Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource
ANNUAL REPORT
FOR 2007 – 2008
TO BE PRESENTED AT THE
FOURTEENTH
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
OF MEMBERS OF THE COMPANY
ON WEDNESDAY 16th
JULY 2008
AT 7.00 PM
IN THE BOARD ROOM OF
SUFFOLK NEW COLLEGE
IPSWICH
SIFRE’s DIVERSITY GAME AT EDINBURGH INTER-FAITH WEEK
Saturday 24th November - Saturday 8th December 2007
Taken from the Edinburgh Inter-Faith Week
Programme.
Friday 30th November 7pm – 9pm - COME AND PLAY THE
‘DIVERSITY GAME’
A great information game to help players learn
about world faiths. Players have a Faith Profile for the faith they are to
assume for the duration of the game (Baha'i / Buddhist / Christian / Hindu /
Humanist / Jew / Muslim /Pagan / Sikh / Taoist), which gives basic facts about
beliefs. Challenge squares then provide opportunities for other players to ask
questions about these beliefs, and a handy quick reference booklet is provided
to check answers.
Hosted by Nicolson Square Methodist Church, Nicolson
Square
Saturday 1st December 3pm - 5pm - COME AND PLAY THE
‘DIVERSITY GAME’
Hosted by The Bahai Community of
Edinburgh - Venue: Edinburgh Bahai
Centre, 44 Albany Street
Thursday 6th December 2pm – 4pm - COME AND PLAY THE
‘DIVERSITY GAME’
Hosted by University of Edinburgh Chaplaincy Centre,
Potterrow
Secretary of State for
Scotland Joined 'Diversity Game' Event
at Edinburgh Bahai Centre
|
The Secretary of State for Scotland, The Rt. Hon. Des Browne
MP visited the Edinburgh Bahai Centre to participate in the 'Diversity Game';
a board game to help players gain a deeper insight and understanding of the
world’s religions. |
FOURTEENTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
OF SUFFOLK INTER FAITH RESOURCE
IN THE BOARDROOM
SUFFOLK NEW COLLEGE
ON WEDNESDAY 16th JULY 2008 AT 7.00 PM
AGENDA
1.
Welcome to Members of the Company
2.
Apologies for absence
3.
Minutes of the Thirteenth AGM held on 5th
September 2007
4.
Matters arising
5.
The Report of the Board of Trustees
6.
Treasurer's Report and presentation of the accounts
for 2007-2008
7.
Appointment of Examiner of Accounts for 2008-2009
8.
Election of Board Members
Of the Board's 7 members, 2 are required to retire
at the AGM.
The Candidates are:
a) Those who have stood down and wish to seek re-election
(David Capey and Liz Peck are retiring and are willing to be re-appointed)
b) Other nominations received by the Company Secretary
(Candidates have to be Company Members and the Company Secretary should
receive the nomination 7 days before the meeting (i.e. by 9th July 2008))
9.
Any other Business
10.
Date of next AGM (15th July 2009)
The AGM will be followed by a Reception for Company Members.
SUFFOLK
INTER-FAITH RESOURCE
MINUTES OF THE THIRTEENTH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
HELD IN LECTURE THEATRE 4 OF UNIVERSITY CAMPUS SUFFOLK
AT 7.00PM ON SEPTEMBER 5th 2007
Present.
Members:
Mrs Cynthia Capey, Dr
David Capey,
Mr John
Gibbs, Mrs
Jean Gittens, Mrs Irma Jacyna, Mr Bernard Jasper, Dr Jan L M
Lelijveld, Mrs C M Lelijveld-Mulder, Mrs Barbara Mayhew, Mrs Elizabeth
Peck, Mrs Liz Pichon, Revd
Cliff Reed,
Mr Martin
Spettigue, Mr Michael Henry Stagg,
Mr Bhupindar Singh Sually, Miss Elizabeth H
Sugarman,
Staff and Visitors:
Anna-Marie Allbones; Dr Anne
Spalding; Loris M Squirrell, Tanya White.
1.
Welcome.
The President,
Revd Cliff Reed, welcomed everyone to the meeting and spoke of the high profile
that SIFRE had in the wider community and noted the good work it was doing. The Chairman of SIFRE then conducted the rest
of the meeting.
2.
Apologies.
Apologies for absence were
received from:
Mr David
Robert Haskins,
Mrs Sheila
Anne Haskins,
Mr Robin Herne, Mary Elizabeth Mills, Mrs
Elahe Mojdehi,
Mrs Wendy
Mulford-Bevan, Ms Margaret Nelson, Revd Dr
John Parr, Revd John Peck, Dr John Rudge,
Mr Terry
Smith, Mr
Adrianus van
Helvert, Mr Richard Togher,
3.
Minutes of the Annual General
Meeting held on 17th July 2006.
The minutes of the
Annual General Meeting, held on 17th July 2006 were made available
for Members at the meeting. It was
unanimously agreed that they be accepted as a true and correct record of that
meeting and they were signed by the Chairman.
4.
Matters Arising.
There were no matters arising.
5.
The Report of the Board of Trustees.
This was made
available at registration before the start of the meeting and the Chairman
allowed the meeting a few more minutes to read through it. It was explained that the format being used
for the report was that now stipulated by the Charity Commissioners in their
Statement of Recommended Practice (the Charity SORP Version April 2005).The
Report was accepted by the meeting.
6.
Treasurer’s Report and presentation
of the Accounts for 2006-2007.
The Annual Accounts were included in the document containing the Annual Report. The Treasurer briefly went through the
report, pointing out significant features.
