Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource

 

ANNUAL REPORT
FOR THE NINTH GENERAL MEETING OF MEMBERS OF THE COMPANY

MONDAY 14^th JULY 2003

AT 7.00 PM

IN LECTURE THEATRE ONE

SUFFOLK COLLEGE ROPE WALK IPSWICH IP4 1LT

Faces of Suffolk Photographic Exhibition

Faces of Suffolk is a major photographic exhibition capturing 21st century life in our county ranging from traditional rural life to the urban experience.

The exhibition offers a unique and fascinating insight into the broad spectrum of Suffolk's people and communities via a selection of professional and amateur images by local photographers. By illustrating the diversity of contemporary Suffolk, it aims to undermine stereotypes, encourage inclusiveness and tackle racism, particularly among young people.

Faces of Suffolk will tour nine venues across the county. A series of workshops open to the general public will accompany the exhibition - they will explore issues such as values and beliefs, prejudice and discrimination, identity and difference. Visitors are also invited to bring their own photos along to contribute to a community display.

Faces of Suffolk draws its inspiration from Faces of Kabul, a ground breaking project recently undertaken in post-war Afghanistan.

The Faces of Suffolk Exhibition has been created by Suffolk Racial Harassment Initiative, together with Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource (SIFRE) and other partners.

Faces of Suffolk will visit the following venues:

For further details, please contact Gita Banerji at SIFRE on 01473-343661 (centre@sifre.org.uk)
or Sarah Shaw at the Racial Harassment Initiative on 01473-583012.

LECTURE THEATRE ONE SUFFOLK COLLEGE at 7.00pm

(Please note the venue and the time!)

NINTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

AGENDA

1.       Welcome to Guests of the Company

2.       Apologies for absence

3.       Chairman's opening remarks

4.       Minutes of the Special General Meeting held on 29^th October 2002

5.       Minutes of the Eighth AGM held on 29^th October 2002

6.       Matters arising

7.       Chairman's Report

8.       Treasurer's Report and presentation of the accounts for 2002-2003

9.       Appointment of Examiner of Accounts for 2003-2004

10.   Election of Board Members
Of the Board's 7 members, 2 have to be (re-)appointed at the AGM. The two members who are required to stand down to create the other vacancies are: Martin Spettigue and Richard Togher.
The Candidates are:
a) Those who have stood down and wish to seek re-election
b) Other nominations received by the Company Secretary

11.   Any other Business

12.   Date of next AGM

 

The AGM will be followed by a GARDEN PARTY at the SIFRE CENTRE. Please make your way to the Centre at the close of the AGM.

SUFFOLK INTER-FAITH RESOURCE

MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL GENERAL MEETING

HELD IN LECTURE THEATRE ONE, SUFFOLK COLLEGE
AT 7.00PM ON OCTOBER 29 2002

Present. Members: Revd Cliff Reed (Chairman), Martin Spettigue (Vice-Chairman and Company Secretary), David Capey (Treasurer), Cynthia Capey (Hon Faiths Officer). Mahbubul Alam, Shpetim Alimeta, Sheila Bennett, Tom Broadbent, Robert Buxton, Andrew Clarke, Verna Duncan, John Gibbins, David Haskins, Bert Irvine, Peggy Irvine, Catharina Lelijveld-Mulder, Jan Lelijveld, John Leming, Elahe Mojdehi, Margaret Nelson, Elizabeth Serpell, Terry Smith, Loris Squirrell, Michael Stagg, Bhupindar Singh Sually, Elizabeth Sugarman, Richard Togher, Adrianus van Helvert. Associates, Affiliate Representatives and Visitors: Diana Allsopp, Gitanjali Banerji, Zubeda Begum, Terence Bennett, Sam Budu, Yvonne Catchpole, John Gibbs, Armaity Jabbar, Dali Jabbar, Pam Littlejohn, Peter Mortimer, Shirley Nicholls, Lyn Oldfield, Jehangir Sarosh, Gurdit Singh Sually, Philip Turner, Annette Whitaker

The Chairman welcomed everybody and reminded them that there was only one item on the agenda of this meeting. He reported that over the last year, the Board of the Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource has been examining its structure. It set up a working party which reported to a Special Meeting of Board in July and Board adopted its recommendations. Some of the proposed changes will require alterations to the Memorandum and Articles of the Company and as such, they require the consent of the Members at this Special General Meeting. The retiring Board are making the following proposals and recommends their adoption.

