The fund is a registered charity with the registered number 264606
The registered address is:-
10 Wallington Drive
Chandlers Ford
Eastleigh
SO53 1TR
The fund is governed by rules approved by the Winchester and Portsmouth Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers (the Guild) in General Meeting.
The trustees during 2009 were:-
The independent examiner of the fund is Mr P Clarke ACIB.
The principal bankers are LloydsTSB Bank plc.
The activities of the Bell Restoration Fund are restricted to the area covered by the Anglican Dioceses of Winchester and Portsmouth. None of the Fund’s assets is a permanent endowment. There are no borrowing limits imposed in the governing rules. The trustees have no specific investment powers.
The main aims of the Funds are to provide financial assistance by way of grants to Churches, within the area mentioned above, incurring expenditure on the provision, maintenance, improvement or acoustics of their bells and bell installations, or for the maintenance of the fabric of their towers and belfries, to enable their bells to be properly rung in full circle.
As predicted last year our investment income substantially decreased in 2009. After reviewing the cash requirements for the next year the Trustees decided in November to place funds on 6 month, 1 year and 2 year fixed accounts to obtain a favourable rate of interest. There have been events held in the Isle of Wight and Winchester District to raise funds for the BRF and the Trustees thank those involved in this fund raising. Other Districts have contributed directly to bell restoration projects in their own Districts. The ever popular W&P 200 club continues to provide a significant amount to our income and the Trustees thank Mark Esbester for running this.
Tower donations are up on last year and more ringers have taken advantage of Gift Aid for one off donations during the year.
Gift Aid is a useful way of giving to the BRF tax efficiently by tax paying Guild members. A Gift Aid donation of £10 will give a further £2.50 to the BRF.
A simple declaration on an envelope stating that “the amount enclosed is to be treated as a donation under Gift Aid” with your name and address is all that is needed. This should be sent direct to the Guild Treasurer (enclosed in an envelope). Alternatively if you wish to make a regular donation by standing order he has a form together with a banker’s order that can be used.
A few years ago the Inland Revenue introduced a new method of giving to your favourite Charity. Within your self assessment return you are able to nominate your favourite Charity to receive any tax you have over paid. All you need to do is quote the number specific to the Charity and the Inland Revenue treat that as a Gift Aid donation and will transfer that amount to the Charity plus tax at basic rate. The number for the Bell Restoration Fund is BAA66LG.
A further way of donating is through pay roll giving. Not all firms offer this scheme so anyone wishing to take advantage of this should discuss this with their payroll officer. During the year grants to the value of £7,250 were approved. We paid out grants during the year of £11,450 and have £14,000 of grants approved but not yet paid. Of these it is expected that £12,500 will be paid during 2010 and the balance in either 2011 or later.
A reminder to those applying for grants that the initial application needs to be with the Guild Secretary at least 2 months before the Trustees meet. Trustees meet three times a year, before each of the Executive meetings and before the Guild AGM. Grants can only be approved at either the Executive meeting or AGM. Any approved at the Executive meetings are required to be ratified at the next Guild AGM. The forms required are to be found on the Guild’s website or can be obtained in paper form from the Guild Secretary. It is very important that all of the documentation requested in the form is made available to the Trustees. We have again had instances when not all information has been available and we have been unable to make decisions as to the allocation of a grant. If an application is sent by e-mail then it should also be sent through the postal system. All applications are acknowledged so if no acknowledgment is received within a couple of weeks then a chaser should be sent.
The Trustees believe that the reserves of the Charity are adequate to meet our immediate need. We had in March 2009 a further meeting with the Belfry Stewardship Committee when we discussed the ongoing bell stock survey being undertaken in the Guild area. This has identified possible calls on the BRF in the near future so we need to ensure our annual income is increased sufficiently for the Trustees to be able to support any future requests for grants.
The Trustees acknowledge with thanks the donations from the following towers:-
| Alverstoke | £50 |
| Christchurch Priory | £100 |
| Goodworth Clatford | £50 |
| Kings Worthy | £45 |
| Portsmouth Cathedral | £60 |
| Ringwood | £60 |
| Romsey Abbey | £200 |
| Shedfield | £50 |
| Winchester Cathedral | £300 |
The Trustees would like to thank all those who have donated time, energy and money towards the aims of the Bell Restoration Fund.
For and on behalf of the Trustees:
M Bubb (Trustee)
D A Strong (Trustee)
6th March 2010
A full copy of the accounts are available from the Honorary Guild Treasurer