## The   Incorporated 

## SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH 


## ANNUAL  REPORT  AND  STATEMENT  OF ACCOUNTS 

## **1[st] October 2022 to 30[th] September 2023** 

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 ……………………………………………..  5 Archives …………………………………………...  6 Education and Publicity ……………………………  6 Website Manager ………………………………….. 7 The _Journal_ ……………………………………….. 8 The _Paranormal Review/Magazine_ ………………. 8 Annual Conference ……………………………..... 8 Secretary’s Report ……………………………….. 9 Data Protection Officer’s Report ............................ 9 The Financial Position .......................................... 10 **Annual Report and Accounts** ………………….  12 Agenda for 2024 A.G.M. ……………………...… 32 Minutes of 2023 A.G.M. ……………………...….  33 Notes on Candidates for Election to Council ……. 34 

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



## **COUNCIL, OFFICERS, STAFF AND ADVISERS  as at  30[th] September 2023** 

**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 Mr C. J. Farrell, BSc, GRSC Mr J. Fraser, BA 

Dr G. T. B. Kidd, MBBS, Dr T. H. Ruffles, BSc, BA, MA, PhD, MRCPsych ARPS Mr R. G. McLuhan, BA, BLitt Dr L. Ruickbie, BA, MA, PhD, Assoc. Mr A. D. Murdie, LL B of King’s College Prof. C. A. Roe, BSc, MSc, Mr A. P. Ryan PhD, AFBPsS Dr M. J. Willin, BMus, MMus, PhD, Dr D. N. Rousseau, BSc, PhD LRAM Mrs J. A. Rousseau, BSc 

_(for the purpose of the Companies Act 2006 the elected members of Council are directors)_ 

## **Co-opted  Members  of  Council** 

Dr D. L. Erickson, MBA, PhD Mr S. T. Parsons Dr M. B. Schofield, BSc, MRes, PhD 

Dr D. J. Vernon, BSc, PhD Dr Z. Weaver, BA, PhD Mrs T. Tuijl 

## **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, Paranormal Review** – Mr Gordon Rutter **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, Mr Gordon Rutter. **Research Grants** Mr Ryan Dr Broughton, Prof. Carr, Prof. Delanoy, Dr Gauld, Prof. Caroline Watt **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, Mrs Beth Darlington-Bailey, Mr Farrell, Mr Fraser,  Dr Matthew Hopkins, Mr Ashley Knibb, Mr Randy Liebeck, Mr Aaron Lomas, Dr John Newton, Dr Ruickbie, Dr Malcolm Schofield, Mr Nick Terrell, Dr Weaver. **Survival Research** Mrs Barton Mr Dennis Bury, Dr Matthew Colborn, Dr Cooper, Dr Gauld, Dr Rousseau, Dr David Saunders **Conference Programme** Prof. Parker Prof. Carr, Dr Cooper, Dr Gauld, Mr Murdie, Prof. Roe, Dr Ruffles 

## **JSPR Editorial Board** 

Richard Broughton, BA, PhD; Prof. Bernard Carr, MA, PhD; Prof. Deborah Delanoy, BA, PhD; Eric Dullin, PhD; Renaud Evrard, PhD; James Houran, MA, PhD; Everton Maraldi, PhD; Prof. Adrian Parker, MA, PhD; Prof. Chris Roe, BSc, PhD; Adrian Ryan; Malcolm Schofield, BSc, PhD; Prof. Christine Simmonds-Moore, PhD; Paul Stevens, BSc, PhD; Steve Taylor BA, MSc, PhD; Prof. Patrizio Tressoldi, PhD; Helané Wahbeh, ND, MCR; Prof. Caroline Watt, BSc, PhD; Prof. Robin Wooffitt, BSc, PhD 

## **Professional  Advisers** 

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

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## **ANNUAL  REPORT** 

## **Report of the President - Professor Adrian Parker** 

Annual reports of societies are often considered to be dreary accounts that almost nobody reads so I hope in this case the readership will extend beyond the SPR Council because I do think the SPR’s accounts are well-worth reading also by the members in general. What is impressive is how the accounts show the wide ranging and intensive nature of the SPR’s activities. Nearly all of these enterprises are conducted on a voluntary unpaid basis and the accounts show what the membership support has enabled. I cannot provide a fair summary of all these numerous activities but will only highlight a few. 

My first duty here is to alert members that the library has opened again now on Wednesdays and also at negotiated times. I think readers will, in particular, value the efforts to give the SPR more good quality publicity. In this respect I will draw attention to the current new film _The Enfield Poltergeist_ (available through Apple tv) which owes much of its success to the efforts of Melvyn Willin, in providing the producers of this film with access to archival audiovisual recordings from this period. Together with in-depth interviews with virtually all those still living who were involved in the case, gave the result, which is a high-quality drama documentary. 

The SPR website now contains an important asset for investigators of spontaneous phenomena in the form of Quick Guides for Investigators. In this context, I recommend the courses and book _Guidance Notes for Investigators of Spontaneous Cases_ (2018) by Steve Parsons, published under aegis of the SPR. The Website Content Manager, Nemo Mörck, has carried out excellent work in maintaining the site and providing book reviews, and publications.  I would again appeal to members, especially those with a speciality, to help Nemo continue his quality reviews which are of a valuable service to the readership of both the SPR website and the _JSPR_ . The _JSPR_ is of course still the main showpiece for research activity and the editor Malcolm Schofield has nearly eliminated the publication time-lag. He notes that with the help of Zofie Weaver, Tammy Dempster and Julie Gorman that the _JSPR_ has, during 2023, contained eight peerreviewed articles, 19 book reviews, and six letters with a selection of notices. 

The Spontaneous Case Committee has continued a good public contact and confidence. The report by Graham Kidd is that there are 470 cases currently being dealt with. 

Another important display window for the SPR is the _Psi Encyclopedia,_ maintained by Robert McLuhan, which now has 650 articles. Tom Ruffles also runs a Twitter site dedicated to _Psi Encyclopedia,_ which had 2,389 followers! As Bernard Carr (chairman of the Education and Publicity Committee) notes, Tom does some demonstrably productive work in running the SPR Facebook page, as shown by the 18,164 followers. The SPR’s Twitter feed has 10,820 followers. As Bernard notes, “These [social media pages] publicise SPR events and carry news about the field in general”. 

I would also like to alert readers to regular evening Web Events hosted by David Vernon. This year, these talks have “starred” both well-known persons and SPR representatives such as Mike Daw, Leo Ruickbie, Jan Holden (twice), Steve Taylor, Steve Parsons, Humberto Coelho, Mauricio Ibarra, Kekecs Zoltan, Helane Wahbeh, Rodrigo Montenegro and Dean Radin 

Often forgotten are formal and technical skills in running the SPR. Our multi-skilled Secretary has become even an expert now in organising physical and hybrid conferences. At this year’s Annual International conference, Peter was aided by Ashley Knibb and Christof King, which enabled the conference to run smoothly. Because of the difficulty in finding a suitable location, this year’s was held physically in November 2023 [just outside the period of this report] at Royal Leamington Spa, also with a live Zoom linkup. Dr Ed May was the invited speaker and filmmaker Terje Toftenes gave the after-dinner address based on his film “ _The Day Before the Paradigm Shift_ ”. 

A further demanding and often unappreciated task is complying with governmental regulations for charities especially data protections laws and monitoring any forthcoming changes in these, and for this work we need to thank Ciaran Farrell. 

The report would not be complete without mentioning the dark side of activities which here concerns the dissipation of energy on three complaints. These have grown out of personality frictions and conflicts over investigatory standards, which I would argue should be solved before they dissipate the SPR’s limited resources. I want to thank Richard Broughton who headed the temporary Ethics Committee during one of these complaints, Graham Kidd who carried out much of the groundwork, and Ashley Knibb who applied his skills from customer service to one of the complaints. The positive outcome is the highlighting of 

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a need for a review of standards of conduct for investigators and for a simple complaints procedure. 

congratulate Mr Gordon Rutter, our new _Magazine_ editor, who took over from Leo Ruickbie and produced a highly appreciated new issue. 