 

PROPOSAL 1 It is proposed that the Council of Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource be renamed the Board of Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource.

The Board is responsible for the proper conduct of the Company (SIFRE) according to its Memorandum and Articles.

Members of the Board are appointed by the Company Members

Members of the Board are Trustees of the Charity and Directors of the Company.

 

PROPOSAL 2 (Ref Article 31) It is proposed that the number of Members of the Board be reduced from 21 to 7.

 

PROPOSAL 3 It is proposed that the Board appoint a Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer from within their number.

 

PROPOSAL 4 (Ref Article 47) It is proposed that the quorum shall be 5 Members of the Board.

 

PROPOSAL 5 It is proposed that any parts of the Memorandum and Articles which need amendment as a result of the adoption of the above proposals shall be appropriately amended.

 

The Chairman said that if the above proposals are accepted, all the present Trustees / Directors have agreed to stand down in order to facilitate the election of the smaller Board of Trustees / Directors at the Annual General Meeting.

Because the proposals are part of a package, he intended to ask the Members to vote for them en bloc.

The Treasurer briefly spoke for the proposals saying that over the years, the agenda of the existing Board was becoming more concerned with business matters and less able to enter into interfaith discussion. He believed that the proposed new structure together with the setting up of the Forum of Faiths would stimulate interfaith activity in Ipswich and Suffolk.

The Chairman then put the proposals to the Members and they were carried unanimously.

The Chairman thanked the members and closed the meeting at 7.10pm.

SUFFOLK INTER-FAITH RESOURCE

MINUTES OF THE EIGHTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

HELD IN LECTURE THEATRE ONE, SUFFOLK COLLEGE

AT 7.15PM ON OCTOBER 29 2002

Present.
Members: Revd Cliff Reed (Chairman), Martin Spettigue (Vice-Chairman and Company Secretary), David Capey (Treasurer), Cynthia Capey (Hon Faiths Officer). Mahbubul Alam, Shpetim Alimeta, Sheila Bennett, Tom Broadbent, Robert Buxton, Andrew Clarke, Verna Duncan, John Gibbins, David Haskins, Bert Irvine, Peggy Irvine, Catharina Lelijveld-Mulder, Jan Lelijveld, John Leming, Elahe Mojdehi, Margaret Nelson, Elizabeth Serpell, Terry Smith, Loris Squirrell, Michael Stagg, Bhupindar Singh Sually, Elizabeth Sugarman, Richard Togher, Adrianus van Helvert.
Associates, Affiliate Representatives and Visitors: Diana Allsopp, Gitanjali Banerji, Zubeda Begum, Terence Bennett, Sam Budu, Yvonne Catchpole, John Gibbs, Armaity Jabbar, Dali Jabbar, Pam Littlejohn, Peter Mortimer, Shirley Nicholls, Lyn Oldfield, Jehangir Sarosh, Gurdit Singh Sually, Philip Turner, Annette Whitaker

 

1.        Welcome. The Chairman welcomed all Members, Associates Affiliate Representatives and guests. He then introduced and welcomed Gitanjali Banerji, the recently appointed Assistant to the Faiths Officer.

2.        Apologies. Apologies for absence were received from: Carol Gibbs, Margaret Hill, Susan Holinrake, Mary Mills, Wendy Mulford-Bevan, Azizur Raman, Nayan Shah, Sushil Soni, Jill Stewart, Evelyn Mary Tayler,

3.        Chairman’s Opening Remarks. The Chairman thanked all those who had served SIFRE over the last year and gave special thanks to Cynthia and David Capey for all their work. He also thanked all the tutors who work for SIFRE for their valuable service. He stressed that the work of interfaith education and encounter cannot be underestimated. September 11^th last year highlighted the part the faiths have to play in bringing peace to the world and SIFRE was definitely doing its bit in enabling interfaith understanding.