He reminded the Members that last year SIFRE’s end of year funds were
enhanced by a grant of £14,000 which has been used this year on two research projects. He reported that SIFRE’s finances were in a
healthy state. The Chairman asked the Members of
the Company to accept the Report and Accounts of the Trustee Directors. Elizabeth Sugarman proposed and Bhupindar
Singh Sually seconded the proposal that the Report be accepted. All were in favour.
7.
Appointment of Examiner of Accounts
for 2007-2008.
David Capey expressed his gratitude to Clive Mees who examined the
accounts just presented and proposed that he be reappointed. The Members unanimously accepted the
proposal.
8.
Election of Board Members.
The Chairman asked
the President to present this item.
There were three vacancies on the Board.
Martin Spettigue and Richard Togher had to stand down but wished to be
re-appointed in accord with the Articles of the Companied Jan L M Lelijveld had been proposed by David Capey and
seconded by Martin Spettigue
The Secretary proposed that these three be appointed en bloc
Cynthia Capey proposed and Liz Peck seconded this and they were elected
unanimously.
9.
Any other business.
David Capey
proposed a vote of thanks to the staff, tutors and volunteers who had worked
for SIFRE through the year with a special thanks to Bernard Jasper who has
faithfully come into the Centre on regular weekly basis.
10.
Date of next meeting.
It was agreed that
the date of the next AGM would be on 16th July 2008.
The
meeting concluded at 7.25pm.
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEE DIRECTORS FOR 2007 -
2008
The Board of Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource (SIFRE) is pleased to present
its Report and Financial Statement for the year ending 31st March
2008.
Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and
Advisers
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 Charity has accommodation which is provided by the Suffolk New College
/ University Campus Suffolk . This
accommodation houses a library and resource centre, an office, and a meeting
room. It is furnished with fittings
provided by the college and / or donated by other supportive groups.
The Honorary Life President of
SIFRE is Revd. Clifford M Reed
The Honorary Officers of the
Board for 2007 - 2008 are:
|
Martin Spettigue |
Chairman |
|
Martin Spettigue |
Company Secretary |
|
William David Capey |
Treasurer |
Members of the Board for 2007 - 2008
|
Cynthia Margaret Capey |
Joint Vice-Chairman |
|
William David Capey |
(Appointed 17th July 2005) |
|
Jean Gittens |
(Appointed 16th July 2006) |
|
Jan Lelijveld |
(Appointed 5th September 2007) |
|
Elizabeth Peck |
(Appointed 16th July 2006) |
|
Martin Spettigue |
(Appointed 5th September 2007) |
|
Richard Togher |
Joint Vice-Chairman |
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 New College, Ipswich.
Structure, Governance and
Management
The charitable company is
constituted as a limited company and is governed by its memorandum and articles
of association.
Membership of SIFRE
SIFRE
recognises four categories of membership.
These are:
MEMBERS OF THE COMPANY: are those individuals who
have registered their membership with the Company and have paid their annual
subscription fee.
§
They are
eligible to attend and vote at General Meetings,
§
They can
stand for election to the Board,
§
They
receive all SIFRE’s mailings,
§
They get
reduced fees for SIFRE run courses,
§
They can
attend SIFRE open meetings free of charge.
§
They can
attend meetings of the Forum of Faiths,
§ They pay an annual subscription of £15
ASSOCIATES: are individuals who support and engage
in the activities of SIFRE but do not wish to be involved in the running of the
Company.
§
They will
receive all SIFRE mailings except Company Members’ mailings,
§
They can
attend but not vote at General Meetings,
§
They get
reduced fees for SIFRE run courses,
§
They can
attend SIFRE open meetings free of charge,
§
They can
attend meetings of the Forum of Faiths,
§ They will pay an annual subscription of £10.
AFFILIATE GROUPS: are established faith groups and
other similar organisations who wish to be involved in Inter-Faith activity.
§
They will
receive all SIFRE mailings except Company Members’ mailings,
§
They will
be invited to appoint two of their number to serve on the Forum of Faiths,
§ They will pay an annual subscription of £20.
Members of Affiliate Groups:
§
can
attend SIFRE open meetings free of charge,
§ can attend but not vote at General Meetings.
AFFILIATE SCHOOLS: are schools who wish to be
involved in Inter-Faith activity and to make use of SIFRE’s teaching resources
and employ SIFRE’s tutors
§
They will
have SIFRE’s administration fees waived when they contract SIFRE to provide
faith tutors,
§
They will
receive all SIFRE mailings except Company Members’ mailings,
§
They will
be invited to appoint one of their number to serve on the Forum of Faiths,
§ They will pay an annual subscription of £20.
Members of Affiliate Schools:
§
can
attend SIFRE open meetings free of charge,
§ can attend but not vote at General Meetings.
This year, SIFRE has been working closely with the
County RE Adviser and did not sign up any schools as Affiliates because it
wanted to offer an equal service to all schools. Apart from Company Membership which decreased
by 3, all other categories of membership showed a slight increase. A list of Members, Associate and Affiliate
bodies is appended to this report.
The Board of SIFRE
The Board of the Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource comprises up to 7 members
who are elected by the Company Members at the Annual General Meeting which is
normally 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 Board met four times in 2007 – 2008
All the meetings were quorate.
SIFRE Staff
SIFRE has two full time (voluntary) staff, five
part time paid staff and a large team of occasional tutors. Operating from the SIFRE Centre are Anne
Spalding, the Faiths Officer (20 hours / week) and Anna-Marie Allbones, the
Admin Assistant (30 hours / week).Our Community Liaison Officers (Tanya White
and Elahe Mojdehi) (10 hours / week) both left during the year. One post was filled with the appointment of
Vinaya Kulkarni and despite attempts to find a suitable person, the other post
remained vacant at the end of the year. The
outstanding vacancy has imposed considerable pressure on the remaining staff. Liz Pichon and Rose Norgate are Faith
Officers in West Suffolk and Waveney respectively. David Capey is the voluntary Executive
Officer, Cynthia Capey is the voluntary Education and Training Officer. Throughout the year, one volunteer (Bernard
Jasper) was present in the Centre every Tuesday.
