## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period**
## **From 1 January 2023 - Period start date To 31 December 2023 - Period end date**
**Charity name: Order of Mary Servite Trust (Benburb Priory)**
## **Charity registration number: 108785**
## **Company Number: NI671223**
## **Objectives and Activities**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|**The charity’s objects (‘Objects’) are**
**specifically restricted to the promotion**
**of the following purposes for the benefit**
**of the public:**
**1.1**
**The advancement of religion**
**through the provision, upkeep and**
**maintenance of Roman Catholic**
**churches and other properties and**
**facilities in the United Kingdom and the**
**Republic of Ireland and the support of**
**the Servite Order central administration**
**(Curia), and the missionary apostolate**
**including developing foundations.**
**1.2**
**The advancement of citizenship**
**or community development through**
**social, cultural and economic**
**development activities in the United**
**Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.**
**1.3**
**The advancement of education**
**including through the provision, upkeep**
**and maintenance of the Priory Library**
**and Museum and the books, artefacts**
**and Servite archives contained therein.**|
|Summary of the main
activities in relation to those
purposes for the public
benefit, in particular, the
activities, projects or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para 1.17 and
1.19|-
**Religious services**
-
**Library and Museum archiving,**
**research and public visits**
-
**Lectures, talks and tours**
-
**Community events**|
|Statement confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued by the Charity|Para 1.18|**The trustees are committed to ensuring**
**public benefit from all the activities**
**undertaken by the Trust.**|
1
Commission on public benefit
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Policy on grant making|Para 1.38|**The trust does not make grants but is a**
**beneficiary of charitable grants from eg.**
**The Heritage Fund**|
|Policy on social investment
including program related
investment|Para 1.38|**The Trustees in fulfilling the objects of**
**the charity are committed to supporting**
**and promoting the spiritual, social and**
**economic well-being of the community**
**and catchment area served by the**
**charity**|
|Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38|**Volunteers are the life blood of the**
**charity, contributing to the organisation**
**and delivery of all of its objects. Paid**
**employees are kept to a minimum thus**
**ensuring that the charity’s income is**
**directed primarily to charitable**
**activities.**|
|Other|||
## **Achievements and Performance**
||SORP reference||
|---|---|---|
|Summary of the main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|**The trust provides spiritual, cultural,**
**social and economic benefits to its local**
**and wider community through: prayer**
**and reflection, lectures and research,**
**social interaction opportunities to**
**people of all ages and social**
**backgrounds, and support of fledgling**
**businesses to enable them to mature. It**
**is a major hub for community**
**development in an area that has had a**
**troubled past and continues to suffer**
**from geographic and political**
**peripherality, poor public services and**
**infrastructure, and low economic**
**performance indices. It also provides**
**major educational and intellectual**
**support for schools, community groups,**
**historical societies and interested**
**individuals.**|
**Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
**A major early objective was to imbed the new governance and organisational**
2
|Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|**structures that came into being in**
**August 2020. This has been achieved. A**
**further objective was to emerge from the**
**Covid pandemic and ensure, in so far as**
**was possible, that the Priory returned to**
**pre-Covid levels of activity including**
**weekly footfall. This was also achieved,**
**as was stabilisation of the trust’s**
**finances.**|
|---|---|---|
|Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|**Fundraising through charitable**
**donations picked up again significantly**
**post-Covid. This was supplemented by**
**grant income from the Department for**
**Communities and the Heritage Fund**
**during 2021 and 2022.**|
|Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|**A major investment opportunity came in**
**2022 via a grant from the Department for**
**Communities which enabled the**
**appointment of a Coordinator of**
**Marketing and Fundraising. Hopefully,**
**this appointment will yield dividends in**
**the future.**|
|Other|||
3
## **Financial Review**
|**Financial Review**|||
|---|---|---|
|Review of the charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|**The charity posted a deficit of £119,386**
**at the end of the accounting year, 2023.**
**The charity has capital assets of**
**£2,866,341.**£ 2,866,341**The charity**
**incurred significant expenditure during**
**the year in order to bring is buildings to**
**required safety standards. It also**
**suffered a dip in income due to**
**reorganisation of human resource**
**support from the Servite Order. This is**
**being attended to.**|
|Statement explaining the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|**It is envisaged that modest reserves will**
**accumulate over time in order to fund**
**developments designed to enable the**
**charity to maintain or increase its**
**income and more effectively achieve its**
**stated objects.**|
|Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|**The charity has capital reserves of £**
**2,866,341 but zero cash reserves.**|
|Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|**This reflects the challenge of breaking**
**even on income and expenditure. It is**
**the intention to build up modest**
**cash/investment reserves over time.**|
|Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|**The charity has no funds materially in**
**deficit. The wholly owned trading**
**company, Benburb Priory Ltd, had a**
**surplus of £59,289. The surplus will be**
**gifted to the charity, OMST.**|
|Explanation of any
uncertainties about the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|**There are no current uncertainties**
**regarding the charity’s sustainability.**|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|The charity’s principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|-
**Donations**
-
**Grant Income**
-
**Room/ building rental (via**
**Benburb Priory Ltd)**
-
**Events**|
|---|---|---|
|Investment policy and
objectives including any
social investment policy
adopted|Para 1.46|**The charity is not in a position to make**
**investments at this stage. All potential**
**investments would conform to the**
**Servites’ ethical investment policy.**|
|A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|**Obvious potential risks would be a loss**
**of income due to reputational damage or**
**lack of success in generating donations,**
**grant income or commercial activities**
**(via Benburb Priory Ltd).**|
|Other|||
4
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
|Description of charity’s
trusts:||**The Trust (OMST) is a charitable**
**company limited by guarantee.**|
|---|---|---|
|Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|
Para 1.25|**The Trust/charitable company is**
**constituted by Articles of Association.**|
|How is the charity
constituted?
