admission to the Society as a Member or Associate, and subsequently on the anniversary of their admission.

35

The proposal in this item was deemed to be a Special Resolution since the proposal would confer additional powers on the Council.

Dr Broughton demanded a poll, and this was agreed with three votes in favour in the room and 23 proxy votes in favour (either specifically or in line with the vote of the Chairman), a total of 26 in favour and two votes (both proxies) against. The motion was proposed by the Chairman and the result of the poll was that the motion was carried with 26 votes in favour and 2 votes against.

The meeting was closed at 2.38 p.m.

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH NOTES ON CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION AT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON 30[TH] JULY 2022

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

MARIAN BARTON

Marian Barton joined the Society in 1963. Her grounding in psychical research was by attending courses given by other members of the SPR in the 1960s. In the early days she helped investigate spontaneous cases with her late husband Arthur Ellison. She acted as the Society’s Social Secretary for some years, providing a welcome to new members and introducing them to others in the Society at SPR events.

Marian worked at the Institute of Psychiatry for 5 years helping with the research on twins via Hans Eysenck’s twin register, where she was also the contact name for the twins when they needed help and advice. Marian worked for over 13 years as Admissions Officer at St Christopher’s Hospice, London and considers that survival is an important aspect of research into the paranormal, believing that a knowledge that we may survive bodily death can help the bereaved.

Marian has been on the Survival Research Committee for some years, and was co-opted to the Council and appointed Chairman of the Committee in 2013. She oversaw the reprint of the Scole Report and is a member of the Conference Planning Group. Marian has also given Workshops and lectures on the paranormal at the Theosophical Society Summer Schools and other meetings.

BARRIE G. COLVIN, B.Sc., Ph.D.

Barrie Colvin joined the SPR in 1973 and was co-opted to Council in 2007. He was appointed by the Council to fill a temporary vacancy in the list of elected members of Council in January 2014, following the resignation of Dr Sommer. He has been actively involved in the investigation of mental and physical mediums, including direct-voice, transfiguration and materialisation mediumship. Past projects have included the investigation of haunted houses, the human aura, X-ray analysis of hair reported to be taken from the head of Katie King and evaluation of evidence presented by Gerard Croiset in a missing person case. His principal interest in recent times has been the physics of poltergeist activity, including the development of instrumentation for this branch of the subject. He developed and successfully trialled infra-red absorption equipment as well as a bespoke mid-frequency infra-red camera for poltergeist field work. His most recent projects have been a study of the acoustic properties of

36

poltergeist rapping sounds and the analysis of voices generated at a materialisation séance.

JULIE ROUSSEAU, B.Sc.(Hons)

Julie Rousseau joined the SPR in 1994 and has been a member of Council since 2002. She served as the SPR's Hon Website Manager from 2006 to 2014, introducing online subscription and membership management, and providing tools for non-technical volunteers to add editorial content to the website easily. She is currently an ecommerce strategy consultant helping businesses to optimise their online operations, having provided mathematical decision support in areas as diverse as fisheries management, aeronautics and new business development. She promotes interdisciplinary and systems approaches to the study of anomalous phenomena and has a particular interest in the mechanisms by which new ideas catalyse social transformation. She is a co-founder of the Library of Exploratory Science, which houses the SPR's Online Library.

DR LEO RUICKBIE BA (Hons), MA, PhD (Lond), AKC (Associate of King's College) Dr Ruickbie has been a member of the SPR since 2010 and was co-opted to the Council in 2017 and was appointed by the Council to fill a temporary vacancy in the list of elected members of Council in June 2022. He is the author of several books on witchcraft, magic, and the supernatural. His published articles, covering such subjects as theories of magic, the historical development of personalised conceptions of evil, folk beliefs in the external soul, and the representation of angels in modern media, show his broad interest in the history and sociology of belief and anomalous phenomena. Dr Ruickbie is the current Editor of The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research .

ALAN D MURDIE, LL.B., Barrister

Alan Murdie has been a member of the SPR since 1997 and was co-opted to the Council in 1999. He was appointed by the Council to fill a temporary vacancy in the list of elected members of Council, replacing Chris Roe in 2005. He is a lawyer by profession, has investigated spontaneous cases both in Britain and abroad and is the Chairman of the Society's Spontaneous Cases Committee. He served for several years as Chairman of The Ghost Club.

MELVYN J WILLIN, Ph.D.

Dr Willin has been a member of the Society since 1992, was co-opted to Council in 1997 and became an elected member in 2000. He currently serves as the Society's Hon. Archives Liaison Officer, working on the archives held in Cambridge University Library. He holds two PhDs, on the subject of music. The first is in connection with the paranormal and the second studying its place in pagan and witchcraft ritual and culture. Melvyn used to teach parapsychology and psychical research at a college in Essex, and he continues to play and teach the guitar. He has led investigations into alleged haunting and poltergeist cases and continues to support the serious research of all such phenomena.

37

THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH 1 Vernon Mews, London, W14 0RL

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of The Incorporated Society for Psychical Research will be held

at 1 Vernon Mews, London, W14 0RL

on Saturday, 30[th] July 2022 at 3.00 p.m.

AGENDA

Notes on all the candidates precede this Agenda.

No other business will be transacted at this meeting.

Peter Johnson Secretary to the Society

38