Finally, I would like welcome Mrs Tylean Tuijl, our Student Representative on the SPR Council, and to 

## **RESEARCH** 

## **Report of the Research Grants Committee** Chairman: **Adrian Ryan** 

The committee received seven grant applications in the period, and after careful deliberations the committee decided to fund five of these. We send our congratulations to the successful applicants and wish them every success with their research. The successful applicants are as follows: 

**Ruth-Helen Vassilas -** Life after spiritually transformative experiences and the role of others in the integration process - £7,000.00 

**Melvyn Willin -** The expansion and clarification of the Donald West ‘Research Files’ - £5,000.00 

**Sabine Rabourdin -** Anthropological and microphenomenological studies of perception of space and sense of self in out-of-body experiences - £7,000.00 **Chris Roe -** Testing the theory of 'First Sight' using the Bem 'feeling the future' paradigm – funding request for phase 2 - £6,342.80 **Lance Storm -** Meaningfulness in the I Ching using a Q-Sort RNG method - £6,843.20 

The total value of grants awarded this year is £32,186.00. 

I would like to encourage SPR members to consider making donations and/or bequests specifically to the SPR’s Research Fund, so that we can continue to support this important work far into the future. 

## **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 provide an unmatched online information source for Psychical Research under the direction of Editor Robert McLuhan. Details of its activities this year are in the report of the Education and Publicity Committee. The Committee is aware of a delay in the production of the printed volumes that are associated with this project and is closely monitoring the situation and taking steps to resolve problems. 

The Systems Methodology for Exploratory Science project under Dr David Rousseau unfortunately has had to put the final component on hold temporarily due to serious family matters. The remaining product of this project is a practical handbook for applying Systems Methodology to the problems of psychical research. Although Dr Rousseau is committed to completing this as soon as possible we are unable to provide an expected date. A collection of published and unpublished papers arising from this project is now available in the SPR Library. 

The BOC regrets the delays mentioned above but is pleased to report that the Psi Encyclopedia continues to extend the benefits of Mr Buckmaster’s generosity to our scientific colleagues as well as to our members and the general public. 

## **Report of the Spontaneous Cases Committee** Chairman: **Graham Kidd** 

The SCC has lost one member but acquired three new well qualified members over the past year: Aaron Lomas, Nick Terrell, and Randy Liebeck, who may be regarded as the SCC’s representative in the USA. 

The SCC continues to meet regularly via Zoom 

or hybrid wise every six weeks or so, to discuss cases that have been deemed worthy of investigation, with a view to possible publication in the Magazine. We continue to accumulate cases in what will in due course be available for scrutiny by researchers, and numbers are approaching some 470 cases of varying 

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evidential value, and no doubt of some sociological value. 

This year we have had over two hundred submissions to the Experiences inbox. These include:11 poltergeist cases of which two have been subject to field investigation, the rest being historical or short lived; 6 photos of orbs, mostly non evidential; 9 precognition/premonitions undergoing evaluation by Leo Ruickbie; 6 spiritual experiences; 7 apparitions, some repeated  from childhood;     5 JOTTS/Apports; 6 Telepathic/Clairvoyant/mediumistic; 1 Physical mediumship; 5 PK ability.; 3 Time slips; 4 ADC/Crisis apparitions; 4 Healers; 4 UFOs??; 3 Hauntings; 1 Synchronicity; 1 Lucid dreamer; 4 being touched harassed; 4 Stone throwing/fire poltergeists; News reports compiled by Paul Cropper, mostly from India; 2 Bilocation. 

. 

The ongoing poltergeist case in Essex seems to be subsiding, if that is the right word, after some five years of activity involving bangs, apports of coins, the falling of large objects off shelves, and electrical interference with messages on the television, and will be reviewed and written up in the coming months. 

The Protocol and Procedure document of the SCC is being revised in the light of recent experiences involving a member undergoing a private investigation. This will advise that all those who are undertaking an investigation should agree any relevant conditions that may be deemed to apply, albeit negotiable at a later time, and sign a document accordingly so that there is no misunderstanding. 

## **Report of the Survival Research Committee** Chairman: **Marian Barton** 

We received a number of requests for funding research projects and the following are the successful applicants. We wish them every success with their research. 

**£9,500 allocated from the fund** for producing the manuscript on Kluski, the medium as an SPR Proceedings. 

**Corrine Gretton-West £1,480.96** ‘The Impact of Spirit Photography on the Viewer and their Place of such Artwork among Survival Evidence’. 

financial year 2022/23. 

The following awards were made but to be paid in the financial year 2023/2024. 

**Professor Chris Roe and Dr Cal Cooper £7,518.92** ‘Investigation of the phenomenology and Impact of perceived direct and spontaneous After-Death Communications (continuation bid)’. 

**Dr Maryne Mutis £3,000** ‘Lucieville: Phenomenological study on the spectrum of terminal lucidity’ University of Lorraine. 

**Prof. Chris Roe & Ms Ashlee Lewis-Earl** 

**£9,507.50** ‘The Truth in Light: Conducting a systematic analysis of the Fenwick collection’. 

**Dr Callum Cooper £1,008.07** ‘Contingency Funding – Binding and Preservation of SPR (and related material) of concern to survival’. 

**Dr James Houran & Dr Adam J Rock £800** ‘A Transpersonal Analysis of the Drake-S Equation for Postmortem Survival’. 

**Jennifer Glenc £3,000** ‘Managing the nightmare’ A phenomenological analysis of the impact distressing exceptional human experiences have on religiosity and reconciliation with pre-existing existential concepts of death and dying’. 

**Dr James Houran £3,600** ‘Evaluating Survival Phenomena in the Context of ‘Self-Expansiveness’’. **Natalia Mae Lavin £2,895** ‘After-Death Communication Experiences in the Funeral Industry’. 

On completion of the projects the recipients of awards will be submitting a short report of the results which will be placed in the SPR Archives for the benefit of future researchers. 

As you will see, the awards we can give each year are limited so if anyone wishes to help to increase our funds, please donate to the SPR’s Survival Research Fund.  We and the researchers will be most grateful. 

With the number of projects received this year for consideration the Survival Research Committee has had to spend some hours reading all the proposals and their decisions and comments are shared with all the SRC.  I would like to thank the members for their help and support: Mr Dennis Bury, Dr Matthew Colborn, Dr Callum Cooper, Dr Alan Gauld, Dr David Rousseau and Dr David Saunders. 

All of the above, totalling £31,791.53, to be paid in 

## **Report of the Library Committee** Chairman: **Dr Tom Ruffles** 

The Library Committee approves acquisitions for the Vernon Mews library.  Members are: Graham Kidd, Robert McLuhan, Nemo Mörk, John Newton, Karen 

Patel (Librarian), John Poynton, Tom Ruffles (chair) and Melvyn Willin. 

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During the current reporting year, 107 loans were made (compared to 83 the previous year).  Fifteen books were purchased at a cost of £262.02.  A further 50 books were donated, and we are very grateful to donors for their generosity.  The Librarian operates a sale of second-hand books, available via the website as well as in the library. 

The library is open on Wednesday afternoons and is popular with both members and interested nonmembers.  A number of visits at other times have been arranged with the Secretary.  For members unable to visit, the postal loan service is useful; details are available from the Librarian.  The library catalogue, as well as details of our archive held at Cambridge University Library, can be viewed on the website. 

