2022-12-31-annual-report

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Lurgan Preparative Meeting Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022

The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Lurgan Preparative Meeting

Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022

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The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Lurgan Preparative Meeting Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022

Lurgan Preparative Meeting

Trustees (at 31[st] December 2021)

David Gamble

Linden Peel

Heather Brown

Registered Address

c/o David Gamble

Beechford, 41 Bowens Manor

Banbridge Road

Lurgan BT66 7RT

Email address

[e-mail]

Charity number

NIC 107083

Bankers

Danske Bank

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The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Lurgan 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, Lurgan Preparative Meeting is governed by its governing document which was agreed by the Preparative Meeting on 9[th] April 2017. 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:

David Gamble (Clerk of Trustees)

Linden Peel

Heather Brown

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.

Purposes of the charity

Lurgan Preparative Meeting is established by Lurgan Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Ireland. It is primarily a Meeting for Worship that practises in accordance with the principles of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers.

We are based in a Meeting House at Johnston’s Row in Lurgan. As well as the main meeting room where we meet for worship on a Sunday, we also have a kitchen, and tea room.

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

At 31[st] December 2021 we had a total of 35 members as well as around 6 regular Attenders.

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The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Lurgan Preparative Meeting Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022

Our activities during 2022

During the year there has been a good spirit of worship in our Meeting with a usual attendance of 12. As the age of Friends increases we are aware of those who have health issues so we express our care for one another in tangible ways. Requests for prayer are sometimes made at the start of the meeting.

Tea/coffee was reinstated on the last Sunday of each month. This was kept simple with just biscuits served but it was a welcome opportunity for renewed fellowship after Meeting.

As an experiment, Lurgan Monthly Meeting was held during the winter months in our Meeting House at the earlier time of 2pm to facilitate Friends travelling home by daylight.

After Meeting in February we had a meal out at the local Golf Club. This afforded time to talk and mingle socially.

Christmas Day fell on a Sunday in 2022 so we had an earlier Meeting for Worship at 10:30am. On the preceding Sunday, the 18th December, we had a special Christmas-themed Meeting with contributions of music, carols, poems and readings by Friends and Attenders. Afterwards everyone partook of festive fare in our dining room.

Some work was done outside the Meeting House in 2022. Power hosing of the tarmac and hard surfaces improved the appearance of the grounds.

This year we were sad to lose one of our oldest members, Margaret Patricia Livingston. She died on 7th day of 7th month 2022. A Meeting for Worship took place prior to the burial. Many relatives and friends attended and contributed memories of her long life.

In early August we hosted a group associated with the Blackburn Association in America. Kevin Howley, the organiser, and 80 visitors viewed our graveyard and premises. This group was interested in the history of Friends in Lurgan and several people bought Arthur Chapman’s book.

The normal duties of the Meeting such as the appointment of Friends for the Safeguarding of Child Protection, keeping and auditing of financial accounts, the reading of advices and reaching out to isolated Friends were attended to.

“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 KJV

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The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Lurgan Preparative Meeting Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022

Looking forward

We continue to nurture and care for the Members and Attenders in our Meeting. The repair and maintenance in our Burial Ground continues and will be on-going for several years to come,. We are investigating how we could help financially in our local community, eg a gift to Craigavon Foodbank Service which does an incredible job.

Public Benefit

The trustees of Lurgan 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;

• We provide financial support to Quaker Service and a range of other charities from regular collections at our Meetings - in 2022 an amount of £2300 was given to charities.

Financial Review

Our financial statement for the period 1[st] January 2022 to 31[st] December 2022 is attached to this report and our income for that period was £14,512.65, expenditure was £9890.18 and our closing balance at 31[st] December 2022 was £89,085.87

The highlights of our finances in the past year included:

• Membership subscriptions declined slightly £5010 (2022) compared to £5735 (2021)

• Our National & Provincial Charge increased in 2022 £1468 (2022) compared to £838 (2021) this is due to the charges returning to normal after the Covid Pandemic

• The value of our investments at 31[st] December 2022 was £145,286.43 compared to 2021: £154,428.12 and income from these investments during the year amounted to £7801.42 (2022) compared to £6955.49 (2021). The decline is mainly due to the financial climate regarding investments in 2022, but we are hopeful that these will revert favourably in 2023

Declaration

This report was approved at the Annual General Meeting on 6th February 2022 and is signed on behalf of trustees.

David Gamble Clerk of Trustees

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