Charity Tegistration number.. 515599 Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society Annual Report and Financial Statements for tbe Year Ended 31 Decanber 2023 Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society Contents Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trnstees, Executive Committee and Advisors Trustees, Report 2to8 Independent Examinevs Report Statement of Fi118ncial Activities io Statement of Financial Position Notes to the Financial Statements 12to 18 Manchester & L2ncashire Family History Society Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees, Executive Committee and Advisors Charlty Registration Number 515599 Registered Office Mancliester Central Library St Peterfs Square Manchester M2 5PD Independent Examiner Helen Binns FCA Beever and Struthers One Express l George Leigh Street Ancoats Manchester M4 5DL BAnkers The Royal Bank of Scotland PIC Drumrnond House (A) Branch l Rcdh¢ughs Avenue dinburgh EH12 9JN Santander Bootle Mei3eysid¢ L304GB TrusteeslExecutive Committee Members The TrusteeslExecutive Committec during the year were as follows: Officers 4 lected Members Branch Representatives Mr M J Couper (Anglo-scottish) Mrs R Greenwood (Bolton) Vacant (li'ish Ancesty) Richardson (Oldham) (resigned 12th Allgust 2023) Mrs J Costa (Oldham) (w.e.f. 13th Augjst 2023) Mr D Mull (Ch2irn]an) Mr M Campbell Dr J B Hensl￿11 (Vice-chainnan) Mrs S Forshaw Mrs E Lowe (Gen.Seeretary) Mrs R Greenwood Mr K Marsland (Treasurer) Mrs B H Hartigan Mrs I V Penneyston Page I Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society Trustees, Report The Trnstees of the Charity present their annual report and the unaudited financi21 statements for the year ended 31 December 2023. Trustees Responsibilities The pU￿oSe of this ststement is to distin.truish the Executive Comrnittee'5 Tesponsibilities for the accounts from those of the independent exarniller as stated in her rey)rl to record the PTincipal activities of the Society in the year. The Executive Committee consists of the Trustees [Officers, Elected Members, Co-OPt¢d Members and Branch Representatives] and in preparing the accounts for The Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society they are required to carry out their responsibilities with regard to the charitsble ststus of the Society. The Charity's Trnstecs are responsiblc for preparing the Trustees. Annual Report and fin2ncial statements in accordance with applicable law and Unitcd Kingdom Accounting Standards tunited Kinodotn Generally Accepted Accounting Practice]. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales r4uires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which aive a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the Charity and of the ineomins resources and application of resources of the Charity for that period. In preparing these financial stafrments, the Trustccs are required to: . Select suitable accounting policies and then apply thcm co￿81stentIy. . Observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP-FRS 102: . Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudenL . State whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statcmcnts" Prepare the financial s12tements on the going conccrn basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that th¢ Charity will continuc in operntion. The TnLStees are responsible for keeping proper accouuting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Charity and enable them to ensure that the financial ststements comply with the Charities Act 2011 and the regulations made in that ACL The Tn￿l¢eS ate atso responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for takin8 reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other i￿egular1ties. In addition, the ttwt deed requires the Tn￿teeS to meet not less than once a year and to keep minutes of those meetings. Structurej governance and management Organisational structure The Society És govemed by an Executive Committee comprising the elected officers of Chaim)an. Vice-chaimian. Treasurer and General Secretary. In addition. following a resolution by the members in Annual General Meeting, the Constitution was amcnded to allow up to six mcmbcrs to bc clcctcd by thc AGM and a further men]ber nominated by each of the Society's four branches. The Executive Committee may also invite other members to participate in mectillgs but without voting rights. Page 2 Manchester & Laneashire Family History Society Trustees, Report The function of the Executive Conmlittee is to ensure that mattcrs relating to the Society's meeting of its objectives and undertakings which will involvc thc SocÈety in significant fuwicial expenditure or conuniknent are subject to proper scrntiny and approval and to develop the Society's strategy towards meeting its objectives. The Executive CouJJnittee also hears ieports on the ongoing activities of the Officers and tbose members with specific