## **Hon. Archives Liaison Officer’s Report Dr Melvyn Willin** 

The work of cataloguing and conservation has continued as have visits to Cambridge University Library. Correspondence and meetings with a number of academics, members of the SPR and the general public have been undertaken. They have asked a variety of questions from worldwide locations. Archive material has continued to be acquired, sorted, conserved and catalogued. I have started a major archive project to catalogue the ‘Donald West Research Files’ which contain a vast amount of information about a huge range of psi-orientated subjects. 

I have had various meetings with film companies which are interested in filming aspects of the SPR’s work and was instrumental in setting-up the Enfield poltergeist series of documentaries which resulted in a substantial donation being made to the SPR for the use of our archive material. Recently (August 2023) a different film company has shown an interest in making a documentary about the history of the SPR. 

## there. 

Having moved home to Norfolk I can now announce that a separate building at my property is dedicated to the SPR’s audio-visual material and visits by members are possible by direct contact with me to fix mutually convenient times. Norwich, Wymondham and Diss all have mainline stations which are approximately ten miles away. 

I finish with a request repeated from previous years and tinged with disappointment at the lack of response. Some members receive financial and archival support from the SPR. Members should 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. 

Regular contact has been made with the College of Psychic Studies which resulted in the loan of one of the SPR’s collections of photographs for an exhibition 

## **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 Deborah Erickson (Honorary Website Manager) and Nemo Mörck (Website Content Manager). Other members are Chris Roe, Robert McLuhan, Tom Ruffles (Honorary Communications Officer) and Gordon Rutter, whom we were delighted to welcome this year as the new editor of _The Magazine_ . Some of these members report their activities more fully in their individual reports. 

This year our educational programme has again mainly comprised zoom events (initiated as a result of the pandemic), although we’re beginning to hold physical meetings again.  David Vernon continues to organize and host regular evening webinars. In the 

reported period, these were given by Mike Daw, Leo Ruickbie, Jan Holden (twice), Steve Taylor, Steve Parsons, Humberto Coelho, Mauricio Ibarra, Kekecs Zoltan, Helane Wahbeh, Rodrigo Montenegro and Dean Radin. Although we miss meeting physically, webinars have the advantage of attracting speakers and participants from all over the world and it also reduces the expenses involved. 

Our educational role also includes overseeing evening discussion forums, organized by Dennis Bury and Ciaran Farrell, and study days. A zoom forum on ‘Haunted Houses’ took place in February 2023, based on a fictional scenario written by Ciaran. 

The Zoom study day in November 2022 was a follow-up to the one held in May 2022 to mark the 140[th] anniversary of our founding. It was entitled ‘The 

6 



Early Years of the SPR and 140 Years On’ and chaired by Bernard Carr with contributions from David and Julie Rousseau, Andreas Sommer, Nancy Zingrone and Michael Nahm. The April 2023 study was on ‘AfterDeath Communications’ and organized by David Vernon and Cal Coooper, who have now taken over the role from Bernard.  It was chaired by David with contributions from Chris Roe, Rachel Evenden, Sara MacKian and Cal Cooper. This was our first physical meeting since the pandemic. 

The Committee also plays a part in the annual conference, with three of us (Carr, Roe and Ruffles) serving on the Programme Committee. However, this year’s conference (held physically at Leamington Spa) was in November 2023 and so will be covered in next year’s report. 

Steve Parsons’ excellent _Guidance Notes for the Investigation of Spontaneous Cases_ , financed by the Buckmaster Fund, is re-establishing the SPR’s crucial role in this area.  In the past year he has built on this foundation, working toward a common approach by all major UK organisations, as well as independent groups and individuals. It is now possible to download ‘Quick Guides’ for free but many individuals aren’t aware of them, so they are being promoted further by our webmaster and social media officer. Further ‘Quick Guides’ are already underway to increase the scope of the material. 

His main focus now is on the promotion of ethical and critical approaches for investigators of spontaneous experiences. He has been developing a standardised training package, using the _Guidance Notes_ which have already been well received. Indeed, ASSAP have now fully adopted them as the foundation for their investigator training and this has resulted in a significant increase in their sales. He hopes to eventually involve interested SPR members. This new training package lends itself to both in-person and online delivery and the first online course is scheduled to commence in March or April 2024 

The follow-up to Steve’s book _Paracoustics, Sound & the Paranormal_ is on course for publication. Entitled _Paravision, Sight & the Paranormal_ and co-edited with Cal Cooper, it examines the visual aspects of a wide range of paranormal experiences and follows the success of their previous collaboration in examining sound and acoustic aspects of paranormal experiences. 

As part of the publication activities funded by the Buckmaster bequest, the _Psi Encyclopedia_ continues to grow, now with 650 articles and almost two million words.  Besides the creation of new entries, much of the current work is on the revision and updating of existing material.  In 2024 the site must be rebuilt, as its original software is becoming obsolete, providing an opportunity to make improvements to the layout and presentation. Some disruption is likely at the switchover to the new platform, but we will aim to keep this to a minimum. Another Buckmaster project, two volumes of essays on aspects of survival, has unfortunately been delayed through factors beyond our control, but progress continues to be made. 

Tom Ruffles regularly responds 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, both of which are overseen by Tom. At the end of the reporting year the Facebook page had 18,164 ‘likes’ and the general Twitter feed had 10,820 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 2,389 followers. Posts on all three are circulated by readers and thereby reach a very large audience. ASSAP have resumed circulating their e-bulletin, and this includes forthcoming SPR events. 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. 

## **Report of the Hon. Website Manager Dr Deborah Erickson** 

The SPR website has continued smooth operations this reporting period.  Important content additions have been the Investigations Quick Guides.  Website Content Manager Nemo Mörck continues his excellent work with maintenance, and adding book reviews, and SPR publications. 

Nemo Mörck, David Vernon, and Malcolm Schofield are planning a future update of the Journal pages, to enable Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) to scan and index the JSPR articles accurately.  This will require some formatting updates for each article to have its own page, and article abstracts should be made more accessible. 

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

This is my third report as the editor of the _JPSR_ . Please note that this report will include the July 2022 issue, as this was published after last year's report. The July 2023 issue is currently in production and will be published shortly, meaning that three of the four issues for this cycle have been published. Including the July 2022 issue, we had an excellent selection of articles: eight peer-reviewed articles, 19 book reviews, and six letters with a selection of notices. The standard of articles remains high, and we have had the usual spread of engaging topics, such as poltergeists, near-death experiences, paranormal contagion, and uncanny geographies. The Letters page continues to provide plenty of debate, with much back and forth. However, articles are not as prolific as they could be, and I will endeavour to get more submissions from this year's Annual Conference. 

Also, we have produced another issue of _Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research_ , 'Reminiscences of Séances with The Medium Franek 

Kluski', with full credit to Zofia Weaver and Michael Nahm for all their hard work on this. David Vernon and Nemo Mörck have also been looking into getting the _Journal_ DOIs to secure the journal impact factor status. Work for this is progressing nicely. 

The biggest thanks go to the editorial team, Associate Editor Dr Zofie Weaver and the Editorial Assistant Dr Tammy Dempster; without them, the _Journal_ would not function. Thanks to them for their constant support and guidance. Thanks also to the typesetter Julie Gorman; since we have started working together, production of the _Journal_ has been a lot smoother and she was vital in getting the latest _Proceedings_ out in good time. Thanks to the Book Review Editor, Nemo Mörck, for his help and the content. Thanks to Peter Johnson and the Council for their continuing advice. Finally, thank you to all the reviewers and people who provided articles, book reviews and all the content for the _Journal_ . 

## **The Magazine of the Society for Psychical Research** Editor: **Gordon Rutter** 

As announced in the previous Annual Report Dr Leo Ruickbie has now stepped down as editor of _The Magazine_ .  I have great pleasure in taking over the reins from him. 

I must express my gratitude to Leo for setting up an excellent publication, for passing material over to me and for being available to answer some initial questions. 

I am continuing to use the open-source software trialled by Leo thus saving software licensing fees for the SPR. 