(e.g unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|**The trust is a charitable company**
**limited by guarantee.**|
|Trustee selection methods
including details of any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|**The trust/company is governed by a**
**board. As per the Articles of**
**Association, the Board of trustees may**
**add or delete trustees/directors using**
**procedures laid out in the articles. All**
**trustees/directors have equal voting**
**rights.**|
## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
|Policies and procedures
adopted for the induction
and training of trustees|Para 1.51|**Trustees/directors are inducted through**
**dedicated one to one training/mentoring**
**by the chair and other experienced**
**trustees.**|
|---|---|---|
|The charity’s organisational
structure and any wider
network with which the
charity works|Para 1.51|**The trust is a charitable company limited**
**by guarantee. It has a trading subsidiary**
**company, Benburb Priory Ltd which**
**handles commercial activities eg, room,**
**buildings and conacre rental, externally**
**run conferences, craft shop etc. The**
**trading company is wholly owned by the**
**trust and gifts all profits annually to it.**
**OMST is a branch of the Servite Order**
**(Province of the Isles) but is financially**
**autonomous. It receives an annual**
**subvention from the Province of the**
**Isles for the upkeep of the Library and**
**Museum which****_inter alia_houses all of**
**the Servite archives for England, Ireland**
**and Northern Ireland.**|
|Relationship with any
related parties|Para 1.51|**As stated above, the trust, though**
**financially independent, is affiliated to**
**the Servite Order. The Servite Prior**
**Provincial and the Servite Provincial**
**Treasurer are trustees/directors of the**
**trust.**|
|Other|||
6
## **Reference and Administrative details**
|Charity name|**Order of Mary Servite Trust (OMST)**|
|---|---|
|Other name the charity uses|**Benburb Priory**|
|Registered charity number|**108785**|
|Charity’s principal address|**10 Main Street**
**Benburb**
**Co. Tyrone BT71 7JZ**|
|||
7
## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity**
## **Note: All OMST board members are trustees/directors of the charitable company, OMST, and have equal voting rights. No trustee/director has any personal ownership of the charity/company.**
|1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year **|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee (ifany)**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**BOYD, Kevin**
**Joseph **|**Director/Trustee**|**Appointed 01.04.2023**|**OMST Board**|
||**CURRAN,**
**Bronagh **|**Director/Trustee**|**Appointed 01.04.2023**|**OMST Board**|
||**DUFFY, Seamus**|**Director/Trustee**|**Appointed 01.01.2022**|**OMST Board**|
||**McGLYNN,**
**Fr. Colm**|**Director/Trustee**|**Appointed 23.07.2020**|**Servite Order**|
||**McKENNA, Prof.**
**Patrick Gerald,**|**Director/Trustee**
**(Chair: 01.01.2023 –**
**currently)**|**Appointed 01.01.2022**|**OMST Board**|
||**NÍ UALLACHÁIN,**
**Sr.Méabh**|**Director/Trustee**|**Appointed 15.08.2023**|**OMST Board**|
||**O'BRIEN, Fr**
**Christopher**|**Director/Trustee**|**Appointed 23.07.2020**|**Servite Order**|
||**TAGGART,**
**Noreen Elizabeth**
**Rose**|**Director/Trustee**|**Appointed 01.01.2022**|**OMST Board**|
||**THORNE, Fr.**
**Bernard (Peter)**|**Director/Trustee**
**(Chair: 23.07.20 –**
**31.12.22)**|**Appointed 23.07.2020**
**Resigned/Retired**
**31.12.22**|**Servite Order**|
## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others**
|Description of the assets
held in this capacity|**None.**|
|---|---|
|Name and objects of the
charity on whose behalf the
assets are held and how this
falls within the custodian
charity’s objects||
|Details of arrangements for
safe custody and
segregation of such assets
from the charity’s own
assets||
8
## **Additional information (optional)**
## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)**
**Type of Name Address adviser None Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)**
## **Exemptions from disclosure**
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
**Not applicable.**
## **Other optional information**
## **Declarations**
**The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.**
**Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees**
**Signature(s) Full name(s) Prof Patrick Gerald McKenna Position (eg Secretary, Chair, Board of Order of Mary Chair, etc) Servite Trust Date 23.10.24**
9