The Religious Soaety of Friend5 (Quakers) in Ireland. Grange and Richhill Monthly Meeting Annual Report and Accounts for year ending 31st December 2022 Gran e and Richhill Monthl Meetin Trustees (at 31st December 2022) Evan F Hobson (Clerk of Trustees) W Paul Sinton Lesley P Haydock Address Grange Friends Meeting House 21 Dreemore Road Grange Dungannon BT717EL Chari number NIC 108020 EmaFI Bankers: Danske Bank 5-6 Market Square Dungannon County Tyrone BT70 IAB
The Religious Society of Friends {Quakers) in Ireland. Grange and Richhill Monthly Meeting Annual Report and Accounts for year ending 31st December 2022 Trustee's Re ort for ear endin 31st December 2022 Introduction This report has been prepared in accordance wtth 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, Grange and Richhill Monthly Meeting, is governed by its Governing Document which was adopted by Monthly Meeting on the 6th October 2020. The meeting was registered by the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland on 12th February 2021. The Trustees, of whom there should not be less than two, are appointed at the Annual General Meeting. They are appointed for a period of up to three year5 and are eligible for re-appointment for a further two terms. Trustees who served during the year ending 31st December 2022 were as follow5 ". Evan F Hobson {Clerk of Trustees) W Paul Sinton Lesley Patricia Haydock 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. Each of the Meetings i.e Grange and Richhill; have put in place a data protection policy, based on the guidelines from Ireland Yearly Meetin8, both of which are reviewed regularly and reported to Monthly Meeting. Pu oses of the Chari Gran e and Richhill Monthl Meetin Grange and Richhill Monthly Meeting is primarily a Meeting for Worship that practises in accordance with the principles of the Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. 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 l. Strengthening the Christian understanding and religious development in the geographical area of responsibility of the Monthly Meeting- 2. Contributing financially and practically to the relief of suffering at home and abroad- and Providing for the pastoral care of individual Member5 and Attenders of Preparative Meeting5. including assistance of those in need. A Monthly Meeting consists of all those persons who are recorded upon its list of members. Meetings are held alternatively between Grange and Richhill Meeting Houses on the Wednesday following the first Sunday during the months of February, April, May, September, October and
December. Meetings are held to carry out the business of Grange and Richhill Monthly Meeting and to ensure that they are represented at the Quarterly Meeting of which they form a part. They also nominate representatives to attend Yearly Meeting which are forwarded for appointment by Quarterly Meeting. Following the easing of the pandemic things gradually began to return to normal. Meetings in person resumed albeit with some caution and business continued as usual with perhaps the most welcome being the return of pastoral care and friendship visits by Friends to those members and attenders who were ill, bereaved. lonely as well as those who, for whatever reason were unable to attend Meetin8 for Worship. An important duty which falls upon the Monthly Meeting is the ongoing keeping of careful and accurate records of births, marriages, deaths and transfers of membership. In December 2022 a group of Friends was appointed to complete the annual statistical return which showed the total number of members to be 328 which was a decrease of 3 on the previous year. There was an increase of one member with 4 members having passed away during the year. A statistical return was forwarded to Quarterly Meeting. During the year the Monthly Meeting Education Committee applied to Quarterly Meeting for financial alstanCe to be provided to a number of boys and girls towards their education. Subsequently grants were made to 6 boys and 6 girls from Richhill Meeting. Monthly Meeting is responsible for providing each local meeting with the resources for oversight i.e. the pastor31 care of all members and attenders of the meeting. In February 2021 the meetin8 appointed 4 Overseers from Grange and 7 Overseers from Richhill for a 3-year period ending in January 2024. It also nominated 6 Elders from Grange and 4 Elders from Richhill, These Friends continued to carry out their duties during 2022. Lookin Forward Now that the restrictions on meeting have been lifted we look forward to returning to normality and in particular to being able to fulfil our pastoral visits. Public Benefit The Trustees of Grange and Richhill Monthly Meeting are pleased to confirm that they have complied with their duty to have regard to the public benefit requirement statuary 8uidance of the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Our public benefit has been demonstrated in the following ways over the past year: We have held regular Meetings for Worship immediately prior to the Monthly Meeting business meetings which are open to the public as well as our own members and attenders. These Meeting5 for Worship provide spiritual nourishment and deepen the Christian experience and understanding of those who attend; We have provided financial assistance towards the education of children within the meeting where required: We have undertaken pastoral and family visits to those who were ill, bereaved, lonely and those, for whatever the reason, were unable to attend Meeting for Worship; and We brought to the notice of members annually the importance of keeping their financial affairs in good order and of making and revising their wills in time of health.
Financial Review Our financial statement for the period 151 January 2022 to 315t December 2022 is attached to this report. The account had an opening balance on 1st January 2022 of £188.54 and a closing balance on 31st December 2022 of £173.18. Declaration The Annual General Meeting of the Trustees was held on 13th October 2023. This report is approved and is signed on behalf of the Trustees. Evan F Hobson (Clerk of Trustees)