Within the reporting period I have only produced one issue so if I were to list highlights it would simply be the contents of this issue (issue 8).  I am endeavouring to bring the publishing schedule back to where it should be, but I do not want to rush issues out solely about quantity rather than quality.  As I progress in my journey as editor, I feel more confident that I can achieve this aim sooner rather than later. 

I would like to thank all members who have submitted articles, without them _The Magazine_ would not exist. And of course, a huge vote of thanks must go to David Ellis for his excellent help as proof-reader. 

. 

## **Annual Conference** 

Programme Chairman: **Prof. Adrian Parker,** Conference Organiser: **Peter Johnson** 

The 46th SPR International Annual Conference took place 10[th] to 12[th] November 2023, at Woodland Grange, Royal Leamington Spa, and online as a Zoom meeting. [This conference was just outside the period of the report.] 

The Annual Conference programme included presentations on many areas of research, split into historical aspects, NDEs and ADEs, experimental and theoretical issues, spontaneous case investigations, mediumship, and further experimental research. There were invited talks from Edwin May and Terje Toftenes 

well as panel discussions on: “Ghosts and Poltergeists - Separate Entities or Potentially Elements of the Same Anomalous Power”, Chaired by John Fraser, with Alan Murdie and Annekatrin Puhle, and “Where Are We Heading? – A Discordant Farrago, or Waiting for a Paradigm Shift?” with Edwin May, Ann Winsper and Chris Roe. 

We had a total of 59 attendees at the hotel for this conference and another 46 joining us via Zoom. 

Speakers came from the UK, Scandinavia, 

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Germany and from the United States. The after-dinner talk was given by the Norwegian filmmaker Terje Toftenes: The Day Before the Paradigm Shift. 

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

A big thank you is due the SPR Conference 

Programme Committee (Prof. Carr, Dr Cooper, Dr Gauld, Alan Murdie, Prof. Roe, Dr Ruffles & Dr David Vernon), with special thanks to Ashley Knibb and Christof King for helping out at short notice with technical equipment and to Peter Johnson for the arrangements and remote control. I want to express heart-felt thanks to the invited speakers Edwin May and Terje Toftenes for so generously giving their personal time. 

## **Secretary’s Report Peter Johnson** 

In the table below, you will be able to see that our membership numbers have reduced this year, in line with the experience of many other membership 

organisations during these times of pandemic and costof-living crisis. 

||Members & Associates|Members & Associates|Members & Associates|
|---|---|---|---|
||2023|2022|Change|
|UK|480|556|-13.67%|
|USA|153|198|-22.73%|
|Other|151|181|-16.57%|
|TOTALS|784|935|-16.15%|



|**Student Associates**|**Student Associates**|**Student Associates**||**Totals**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|2023|2022|Change|2023|2022|Change|
|39|44|-11.36%|519|600|-14%|
|21|23|-8.70%|174|221|-21%|
|24|27|-11.11%|175|208|-16%|
|84|94|-10.64%|868|1029|-16%|



Audio recordings of all our events are available free of charge for members only, and for purchase by nonmembers. Thanks to David Vernon 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 recent talks directly from our website. 

The Office and Library have continued to operate mainly from home, with Karen Patel (Librarian) attending the SPR Library on Wednesday afternoons. We held our 2023Annual General Meeting in person at Vernon Mews in April. 

## **Data Protection Officer’s Report Ciaran Farrell** 

The last reporting year marked the SPR’s transition from our Covid 19 set up and restrictions on physical meetings back to a ‘new normal’ which resembled our pre-pandemic organisational arrangements. We returned to having some physical rather than online meetings for the internal management of the SPR, although online meetings were retained for their convenience in many instances. 

During the reporting year the SPR’s General Data Protection Implementation Team, GDPRIT, recommenced the task of 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 they were intended. This work had largely been placed on hold as the result of the difficulties in carrying out the detailed work concerned due to Covid in the first instance, and the return to our 

new normal in organisational terms in the second. In order to do this GDPRIT held physical and Zoom meetings and exchanged correspondence within GDPRIT, the SPR and with other organisations as we continued our work reviewing and updating the SPR’s overarching Privacy and Data Protection policy. 

In addition to this we reviewed the operation of the SPR’s website and administrative and events email mailing lists. This was to ensure that SPR members can take up the benefits of SPR membership by way of the information services the SPR has to offer, and to publicise SPR events as well as streamlining administration. 

Following the successful adoption by the Spontaneous Cases Committee of their Process and Protocol document and a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) in association with GDPRIT, the DPO drew up 

9 



a more general form of the DPA for discussion by GDPRIT. This was discussed within GDPRIT to see if the Society could derive general benefit from the provisions of a DPA as a reference and guidance policy particularly in relation to what is known as a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy which was contained within it. 

A BYOD policy is recommended for small charitable companies like the SPR by the Charity Commission and the UK’s data regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). This is because the SPR is a ‘distributed’ organisation with many key SPR personnel, Council members, staff and volunteers working from home using their own computers and other communications devices. A BYOD policy is a means by which an organisation like the SPR can ensure that common standards are worked to by all concerned in relation to the safety, security and management of data across the organisation even when people are using their own equipment at home. 

During the year the SPR received one Subject Access Request (SAR) which was dealt with on a confidential basis by selected members of GDPRIT. 

During the reporting year the Government, acting through the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, carried out a consultation and post Brexit review of the operation of UK GDPR in relation to the Data Protection Act. The Government are reviewing the 

provisions of the Act, and its attendant guidance, with a view to relaxing some of the more onerous restrictions and requirements of GDPR.  In particular, they want to reduce the burden of red tape for small companies and charities like the SPR. 

During the year, I have continued to work with our Policy Advisory Panel (PAP) in order to develop SPR policy that is relevant to the data protection work of the DPO. 

I have also made regular reports to the SPR Council on data protection and policy matters related to this as well as communicating with my colleagues within the SPR on data protection matters. 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 including ICO guidance. 

The DPO looks forward to working with GDPRIT and the PAP in the future as well as with 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 (SPR Secretary), Dr Richard Broughton (Honorary Treasurer) and Adrian Ryan (SPR Council member). 

## **The Financial Position** 

## Honorary Treasurer: **Dr Richard Broughton** 

The Society continues to operate in a challenging financial environment with inflation driving up operating costs and the ‘cost of living crisis’ hitting our customary income streams hard. Little comfort can be gained by recognizing that we are in the company of most non-profit organizations across the arts, education, and social welfare. 

The Society has found it cost effective to retain the hybrid working model that it adopted during the Covid period, with key personnel working largely from home but maintaining office and library hours commensurate with the demand (which has been much lower since the pandemic). While most of our programmes for academics and the public are being conducted over Zoom, this past year we adopted a hybrid format for our Annual Conference with both on-site and video participation. [This conference was just outside the reporting period.] The Workshops (Study Days) will move to that format as well early in 2024. Our completely on-line talks and discussion group evenings remain popular. Despite 

editorship changes both the _Journal_ and the _Magazine_ continue to be produced to a high standard, but skyrocketing mailing charges have led the Society to encourage on-line receipt of our publications. 

We continue to keep a close rein on operating expenses though items such as printing and mailing costs have risen dramatically. Website costs were also up due to an expensive but required upgrade to our main website. Unsurprisingly membership has dipped slightly this year resulting in lower income, but this was largely offset by higher income from our online activities. 

Quite in contrast to the situation facing many of our members, our investments have done well this year, reversing losses of last year. We were able to provide nearly £64,000 in support of psychical research projects in the UK and overseas. This support from the Society is vitally important for both early career researchers and students as well as 

10 



established scientists who are unable to obtain financial support for research from the usual sources. 

Again, the Society has weathered a difficult year in reasonable financial shape thanks to the continued hard work of our staff and volunteers to provide our services as economically as possible.  Particularly this year we can see the effect of the cost-of-living crisis on our membership which, for many people, especially for students and young people, is a matter of discretionary income. 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. 