Since our last report, SIFRE’s staff have continued to explore the
extent and limitations of their involvement.
Last year’s intention to limit staff involvement in statutory committees
has proved difficult because, after further discussion at staff and Board
levels, it was seen that although the dilemma remains, such engagement was
invaluable in terms of networking and awareness raising.
Anne’s service to the various committees on diversity and equality continued
as did her work as Vice-Chair of an inter-agency committee looking at new and
emerging communities. Additionally
during the year, she has been involved in the follow up meetings which started
as a result of Mojlum Khan's research report on young Muslims.
Whilst she was with us, Tanya’s time was increasingly taken up in
organising the 2008 Holocaust Memorial weekend in January of this year and her role
was redesigned to make this her exclusive concern. Suffolk County Council funded her time to
enable Tanya engage in its preparation.
Anna-Marie remains the telephone voice of SIFRE and “keeper” of the Centre. Her role has changed somewhat since SIFRE
moved from the Bungalow but she is responsible for checking SIFRE’s stock of
books at the Centre, recording the borrowing of resources and generally keeping
things ship-shape.
In 2007-2008, SIFRE again engaged the services of about 70 faith tutors
who were employed on an “as needed” basis.
SIFRE charges its clients for their services and pays the tutors an
hourly rate and out of pocket expenses. Some
tutors choose to donate their earnings to SIFRE. Tutors who are also members of the Board of
SIFRE are not paid for their work but are offered their out of pocket expenses.
The day to day work of SIFRE is now conducted by two full time voluntary
staff who work from home, three part time salaried staff who work from the
SIFRE Centre. The following staff have
been associated with SIFRE in the last year.
|
Hon Executive Officer |
David Capey |
|
Hon Education and Training Officer |
Cynthia Capey |
|
Faiths Officer |
Anne Spalding |
|
Community Liaison Officer |
Tanya White |
|
Community Liaison Officer |
Vinaya Kulkarni |
|
Admin Assistant |
Anna-Marie Allbones |
|
Hon Faiths Officer (West Suffolk) |
Liz Pichon |
|
Hon Faiths Officer (Waveney) |
Rose Norgate |
The Board would like to express its gratitude
to all staff and volunteers for the work they have done for SIFRE in this last year. In particular it wishes to name Bernard
Jasper who helps out in the Centre on a regular basis and whenever cover is
required and to Richard Togher who oversees the library which was this year
enhanced with the receipt of Suffolk New College’s stock of theology books.
Board Responsibilities in Respect of the Financial Statements
Company law requires the Board Members of SIFRE to prepare financial
statements for each financial year, which give a true and fair view of the
state of affairs of the charitable company at the year-end and of the net
incoming/outgoing resources of the charitable company for the year then ending. In preparing these financial statements, the
Board Members are required to
q Select suitable accounting policies
q Make judgements and estimates that are reasonable
and prudent
q State whether applicable accounting standards have
been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in
the financial statements
q Prepare financial statements on a going concern
basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the company will continue on
that basis
The Board Members are responsible for keeping proper accounting records
which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of
the charitable company and to enable it to ensure that the financial statements
comply with the Companies Act 1985. They
are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and
hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and
other irregularities.
External Examiner
In accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 1985 a
resolution proposing that Clive Mees be reappointed as external examiner of the
Company will be put to the Annual General Meeting.
Objectives, Activities and Achievements
The purpose of the charity
is 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 in Suffolk and East Anglia.
In furtherance of these objectives, the following activities have taken
place during the year:-
SIFRE retains its responsive strategy and in the last year it has
continued to provide teaching and training service to its established clients
(schools in Suffolk and Norfolk and Essex, the WEA, hospitals, police, Suffolk
County Council, Ipswich Borough Council, St.
Edmundsbury Borough Council, Waveney District Council and Suffolk New College
and Lowestoft College) as well as again responding to requests from the Prison
Service and the Probation Service for Diversity Training of staff. There is growing interest from some of the
Christian Churches in hearing about other faiths and in particular our Muslim
Tutors have been in great demand.
In other parts of the county, our SIFRE Circles have been increasingly active. In Waveney / Lowestoft, under Rose Norgate’s lead, they participated in a conference at Lowestoft College
called ‘My Town, Your Town, Our Town’. In
Bury St Edmunds, Liz Pichon and her group have arranged a number of successful
events including a Festival of Light at West Suffolk College. Much groundwork and bridge-building continues
behind the scenes.
Our ongoing work
with the hospitals and our support for their developing multi-faith
Chaplaincies is particularly important .
The research
conducted last year into Muslim experiences and aspirations has been significant
for the local community and this has led to frequent follow-up meetings
involving all the interested parties.
SIFRE staff have
continued to serve on numerous statutory and voluntary sector committees
including the Suffolk Joint Diversity Working Group; the Mayor of
Ipswich's Civic Celebration of Community; East Suffolk Theology Forum; Ipswich
Hospital's Respecting Diversity User Group (including the Hospital's
Celebration of Faiths event); Suffolk Primary Care Trust's Equalities and
Diversity Steering Group; Suffolk New College's Equality and Diversity Awayday;
the Forum of Refugees, Asylum Seekers and New and Emerging Communities; the
Race and Faith Forum; the Waveney Community Cohesion Partnership; the
University Campus Suffolk Equality and Diversity Committee; the CPS Case Review Panel; and the Police Diversity Board
SIFRE was involved in the local World Aids
Day event, the Mental Health and the Churches/Faith communities group and was in
discussions with Suffolk Mental Health Partnership.