respoDsibilities. Decisions are tskeTJ by simple majority vote, the Chairn]an exercising a casttng vote i the event of a tie. Tbe Executive Committee met on five occasions during the f￿ancIal year 2023. VarÈous .8ub-committees held meetings, using a combination of face-tsFface and online meetings, ￿ requirqL Charitable Status The Charity is registered as 'The Manchester and Lancashire Family History Society" and undertakes its activities under this name. The Society also uses the titles -Anglo Scottisb FHS" in connection with its registration with the Scottish Association of Family History Societies, "MLFHS BoltoD branch" "MLFHS Bolton riIs' and "MLFHS Oldham branch" in connection with the activities of its Branches with interests in these respective geographical areas. The Society also uses the banner -manchester Ancestors" in relation to its websit¢ www.mlfbs.uk. Objectives and activities The principal activities of the Charity througbout the year have continued to be that of promoting and encouraging the public study of British family history and genealogy and also that of promoting the preservation, security and accessibility of rclevant archival material. Publie Benefit Statement The ch￿ity'S Trustees have complied with their duty to have due regard to the guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission in exercising their pow¢rs or duties. This guidance is contained in "Charities and Public Benefit" published by the Charity Comnllssion. Achievements and perfOr￿￿nce The Year in Summary 2023 was a period of consolidation, when the Society enlwiced its progTammes for education, promotion and internet presence. This led to the introduction of a new series of seminars for the beginner. a wider fomat for meetinos, which included hybrid platfornis and a refresliment of ihe society website including an upgrad¢ of the computer management system. Replacement volunteers were engaged to ensure our HelpdesL Project and Fairs teams were fidly-crewed. We explored new ways of reaching the public, including local radio broadcasts and promoting the value of DNA profiling to family history TesearclL Website Development of the Society's website. https:/hvww.mltl]s.uk Manchester Ancestors. continued with an improved guide to navigation of the site and some additional features to reflect our enhanced progrdmmes. An additional feature was the introduction of a Reference Library to display significant reference documents relating to Census and Civil Registration. The Truste&s commissioned an upgrade of the computer management system to meet contemporary industy standards. This work w&s carried out by the teclmical support company, Off Canvas Ltd [OCL.] Page 3 Manchester & Lancashire Family History Soclety Trustees, Report Education A noticeable decline in attendance at in-person engagemellts itL the wake of the Covid-19 p2ndemic warranted a revised programme of seminars and talks. To meet that challenge, our programme of seminars for beginners and experienced researchers alike in F8Jnily History research included many more online and hybrid events to supplement the regular level of in-person gatherings. Recognising the need to provide follow-up guidance to beginners we introduced a revised series of Explore talks aimed at both the beginner and the more advanced researcher. We continue tr) receive appreciative testtmonials from those attending via all forniats foi. the skill and expertise showD by our te2m of presenters. Similar progrdmmes run at the Anglo-scottish. Bolton and 01(]han] branches sustsiued ￿ntinuIng loyalty in our special interest groups. Membership of The Family History Federation The Family History Federation's programme of monthly Get-Togethers online resulted in the exchange of a wide range of responses adopted by societies across the county lo the common challenges facing the sector. Membersknp continues to be mutually beneficial to the two organisations. Family History Helpdesk The Family History HelpdesL a unique 5-hour-per-day, 5-day-per-week service throughout the year, continued to Provide .(Fuid2nce to laroe numbers of the visitino public. Acc&ss to the 1921 Census Returns continued to attract many to visit us, often beoimiing their journey of discovery. with the result that 3,500 visitors attende(L meriting tbe contribution of 4.500 volunteer hours annually. A new feawre this year was a local radio broadcast whcrc, in an interview with a well-known local broadcastcr, our senior Helpdesk coordinator outlined the enjoyment tt) be had from family history research as well as the recommended steps a beginner should take to start one's research. Projects Fulfilling our constitutional alms to record the unrecorded and preserve the recorded. our project teams continued to devote volunteer hours to id¢ntifying historic records for transcription, scanning and indexing for uploading to the Society's Great Database. This valuable resource now contains in excess of 3.4 million