This year the Society benefited from a small bequest, and I would like to take this opportunity to remind our members of the importance of maintaining the SPR’s work for the future when they are reviewing their charitable giving plans. Remember that your Will can be an important way to support the SPR and we would be happy to discuss this and other ways of making substantial contributions. 

The accounts have been subject to an Independent Examination and no issues of concern have been noted. The full report of this examination is included in financial statement. 

11 



Charity registration number 207325 

Company registration number 00044861 (England and Wales) 

**THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023** 

12 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION** 

|**Directors and Trustees**|The members of Council – Page 2|
|---|---|
|**Secretary**|P M Johnson|
|**Charity number**|207325|
|**Company number**|00044861|
|**Registered office**|1 Vernon Mews|
||London|
||W14 0RL|
|**Accountants**|PK Group Ventures Limited|
||1 Parkshot|
||Richmond|
||Surrey|
||TW9 2RD|
|**Independent examiner**|PK Audit LLP|
||Chartered Accountants|
||Registered Auditors|
||1 Parkshot|
||Richmond|
||Surrey|
||TW9 2RD|
|**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 advisors**|BNY Mellon Fund Managers Ltd|
||PO Box 366|
||Darlington|
||DL1 9RF|



13 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **CONTENTS** 

||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' report|15 - 17|
||18|
|Independent examiner's report||
|Statement of financial activities|19|
|Balance sheet|20|
|Notes to the financial statements|21 - 31|



14 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 September 2023. 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "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). 

## **Objects of the charity, principal activities and organisation 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. 

## **Financial review** 

The Statement of Financial Activities shows a net deficit before gains or loss on investments of £159,102 (2022: £113,983). Gains on investments changed from a decrease of £155,010 in 2022 to an increase of £156,458 in the current year. This was as a result of the positive movement on markets during the year. The net movement in funds for the year was a decrease of £2,644 (2022: £268,993). 

The closing balance on reserves, representing the net assets of the Society, decreased by this amount from £3,814,826 as at 30 September 2022 to £3,812,182 as at 30 September 2023. 

## **Tangible fixed assets for use by the Society** 

Details of the movements in fixed assets are set out in note 14 to the accounts. 

## **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 8). The SPR Research Fund (RF) is restricted for use towards research, as described in Note 21 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 21) 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 21) and in the annual report of the Chairman of the Survival Research Committee. 

15 



**THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

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 21. 

## **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. 

## **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. 

## **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. 

## **Plans for future periods** 

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. 

## **Directors and trustees** 

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

All of the elected members of Council are directors of the company and trustees of the charity and there are a further seven coopted 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 24 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. 

16 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (INCLUDING DIRECTORS' REPORT) (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **Trustees' responsibilities in relation to the financial statements** 

The trustees, who are also the directors of The Incorporated Society For Psychical Research for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). 

Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the trust and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year. 

In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: 

- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; 

- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP; 

- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; 

- state whether applicable UK accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and 

- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the trust will continue in operation. 

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the trust and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the trust 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. 

## **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. 

The trustees’ report was approved by Council representing the board of directors and trustees and signed on its behalf by: 


A D Parker **Trustee** 

Date: 2 May 2024 

17 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT** 

## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The Incorporated Society For Psychical Research (the charity) for the year ended 30 September 2023. 

## **Responsibilities and basis of report** 

As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act). 

Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination,  I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act). In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act. 

## **Independent examiner's statement** 

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 

- 1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or 

- 2 the financial statements do not accord with those records; or 

- 3 the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or 

- 4 the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102). 

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


Monika Trzcinska FCCA PK Audit LLP Chartered Accountants 1 Parkshot Richmond TW9 2RD 

Dated: 2 May 2024 

18 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT** 

## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**Notes**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**Income and endowments from:**<br>Donations and legacies<br>**3**<br>10,773<br>125<br>Charitable activities<br>**4**<br>2,484<br>-<br>Membership and journal subscriptions<br>**5**<br>36,602<br>-<br>Investments<br>23,566<br>40,420<br>Other income<br>**6**<br>2,715<br>320<br>**Total income**<br>76,140<br>40,865<br>**Expenditure on:**<br>Raising funds<br>**7**<br>31,650<br>-<br>Charitable activities<br>**8**<br>100,839<br>119,979<br>Governance costs<br>**11**<br>23,639<br>-<br>**Total expenditure**<br>156,128<br>119,979<br>**Net outgoing resources before gains/(losses) on**<br>**investments**<br>(79,988)<br>(79,114)<br>Net gains/(losses) on investments<br>**12**<br>58,228<br>98,230<br>**Net (outgoing)/incoming resources before transfers**<br>(21,760)<br>19,116<br>Gross transfers between funds<br>(21,289)<br>21,289<br>**Net movement in funds**<br>(43,049)<br>40,405<br>Fund balances at 1 October 2022<br>2,194,252<br>1,620,574<br>**Fund balances at 30 September 2023**<br>2,151,203<br>1,660,979|**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>10,898<br>2,484<br>36,602<br>63,986<br>3,035<br>117,005<br>31,650<br>220,818<br>23,639<br>276,107<br>(159,102)<br>156,458<br>(2,644)<br>-<br>(2,644)<br>3,814,826<br>3,812,182|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>7,953<br>3,625<br>38,973<br>59,502<br>2,460<br>112,513<br>17,060<br>187,353<br>22,083<br>226,496<br>(113,983)<br>(155,010)<br>(268,993)<br>-<br>(268,993)<br>4,083,819<br>3,814,826|
|---|---|---|



The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. 

All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities. 

The statement of financial activities also complies with the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006. 

19 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **BALANCE SHEET** 

## _**AS AT 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

|**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**Notes**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**Fixed assets**<br>Tangible assets<br>**14**<br>1,271,526<br>-<br>Investments<br>**15**<br>936,008<br>1,621,370<br>2,207,534<br>1,621,370<br>**Current assets**<br>Stocks<br>**16**<br>2,706<br>-<br>Debtors falling due within one year<br>**17**<br>5,411<br>4,108<br>Cash at bank and in hand<br>(16,154)<br>56,899<br>(8,037)<br>61,007<br>**Creditors: amounts falling due within one**<br>**year**<br>**18**<br>(48,294)<br>(21,398)<br>Net current (liabilities)/assets<br>(56,331)<br>39,609<br>**Total assets less current liabilities**<br>2,151,203<br>1,660,979<br>**Income funds**<br>General restricted funds<br>-<br>1,660,979<br>General unrestricted funds<br>2,151,203<br>-<br>2,151,203<br>1,660,979|**2023**<br>**£**<br>1,271,526<br>2,557,378<br>3,828,904<br>2,706<br>9,519<br>40,745<br>52,970<br>(69,692)<br>(16,722)<br>3,812,182<br>1,660,979<br>2,151,203<br>3,812,182|**2022**<br>**£**<br>1,271,119<br>2,510,776|
|---|---|---|
|||3,781,895<br>3,143<br>7,946<br>93,540|
|||104,629<br>(71,698)|
|||32,931|
|||3,814,826|
|||1,620,576<br>2,194,250|
|||3,814,826|



The company is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 30 September 2023. 

The directors acknowledge their responsibilities for complying with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 with respect to accounting records and the preparation of financial statements. 

The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year in question in accordance with section 476. 

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies regime. 

The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on 2 May 2024. 



A D Parker R S Broughton **Trustee** 

**Company registration number 00044861** 

20 



**THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **1 Accounting policies** 

## **Charity information** 

The Incorporated Society For Psychical Research is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 1 Vernon Mews, London, W14 0RL. 

## **1.1 Accounting convention** 

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "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). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102. 

The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows. 

The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £. 

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below. 