4.        Minutes of the AGM held on 29^th October 2001. The minutes of the Annual General Meeting, both held on 29^th October 2001 had been previously circulated. It was unanimously agreed that they be accepted and they were signed by the Chairman as true records of the meeting.

5.        Matters Arising. Re Agenda Item 9, A.O.B. The Centre has been rehoused in Room T2 and not the building used by the Maintenance Staff. SIFRE did not repeat its ‘Week of Prayer for World Peace’ event in the library this year as it had organised ‘on wings of peace’ in the Corn Exchange on September 11^th.

6.        The Chairman's Report. The Chairman’s Report had been previously circulated. There were no questions or comments and the Report was accepted by the meeting.

7.        Treasurer’s Report. The Treasurer’s Report and Accounts for the previous year had been previously circulated. The Treasurer briefly highlighted the main points in his report and reported that this had been another financially satisfactory year. The Treasurer was asked about EEFA and explained that SIFRE was the ‘birth mother’ of EEFA and as soon as EEFA was established, its funds would be transferred. In answer to another question, the Treasurer informed the Members that if SIFRE was to eventually employ staff to fill the rolls of Faiths Officer and Executive Officer, presently filled on a voluntary basis by Cynthia and David Capey, it would need to secure core funding of approximately £50,000 per year. As the independent examiner of the accounts had not yet signed his Report to the Trustees, the Treasurer asked that the Meeting accept the accounts subject to a satisfactory report from the examiner. Terry Smith proposed and Bhupindar Singh Sually seconded this proposal and it was unanimously accepted by the members. John Gibbins proposed a vote of thanks to the Chairman and Treasurer for all the work they were doing.

8.        Appointment of Examiner of Accounts for 2002-2003. The Treasurer proposed that Clive Mees be appointed. This was seconded by Terry Smith and the Members unanimously accepted the proposal.

9.        Election of Board Members. The Chairman explained that following the amendments to the Memorandum and Articles at the Special General Meeting, all members of the existing Board had agreed to stand down and the Members were required to elect seven Board Members. The following candidates were proposed and seconded:

Candidate	Proposed by	Seconded by
David Haskins	Sheila Haskins	Richard Togher
Adrianus van Helvert	Terry Smith	Jan Lelijveld
Margaret Nelson	David Capey	Cynthia Capey
Terry Smith	Martin Spettigue	Richard Togher
John Leming	David Capey	Bhupindar Singh Sually
Martin Spettigue	David Capey	Cynthia Capey
Richard Togher	David Capey	Martin Spettigue

There being no other candidates, these were declared elected.

The Hon. Faiths Officer (Cynthia Capey) and the Hon. Executive Officer (David Capey) would be ex-officio members of the Board.

10.     Other Matters / Any other business. The Treasurer indicated that at present, September and October are excessively busy months with the preparation of the end of year accounts, the mailings associated with membership renewal, preparation for the AGM, fixing up bookings for tutors / schools visits and setting up courses. He intended to propose to the new Board that SIFRE’s financial year be changed from 1^st September – 31^st August to 1^st April – 31^st March and that the AGM be moved from the end of October to mid June. He saw this as being better for the Members; they would be attending an AGM towards the end of their membership year rather than ‘a few days’ after they had taken out membership! The Faiths Officer reported that the game Diversity was becoming increasingly appreciated as a training tool and there were possibilities of it being produced commercially. There was also the possibility that funding would be obtained to train Diversity Tutors who could be booked to run Diversity Training courses for the statutory bodies, commerce and industry. The Treasurer reminded the Members that this was the last occasion on which Cliff Reed would occupy the Chair, he proposed a vote of thanks to Cliff for the many years support he had given to SIFRE and to interfaith issues in Ipswich. All the Members concurred.

