**The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Frederick Street Preparative Meeting** Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 ## The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Frederick Street Preparative Meeting Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 **The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Frederick Street Preparative Meeting** Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2021 Frederick Street Preparative Meeting Trustees (at 31[st] December 2022) Edmund Livingston Elizabeth Dickson Mark White Registered Address Frederick Street. Belfast. BT1 2WL ## Charity number NIC 107081 ## Bankers Danske Bank ## Facebook page Belfast Quakers **The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Frederick Street Preparative Meeting** Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 Trustees’ Report for year ended 31[st] December 2022 Introduction This report has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2015 and in line with the guidance produced by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Constitution and governance The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Frederick Street Preparative Meeting is governed by its governing document which was agreed by the Preparative Meeting on 18[th] March 2018. The Meeting was registered as a charity by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on 18[th] May 2018. The Trustees, of whom there should be not less than two, are appointed at the Annual General Meeting. They are appointed for a period of up to three years and are eligible for re-appointment for a further two terms. Trustees who served during the year ending 31[st] December 2022 were as follows: Edmund Livingston (Clerk of Trustees) Elizabeth Dickson ## Mark White The Trustees are responsible for the policies, activities and assets of the charity. No Trustee received any remuneration for services as a member of the Board of Trustees and the charity has no employees. The Trustees have put in place a data protection policy and a child protection policy, both of which are reviewed annually. The Purpose of the charity Frederick Street Preparative Meeting is established by Lisburn Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Ireland. It is primarily a Meeting for Worship that practices in accordance with the principles of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. We are based in a Meeting House at Frederick Street in Belfast. As well as the main meeting room where we meet for worship on a Sunday, we also have a kitchen, committee room and two smaller rooms. We have a small caretaker's apartment attached to the building. We also own an older property on the site which is leased at a peppercorn rent to the charity Concern. The purpose of our charity, as set out in our governing document, is the advancement of the general religious purposes of the Religious Society of Friends by the following means, in so far as they are exclusively charitable: i. Strengthening the Christian understanding and religious development of the Quaker meeting both in the geographical area of the Preparative Meeting and beyond; ii. Contributing financially and practically to the relief of suffering at home and abroad; iii. Providing for the pastoral care of individual Members and Attenders including assistance to those in need Our activities during 2022 Our Meetings for Worship throughout the year returned to more of a normal pattern after closure due to Covid 19. The usual attendance on a Sunday morning was 20. After a cautious beginning we now have our refreshments after Meeting as well as a chance to catch up on normal life again. The Development Working Group continued their exploration of the options of working with Quaker Service in redeveloping our property. A joint application for a grant from Belfast City Council “Neighborhood Regeneration Fund” was applied for but eventually turned down in December. The Working Group plans to take a fresh look at this project in the new year. The Meeting House was open again for European Heritage Open day on 10th September and we get regular updates on the activities of the North Belfast Heritage Cluster. As a group we were very disturbed by the shocking news of the war in Ukraine following the invasion by Russia. We followed the advice from Quaker House Dublin on how to join with Ukrainian Friends for Meeting For Worship in Kyiv and on the most appropriate charities to support with financial help. We as a Meeting have given attention to the duties referred to in the book of Organisation and Christian Discipline chapter 5, paragraph 4. General Christian Council and Queries for serious consideration have been read. We have fulfilled the requirements of the Child Safeguarding Policy. Our AGM took place on Sunday 30th October and the annual return to the Charity Commision was completed. A work party to tidy up the garden took place in May and September. We are very aware now that we are a small community overlooked by all the new high rise buildings of the University of Ulster so we were grateful for getting a personal tour of these buildings. The highlight of the year has to be the renewal of the Wedding vows of Jonny and Irene Poole in the Meeting House in November. It was uplifting to see our Meeting room transformed with flowers, drapes and candles. It was a pleasure to welcome so many guests, some of whom had traveled from Malaysia to witness a Quaker Wedding and to share in such a happy occasion. The Christmas fair, organised in conjunction with South Belfast continues to be a very successful event with the usual mix of home baked goods and crafts produced by local Friends. Not only is this our most important fundraising event of the year raising almost £3000 for Quaker Service but it strengthens the link with our South Belfast Friends and demonstrates what can be achieved when our small group work together. We concluded the year with a Christmas themed Meeting For Worship which included music and verse followed by coffee and mince pies. At a recent Meeting For Worship the various contributions created a theme of “Looking forward with a positive attitude”. We ask God's guidance to continue this theme when we as a Meeting go forward in 2023. Public Benefit The trustees of Frederick Street Preparative Meeting are pleased to confirm that they have complied with their duty to have regard to the public benefit requirement statutory guidance of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Our public benefit has been demonstrated in a number of ways over the past year: • We hold regular Meeting for Worship every Sunday morning and these Meetings are open to members of the public as well as our own members and regular attenders – these Meetings provide spiritual nourishment and deepen the Christian experience and understanding of those who attend; - Using legacy funds that have been left to the Meeting in the past, we provide some financial support to those in need within our Meeting; • We provide financial support to Quaker Service and a range of other charities from regular collections at our Meetings. We also support the charity Concern by making our premises available to them for a small rent. • We have engaged with the local community through membership of the North Belfast Heritage Cluster which we hope will make the Meeting House more visible and allow us to make a contribution to the regeneration of the area; Financial Review Our financial statement for the period 1[st] January 2022 to 31[st] December 2022 is attached to this report. We are gradually getting back to pre Covid 19 activities at the Meeting House. We gained a modest £140 from use of our premises by outside groups. This amount should increase when our property becomes much more attractive to outside organisations following the planned refurbishments. Funds were spent during the year on heating and electricity, insurance and rates, general maintenance and a new Nest remote heating control. Collections were taken for 6 different charities with Quaker Service being the main benefactor. A substantial sum was raised from our very successful Christmas craft fair held in December. Total income during the year 2022 amounted to £29,688.61and total expenditure came to £16,651.44. The account balance on 31st December was £45,886.66 Declaration This report was approved at the Annual General Meeting on 30th October 2022 and is signed on behalf of trustees. Edmund Livingston Clerk of Trustees **The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Frederick Street** **Preparative Meeting** Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 6