On the first
Tuesday of each month, SIFRE hosts a Seniors’ Inter-Faith Tea Party, often at
the 7th Day Adventist Church.
This groups has been preparing to present a Forum of Faiths event on
‘Caring for the Elderly’
During the year
SIFRE was responsible for a significant number of events including:
|
Throughout the year |
|
SIFRE 10 session courses for WEA: |
|
|
14th June |
12:30pm to 1:30pm |
Pagans and their attitude to other Equality Strands - Robin Herne |
|
|
19th June |
2:00pm to 5:pm |
Refugee Week Family Party |
|
|
30th June |
10:00am to 4:30pm |
On the trail of Green Men in Suffolk Churches (An EEFA event ) |
|
|
5th July |
7:30pm to 9:00pm |
‘Shaping
The Future Of Suffolk’ Community Strategy Consultation Document 2008 –2028 see below for details |
|
|
9th July |
12:30am to 1:30pm |
Humanists
and
their attitude to other Equality Strands |
|
|
8thSeptember |
11:00am
|
SIFRE
Bury Circle - |
|
|
11th
September |
7:00pm
to 9:00pm |
SIFRE
Meeting |
|
|
18th
September |
7:30pm
to 9:00pm |
Faith
and Festivals Seminar |
|
|
20thSeptember |
1:00pm
to 2:00pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Lunchtime Seminars |
|
|
21stSeptember |
10:00am
to 12:00pm |
WEA
10 week course begins |
|
|
27thSeptember |
12:30pm
to 1:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Lunchtime Seminars |
|
|
27th
September |
10:00am
to 8:30pm |
SIFRE
Meeting |
|
|
10thOctober |
12:30pm
to 1:30pm |
LSC
Faith and Culture Lunchtime Seminars |
|
|
12thOctober |
7:30pm
to 9:00pm |
SIFRE
Bury Circle |
|
|
16thOctober |
7:00pm
to 9:00pm |
A
SIFRE Forums of Faith Meeting |
|
|
17thOctober |
7:30pm
to 9:00pm |
Faith
and Festivals Seminar |
|
|
17th
October |
12:30pm
to 1:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Lunchtime Seminars |
|
|
18th
October |
12:30pm
to 1:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Lunchtime Seminars |
|
|
8th
November |
12:00pm
to 4:00pm |
SIFRE
Bury Circle |
|
|
14th
November |
7:30pm
to 9:00pm |
Faith
and Festivals Seminar |
|
|
15th
November |
7:00pm
to 9:00pm |
A
SIFRE Forums of Faith Meeting |
|
|
22nd
November |
12:30pm
to 1:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Lunchtime Seminars |
|
|
22nd
November |
12:30pm
to 1:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Lunchtime Seminars |
|
|
5th
December |
12:30pm
to 1:30pm |
LSC
Faith and Culture Lunchtime Seminars |
|
|
22nd
January |
12:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Seminar – Hindus |
|
|
23rd
January |
12:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Seminar – Jews |
|
|
24th
January |
6.pm |
Winter
pilgrimage 1. “Highs and lows in India
– meditation, mudbaths and more” |
|
|
25th
27th January |
various |
Holocaust
Memorial Weekend |
|
|
31st
January |
6:00pm |
Winter
pilgrimage 2 “On the Hajj with my daughter” |
|
|
13th
February |
12:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Seminar – A speaker from Churches Together Library, Lowestoft |
|
|
13th
February |
12.00 |
LSC Lunchtime Seminars
– Pagans |
|
|
21st
February |
6:00pm |
Winter
Pilgrimage 3 “Gaza and the West Bank” |
|
|
27th
February |
12:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Seminar – Roman Catholics |
|
|
28th
February |
6:00pm |
Winter
Pilgrimage 4“ Andalucía – a Glimpse of a Golden Age |
|
|
5th
March |
7:30pm |
Tattingstone
Church Lecture- Buddhism |
|
|
6th
March |
6:00pm |
“Shared
Stories” – an introduction to a study course on texts of the Abrahamic
Faiths. |
|
|
9th
March |
2.30pm |
Mayor’s
Annual Celebration of Community |
|
|
19th
March |
12:30pm |
SCC
Faith and Culture Seminar – Migrant Workers |
|
SIFRE was asked by Suffolk County
Council to organise a Forum of Faiths Meeting on the ‘SHAPING THE FUTURE OF
SUFFOLK’ COMMUNITY STRATEGY CONSULTATION DOCUMENT 2008 –2028.The Forum was held on 5th July at
7:30pm in Lecture Theatre 4 of Suffolk New College
At short notice on 14th February in the
Unitarian Meting House, SIFRE organised a Forum of Faiths on the theme Wise
Words? Bad Press! A Debate on the reaction to
the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lecture, “Civil and Religious Law in England: a
religious perspective” delivered by the
Archbishop at the Royal Courts of Justice on Thursday 7th February
One
of SIFRE’s major events was the DIVERSE SUFFOLK WEEK held in Occold in May
2007.The programme was as follows:
|
Friday 11th May |
7:00pm |
Benefice Viewing of, ‘Faces of Suffolk’, with
cheese and wine, reception followed by the evening service of Compline |
|
Saturday 12th May |
12:00 noon |
Official Opening , by Councillor Sara Michell, (Diversity Portfolio Holder, for
Mid-Suffolk District Council), followed by a Reception |
|
12:30pm |
Opening Talk, Introduced by, Kathleen Ben Rabha, Community
Affairs Adviser, to the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, ‘The
Kingdom of the Wuffingas’, by
Terry Smith |
|
|
Saturday 19th May |
11:00am |
Learn
about Suffolk’s Traveller Community with Sylvie
Parker and a showing of the video A Gypsy’s Wish |
|
2:00pm |
with Dan Allum and a presentation by, The
Romany Theatre Company |
|
|
Sunday 13th May |
11:00am |
Public Worship for all, Preacher: Graciano
Masauso from Zimbabwe, |
|
Monday to Friday |
9:30am |
A 1 hr presentation for school children |
|
11:00am |
A 1 hr presentation for school children |
|
|
12:30pm |
Faith and Culture Seminar., These seminars are particularly aimed at staff of statutory bodies,
local industry, and all interested people. |
|
|
2:00pm |
A 1 hr presentation for school children |
|
|
7:00pm |
‘My Life and Faith’. These evening events will be more relaxed
conversations between our guest speakers and their audience. |
|
|
Monday 14th May |
Meeting Muslims, with Manwar Ali and Lavita Smith |
|
|
Tuesday 15th May |
Meeting Sikhs, with
Bhupindar Sually and Suhkpreet Singh |
|
|
Wednesday 16th May |
Meeting Hindus, with
Vinaya Kulkarni and Atul Shah |
|
|
Thursday 17th May |
Meeting Jews, with
Elizabeth Sugarman and Beverley Levy |
|
|
Friday 18th May |
Meeting Buddhists, with Jnanamitra and Tim Knights |
|
SIFRE’s other major event was the conference ‘Chaplaincy across the
Sectors’ held in Diss on 13th March.
