igtrirt 4igtoriia14 In partnership wilh Carrickfergus Museum Charity Commission Registration Number NIC100315 Annual Report for the Year Ending 31 December 2023 Mid&East Antrim Borough Council Contents Page Society Purpose and Govemance General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) Achievements and Performan Accounts Charities Commission for Northem Ireland Guidance Appendix A - Carrickfergus and District Historical Society Constitution Appendix B - Carrickfergus and District Historical Society List of Society Talks and Outings 2023 Appendix C - Carrickfergus and District Historical Society Audited Accounts Carrickfergus and District Historical Society Annual Report for the Year Ending 31 December 2023 The Trustees of the Society are pleased to submit their report and accounts for the period 1 January 2023 to 31 De￿rnber 2023. Society Pu￿oSe and Govemance The purpose of the Carrickfergus and District Historical Society is to promote a knowledge and understanding of the past by means of education, recording and dissemination of information, especially of the history of the Carrickfergus area. It seeks to develop an interest in our past and generates a curiosity of our history. The Society's beneficiaries are the general public in the Carrickfergus area and those who originated from the area but have since moved away and are keen to leam about the lives of their ancestry. There are no private benefits flowing from the purpose. The Society is affiliated to the Federation for Ulster Local Studies, which is an umbrella organisation for the historical societies within the nine Ulster counties and contributes to their activities. In addition, the meetings programme is delivered in partnership with the Carrickfergus Museum which is part of the Mid and East Antrim Borough Council. The Society is based in Carrickfergus and holds its regular monthly meetings in Carrickfergus Town Hall and is managed by a team of Trustees - please see below: Role Name Chairperson & Treasurer Vice Chairman Helen Rankin George Elliott Helen Clarke Honorary Secretary Committee Members Shirin Murphy. Laura Patrick. Joy Guest, Rodney Mcmaster. Adrian Hack The Society is governed by a constitution which was agreed at the Annual General Meeting held on 27 January 2016 - please see Appendix A. During the period of this report the Committee met on Zoom on 10 occasions to manage expenditure. review past events and plan future activtties of the Society. The Committee notes with sadness the standing down of their longstanding fellow committ￿ member John Hulme. During the period of this report the Society had a membership of 50. The Society has Annual Public Liabilty Insuran￿ Cover for 50 people through our membership of the Federation for Ulster Local Studies. General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) The Society takes its responsibilities under GDPR seriously and continues to use a membership form which includes a reference to GDPR and seeks email addresses to ensure the Society meet the requirement that information is accurate and up to date. A noti￿ advising how the Society uses information is displayed at the desk at eath meeting. AchieVe￿entS and Perfomian During the period of this report the Society held 8 meetings with invited guest speakers and 3 visits to places of interest. These events covered a wide range of local history interests and were open to members and non-members. In addition members had the opportunity to visit behind the scenes of the Belfast Central Library. Further details of the events arranged by the Society are given in Appendix B. In total 448 people attended Society events. As at 31 December 2023 the Society's Facebook page Heritage Carrickfergus had approximately 2,300 members. The Society produces a programme on regular basis which provides an update on the Society's activities and is circulated to all C&DHS email contacts. made available at each meeting and to local libraries and posted on the Society's Facebook page. The Society ComMen￿d a project in August to map the grave markers in Kilroot ￿metery. A team of 12 volunteers have been on site on three occasions measuring. recording and photographing the grave markers and work has been cofflpleted on over 50 % of the 116 markers on the site. Work has been paused and will recommen￿ in 2024. At the end of the project we hope to provide an online publication with information on each markers including recording the current state of the memorial. In November the Society, in partnership with Carrickfergus Museum, commenced a project looking at 'Carrickfergus before the Castle,. This project is ongoing and is attended by both Society members and non members. Accounts The Society charges a membership fee of £10 per annum and a small fee for attendan￿ at meetings during the period of this report the charge was £2 per meeting for members and £3 for non- members. During 2023 the Society experienced a positive cash flow of £2,419 and a net income of £2,288. The Society's accounts have been audited by the Society's Honorary Auditor Cyril H Beattie and a copy is attached at Appendix C. Charities Commission for Northem Ireland Guidance In setting our objectives and planning our activities for year the Trustees gave careful consideration to the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland guidan￿ on public benefrt to ensure that the activities organised have helped to achieve the Society's purpose and provide a benefit to the