BRC Report to 2007 Council
The Committee met three times in 2006; twice in London - in February and October - and at Leicester during the Central Council weekend.
We started the year with one vacancy on the Committee, which was not filled at the 2006 Council, and during the year our number dropped to eight, following the resignation of Andrew Gordon due to pressure of other commitments. There is no doubt that this depletion in our resources has restricted the scope of the work we have been able to undertake.
Nevertheless we were pleased to be invited to compile the 2007 Ringing World Calendar which features towers supported by the Bell Restoration Committee and the Keltek Trust. Putting the calendar together required a significant input from three of our members and we feel that the finished product does justice to their hard work. We must also thank the many contributors who provided words and pictures.
As forecast in last year's report to Council, the new edition of Organising a Bell Restoration Project was on sale during the Council weekend in Leicester and a copy is included in the fund-raising pack which is sent to all parishes who seek advice about fund-raising for a new project.
We are hoping to be able to fill our two vacancies at the 2007 Council and would particularly welcome new members with time, enthusiasm and relevant experience.
Provision of Information and Advice
In March 2006 guidelines on the new rules for Gift Aid and Tower Open Days were written and published on the Council's website and in the Ringing World.
We continue to receive a steady stream of enquiries from parishes either involved in or contemplating bell restoration work. In all sixty-seven separate parishes or projects contacted the Committee during the year. Forty-one groups or individuals were in contact with us seeking advice and assistance with fundraising. Thirty of these were 'first-time' enquiries - fewer than in 2005 -- from 19 counties in England, one in Wales and one in Ireland. We received thirty FunderFinder enquiries and made searches on behalf of seventeen projects.
In order to be able to offer advice that is as up to date as possible we devised a Feedback form that was sent to parishes soon after they had completed their projects seeking information on grants they had been successful, or unsuccessful, in obtaining. The response from parishes has been excellent and we are hoping to be able to build up a useful picture of where bell restoration funding is really coming from.
Administration of Funds
The Committee assists the Manifold Trust by the provision of administrative support. The Trust offered seven grants totalling £29,500 during the year.
Sadly, the Trust has advised us that, after the amounts it has currently set aside for grants have been allocated, no further grants can be made. For many years the Trust has made grants in excess of its income believing that it is better to meet the present need of other charities than to reserve money for the future. Over a period of some 25 years the Trust has granted over £600,000 to bell restoration. We are extremely grateful for the wonderful support that the Trust has given to the restoration of very many unringable rings of bells.
There was not enough money in the Central Council Bell Fund to permit us to invite grant applications during the year 2006.
In accordance with the terms of the Fund, the Fred E Dukes International Bell Fund offered the following grants: South Africa: Fourways Gardens, Johannesburg - £421; Greyville, Durban - £500; North America: Rochester, NY - £2,750.
Future Work
We will continue to review the contents of the booklet Organising a Bell Restoration Project, particularly the Appendices, and will update and re-issue as and when needed. We will also review our work on the advisability or otherwise of registering entire guilds as charities in the light of changes to taxation effective from April 2006.
It is still our intention to explore the possibilities of seeking practical advice from professional fundraisers but work on this is not proceeding as fast as we had hoped - mainly due to our current lack of human resources.
Kate Flavell (Chairman)
John Barnes
Ken Davenport
Carol Hardwick (Secretary)
Ian Oram
Laith Reynolds
Jackie Roberts
Robin Shipp