At this event, speakers from chaplaincy in Further Education, Higher Education, Hospitals, Hospices, Deaf, The Armed Forces, The Emergency Services, The Transport Services (Ports, Airports), Prisons, Muslim Chaplaincy, Pagan Community Services, Community Chaplaincy, Town Pastors and Virtual Chaplaincy spoke of their
work and were able to share ideas and good practice.
SIFRE photographic exhibition, ‘Faces of Suffolk’, which started as a
travelling exhibition has had outings to Lowestoft, Ipswich and Bury St Edmunds
during the year.
Our inter-faith handbook remains one of our flag ship products. The new fourth edition, re-titled ‘A Handbook
of Faiths’, produced and published in conjunction with the Festival Shop in
Birmingham, continues to sell well.
Our game ‘Diversity’ has been redesigned by the Festival Shop and it is
now available in a smart A4 sized box with a folding A3 sized playing mat. In the last year, the game has been purchased
by all sorts of organisations from all parts of the UK
SIFRE is only as successful as those who work for it as staff and tutors
make it and the Board would like to acknowledge the parts played by an
incredible number of people over the last year.
Financial Review
The financial position of SIFRE remains more or
less sound. SIFRE receives core funding
from Suffolk County Council to pay its salaried staff and funding from Suffolk
Constabulary contributes to the salary of one of its Community Liaison Officers. There is slight concern that staff costs are
escalating because of annual increments and cost of living awards (staff are
paid according to the NJC pay scales) and they are increasingly being subsidized
by SIFRE’s income from other activities.
These other activities are self funding and generate sufficient
overheads to also cover the costs relating to administration and the running
the office. Income received from
membership subscriptions is mostly consumed in the costs associated with
preparation and posting of members mailings.
Accounts are prepared for the year 1st April to 31st
March. Over this period, SIFRE’s total
funds have reduced from £62K to £42K.This reduction is accounted for because
one of the restricted funds (Muslim Research), established at the end of the
financial year 2006 – 2007, has been expended during this financial year. More significantly, £12.5K belonging to the
EEFA project has been transferred to The East of England Faiths Agency which is
now been established as a Community Interest Company with its own accounting
system.
It is the aim of SIFRE to have general reserves sufficient to cover
expenditure for a forward period of three months. At a minimum SIFRE needs to maintain general
reserves that are sufficient to meet legal liabilities in the event of SIFRE's
dissolution. Based on actual expenditure
for 2007-2008 this equates to a desired reserve of £17.5K.As at 31st
March 2008, it has retained reserves of £30,000.
The Board would like to register its appreciation to Suffolk County
Council and Suffolk Constabulary for their ongoing financial support. It would also like to thank Suffolk New College
/ University Campus Suffolk for providing accommodation and associated service
at no cost to SIFRE.
The Future
We reported two years ago that SIFRE’s long association with its
landlord Suffolk College was coming to an end and that University Campus
Suffolk was to take possession of the land on which the Centre stood and we would
become their tenant. This uncertainty
continued through 2007 – 2008 but we believe that UCS is now the legal owners
of the Long Street building and UCS is our landlord.
Whilst our Long Street accommodation is fine as a working office space,
it does not engender the warm receptive atmosphere of our previous
accommodation and it presents some of our members with a problem because it still
lacks access suitable for disabled people.
We are fortunate that when necessary, we can use other disabled person
friendly accommodation for our on campus events and the Seventh-day Adventist
Church continues to host SIFRE’s Seniors’ tea-parties.
The Board again wishes to express its gratitude to Dave Muller and all
the staff of Suffolk New College who made us so welcome, to the members of
Suffolk new college / UCS Estates team who are always friendly and helpful and
to our new landlords at University Campus Suffolk for their willingness to
continue to accommodate us.
The faiths landscape of Suffolk is changing and maturing and the Board
see this as a challenge to how they continue their work in the county. Working this out will be a major priority in
2008 - 2009
SIFRE has always been reactive rather than proactive and to date the
Board have not resolved to act differently.
This policy allows SIFRE to respond swiftly to any situation in any
place or at any time.
Dr W David Capey.(Hon Treasurer).