records, built up over the Society's 59-year bistory. Severdl projects were brought to completion during the year, [though additional data often comes to light belatedly and, of course, is added when received]. Chief among these was a fiwther 38,844 names from the Bolton Workhouse Creed Registers. Another completed project was the digitisation and indexation of the Admissions Register of the Royal Manchester School for the Duf and Dumb for the first 200 years of its life. This is a case in poRnt where a missing volume came to ligbt and was processed. In all A,667 names were recorded. A further 2.777 narn￿ were recorded from the Pupils. Register of the satne schooL which celebrated its bi-centenary during 2023. Both iecoTds were shared with the Seashell TrusL the ch￿lty managing the historic school for future use in its administrative work. The Godfrey Street Map Indexes of locations has now added 6,839 street names and has laTgely cornpleted the task of recording all areas of Manchester and Su￿Ounding districts. The project will continue to identify and process other maps covering Outlying districts of Manchester. Also completed is the recording of 2,800 Dam&s listed in the Admi&sions Register of Baguley Sanatorium between 1930 and 1936. with redaction of all entries where the individual was not bom in 1922 or earlier. Two small projects begun and completed in the year involved admissioLs to Bolton Workhouse 1839-1861 and 1,528 baptisms at Bolton Wesleyan Methodist Chapel 1789-1814. Page 4 Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society Trustees, Report Foremost among ongoing projects is the task of adding th¢ transcription of baptism registers kept at parishes withÈn the Salford Roman Catholic Dioc¢se. by our t¢am of hoJncba5ed and onsite volunteers. Tllus, baptisms at Our Lady of Grace 1889-1923, Our Lady of Mount Carnicl. Ordsall 1877-1912 and St Mary. Eccles 1879-1923 were published as a downloadable file to the Society Online Shop. This work adds significantly to the wealth of ￿￿t￿la1 now available atnong more tFwi one alld a quarter million persons listed solely by this pmject. Registers for other Salford parishes remain to be tt8nscTibed and indexed in fvture years. Our ongoing projed to capture hÉstoric Newspaper Announcements tprincipally BMD references] from the Manchester Mercury and the Manchester Courier added a fither 26,256 BMD references, 719 bigamy reports and 362 inquest reports to the database bringing the total for the project to 68,412. Work continued on the ongoing project to transcribe the registers detsiling over 500.000 burials in Manchesier and Oldl)am and added a further 9.242 names from a range of parishes spat)ning the years l786-1945. Work continues to add further burials to the record. 8,123 burials have been added to the Great Database from the Sexton's Books 1772-1812 of Manchester Collegiate ChurclL as transcribed from the Owen's Manuscripts, together with transcrtbed details of severdl bundred photographs from St Andrew's ChurclL Blackley. We also await perniission to add details of memorials uncovered by Salford Univusity Archaeological UniL Scanning is complete in respect of 11,189 names of staff recorded on a collection of Horwich Locomotive Works Staff Record Cards.7,113 nam￿ have been indexed and added to thc Great Database, whilst 4.076. relating mostly to rail workers employed by the Lanc&shire & Yorkshire Railway Company rcmain to bc indexed and added in 2024. 1,467 names appearing on 340 MemoriaIs in Manchester cemeteries have been added to the Monumenial Inscriptions dataset. A substantial project to transcribe, digitise and index the staff record cards of Manchester City Transport Division between 1885 and 1922 was begun in 2023. At year-end 1,540 cards had been indexed of 2,169 records scanned. The entire collection holds potentially 35,0￿ entri￿ so work will contirAue in 2024 to transcribe. digitise and itldex the retnaining cards. Among a number of small projects completed in the yw 364 entries relating to images and an index of baptismal and Ma￿lageS registers of RTsley Chapel and Croft UnTtarian Church in Cheshire, previously thought to be lost, havc now becn added to thc Great Database. A project to scan 350 letters from World War l and World War 2 exchanged with the Zion Chapel in Hulme was resumed following recovery from illness of a volunfrer and for which 236 are now indexed and added to the database. 