**The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Bessbrook Preparative Meeting** Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 ## The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Bessbrook Preparative Meeting Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 1 **The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Bessbrook Preparative Meeting** Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 ## Bessbrook Preparative Meeting Trustees (at 31[st] December 2022) Nigel R Hampton Edmund J A Harvey Lesley Burney Registered Address c/o Nigel R Hampton 7 Glen Road Ballyward Castlewellan BT31 9QT Charity number NIC 107084 Bankers Bank of Ireland Website http://www.bessbrookmeeting.org 2 **The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Bessbrook 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, Bessbrook Preparative Meeting is governed by its governing document which was agreed by the Preparative Meeting on 4[th] February 2018. The Meeting was registered as a charity by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on 4[th] June 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 2021 were as follows: Nigel R Hampton (Clerk of Trustees) Edmund J A Harvey Lesley Burney 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 Bessbrook 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 Bessbrook near Newry. 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 3 **The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Bessbrook Preparative Meeting** Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 ## Our activities during 2022 Our Meeting continues to meet weekly in a pleasant family like atmosphere in the presence of God. Whilst we have many disruptions over the past few years caused by the Global Pandemic, we continued our worship by way of Zoom meetings. This year started on a very sad note in that we lost two of our ‘cornerstone’ Members. Roby Harvey in January, followed by the passing of Robina Chapman in May. Their contribution to our worship by their frequent vocal input is badly missed. We also miss the regular attendance of Donald Poole and Eilis manning. The Pandemic has affected the number of visitors we would have in normal years. On the plus side, we now have as regular attenders, David Hobson, Peter & Maggie Elmore, DawnMarie Rafferty all joining Francis Chambers. We have adopted them all as ‘ours’. We continue to have a weekly attendance of around 11 adults. Lesley Burney, who organised the Zoom Meetings, also organised our Christmas Lunch at the Pot Belly Restaurant when we have 21 in attendance, including some invited guests from other local Meetings. A very pleasant day was had by all. Thanks to Lesley for all her hard work. Nigel Hampton continues to maintain our compliance with the requirements of the Child Protection Policy. Austin Bonner read the Advices on the ‘Making of Wills etc’. We were represented at the local Churches Christmas Carol Service by Rita Honeyford and Jack Harvey. Jack sang with the choir and read a Bible Reading. We look forward to the future, in the hope that the worse years are past us and that with God’s blessing we can continue to praise him in our lovely Meeting House. To conclude again: Jeremiah 29 v 13 “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart”. ## Public Benefit The trustees of Bessbrook 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 financial support to those in need within our Meeting; - We make annual donations to Quaker Charities and other charities as agreed by our Members. 4 **The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) In Ireland, Bessbrook Preparative Meeting** Annual Report & Accounts for year ended 31[st] December 2022 ## Financial Review Our financial statement for the period 1[st] January 2022 to 31[st] December 2022 is attached to this report and shows that at 31[st] December 2022 we had balances in our General Account of £17,204.32 and in our Property Account of £2,899.35. ## Declaration This report was approved at the Annual General Meeting on 5[th] February 2023 and is signed on behalf of trustees. Nigel R. Hampton Clerk of Trustees 5