4th July 2008
APPENDIX TO THE ANNUAL REPORT OF SUFFOLK
INTER-FAITH RESOURCE
MEMBERSHIP OF SIFRE IN THE YEAR 1st
SEPTEMBER 2007 TO 31st AUGUST 2008
The following are registered as Company Members who
are eligible to vote at the AGM
and may stand for membership of the
Board
|
1 |
Mr Shpetim Alimeta |
|
Ipswich |
|
2 |
Mr John Brentnall |
|
Southwold |
|
3 |
Mrs Cynthia Capey |
|
Eye |
|
4 |
Dr David Capey |
|
Eye |
|
5 |
Mrs Ann Dawes |
|
Ipswich |
|
6 |
Mrs Verna Duncan |
|
Ipswich |
|
7 |
Mr David Finn |
|
Ipswich |
|
8 |
Mr David G
Gedge |
|
Woodbridge |
|
9 |
Ms Maloud Ghazi-Torbati |
|
Ipswich |
|
10 |
Mr John Gibbs |
|
Ipswich |
|
11 |
Mrs Jean Gittens |
|
Ipswich |
|
12 |
Mr Robin
Herne |
|
Ipswich |
|
13 |
Mrs Irma Jacyna |
|
Ipswich |
|
14 |
Mr Bernard Jasper |
|
Ipswich |
|
15 |
Mrs Prabjot Kaur |
|
Ipswich |
|
16 |
Mr Mojlum Khan |
|
Ipswich |
|
17 |
Dr Jan L M Lelijveld |
|
Woodbridge |
|
18 |
Mrs C M Lelijveld-Mulder |
|
Woodbridge |
|
19 |
Mrs
Barbara Mayhew |
|
Rattlesden, Bury St Edmunds |
|
20 |
Mary
Elizabeth Mills |
|
Ipswich |
|
21 |
Mrs Elahe Mojdehi |
|
Ipswich |
|
22 |
Mrs Wendy Mulford-Bevan |
|
Saxmundham |
|
23 |
Mrs Mary Myatt |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
24 |
Ms Margaret Nelson |
|
Elmsett, Ipswich |
|
25 |
Revd Dr John Parr |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
26 |
Mrs Elizabeth Peck |
|
Wickham Market |
|
27 |
Revd John Peck |
|
Woodbridge |
|
28 |
Mrs Liz Pichon |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
29 |
Revd Cliff Reed |
|
Ipswich |
|
30 |
Revd Edward Rennard |
|
Halesworth |
|
31 |
Dr John Rudge |
|
Diss |
|
32 |
Mr Terry Smith |
|
Ipswich |
|
33 |
Mr Martin Spettigue |
|
Ipswich |
|
34 |
Mr Michael Henry
Stagg |
|
Woodbridge |
|
35 |
Mrs Jill
Stewart |
|
Haughley |
|
36 |
Mr Bhupindar Singh Sually |
|
Ipswich |
|
37 |
Miss Elizabeth H
Sugarman |
|
Felixstowe |
|
38 |
Ms Nargis Sultan |
|
Needham Market |
|
39 |
Mr Richard Togher |
|
Ipswich |
|
40 |
Mr Peter Watson |
|
Bury St.
Edmunds |
|
41 |
Mrs Elizabeth Watthews |
|
Ipswich |
|
42 |
Mrs Elizabeth Wesley |
|
Ipswich |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The following are registered as Associates; they
are not eligible to vote at the AGM
and they may not stand for membership of
the Board.
|
1 |
Mr Michael Akenhurst |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
2 |
Mrs Tricia Akenhurst |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
3 |
Ms Anne Boeppler |
|
Harkstead |
|
4 |
Mrs Ann Barbanell |
|
Aldeburgh |
|
5 |
Mrs Kathleen Ben Rahba |
|
Ipswich |
|
6 |
Mr Geoffrey V Birkby |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
7 |
Mrs Anne Boiley |
|
Braintree |
|
8 |
Mr David C E
Boiley |
|
Braintree |
|
9 |
Penelope
Bray |
|
Southwold |
|
10 |
Miss Yvonne Catchpole |
|
Ipswich |
|
11 |
Mrs Bandana Choudhury |
|
Ipswich |
|
12 |
Revd James Dalgleish |
|
Hadleigh |
|
13 |
Ms Gill Dudley |
|
Hadleigh |
|
14 |
Mrs Harriet Frazer |
|
Saxmundham |
|
15 |
Mrs Anne Garstang |
|
Ipswich |
|
16 |
Mrs Carol Gibbs |
|
Ipswich |
|
17 |
Sr Barbara Harrison |
|
Harwich |
|
18 |
Mrs Marian Haworth |
|
Ipswich |
|
19 |
Mrs Kiran Kumar |
|
Lowestoft |
|
20 |
Mrs Beverley Levy |
|
Ipswich |
|
21 |
Mr Tim Mason |
|
Ipswich |
|
22 |
Mrs Deborah McKinley |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
23 |
Chris
Mort |
|
Colchester |
|
24 |
Mrs Rose Norgate |
|
Beccles |
|
25 |
Ms Lyn Oldfield |
|
Harksted, Ipswich |
|
26 |
Mrs Maude Parker |
|
Needham Market |
|
27 |
Revd James Paterson |
|
Woodbridge |
|
28 |
Ms Rosemary Pickering |
|
Norwich |
|
29 |
Mrs Wendy Porter |
|
Needham Market |
|
30 |
Mrs Sophie Pryor |
|
Ipswich |
|
31 |
Mr F R G J Rapsey |
|
Kesgrave |
|
32 |
Revd. Mark Sanders |
|
Woodbridge |
|
33 |
Mr Malcolm Searle |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
34 |
Mrs Shirley Smith |
|
Southwold |
|
35 |
Dr Sushil Kumar
Soni |
|
Ipswich |
|
36 |
Dr Anne C Spalding |
|
Woodbridge |
|
37 |
Mrs Rebecca Steiner |
|
Ipswich |
|
38 |
Miss Evelyn Mary
Tayler |
|
Colchester |
|
39 |
Mrs E Taylor |
|
Worlingworth |
|
40 |
Hilda
Taylor |
|
Colchester |
|
41 |