167 names have been added to the Great Database in respect of persons remembered on Chcadie High Street War Menlorial. Lancashire BMD The Society's major project of indexing civil birth marri4Lve and death registers for the Lancashire BMD public web index continued to add names to births. marriage and death records. This long-terni project is approaching completion as various datasets corne up to the present day. One such projecL for births in the Bolton RD now includes Mother's Maiden Names up to 2007, when online registration was introduce(L and has now Teached completion. This datsset Ca￿leS 937.974 records. Births for Bury. Lancaster. Bolton and Manchester Bradford RDS have been added. along with marriages for Fylde. Burnley and Bury. Deaths registered in the 1960s and 1970s in Bolton and Bury RDS added to the ovcrall numbcr of records CULTently indexed. Thc lifetime totsls for the project districts, Bolton, Manchester, Oldham and salfOr￿ in which the society is directly involved tota15 9,366,759 of in excess of 22 million records for the PTOjCCt as a wholc. The pmject, part of a national project, continues to repro8ent a major resource for British genealogy researchers. Page 5 Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society Trustees, Report Branches Our branch&8, Anglo-scottish. Bolton and Oldham continued to provide specialist guidance to researchers with a special interest in each of these locations. Bolton and Oldham both adapted well to chan(Jes of venue and host library refvTbishments. Together with the Anglo-scottish. they attrdcted attendallc￿ to pre-covid levels for their comprehensive prornme of bcginners, txlks. Helpdesk sessions and speciahst speakers. Comfortably embracing the emerging teehnolo.ry demanded for hybrid or Room and Zoom rneetings. each branch provided a mixed schedulc of in-person, onlinc and hybiid sessions througbout the year. thus reaching the many members & visitors resident elsewhere in the UK and overseas, as well as the n]ore local residents within reasonable travel distance of their venues. Branches continue to contribute to the pages of the Society's house journal, 'The Manchester Genealogist"[ TMG]. The monthly publication of branch newsletters, allied to their own web-pages and the use of social media platfornis ensured continuous contact with members across the world. All branches actively support the Society's project pro.oramme addino 2 significant number of transcriptions and digitised records to the Great Database. Details of their work is included in the project work reported above. Online Shop [powered by Shopifyj The number of first-time customers is increasing, thus ensurin(F that the society continues to benefit from tILe significant income that derives from the sale of books, DVDS and downloads which this service provides. Publications Four editions of 'The Manchester Genealogist" [TMG] were published durino the year, using the well-established siLe and fornmt. This year. to combat the increasino cost of overseas postage, trustees reluctantly decided to only offer a new digital edition to overseas membets. The printed and mailed edition continues to be availabEe to new overseas members on payment of a small supplement. Whilst UK members are encouraged to choose to receiiie a digital edition to reduce the increasing cost of inland postal rates, the vast majority of UK members are opting to receive a printed edition. The content of the journal continues to consist n￿lnEY of member_submitted articles on the theme of f2mily history research. A judwg panel for the Eanvaker Prize, now in its 34tb year, considers the most highly regarded articles each year. presentin8 an award to the prize-winner at the Annual General Meeting. Monthly editions of Society and branch newsletters and daily postings on social media platfornls rnaintain contact with members and others between editions of TMG. The society website posts up-to-date news of meetings and other events across the family history world. Page 6 Manchester & L2ncashire Family History Society Trustees, Report Meetings and Events The Society presented our regular programme of in-p¢rson Quarterly Meetings at our horne in Manchester Central Library, welcoming members and visilors in pre-covid numbers. A new feature this year was 'A Week of Talks, delivered online which attracted a wide range of interest including visitors resident in Nortb America and Australasia in addition to many from Lancashire and elsewlierc in the UK. In all, including Branch progratnmes, the Society hosted 46 meetings using a mix of formats, in-person, online and hybri(L to reach as wide an audience as possible. Our recently launclied Explore programme, aimed at beginners and iThtern]ediate researche￿ began towards the end of the year with a well-supported pr¢sentstion of deep-diving research techniques. Our patron, the Lord Mayor of the City of Manchester, opened a successfijl renewal of OUT aDnual Family and Local History Fair, Discovering Family Lives. 