11.     Date of next meeting. It was agreed that the date of the next AGM would be decided by the Board.

The meeting concluded at 7.50pm.

 

COMPANY REPORT FOR 2002 - 2003

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD for 2002 - 2003

 

OFFICERS OF BOARD for 2001 - 2002

 

SIFRE STAFF

 

COMPANY SECRETARY’S REPORT

The Board of the Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource comprises up to 7 members who are elected at the Annual General Meeting which is held in July. Board members normally serve for a period of 3 years, one third of the Board standing down each year. Those who stand down may seek re-election to the Board at the AGM. The Officers of the Board are appointed at the first Board Meeting following the AGM.

The Charity is an Incorporated Private Limited Company (Company No 2992865) registered on 22 November 1994 and registered as a charity on 6 December 1994. The registered address of the Company is c/o Suffolk College. Rope Walk, Ipswich. IP4 1LT.

The purpose of the charity is to advance public knowledge and understanding of the teachings, beliefs, traditions and practises of the different religions and philosophies (including their distinctive features and common ground) of communities in Britain and in particular in Suffolk and East Anglia.

The charity pursues its objectives by providing faith tutors for schools, clubs, churches and the statutory bodies and by running courses for adult audiences in conjunction with bodies such as the WEA and the University of Essex. The charity makes a small charge for such teaching and those of its tutors who are not members of the Board may choose to receive a fee for their work. The charity engages the services (voluntary and paid) of about 40 faith tutors.

The charity has accommodation which is provided by the Suffolk College at a peppercorn rent. This accommodation houses a resource centre, an office, and a class room which is used for in-house courses. It is furnished with fittings provided by the college and / or donated by other supportive groups.

The majority of the administrative work associated with the day to day activities of the charity is done by a small group of volunteers working either in the centre or in their own homes.

The charity’s bankers are The National Westminster Bank plc. Ipswich Tavern Street Branch.

The Independent Examiner is Mr Clive Mees, Lecturer in Business Studies, Suffolk College, Ipswich.

 

For and on behalf of the Board
Martin Spettigue (Hon. Company Secretary.)

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT FOR 2002 - 2003

This year has been a year of change and challenge for SIFRE. We have seen the change of our committee structure, and the re alignment of our year to enhance our efficiency. Hence our AGM is now in July rather than October as previously. As a result of which, we are embracing a "year" of six months for this period due to the transition. Yet we have still managed to achieve a great deal.

The board have met on three occasions, and the organisation has marched forward from what was already a very strong position. We have moved from our former premises within the college to what was the former caretaker’s bungalow on the periphery of the college site, and due to the hard work of volunteers the move happened with little or no disruption to our service provision, a big thank you to all of those who pitched in and lent a hand.

Our new home affords a more prominent location than we previously enjoyed and we are fortunate enough to have access to the bungalow’s garden. Martin Spettigue's hard work in the garden is worthy of mention and we are all grateful for his efforts in bringing the garden round. It is hoped that in the next year we will have a committee of committed individuals to assist with its maintenance.

We have seen the preparation for the "Question of Identity, Faith, and Culture" conference and also the " Faces of Suffolk" exhibition. Still in the shadow of September 11th we have seen an increase in requests for training. We have also taken on board a new member to our team as an assistant to our Honorary Faiths Officer, this has resulted in the centre being manned for four days of the week, the resultant day being manned by volunteers. The centre is now open Monday to Friday enabling greater access by our members and also members of the public in general.

SIFRE continues to be the overseeing body for the East of England Faith Agency, which is continuing to make an impact on the region. SIFRE also continues its invaluable work in providing tutors from the different faiths, for schools, hospital staff and health workers, social workers and the police. For what is a short year SIFRE has managed to achieve a great deal, and this inspires confidence for the year to come.

 

Terry Smith
Chairman of the board of SIFRE
22^nd June 2003.

TREASURER'S REPORT FOR 2002-2003

At its first meeting of the year, the Board approved a proposal to change the period of the financial year from 1^st September – 31^st August to 1^st April to 31^st March.  This change has been registered with the Charity Commissioners and with Companies House and is now effective.  The Accounts being presented at this AGM are therefore for a 6 month period.