Mrs Stacy Thunes Smith |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
42 |
Mr Martin Tiley |
|
Bury St Edmunds |
|
43 |
Revd Raymond Trudgian |
|
Kings Lynn |
|
44 |
Ms Jan Wain |
|
Ipswich |
|
45 |
Mr William Wexler |
|
Lowestoft |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Representatives of Affiliate Faith Groups
|
1 |
Bury St Edmunds Unitarian Congregation |
Mr Martin Gienke |
|
2 |
Diocese of St. Edmundsbury and
Ipswich |
Mrs Shirley Nicholls |
|
3 |
Diocese of St. Edmundsbury and
Ipswich |
Revd Peter Mortimer |
|
4 |
Ipswich Bangledesh Mosque and
Community |
Mr Manik Miah |
|
5 |
Ipswich Bangledesh Mosque and
Community |
Mr Tunu Miah |
|
6 |
Ipswich Hospital Chaplaincy |
Revd Siw Carlsson |
|
7 |
Ipswich Hospital Chaplaincy |
Revd Rosie Finch |
|
8 |
Ipswich Pagan Council |
Mrs Laurie Manning |
|
9 |
Ipswich Pagan Council |
Mr Antony Manning |
|
10 |
Ipswich Seventh Day Adventists |
Mrs Jean Gittens |
|
11 |
Ipswich Unitarian Meeting House |
Mr John Gibbs |
|
12 |
Ipswich Unitarian Meeting House |
Ms Ann Boeppler |
|
13 |
Religious Society of Friends (Ipswich
and Diss MM) |
Mr Martin Pennock |
|
14 |
Religious Society of Friends (Ipswich
and Diss MM) |
Ms Verna Duncan |
|
15 |
Soka Gakkai International (SGI)
Suffolk |
Mr Adrianus van Helvert |
|
16 |
Soka Gakkai International (SGI)
Suffolk |
Mrs Stacy Thunes Smith |
|
17 |
Spiritual Assembly of Baha'is of
Ipswich |
Ms Shiva Cooper |
|
18 |
Spiritual Assembly of Baha'is of
Ipswich |
Mr Richard Togher |
|
19 |
Sri Chinmoy Centre |
Mr Martin Spettigue |
|
20 |
St Nicholas' Hospice (BSE) |
Revd John Stroud |
|
21 |
Suffolk Humanists |
Ms Margaret Nelson |
|
22 |
Suffolk Humanists |
Mr David Mitchell |
|
23 |
West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust |
Revd Graham Rendle |
|
24 |
West Suffolk Hospital NHS Trust |
Revd Canon David Crawley |
Representatives of
Affiliate Agencies
|
1 |
Coastal Homeless
Action Group |
Ms Alison Baker |
|
2 |
Farthing, Singleton
and Hastings |
Ms Andrea Race |
|
3 |
Ipswich Borough
Council |
Mrs Christine Christenson |
|
4 |
Ipswich Hospital NHS
Trust |
Ms Jennifer Canham |
|
5 |
Ipswich Housing Action
Group Ltd |
Ms Jean Russell |
|
6 |
Ipswich YMCA Mrs |
Linda Sheppard |
|
7 |
Optua |
Mr David Finn |
|
8 |
Suffolk County
Constabulary |
Inspector Peter Haystead |
|
9 |
Suffolk County Council (Diversity) |
Mr Andy Yacoub |
|
10 |
Suffolk County Council
(Fostering Care) |
Ms Jane Best |
|
11 |
Suffolk New College |
Mrs Marilyn Watsham |
|
12 |
The Iceni Project |
Ms Carol Slater |
|
13 |
The Probation Service |
Ms Carol Mansell |
|
14 |
Waterfront Community
Centre |
Ms Pamela Littlejohn |
TUTORS WHO HAVE BEEN ENGAGED BY SIFRE IN THE YEAR
|
1 |
Ms Aisha Abu Bakar |
|
36 |
Mr Sejad Mekie |
|
2 |
Revd Harold Afflu |
|
37 |
Mrs Elahe Mojdehi |
|
3 |
Mr M Ali |
|
38 |
Mr Osman Morrisom |
|
4 |
Mr Shpetim Alimeta |
|
39 |
Ms Margaret Nelson |
|
5 |
Mr Daniel Allum |
|
40 |
Mr Nathan Nelson |
|
6 |
Mr Tariq Amin |
|
41 |
Mrs Rose Norgate |
|
7 |
Mr Christopher Blomeley |
|
42 |
Mrs Aruna Ohdhia |
|
8 |
Ms Julie Brown |
|
43 |
Ms Sylvie Parker |
|
9 |
Revd Nina Brown |
|
44 |
Revd John Peck |
|
10 |
Mrs Cynthia Capey |
|
45 |
Ms Naomi Perowne |
|
11 |
Dr William Capey |
|
46 |
Ms Shelagh Phillips |
|
12 |
Dr Adrian
Cooper |
|
47 |
Mrs Liz Pichon |
|
13 |
Mrs Shiva Cooper |
|
48 |
Mr Terry Pickard |
|
14 |
Ms Jyoti Dabhi |
|
49 |
Mr Andrew Platt |
|
15 |
Ms Sandra Day |
|
50 |
Dr Shams Qazi |
|
16 |
Mrs Gitti Dunham |
|
51 |
Captain Alan Reed |
|
17 |
Ms Jnanamitra Emmett |
|
52 |
Ms Valerie Sawyer |
|
18 |
Ms Sujata Gathani |
|
53 |
Mrs Elizabeth Serpell |
|
19 |
Mrs Jean Gittens |
|
54 |
Dr Atul Shah |
|
20 |
Ms Isabelle Grela |
|
55 |
Mr David Sharp |
|
21 |
Ms Ewa Haladus |
|
56 |
Mr Sucha Singh |
|
22 |
Ms Eve Haywood |
|
57 |
Mr Sukhpreet Singh |
|
23 |
Mr Robin Herne |
|
58 |
Mrs Lavita Smith |
|
24 |
Mr Martin Hillary |
|
59 |
Mr Terry Smith |
|
25 |
Mr David Jones |
|
60 |
Dr Sushil Soni |
|
26 |
Mrs Prabjot Kaur |
|
61 |
Dr Anne Spalding |
|
27 |
Mrs Nazly Khan |
|
62 |
Mr Martin Spettigue |
|
28 |
Mr Mojlum Khan |
|
63 |
