Pontefract Masonic Hall
1st March 2025 given by Ian Wolstencroft
- Introduction
Brethren there are three topics to be dealt with under this Agenda item, and I think it would be helpful if I addressed all three at the same time. This will enable me to provide a narrative that starts with a look back at what has happened in the last year under report. I will then ask you to receive the Trustees’ Annual Report 2024 which I am sure you have all read cover to cover since it was circulated to you.
I will then move on to looking ahead firstly by reporting on changes to the Trustee Board and then with the help of David Whitelaw give you a demonstration of how we propose to move forward this year with new procedures and information reporting.
- Reflections on 2023/24
The 2023/24 financial year was the year after the big bang of the West Yorkshire Mark Benevolent Fund Festival at which you may remember we raised the magnificent some of £1.6m for the MBF. However, the work of the Trust had to go on. In the last financial year, the Trust raised £84,286 through various means and spent £76,561 giving a surplus on the year’s activities of £7,725. That together with a very significant movement in our investments meant that we ended the year with total reserves of £567,138 compared with the situation at the 31 August 2023 when the reserves figure stood at £492,304. All this information you will find in the Trustees’ Annual Report which has been circulated for your information. This report has been approved by the trustees and will be included in the annual report to the Charity Commission.
One figure which is not in that document, but is perhaps of great significance is the fact that through the last financial year the Trust helped around 250 people in the Province through the Almoners’ Lunches, the holiday at Lytham St Annes and direct assistance to individuals, that I think is a great achievement and is made possible through the co-operation between the Trust, the Provincial Almoner and Charity Steward and the support of Brethren and their families throughout the Province.
As a final reflection on 2023/24 I wish to express my thanks to the trustee board and to our Secretary David Whitelaw who have worked tremendously hard over the last few months to modernise the Trust and its administration. Sadly, we will be losing the services of three trustees this year and I would like to pay tribute to each of them individually.
Firstly, Geoff Kendall is stepping down. Unfortunately, Geoff can’t be with us this morning as his wife, Trish, is currently ill at home and can’t be left. I’m sure Geoff won’t mind me saying that his health is not what it was, but he has been a tremendous servant to the Trust. He joined the board as a Trustee in 2009 and finished as a trustee after the maximum allowed of 3 three-year terms in 2018. He was persuaded to continue supporting the board as its investment advisor and came back onto the board as a trustee in 2019 and was Chairman from 2021 to 2024. In all that time he kept an eye on our investments, and we are all very grateful to him for all the work he has done.
We are also losing Rodney Tolson. Rodney joined the board in 2018 and has decided that the time has come to retire and to allow younger, and hopefully more energetic, people to join the board. In his time as a trustee Rod has concentrated on being a member of the Grants subcommittee, and I’m sure his wise council will be missed.
Finally, our Treasurer, Mick Jessop, has decided to step down after just over the year in the post. Although only having been with us for a short time Mick has played his part in introducing tremendous changes to the financial administration of the charity, and in a few moments, you will see the results of that. Mick, we are sorry to lose you after such a short time.
- Administration
Looking to the future, in a moment I would like to introduce you to the proposed new members of the trustee board, but before that I would like to give some explanation of thinking behind how our recruitment process has developed.
Firstly, the Charity Commission encourages charities to try and ensure that membership of the trustee board reflects it stakeholders. You will, I am sure, remember that the Trust not only supports Brethren, but also their families and dependents.
Secondly, I was anxious that we spread our recruitment net as wide as possible to try and identify as much talent as we could and give the charity as wide a choice of candidates as possible as trustees going forward. For that purpose, I wrote to all members of the Province last autumn requesting expressions of interest not only from Brethren but also their wives and partners. Brethren we had 33 responses, which I found tremendously encouraging. That so many people were willing to put themselves forward to help support the trust is truly amazing. The current trustee board recommends the following individuals as new trustees who are the result of that process. They number 4, as we were already carrying one vacancy. I would ask each one to stand when I introduce them.
In no particular order:
Sandra Bulliman. Sandra is the wife of John Bulliman and has experience of helping John in his lodge charitable work and is an experienced administrator.
Craig Oates. Craig is a member of Elland Mark Lodge. He is a retired NHS senior executive, and he will hopefully be keeping us on the straight and narrow regarding data protection and administration.
Trevor Batten. Trevor is a member of Knaresborough Castle Mark Lodge He is retired actuary and was Chief Risk officer for a Friendly Society. He will pick up where Geoff left off regarding our investments and their administration.
Last, but not least James Denton. James is a member of Philanthropic Craft lodge, and not currently a Mark Man (but who knows). He is an accountant and has a practice in Pudsey. James will become our new Treasurer.
Provincial Grand Master, the Trust’s governing document requires this committee to elect the trustees and I would ask if you will now call for a seconder to my proposition that the persons named be elected as trustees of the Cleeves and Whitehead Trust and call for a vote there on.
4 The Future
Having got the administration bit out of the way we come to what I hope you find as the more interesting part. I have been attending this committee for more years than I care to remember and the one question that has been raised time and again is when are Lodge Charity Stewards going to be given information to help them do their job more effectively. Well brethren, ask no more.
Over the next few minutes David and I will take you through the new processes which will allow the trustees to more effectively manage the trust’s affairs and also share that improved information with both individual donors and eventually Lodge Charity Stewards. Before we start there is one overriding principle, I want to make clear.
Only those Charity Stewards who have signed the Data Protection declaration previously circulated will be able to take advantage of the data sharing we are proposing. If you haven’t signed such a declaration, then I’m afraid we cannot share data with you.
5 Presentation
First of all, can I emphasise that hopefully this session with be a conversation rather than simply a presentation, so please ask questions as they occur to you.
The Charity as it is currently organised was created in 2005 and has been using procedures and software developed in the 1990s. This required quite a lot of manual intervention to extract useable information and also had the risk that the major computer program is no longer supported by the manufacturer. It has meant that the trustees have struggled to respond to queries and extract management information.
Over the last few months, we have been looking at new systems and procedures and that is what we would now like to explain. Our whole approach has been one of simplifying things, and improving communications with the brethren at large, Lodge Charity Stewards and the provincial charity team.
