The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland
Charities Commission for Northern Ireland Reg. NIC 107590
Trustees Annual Report for the year 1[st] September 2021 – 31st August 2022
The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland – Trustee Report
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Administrative details of the charity and its trustees for the year ended 31[st] August 2022.
Trustees:
Chair of the Trustees : Melvyn Lockhart
Honorary Secretary: Jennifer Lockhart
Honorary Treasurer: Christopher McAlister
Other Trustees :
John Williams Thomas Ringland Robert Keith Townley Martin Clayton Johnny Conn John Kennedy Robin Mack Martin Gillespie
Registered Office: Lagan House 2a Queens Road Lisburn BT27 4TZ
Charity Number: NIC 107590
Bankers: Danske Bank Business banking PObox183 Donegal Square West Belfast BT1 6JS
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Trustees Annual Report
The trustees have the pleasure in presenting their report and financial statements for the year ended 31[st ] of August 2022.
About Us
The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland is a uniformed youth organisation serving the Church of Ireland. Our groups meet in Church of Ireland Halls throughout Northern Ireland and are open to children of all faiths and none, aged 3-18 years old.
Our Aim
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To extend the Kingdom of Christ among young people and encourage them to be faithful members of their Church.
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To provide fun, faith and fellowship in a safe and caring environment to young people aged three to under eighteen years of age from all backgrounds across Northern Ireland.
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To help young people grow in confidence, develop their skills and abilities, and work together showing care and concern for others.
Our Motto
“Fight the good Fight”.
Governing Document
The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland had previously been operating as part of the Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade UK for over 125 years. In December 2019, the Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland set up and adopted our own Constitution. The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland received charitable status under the Northern Ireland Charities Commission in July 2020 and is governed by its Constitution. Its constitution was last amended on the 16/10/2020.
Financial Review
The detailed results for the period are shown in the attached financial statements. During the year 1[st ] September 2021 - 31[st ] of August 2022 no trustee received any financial benefit or remuneration.
It was a quiet year from a transaction point of view. Donations and Grants continued to be vital for the running of the organisation. Finances were tracked at meetings of the trustees which were held 4 times in the reporting year on ZOOM/face to face. Online banking with Danske bank charitable account was used and a 2 Tier approval for payments was enforced. The opening balance for the year was £34486.37 and the closing balance for the year was £331746.10.
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Public Benefit
The trustees of The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade confirm that they have complied with their duty under the Charities Act to have regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and that the public benefit requirement has informed the activities of the charity in the year 1[st ] September 2021/31[st ] August 2022.
The Church Lads’ and Church Girls; Brigade Northern Ireland has had due regard to the public benefits that are registered with the Charites Commission for Northern Ireland and our activities throughout the reporting period have been with the aim of achieving these public benefits.
Public Benefits – The Advancement of Religion
The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland’s programme includes bible teaching and prayer. Our groups provide a safe place for children to explore their faith, ask questions and learn from others. We partner with and support local Church of Ireland Parishes and encourage greater connections between our companies and their parish. This seeks to benefit families and communities by creating fellowship and helping children to develop a moral framework. Our companies have been provided with Bible Teaching resources throughout the year to help them achieve our aim of extending God’s Kingdom. Membership of the Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland is open to children of all faiths and none.
Public Benefits – The advancement of citizenship or community development
The Church Lads and Church Girls’ Brigade Northern Ireland continued to provide a safe place for children to learn, grow and develop. They are provided with opportunities to form friendships and have new experiences, go on trips, and take part in competitions. As part of a company, they belong to a bigger Brigade family, fostering a sense of belonging and community. Our Badge Scheme teaches them skills and gives them opportunities to try new activities. A new Badge Scheme was introduced for our groups bringing the topics up to date and relevant to our current Programme. Our young people can take part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme and training which helps them to become well rounded individuals. Our groups benefit the community by providing low-cost extracurricular spaces for children to learn and thrive.
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Activities and Achievements
At the end of the reporting period the total membership of the charity was 597. This comprised of 13 Chaplains (3 Companies shared a Chaplain), 124 leaders and/or trustees and 460 members.
A section of The Chairman’s report for the 2021-2022 year covered the following –
The year started off with much preparation for the possibility of restarting face to face weekly Brigade meetings. Approximately 70% of our Companies were able to open again from September onwards. 4 Companies were unable to open owing to lack of leadership. In January 2022, there was another pause as COVID had yet again reached a high level; thankfully we were able to resume from February onwards. Outdoor activities had already been gradually resuming.
The restart was supported by the sanitizing equipment supplied by NHQ and the Regiment, aiding our Companies to re-open safely.
During the year, the new Brigade Badge Scheme was sent to each Company, followed later by the Jubilee Badge. A “Road Ahead” document was produced for discussion and comment.
Throughout the year, the Trustees and Regimental Staff met on 3 occasions via ZOOM and ended with 1 face-to-face meeting.
Reports from the Trustees responsible for – Finance, Training, First Aid, Sports, Duke of Ed, Communications / publicity, COVID were submitted for approval.
The Chairman of the Trustees put on record he recognized that each Trustee has been appointed for a specific reason, and had the knowledge, expertise, and experience necessary to give to our Organisation in their specific field and thanked them for their dedication and hard work for and with the CLCGB NI.
During all of the reporting period various local sports competitions and Church services/parades continued to be on hold, though one Battalion was able to restart their junior athletics in April. This applied also to Training, with the exception of a “SHAKEN” training initiative facilitated by The Big House for secondary age children and went ahead via ZOOM. 9 leaders took part in this training session to enable them to confidently facilitate the Programme in their groups. A new training team was set up to take forward training progs.
There was much activity in the communication / publicity department as they covered a wide range of topics, highlighting the most important events to all our members. This was relayed via social media and the production of videos. A Newsletter for all leaders and members continued to be produced.
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The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award suffered, with no new members enrolling in the 21/22. However, in September 2021, 8 existing members were able to complete their Gold Expedition in the Mourne Mountains. This was possible using “temporary” variations to the Award introduced by The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award HQ in Windsor. Three young people did complete their Gold Award and 5 others in the process of getting their sections signed off. The incoming year, however, looks promising.
A draft leaders handbook was produced, a Scripture Course was sourced, The Archbishops Award for the Champion Company continues, and plans are in place to hold 130[th] Anniversary events in 22/23.
It was encouraging to see an increase of those attending the AGM when we reviewed each Department’s report and set some goals for the year ahead. R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s f r o m 1 0 C o m p a n i e s a t t e n d e d .
Partnerships
The Church Lads’ and Church Girls’ Brigade NI continued to engage with our partner churches who run CLCGB NI companies through email, face-to-face meetings, and social media.
We continued with the following partnerships: The Church of Ireland Youth Department, Connor Diocese Children and Youth, The Girls’ Friendly Society, The Big House, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
Signed
Melvyn Lockhart
Melvyn Lockhart – Chair of the Trustees
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