Mr Bhupindar Sually |
|
29 |
Mr Tim Knights |
|
64 |
Miss Elizabeth Sugarman |
|
30 |
Ms Vinaya Kulkarni |
|
65 |
Mrs Shirley Sunkin |
|
31 |
Mrs Kiran Kumar |
|
66 |
Mrs Katy Tatum-Smith |
|
32 |
Mrs Beverley Levy |
|
67 |
Mrs Stacy Thunes Smith |
|
33 |
Mr Amoghavajra Mackay) |
|
68 |
Miss Tanya White |
|
34 |
Mr Faisal Masoud |
|
69 |
Mr George Willson |
|
35 |
Mrs Barbara Mayhew |
|
70 |
Ms Keren Wright |
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 2008,
which are set out on the following pages.
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:
1. 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
2. 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
Relevant professional qualification or body: DMS Cert Ed
Address: Suffolk New College, 1 Upper High Street, Ipswich, IP1 3NE
Date: 15th
July 2008
|
Suffolk Inter-Faith
Resource |
|||||||||||
|
BALANCE SHEET |
|||||||||||
|
For the period from
1st April 2007 to 31st March 2008 |
|||||||||||
|
Note |
2007/2008 |
2006/2007 |
|||||||||
|
£.p . |
£.p . |
£.p . |
£.p . |
||||||||
|
Tangible assets |
|||||||||||
|
Tangible fixed assets |
13 |
0.00 |
114.15
|
||||||||
|
Other tangible assets
(saleable stock) |
14 |
366.00 |
2,099.83 |
||||||||
|
Current assets |
|||||||||||
|
Debtors and
Prepayments |
15 |
8,942.25
|
8,310.53 |
||||||||
|
Cash at bank |
40,406.66 |
58,351.51 |
|||||||||
|
49,348.91 |
66,662.04 |
||||||||||
|
Income received in
advance |
16 |
- |
- |
||||||||
|
Creditors: amount
falling due |
17 |
7,699.37 |
6,815.11 |
||||||||
|
within one year |
|||||||||||
|
7,699.37 |
6,815.11 |
||||||||||
|
Net assets |
42,015.55 |
62,060.91 |
|||||||||
|
Unrestricted funds |
11,767.57
|
17,464.91 |
|||||||||
|
Restricted Funds |
|||||||||||
|
Restricted Fund (Staff Salaries and
Expenses) (Note A) |
247.99 |
220.89 |
|||||||||
|
Restricted Fund (Staff Salaries
Contingencies) (Note B) |
30,000.00 |
30,000.00 |
|||||||||
|
Restricted Fund (EEFA Project) (Note C) |
0.00
|
12,596.71 |
|||||||||
|
Restricted Fund (Research Projects) (Note D)
|
0.00 |
1,778.40 |
|||||||||
|
Restricted Fund(CDF Funded Conference) |
0.00 |
||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||
|
Total funds |
42,015.55 |
62,060.91 |
|||||||||
|
For the year ended.31st
March 2008, the company was entitled to exemption under section 249A(1) of
the Companies Act 1985. |
|||||||||||
|
No members have
required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in
question in accordance with section 249B(2). |
|||||||||||
|
The directors
acknowledge their responsibility for: i) Ensuring the company keeps
accounting records which comply with section 221; |
|||||||||||
|
and ii) Preparing
accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the
company as at the end of its profit and loss for |
|||||||||||
|
the financial year in
accordance with section 226, and which otherwise comply with the requirements
of the Companies Act relating |
|||||||||||
|
to accounts, so far as
applicable to the company. |
|||||||||||
|
These Financial Statements were approved by the Board of Suffolk
Inter-Faith Resource |
|||||||||||
|
and signed on their behalf by |
|||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
|
William David Capey - Treasurer |
|||||||||||
|
Note A |
|||||||||||
|
The Restricted Fund
(Staff Salaries and Expenses) represents monies received from Suffolk County |
|||||||||||
|
Council and used to
pay staff salaries and expenses |
|||||||||||
|
Note B |
|||||||||||
|
The Restricted Fund
(Staff Salaries Contingencies) constitutes the reserves of SIFRE. |
|||||||||||
|
It has been
established by the Board to meet legal liabilities in the event of SIFRE's
dissolution. |
|||||||||||
|
Note C |
|||||||||||
|
The Restricted Fund
(EEFA Project) represents monies received and used to fund the work of the
East |
|||||||||||
|
of England Faiths
Agency Project. |
|||||||||||
|
Note D |
|||||||||||
|
The Restricted Fund
(Research Projects) represents monies received and used to fund the work of
the two |
|||||||||||
|
research projects on
'Women in the Shadows' and 'Muslim Youth and Social Exclusion' |
|||||||||||