As in previous years, transactions are combined into 'umbrella' areas of financial activity. The activities in each of the umbrella areas are then reported in detail. The figures for the full year 2001 - 2002 are recorded in the right hand columns of the statement.  A full comparison between the figures for the 6 month period and the previous 12 month period is not justifiable but some interesting situations can be highlighted.

It is significant that the Income and Expenditure figures for this 6 month financial ‘year’ are very similar to the figures for the full financial year 2001-2002.  This reflects very much SIFRE’s greatly increased activities in the areas of selling resources and teaching (training).  During this half year, SIFRE has invested in the production of 3000 copies of the new (third edition) of the Inter-Faith Handbook and has had manufactured 100 playing mats for the DIVERSITY game.  Together with the cost of producing the other components of the game, this largely explains SIFRE’s increased expenditure.  SIFRE’s income has been boosted by an increased demand from the statutory sector for Diversity Training Courses.  The demand for training courses continues and both the Inter-Faith Handbook and the Diversity game are selling well so our turnover next year should look impressive.

SIFRE has also been engaged in staging major public events.  The Wings of Peace evening on 11^th September of last year was a great community success but it also went to swell SIFRE’s income and expenditure.  In the last financial period, SIFRE was involved in two other ventures; the conference, ‘Questions of Identity, Faith and Culture’ and the exhibition, ‘Faces of Suffolk’ which have occurred since the end of the financial period being reported on.  These both generated income and expenditure but the transactions have been recorded as income received / expenditure incurred in advance in order that the next annual accounts can reflect the total income/expenditure on these events.

Last year, SIFRE received grants of £3,000.00 from the Keswick Hall Trust and £7,500.00 from the Lloyds TSB Charitable Trust to fund the ‘Assistant to the Faiths Officer’ post.  This money is separately recorded and will be sufficient to cover the Assistant’s salary until September.  The funding received to assist in the establishment of the East of England Faiths Agency (£2000.00 from COVER and £7500.00 from the Regional Chambers Fund (via COVER)) has been used by EEFA to fund three part time Faiths Officers who have been active in the East of England Region making contact with its Faith Communities.  A further grant of £5000.00 has recently been received and this will enable this work to continue.

All in all the accounts report a very favourable trading six months when the balance in the account increased by just over £1000 to £6147.06.

The Board of SIFRE has appointed staff whose salaries and pay related overheads are being covered by external funding. In this present year, it is receiving care funding from Suffolk County Council and is now in a position to appoint more staff but it will have to increasingly lay aside sums of money to create a staff contingency fund. To date the financial position of Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource remains secure; but from now on it will have to chase grants and raise funds to pay its staff.

 

Martin Spettigue
Hon Treasurer to Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource.

24^th June 2003.

 

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

To the Trustees of The Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource

I report on the accounts of the Trust for the year ended 31 March 2003, which are set out on pages 14 to 17

Respective responsibilities of trustees and examiner

As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts; you consider that the audit requirement of section 43(2) of the Charities Act 1993 (the Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners under section 43(7)(b) of the Act, whether particular matters have come to my attention.

Basis of independent examiner’s report

My examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the charity and a comparison of the accounts presented with those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.

Independent examiner’s statement

In connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:

which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements

to keep accounting records in accordance with section 41 of the Act; and to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records and to comply with the accounting requirements of the Act

have not been met; or

to which. in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

 

Name:  Clive Mees DMS Cert Ed.

Relevant professional qualification or body:

Address: Suffolk College, Rope Walk, Ipswich.

Date:                                        9^th June 2003

MEMBERS OF SIFRE AS AT 14^th JULY 2003

The following are eligible to vote at the AGM and may stand for membership of the Board.

 

The following are registered as Associates; they are not eligible to vote at the AGM and may not stand for membership of the Board.

 

The following are registered as Affiliate Groups of SIFRE.