## **1.2 Going concern** 

The trustees have carried out a detailed review of the charity’s financial position including a review of cash flow forecasts taking into account the increasingly broad effects of cost crisis 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 Income** 

Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received. 

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 Expenditure** 

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. 

21 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **1 Accounting policies** 

**(Continued)** 

## **1.5 Tangible fixed assets** 

Tangible fixed assets are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, 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 land and buildings Over 100 years Funiture & equipment 15% p.a. on written down value Computer equipment 25% p.a on cost 

The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in the statement of financial activities. 

## **1.6 Fixed asset 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. 

## **1.7 Impairment of fixed assets** 

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 

## **1.8 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. 

## **1.9 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. 

## **1.10 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. 

## **1.11 Employee benefits** 

The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received. 

Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits. 

## **1.12 Retirement benefits** 

Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due. 

22 



**THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** 

## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **1 Accounting policies** 

## **(Continued)** 

## **1.13 Foreign exchange** 

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. 

## **1.14 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. 

## **2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements** 

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 30 September 2023 the estimated residual value of the leasehold amounted to £1,264,610 (2022: £1,264,610). 

## **3 Voluntary income** 

|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Gifts and donations<br>291<br>125<br>Bequests and legacies<br>10,482<br>-<br>10,773<br>125|**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>416<br>10,482<br>10,898|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>2,453<br>5,500|
|---|---|---|
|||7,953|



23 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** 

## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **4 Charitable activities** 

|**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Conferences<br>-<br>-<br>Lectures<br>746<br>-<br>Study days<br>1,738<br>-<br>2,484<br>-<br>**5**<br>**Other trading activities**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Membership and journal subscriptions<br>36,602<br>-<br>**6**<br>**Other income**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Royalties<br>617<br>-<br>Other income<br>509<br>-<br>Publication and other sales<br>1,400<br>276<br>Other sales<br>118<br>-<br>Interest<br>71<br>44<br>2,715<br>320|**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>-<br>746<br>1,738<br>2,484<br>**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>36,602<br>**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>617<br>509<br>1,676<br>118<br>115<br>3,035|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>2,133<br>842<br>650|
|---|---|---|
|||3,625|
|||**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>38,973|
|||**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>421<br>12<br>1,764<br>225<br>38|
|||2,460|



24 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** 

## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

|**7**<br>**Raising funds**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Pubilcation costs<br>31,650<br>-<br>31,650<br>-<br>**8**<br>**Charitable activities**|**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>31,650<br>31,650|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>17,060|
|---|---|---|
|||17,060|
||||



|**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Staff costs<br>82,028<br>-<br>Depreciation and impairment<br>1,681<br>-<br>Software<br>2,432<br>-<br>Website and internet expenses<br>6,031<br>-<br>Grants for research and education<br>3,750<br>102,426<br>Administration fee<br>(17,553)<br>17,553<br>Lectures<br>320<br>-<br>Library and archive<br>254<br>-<br>Premises<br>7,604<br>-<br>Postage and stationery<br>4,083<br>-<br>Telecommunications<br>680<br>-<br>Study days<br>263<br>-<br>Advertising & Marketing<br>169<br>-<br>General expenses<br>9,097<br>-<br>100,839<br>119,979|**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>82,028<br>1,681<br>2,432<br>6,031<br>106,176<br>-<br>320<br>254<br>7,604<br>4,083<br>680<br>263<br>169<br>9,097<br>220,818|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>72,213<br>1,548<br>2,482<br>12,883<br>74,167<br>-<br>489<br>214<br>6,824<br>3,711<br>615<br>-<br>202<br>12,005|
|---|---|---|
|||187,353|



25 



**THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **9 Trustees 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 £123 (2022: £917) 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: 

Dr C. E. Cooper: £1,008 (2022: £4,313) as a grant from the Survival Research Fund and £71 (2022: £Nil) for travel expenses. 

Mr R. McLuhan £8,057 (2022: £9,860) as a grant from the Buckmaster Projects Fund for work done for the PSI Encyclopedia project. 

Dr M. Schofield £3,600 (2022: £3,180) as Editor of Journal. 

Prof. C. A. Roe: £9,508 (2022: £7,638) as a grant from the Survival Research Fund, £6,343 (2022: £7,041) as a grant from the SPR Research Fund and £52 (2022: £Nil) for travel expenses. 

Dr T. H. Ruffles £5,611 (2022: £5,300) as Hon Communications Officer. 

Dr L Ruickbie £800 (2022: £Nil) for typesetting fees. 

Dr D J Vernon £320 (2022: £Nil) for internet expenses. 

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 Employees** 

The average monthly number of employees during the year was: 

||**2023**|**2022**|
|---|---|---|
||**Number**|**Number**|
||7|7|
|**Employment costs**|**2023**|**2022**|
||**£**|**£**|
|Wages and salaries|79,398|68,707|
|Social security costs|1,206|610|
|Other pension costs|1,424|2,896|
||82,028|72,213|



There were no employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000. 

26 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** 

## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **11 Governance costs** 

|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Legal and professional fees<br>14,592<br>-<br>Audit fee<br>6,000<br>-<br>Bank and credit card charges<br>2,687<br>-<br>Council meetings<br>360<br>-<br>23,639<br>-|**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>14,592<br>6,000<br>2,687<br>360<br>23,639|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>13,648<br>6,000<br>2,435<br>-|
|---|---|---|
|||22,083|



## **12 Net gains/(losses) on investments** 

|**Unrestricted**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Unrealised gain on investments<br>35,585<br>55,560<br>Gain/(loss) on sale of investments<br>22,643<br>42,670<br>Net gain/(loss) on sale of investments<br>58,228<br>98,230|**Total**<br>**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>91,145<br>(208,844)<br>65,313<br>53,834<br>156,458<br>(155,010)|
|---|---|



## **13 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 charge have arisen in the charity. 

27 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** 

## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **14 Tangible fixed assets** 

|**Leasehold**<br>**land and**<br>**buildings**<br>**Funiture &**<br>**equipment**<br>**Computer**<br>**equipment**<br>**Total**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**Cost**<br>At 1 October 2022<br>1,264,608<br>32,403<br>14,304<br>Additions<br>-<br>339<br>1,748<br>At 30 September 2023<br>1,264,608<br>32,742<br>16,052<br>**Depreciation and impairment**<br>At 1 October 2022<br>-<br>26,146<br>14,050<br>Depreciation charged in the year<br>-<br>989<br>691<br>At 30 September 2023<br>-<br>27,135<br>14,741<br>**Carrying amount**<br>At 30 September 2023<br>1,264,608<br>5,607<br>1,311<br>At 30 September 2022<br>1,264,610<br>6,256<br>253<br>The carrying value of land included in land and buildings comprises:<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>Long leasehold<br>1,264,610<br>**Fixed asset investments**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>**Cost or valuation**<br>Market value at 1 October 2022<br>927,780<br>1,582,996<br>2,510,776<br>Net additional funds invested/(funds withdrawn)<br>(50,000)<br>(59,856)<br>(109,856)<br>Increase/(decrease) in market value during the year<br>58,228<br>98,230<br>156,458<br>Market value at 30 September 2023<br>936,008<br>1,621,370<br>2,557,378<br>**Carrying amount**<br>Market value at 30 September 2023<br>936,008<br>1,621,370<br>2,557,378<br>Market value at 30 September 2022<br>927,780<br>1,582,996<br>2,510,776|**£**<br>1,311,315<br>2,087<br>1,313,402<br>40,196<br>1,680<br>41,876<br>1,271,526<br>1,271,119<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>1,264,610<br>**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>2,747,770<br>(81,984)<br>(155,010)<br>2,510,776<br>2,510,776<br>2,747,770|
|---|---|



## **15 Fixed asset investments** 

28 



**THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** 

## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **15 Fixed asset investments** 

**(Continued)** 

Investments at 30 September 2023 comprise 1,597,064 (2022: 1,665,302) units held in Newton Growth and Income Fund for Charities. 