'fhis took place in March and was supported by our Archives+ partners and 15 local community organisations. The whole-day event attracted a wide ranoe of visitors who engaged enthusiastlC8lly with the knowledgeable stall-holders. Society teams promoted our work in person at Family and Loc21 History Fairs held by other groups across the North of England, notably Mancbester Mediaeval Festival held at Cbetham's School of Music, Buxton U3A, Quarry Bank Mill at Styai, Salford and Huddersfield. A well-attended visit to Manchester Art Gallery thlfilled our commitment to a programme of visits to local libraries, ai'chives. muscurns and other places of interest. Thc Socicty's participation in the Manchester Libraries Festival and a pi'esentation during the Local Conrnunity Histoiy Month reinfoiced our commilTnent to our partnership witb Archives+ and our support for community groups. Financial review For the year ended 31 December 2023 the society had incoming resourc¢8 of £52,993 (2022: £47,175) and expenditure of £56,950 (2022: £44,685) and this resulted in a net loss for the year of £3,957 (2022.. pi'ofit £2,490). Policy on reserves At the year-end date the charity held reserves totalling £108.346 (2022: £112,302). All reserves are unrestricted. Amounts held in fixed assets are £4,303 (2022 . £5,072) leaving £104.043 (2022.. £107,230) in free reserves. The reserves Éiidieated are & consolidation of reserve funds for MLFHS and the Branches. The reserves policy reflects tlie costs that would be incuiTed in re-establTshing the society Tn a suitable city cents'e location in the event that the Icasc with Central Library is not renewe(L Plans for future periods Events to mark the 60th annivei3ary of the foTmation of the Society as the Manchester Genealogical Society will feature strongly in the timetable for 2024. In accordance with the Strategic Plan, the Society will hold another Family and Local History fair in the spring, building on the successfi]l events of prcvious ycars. company with our partners, we will participate in an event lo celebrate the 10th anniversary of the undbreaking Archives+ Heritage Hub, and tbat of our partner the Abmed Iqbal Ullah Race [Race Archives & Community Engagement] Centre. 2024 will see significant annivasaries of the University of Manchester and Manchester MetsDpolitan University and we will participate in those celebrations too. We will continue to support events organised by our partneTS and civic authorities where the Society presence is practical and beneficial. Page 7 Manchester & L2ncashire Family History Society Trustees, Report We will continu¢ to progress all ongoing projects and identify and etnbark on new projects as time and resources pern]it. Plans for a change to enlwice publication of the house journal will be put into effect early in the year together with refreshed signage to the Helpdesk area. Lon8-terni strategic reviews by the Promotions & Educaiion sub-commillee will Tesul( in improvements to the website, and an increased representation at Fairs acTOSS the country using online platfomls. A fully-scheduled annllal prograrnme of talks [both online and in-person] by experienced Speake￿ will maintain close touch with local and moTe remot¢ members. alongside similar programmes delivcred by branches. A planncd programme of Explore seminars is already scheduled to develop the tecl]nical skills of beginners and intennediate researchers. The annual report was appioved by the tnjstees of the charity on IU.¢..iI.I?.￿. and signed on its behalf by: K Marsland Treasurer Page 8 Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society Independent Examiner's Report to the trustees of Manchester & Lancashire Family Hlstory Society I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society (the Trust) for the year ended 31 December 2023. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity trustees of the Trust you responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ('the Act,). I report in respect of My examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of thc 2011 Act alld in carrying out my examination I bave followed all the applicable Directions given by th¢ Charity Comtnission under section 145(5)(b) of the ACL Independent examiner's st2tement I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have come to my attention in connection witb the ex&Tnination giving cause to believe that in any material respect: . accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of theAct" or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 3. the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the forn) and ￿ntent of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'tsNe and fair view, which is not 2 rnatter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concerns and have come across no other n]atters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. FIelen Binns FCA Beever and StrutheTS One Express l George Leigh Street Ancoats Manchester M4 JDL Dat¢.' .11.l.o..4..1..&.¢k.... Page 9 Manchester & Lancashire Family History Society ststement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 Unrestrficted funds Total 2023 Note Income and Endoivments from: Donation5 and legacies Charitsble activities Invcstmcnt incom¢ 1,268 51.219 506 1,268 51,219 506 Totsl Income 52,993 52,993 Expendlture on: Charitable actTVlties (56,950) {56,950 Total Expenditure Nct movement in fim