SIFRE, THE FAITHS OF SUFFOLK AND THE WIDER COMMUNITY

SIFRE was founded as a charitable company in 1994 by members of local faiths in Suffolk.  Its mission statement is:  “The objects of the Company shall be to advance public knowledge and understanding of the teachings, beliefs, traditions and practices of the different religions and philosophies (including their distinctive features and common ground) of communities in Britain and in particular, communities in Suffolk and East Anglia.”  SIFRE’s members include Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Humanists, Jains, Jews, Muslims, Pagans, Sikhs and Taoists.  SIFRE is managed by a Council of Trustee Directors elected by its members.  SIFRE is overseen by an elected board of 7, and served by 2 volunteers working full-time as Faiths Officer and Executive Officer.  They are assisted by other volunteers and a team of tutors from the faiths.  The tutors are paid for their work, unless they are also members of the board.  SIFRE has recently appointed a part-time paid assistant to the Faiths Officer.

 

SIFRE has always worked extensively and diligently throughout the county, and, when asked to do so, in adjoining counties, as is demonstrated by the following outline of activities:

·         It has built up close relationships with the faith communities of Suffolk.

·         It has created a team of over 30 tutors, drawn from the faith communities, who are invited by schools throughout Suffolk to speak about their faith in assemblies and in RE lessons. 

·         Its tutors are also booked by schools in Essex, Norfolk and Cambridge.

·         It supports the work of the schools RE advisory service, and contributes to its in-service training.

·         Its tutors have contributed to the training of RE Teachers  at UEA, to the training of Christian youth leaders on the CYM  course in Cambridge and to the training of theological students.

·         It has run 10 week courses in World Religions  for the WEA, in centres throughout Suffolk (Beccles, Brandeston, Brantham, Capel, Dunwich, Eye, Felixstowe, Framlingham, Southwold and Sudbury) and at West Bergholt in Essex.  On these courses the tutors often teach together, sharing their different perspectives with the students.

·         It runs short courses in World Religions for Suffolk College in Ipswich and for the University of Essex in Colchester and Essex.  Local members of the faiths contribute their insights.

·         It has developed a two-year Certificated Course in World Religions validated by the University of Essex.

·         It is contracted to provide ongoing training in religious and cultural understanding for health professionals.  It serves on health service users’ panels and advises hospital chaplaincies.

·         It works in partnership with Suffolk Social Care Services, Community Education and the Voluntary Sector in order to address issues of religious and cultural diversity.

·         It runs inter-faith programmes in Bury St. Edmunds, Woodbridge and Lowestoft, as well as in Ipswich.

·         Its members from the local faiths have contributed to SIFRE’s range of publications.

·         Its Inter-Faith Handbook is now in its 3r^d edition. It has been purchased by various public sector and voluntary services from all over the UK.

·         Its innovative game Diversity is being sold by mail order through the Birmingham Festival Shop and is being utilised locally by Suffolk County Council, Ipswich Borough Council, Suffolk Police, Suffolk Health Trusts and various inter-agency bodies for Diversity Training. 

·         It is involved with the youth service and advises organisations concerned for the elderly and the dying.

·         Currently SIFRE is working with the Racial Harassment Initiative on the “Faces of Suffolk” exhibition.

·         It offers pastoral care and practical support to refugees and the agencies working with them.

·         It has a centre within Suffolk College, where it has a well-stocked reference library.

·         It offers a 24 hour advice and information service.

 

SIFRE
GARDEN
PARTY

At 8.00pm on Monday 14^th July 2003
at the SIFRE Centre, Suffolk College
Rope Walk, Ipswich.

 

After the AGM, all Members, Associates, and Affiliate Group Representatives are invited to join the Chairman and Board of SIFRE at the SIFRE Centre for an informal social event with vegetarian food and non-alcoholic drink.

To assist the organisers with their catering plans, please complete and return the RSVP slip enclosed with this AGM booklet
or phone 01473 233447 / 01473 343661
or email office@sifre.org.uk.

The Chairman and Members of the Board look forward to meeting with you.