## **Unlisted investment** 

At 1 October 2022 and 30 September 2023 

£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. 

|**16**<br>**Stocks**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Stock of publications etc.<br>2,706<br>-<br>**17**<br>**Debtors**<br>**Unrestricted**<br>**funds**<br>**Restricted**<br>**funds**<br>**2023**<br>**2023**<br>**Amounts falling due within one year:**<br>**£**<br>**£**<br>Other debtors<br>2,290<br>1,108<br>Prepayments and accrued income<br>3,121<br>3,000<br>5,411<br>4,108|**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>2,706<br>**Total**<br>**2023**<br>**£**<br>3,398<br>6,121<br>9,519|**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>3,143|
|---|---|---|
|||**Total**<br>**2022**<br>**£**<br>3,938<br>4,008|
|||7,946|



29 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** 

## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

|**18**|**Creditors: amounts falling due within**|**one year**|**Unrestricted**|**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total**|**Total**|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||||**funds**||**fund**|||
|||||**2023**|**2023**|**2023**|**2022**|
|||**Notes**||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
||VAT liability|||891|-|891|12,687|
||Deferred income - Membership|||||||
||and subscriptions|**19**|25,503||-|25,503|15,478|
||Trade creditors|||-|9,483|9,483|-|
||Other creditors|||294|-|294|204|
||Accruals||21,606||11,915|33,521|43,329|
||||48,294||21,398|69,692|71,698|
||Other creditors and accruals includes grants payable of||£Nil (2022:|£16,094).||||
|**19**|**Deferred income**|||||||
|||||||**2023**|**2022**|
|||||||**£**|**£**|
||Other deferred income|||||25,503|15,478|
||Deferred income is included in the financial statements||as follows:|||||
|||||||**2023**|**2022**|
|||||||**£**|**£**|
||Deferred income is included within:|||||||
||Current liabilities|||||25,503|15,478|
||Movements in the year:|||||||
||Deferred income at 1 October 2022|||||15,478|16,233|
||Released from previous periods|||||(15,478)|(16,233)|
||Resources deferred in the year|||||25,503|15,478|
||Deferred income at 30 September 2023|||||25,503|15,478|



## **20 Retirement benefit schemes** 

## **Defined contribution schemes** 

The Charitable 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. 

The charge to profit or loss in respect of defined contribution schemes was £1,424 (2022 - £2,896). 

30 



**THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **NOTES TO THE  FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 30 SEPTEMBER 2023**_ 

## **21 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. 

- Survival 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: 

||||**Movement**|**in funds**|||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Balance at**|**Incoming**|**Resources**|**Transfers**|**Revaluations,**|<br>**Balance at**|
||**1 October**|**resources**|**expended**||**gains and**|**30 September**|
||**2022**||||**losses**|**2023**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|SPR Research Fund|690,021|22,927|(38,726)|1,418|41,551|717,191|
|Survival Research Fund|750,908|24,495|(45,551)|5,763|45,384|780,999|
|Buckmaster Project Fund|179,645|(6,557)|(35,703)|14,109|11,295|162,789|
||1,620,574|40,865|(119,980)|21,290|98,230|1,660,979|



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. 

## **22 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. 

## **23 Comparative Information** 

The charitable company’s Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 30 September 2022 are available in full on the Charity Commission’s website. 

31 



## **THE INCORPORATED SOCIETY FOR PSYCHICAL RESEARCH** 

## **1 Vernon Mews, London, W14 0RL** 

**ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING** of The Incorporated Society for Psychical Research to be held at 1 Vernon Mews, London, W14 0RL on Saturday, 27[th] April 2024 at 5.15 p.m. 

## **AGENDA** 

- **1) To approve and sign the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 27[th] April 2023.** 

- **2) To receive the Report of the Council and the Annual Statement of Accounts made up to 30[th] September 2023.** 

## **3) To elect six members to the Council** 

Six members of the Council are due to retire from office and all six offer themselves for re-election. No further nominations having been received, there is no requirement to hold a vote on this matter: 

- C. J. Farrell, BSc, GRSC. C. E. Cooper, BSc, MRes, PhD, CPsychol., FHEA, 

J. Fraser, B.A. C. A. Roe, BSc., MSc., PhD R. G. McLuhan, B.A., B.Litt. A. P. Ryan 

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

- **5) To authorise the Council to determine the remuneration of the Reporting Accountants.** 

No other business will be transacted at this meeting. 

32 



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

## **MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING** 

## **HELD ON Saturday, 29[th] April 2023 at 5.15 p.m.** 

Prof. Adrian Parker (President of the Society) opened the meeting at 5.15 p.m., welcoming 10 voting members to the Annual General Meeting of the Society. 

## **1) To approve and sign the Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 30[th] July 2022.** 

Dr Broughton proposed that the Minutes of the AGM held on 30[th] July 2022 should be approved. This was seconded by Mr Farrell and was agreed unanimously. 

## **2) To receive the Report of the Council and the Annual Statement of Accounts made up to 30[th] September 2022.** 

Prof. Parker explained that the Report of the Council and the Annual Statement of Accounts made up to 30[th] September 2022 were not ready to bring to the meeting. This item would be adjourned to a date to be agreed. It was agreed that this date should be Saturday 27[th] May 2023, at 5.15 p.m. 

- **3) To elect six members to the Council** 

Six members of the Council are due to retire from office and all six offer themselves for re-election. No further nominations having been received, there is no requirement to hold a vote on this matter: 

R. S. Broughton, B.A., Ph.D. T. H. Ruffles, B.Sc., B.A., M.A., D. N. Rousseau, B.Sc., Ph.D. Ph.D., A.R.P.S. B. J. Carr, M.A., Ph.D. G. T. B. Kidd, MBBS, MRCPsych A. D. Parker, M.A., Ph.D. 

Although a vote was not required, Prof. Parker proposed that all six candidates should be elected to serve for three years. This was agreed unanimously, and the six candidates were duly elected. 

## **4) To re-appoint PK Audit LLP Chartered Accountants as Reporting Accountants for the period prescribed by the Companies Act 2006.** 

Dr Broughton proposed that PK Audit LLP Chartered Accountants should be reappointed as Reporting Accountants for the period prescribed by the Companies Act 2006. This was seconded by Dr Vernon and was agreed unanimously. Dr Broughton reported that he was reviewing with The Secretary the possible options for new Accountants, taking into account the costs and the level of service received. 

## **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 Reporting Accountants. This was seconded by Prof. Parker and was agreed unanimously. 

No other business was transacted at this meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 5:26 p.m. 

## **RECONVENED ON Saturday, 27[th] May 2023 at 5.15 p.m.** 

Dr Broughton welcomed 5 members to the reconvened meeting. 

The President was not present; Dr Broughton was appointed as the Chairman. 

## **Item 2) held over from the meeting on Saturday, 29[th] April 2023. To receive the Report of the Council and the Annual Statement of Accounts made up to 30[th] September 2022.** 

Dr Broughton proposed that the Report of the Council and the Annual Statement of Accounts made up to 30th September 2022 should be received. This was agreed unanimously. 

No other business was transacted at this meeting. The meeting closed at 5.25 p.m. 

