BRC Report to 2008 Council
The Committee met three times in 2007; in Bristol in February, in Cheltenham in May during the Council weekend, and in London in October.
We are very sorry to report that Robin Shipp, who joined the Committee in 2004, ceased to be a Council member during the year. His contribution to the work of the Committee had been invaluable and included the design and production of the Committee's striking display boards at the 2005 Roadshow and the co-ordination of the 2007 Ringing World Calendar.
Provision of Information and Advice
In September and October guidelines on the advisability, or otherwise, of registering entire ringing societies as charities following taxation changes effective from April 2006, were reviewed and updated by Kate Flavell. These were published on the Central Council website in November 2007.
The Committee had for some time recognized the need for a helpful guide to the workings of the Landfill Communities Fund (formerly the Landfill Tax Credit Scheme) which had s ince its inception paid out £49 million to churches and historic buildings. In September Jackie Roberts completed work on a comprehensive overview of this potentially valuable source of funding. This also was published on the Central Council website in November 2007.
We continued to receive requests for general fundraising advice from parishes across the United Kingdom at around the same level as in 2006. Of the forty or so parishes that made contact during the year, twenty-nine were doing so for the first time. The total number of FunderFunder enquiries was slightly down on the 2006 figure -- twenty-four were received - and searches were made on behalf of twelve projects.
Most of the committee enquiries are dealt with by telephone, post or e-mail but, as we advertise in our Brochure, we are also willing to travel to address fund-raising meetings and in February 2007 John Barnes crossed the Solent to meet fund-raisers from several Isle of Wight churches planning restoration work. In September John represented the Committee at the 'Perspectives' conference at Worcester and gave a presentation.
Committee Members represented the Central Council at a number of dedication services, and were invited to more than could be attended. The Committee appreciates the invitations, which indicate that the work we do in support of parishes is valued.
Using the same definition used in previous such surveys, we conducted a survey of unringable bells in the British Isles. This has shown that the number of such towers has fallen by 123 since 1995 to 399. We acknowledge the help of Society officers in carrying out this survey. In the light of the information now contained in the on-line version of Dove’s Guide, it is unlikely that we will repeat this survey, but it provides a benchmark for comparison purposes.
We had preliminary discussions with a film maker keen to make a film about ringing to support fund raising for his own tower's restoration project. He was confident of being able to obtain a grant to make the film, but is finding this harder than he had first thought. We are keeping in touch.
Administration of Funds
The Committee has been assisting the Manifold Trust for many years by the provision of administrative support. The Trust offered three grants totalling £10,500 early in 2007.
As reported last year, the Trust has advised us that no further grants will be made. Not long after learning of this decision, we heard of the sad death of Sir John Smith, whose interest in bells had enabled the Trust to be so generous in assisting the restoration of unringable bells. As announced in The Ringing World, there is to be a bell cast in memory of Sir John, to augment the unringable four bells at Stanion, Northamptonshire, when they are restored. We are most grateful that the Council's Officers have agreed to our suggestion of a contribution from the Council of £1,000 to the cost of this work.
To reflect the discontinuance of grants for bell restoration from the Manifold Trust, changes are needed to the criteria for grants from the CC BRF to delete references to Manifold grants. The revised criteria are attached. No other changes are recommended.
No significant income has been received by the Central Council Bell Fund, to permit us to invite grant application during the year. However, there is a considerable amount of work involved in following up the progress of projects where grants have already been offered, especially in those cases where delays occur. We appreciate the work put in by Stella Bianco in raising money for the BRF by producing and selling jigsaws with ringing themes. We plan to sell more of these at the Roadshow this year and are hoping to enable people to order in advance and pick them up at the Roadshow.
In accordance with the terms of the Fund, the Fred E Dukes International Bell Fund offered the following grants: South Africa: Fourways Gardens, Johannesburg - £1,000; Australia: St George's Cathedral, Perth - £740 and St Augustine's Catholic Church, Balmain - £1,471.
Future Work
The contents of the booklet Organising a Bell Restoration Project are being kept under regular review in the light of developments in the world of fundraising and taxation and we are looking into the feasibility and usefulness of making available updated copies of the booklet's Appendices on the Central Council website.
The Committee will also be working on guidance for parishes to use when they are letting contracts in association with restoration projects. The guidance will seek to ensure that adequate weight and attention is given to factors other than cost.
We are also intending to remind treasurers and independent examiners of the need to comply with the new accounting Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) that has been in force since 2005 but is still not being followed by some charities.
We are looking forward to participating in the 2008 Roadshow when members of the committee will be available to answer questions and to offer advice. A selection of information leaflets will be available to take away.
We have not completely abandoned all thoughts of seeking practical advice from professional fundraisers but work on this topic has been put 'on the back burner' for the time being whilst we watch with great interest the progress made by the Ringing Foundation Limited in encouraging organisations and institutions to invest in bells and bell ringers.
Committee Members
Kate Flavell (Chairman)
John Barnes
Ken Davenport
Carol Hardwick (Secretary)
Ian Oram
Laith Reynolds
Jackie Roberts
