The Joseph Conrad Society (UK)
( An unincorporated association Registered with The Charity Commission in the UK Charity Number 270586.
Trustees : Dr Robert Gavin Hampson, Dr Hugh Robert Epstein, Dr Allan Howard Simmons. Principal office : The Joseph Conrad Society (UK) c/o The Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) 238-246 King Street London W6 ORF United Kingdom Contact details are also available through Society’s web site www.josephconradsociety.org)
Trustees’ Report 2024
Objectives
In 2024, the Joseph Conrad Society UK conducted its business as usual, with due regard to the Charity Commission’s public benefit guidance as set out in document PB1, and in accordance with the objects identified in Society’s Constitution as ‘to advance the education of students, scholars and the general public in the life and work of Joseph Conrad’.
Activities
We hosted our AGM in February and held a further Committee Meeting in November. To facilitate the attendance at the AGM of the Society’s international membership it was decided that this meeting be held on Zoom.
In early July we held our 51st Annual Conference at the Polish Cultural Centre (POSK), Hammersmith, London, and The University Women’s Club, Mayfair, London. In accordance with our mission, the Society assisted in making this a truly international gathering of Conrad scholars by assisting with travel grants to younger scholars and subsidizing their meals at the conference. In keeping with the spirit of the bequest made to the Society by the McLauchlan Estate in the late 1990s, the travel grants are made in the name of our former Chair, Juliet McLauchlan. The annual Juliet McLauchlan Essay Prize was not awarded in 2024 due to a lack of submissions.
As usual, during 2024 we published two issues of our journal, The Conradian , one of which was a ‘special issue’ devoted to essays on Conrad and World Literature.
2024 marked the centenary of the death of Joseph Conrad, and the Joseph Conrad Society commemorated this in a number of ways, including subsidizing the licence for screening African Apocalypse at University of Kent (Conrad’s ‘Heart of Darkness’ remains a core literary text in the West’s construction of Africa) and renovating the Conrad family graves in Canterbury Cemetery. To observe the event, members of the Committee visited the gave on the day and laid a wreath.
The Society continues its support for The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Joseph Conrad. A contribution towards running costs of this ongoing project (21 volumes of a projected 26 are now in print) is also made by the Joseph Conrad Society of America. This financial assistance is acknowledged in each of the volumes in the edition.
The structure, governance and management of the Society continues to be undertaken by a small but active committee including the Trustees.
Finances
The Treasurer presented an Interim Statement of Accounts at the November 2024 Meeting and the Statement of Accounts at the AGM in February 2025. During 2024, £10,000 was transferred from the Society’s current account into one of our investment accounts. The Society now has three investment accounts, at separate institutions: COIF, Scottish Widows and Redwood Bank.
10th September 2025
Dr. Allan H. Simmons
JOSEPH CONRAD SOCIETY (UK)
INCOME AND EXPENDITURE FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st DECEMBER 2024
| TOTAL 31.12.2023 INCOME 2,644 Subscriptions 0 Donations and grants 8,738 Interest and dividends 9,198 Conference receipts 0 Other Conrad publications & lectures 2,737 Contribution to Conradian Website 296 Sundry book, journal and postcard sales 23,612 TOTAL INCOME |
TOTAL 31.12.2024 3,737 162 9,323 9,227 181 2,679 171 25,479 |
UNRESTRICTED ENDOWMENT FUNDS FUNDS 3,737 162 9,323 9,227 181 2,679 171 16,156 9,323 |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL 31.12.2023 EXPENDITURE 4,462 The Conradian 276 Other Conrad publications & lectures 172 Printing, stationery and postage 500 Prizes &other grants 1,700 Travel Grants 350 Audit Fee 1,483 Donations 249 Web site & Computer expense 15 Subscription 6,458 Conference Cost Other Expenses 0 Committee expenses 15,665 TOTAL EXPENDITURE 7,947 EXCESS OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE |
TOTAL 31.12.2024 4,435 1,285 330 0 900 350 1,403 350 15 8,352 160 657 18,236 7,243 |
4,435 1,285 330 900 350 1,403 350 15 8,352 160 657 18,236 -2,080 |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | |||
| 9,323 |
| TOTAL TOTAL 31.12.2023 31.12.2024 BALANCE SHEET AT 31st DECEMBER 2024 EXPENDABLE ENDOWMENT 248,362 Juliet McLauchlan Fund at 1.1.2024 248,362 0 Bequest during the year 0 248,362 Fund at 31.12 2024 248,362 UNRESTRICTED FUNDS Excess of income over expenditure to date at 1.1.2024 10,535 18,481 for the year to 31.12.2024 7,243 17,777 266,844 TOTAL FUNDS 266,139 Represented by FIXED ASSETS 11,420 Cartoon and prints 11,420 NET CURRENT ASSETS Investments: COIF Income units 95,000 117,956 Market value 120,621 Accrued interest 2,535 Short term deposits 135,000 Current account 23,293 255,828 less SHORT TERM LIABILITIES -350 DEFERRED INCOME -54 -404 255,424 255,424 266,844 TOTAL ASSETS 266,844 |
UNRESTRICTED ENDOWMENT FUNDS FUNDS 248,362 0 248,362 4,368 14,114 -2,080 2,287 9,323 23,437 2,287 271,799 3,650 7,770 95,000 2,684 145,000 -959 21,345 -959 264,029 -350 -54 -1,363 264,029 2,287 271,799 |
|---|---|
I have examined the books and vouchers of the Charity and in my opinion proper records have been kept and the accounts are in accordance therewith. M G Macdonald.
M G Macdonald. 25th August 2025