33 



## **NOTES ON CANDIDATES FOR ELECTION AT THE** 

## **ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING TO BE HELD ON 27[TH] APRIL 2024** 

## **IN THEIR OWN WORDS** 

## CALLUM E COOPER, Ph.D. 

Dr Callum E. Cooper joined the SPR in 2007. He became a member of the Survival Research Committee and then Council several years later. He is a senior lecturer and researcher of psychology at the University of Northampton. He is the third-year module coordinator for ‘Parapsychology & Anomalous Experiences’ and lectures on such topics as: parapsychology, positive psychology, sexual behaviour, and death and loss. He received a PhD from the University of Northampton (2017) exploring the impact of post-death experiences on bereavement, and soon after received a PhD from Manchester Metropolitan University (2018) based on ten years of work he had conducted in parapsychology regarding spontaneous case research and the survival hypothesis. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 2009 Eileen J. Garrett Scholarship Award (Parapsychology Foundation), the Dr Gertrude Schmeidler Award (Parapsychological Association), as was a nominee for the 2018 Ockham’s Razor Award for Excellence in Skeptical Activism (The Skeptic Magazine / QEDcon). He also holds various positions with research institutes including: Library Fellow of the Eileen J. Garrett – Parapsychology Foundation (2015), Principal Researcher of the Alex Tanous Foundation, Research Associate of Hope Studies Central (University of Alberta), Professional Member of the Parapsychological Association, and Chartered Member of the British Psychological Society. 

## CIARAN FARRELL 

Ciaran was elected to Council at the 2017 AGM and has played an active role in all aspects of the Council’s work. Ciaran was appointed by Council in 2017 to fulfil the role of Data Protection Officer (DPO), and to work alongside the Secretary and Honorary Treasurer within a small General Data Protection Regulation Implementation Team, to ensure that the SPR would be made ready for the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation, in May 2018. This significant milestone in the SPR’s administration was achieved on time and on budget. Ciaran remains in post as DPO as there is still further work to be done in policy development for data protection and to act as a point of reference and contact for data protection matters. 

Ciaran is an active member of the recently formed Policy Working Group and has made valuable contributions to the evaluation and revision of existing SPR policies and also to policy development due to the skills and knowledge he has gained in the charitable and voluntary sectors. He is an active member of the Spontaneous Cases Committee, using the skills and knowledge he has gained through his background in psychical research, practical investigation skills and psychical experiences. Ciaran is also an active member of the Conference Arrangements Committee, which assists the Secretary with the organisation of SPR Conferences. In addition, Ciaran also assists the Secretary by helping out with the general administration of the SPR. 

Ciaran has had psychical experiences of various types over the years which started when he was young including a holiday in a haunted house and experiences in haunted hospitals and other locations. He became fascinated by the phenomena, rather than scared by them, and set out to do all he could to understand their nature. He has been carrying out psychical research for several years at the British & Wellcome Libraries, the National Archives & various other institutions. This includes the history and nature of psychical phenomena, entities, apparitions, veridical dreams, telepathy and mediumship. He is particularly interested in comparing veridical information and psychical sense impression data with historical fact. 

Ciaran joined the Society in February 2015 and regularly attends SPR Lectures, Study Days and last year’s SPR Conference, and he is a regular contributor to the group discussion at these events. 

Ciaran is a member of several health-related groups and is a local authority consultant in health & social care. He has also been the Company Secretary of a small business as well as Vice Chair of his local Community Health Council, and a member of its successor bodies, and a School Governor. In addition, he was the chair or vice chair of his local Tenants’ Association for many years, and has represented communities at local, regional and national levels in health and housing. He has also been a Trustee of several charities involved in health, housing and education. Ciaran graduated from London University with a joint honours degree in chemistry & physics after obtaining the first part of an engineering, toolmaking apprenticeship.  He went on to carry out research for a PhD but was unable to secure funding for his qualification due to the merger of his college with others within the university. He became an honorary student in the college’s Philosophy of Science department and engaged in original philosophical research into the mind body problem. He then went on to work for the charity National MIND. 

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## JOHN FRASER, B.A. 

John is a current member of the SPR Council and has been Vice Chair Investigations of the Ghost Club – the two oldest groups in the country that study the paranormal.  John’s active interest in the paranormal dates from the 1980s, when he participated in a long- running series of hypnotic regression experiments, assisting in the co-ordination of sessions and being trained in hypnotic regression techniques. Following a research project regarding the reasons behind supernatural occurrences at Sandwood Bay in Sutherland, he was invited to join the Ghost Club, where he became the Vice Chair (with investigations portfolio) 1998-2004. He joined the SPR in the late 1990s and, in 2003, became a member of the Spontaneous Cases Committee, where he has worked to widen its accessibility to the general public. He was also invited to join the Council in 2008. His 2010 _Ghost Hunting, a Survivors Guide_ was one of the first UK books published about the subject since it re-popularisation by TV.  Since 2015 John has been working on an extended project of witness testimony regarding the well-publicised phenomena occurring at The Cage in St Osyth, Essex, while also assessing the validity of witness testimony in spontaneous ‘paranormal’ cases. He has presented some of his findings both at an SPR lecture and in an article in the _Paranormal Review_ . One of John’s primary aims is to make the SPR more involved in spontaneous cases and ‘paranormal’ field research and he will be contributing to a forthcoming SPR Study Day on 29th April (ahead of the AGM) on New Approaches to Ghost Hunting, arguing along these lines. John has also appeared in numerous media discussions of the paranormal - including Japanese and Scottish Television, and national BBC radio. 

## ROBERT McLUHAN, B.A., B.Litt. 

Robert McLuhan is a professional journalist who began his career as a foreign correspondent for the _Guardian_ and _Economist_ , and now writes mainly for _The Week_ and for business publications. Robert joined the Society in 1993, making good use of the library to get to grips with psychical research. In 1998, the Survival Research Committee commissioned him to create an Abstracts Catalogue of all survival-related material in the SPR _Proceedings_ and _Journals_ from 1884 to the present day. This project was subsequently enlarged to cover all the archive material, taking five years to complete (the entire catalogue can now be accessed in the SPR website’s Publications menu). In 2010, he published _Randi’s Prize: What Sceptics Say About the Paranormal, Why They Are Wrong, and Why It Matters_ , in which he closely compared research reports by psi investigators with the criticisms of sceptics. He has given occasional SPR lectures and contributed to SPR Study Days on topics such as mediumship, and reincarnation research, and scepticism. In 2014, he was commissioned to manage the Buckmaster Publications project, beginning with the creation of the online Psi Encyclopedia. He has also overseen the redesign of the SPR website. He contributes book reviews to the _Journal_ and writes essays about paranormal matters on his blog Paranormalia.com. 

## CHRIS A. ROE, Ph.D. 

Chris Roe joined the Society in 1991 and was co-opted onto Council in 1997 when he took over as Editor of the Paranormal Review. In 2003, he became Editor of the SPR’s Journal. He studied Psychology at Edinburgh University and returned there to study for a PhD as part of the Koestler Parapsychology Unit. In 1995, he took up a lectureship in Psychology at the University of Northampton and was responsible for introducing parapsychology into the undergraduate Psychology course at Northampton and has helped to establish the Centre for the Study of Anomalous Psychological Processes, which includes ten academic staff and nine PhD students with interests in parapsychology and transpersonal psychology. He is the Perrott-Warrick Senior Researcher and Professor of Psychology at the University of Northampton. He is currently President of the Parapsychological Association and Chair of the Transpersonal Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society. He is a member of the Scientific Board of the BIAL Foundation and the International Affiliate for the Parapsychology Foundation representing England. He has personally conducted laboratory-based research on ESP and PK but also has a long-standing interest in psychic readers and readings. 

## ADRIAN RYAN 

Adrian is a freelance business systems analyst for the financial services industry, with a long-standing interest in parapsychology and psychical research. He serves on several of the Society’s committees and is a member of the Editorial Board of the Society’s _Journal_ . He is also a member of the Scientific & Medical Network and a Professional Member of the Parapsychological Association.  Adrian recently assisted in migrating the Society’s membership database onto new technology, enabling email communication with members and online renewals and registration for events. He is currently undertaking a project to implement an open data repository for parapsychological and psychical research data, and is also conducting research into environmental influences on psi. Adrian is keen to represent younger members of the Society and will always work to ensure that legacies received by the Society are utilised in accordance with the deceased’s wishes. 

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