The fund is a registered charity with the registered number 264606
The registered address is:-
La Rejouissance
Lockerley Green
Lockerley
Romsey SO51 0JN
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 2011 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.
2011 is the first year when the BRF portion of the Guild Subscriptions increased. The income from this source went up from £1,991.50 in 2010 to £5,099.50 in 2011. The increase helps to secure the income of the BRF for the future.
There has been a marked decline in tower donations this year. The Trustees thank those towers who support the BRF each year.
The ever popular W&P 200 club continues to provide significant income to the BRF and the Trustees once again thank Mark Esbester for running this.
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 bankers 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 of £3,800 were approved. The one outstanding grant for 2010 was paid and £2,300 of those approved in the year were also paid. Of the £1,500 outstanding the Trustees have been informed that New Alresford no longer require their grant as the project is fully funded.
A reminder to those applying for grants that the initial application needs to be with the Guild Treasurer 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 Treasurer. 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 held a meeting in March 2011 with the Belfry Stewardship Committee when we discussed the ongoing bell stock survey being undertaken in the Guild area. This is still identifying 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:-
| Lymington | £30 |
| Portsmouth Cathedral | £60 |
| Ringwood | £60 |
| Romsey Abbey | £100 |
| Shedfield | £100 |
| 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:
D A Strong
Trustee
M Bubb
Trustee
10th March 2012