beneficiaries. Signed Helen Clarke Honorary Secretsry Date IF.ts.a Appendix A Carrickfergus and District Historical Society- Constitution Charity Commission Registration Number NIC100315 Constitution agreed at Annual General Meeting held at Carrickfergus Library on Wednesday 27 January 2016 The name of this Society shall be The Carrickfergus and District Historical Society. (hereinafter: The Society). The object of The Society is to promote a knowledge and understanding of the past by means of education, recording and dissemination of information, especially in and about Carrickfergus. Membership is open to those who are sympathetic to the object of The Society. Each member shall pay an annual subscription, the amount of which shall be detennined by the membership at the Annual General Meeting. An Annual General Meeting shall be held by the end of March each year. The date shall be circulated amongst members at least four months in advan￿. The purpose of the meeting shall be to re￿1ve reports from the offi￿rS of The Society and to elect a chairman, vice- chairman, honorary secretary, honorary treasurer, five other committee members and an honorary auditor. At the Annual General Meeting other business will be considered relevant to the running of the Society. At an Annual General Meeting or any General Business Meeting a quorum shall be fifteen members including at least two offI￿rS. Any motions for consideration at the Annual General Meeting should be proposed 8 weeks before the date of the Annual General Meeting. The motion must be submitted in writing, signed by three members and lodged with the Honorary Secretary. Each member is entitled to one vote at Annual or any General Meetings of the Society, but the chainnan of the meeting shall have a casting vote in addition to an ordinary vote. The Committee may use its discretion to Co-opt additional members to the Committee, provided that the co-optees do not exceed two. A co-optee shall have the same rights and responsibilities as other members of committee. The committee is responsible for the ne￿SSary tasks of running The Society. namely arranging meetings, lectU￿S, publications. displays, field outings and other activities of a like kind when appropriate. The committee may propose a president to an Annual General Meeting. The president may sit in committee ex offieio. The president shall not be required to retire annually. The president shall relinquish the post if required to do so by two thirds of the committee or a majority of the membership present at a General Meeting. 10. The quorum for a committee meeting shall be thr￿. two of whom must be elected office￿. 11. An Extraordinary General Meeting will be held at the written request of fifteen members of The Society handed to Honorary Secretary with one month's noti￿ to be given to members. 12. If at least two thirds of the committee or one third of the membership ask for The Society to be discontinued an Extraordinary General Meeting {EGM} will be held. The time and place of the EGM and the motion for discussion shall be circulated to all members allowing at least one month's notice. 13. If The Society should dissolve itself or ￿ase to function, then any funds and propety vested in it shall be transferred to another charity or charities connected with the preservation of the history of the Carrickfergus area. 14. The constitution may not be altered ex￿pt by majorty vote at a General Meeting of The Society. A proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the honorary secretary by at least three members. CARRICKFERGUS AND DISTRICT HISTORICAL SOCIETY- PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT. Continuation of Constitution....... The purpose of Carrickfergus and District Historical Society is to promote a knowledge and understanding of the past by means of education, recording and dissemination of information, especially of the history of the Carrickfergus area. These benefits can be demonstrated by feedback and words of thanks from the beneficiaries for the infomiation received. The purpose of our Charity will not lead to any hami. The Charity's beneficiaries are the general public in the Carrickfergus area and those who originated from the area but have since moved away and are keen to leam about the lives of their ancestry. There are no private benefits flowing from the purpose. Appendix B Carrickfergus and District Historical Society Talks and Outings 2023 25 January 2023 AGM and talk on the loss of the MV Princess Victoria in January 1953b Ste hen Cameron Talk on the history of rrick Rangers Football Club by Adrian Hack Talk on John de Courcy by Steve Flanders 22 February 2023 29 March 2023 26 April 2023 Visit to No10 High Street a Townscape Heritage Initiative ro ect to see some of the ori inal elements of the buildin Visit to St Nicholas Church of Ireland Carrickfergus - Ron Bisho Visit to Amiagh City and Navan Fort 31 May 2023 10 June 2023 31 July 2023 Walking treasure hunt around Carrickfergus Town Centre 27 September 2023 Talk on the murder of Patricia Curran by Kieran Fagan 25 October 2023 Talk on superstitions and beliefs by Dr David Hume 29 November 2023 Talk on funerals in the 1930s by Chris Scott 6 December 2023 Christmas Party - beetle drive and presentation from Nl Film Archive Members onty behind the ￿neS visit to Belfast Central Library 15 De￿rnber 2023 Annex C Carrickfergus and District Historical Society Accounts for Year Ended 31 December 2023 PDE CDHS Accounts 2023.pdf