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THE BRITISH BENEVOLENT FUND OF MADRID

Annual Report and Statement of Accounts 2016

The Annual General Meeting for the Fund

The British Embassy, Madrid 41st Floor, Torre Espacio

Paseo de la Castellana 259D 28046 Madrid

5:30pm, Thursday 23rd March 2017

President

H.E. Mr. Simon Manley CMG, H. M. Ambassador Spain and Andorra

Executive Committee

Mr. Stewart Cusden, Chairman

Ms. Sarah-Jane Morris (Consul)

Ms. Carolyn Stewart de Meléndez (Vice Chairman)

Mr. Charles Wilson (Hon. Treasurer)

Ms. Susan Jones Bidwell (Hon. Secretary)

Mr. Jonathan Beattie

Mr. Olaf Clayton

Mr. Jonathan Cumming

Dr. Ian Daniel

Mrs. Diane Kiddell

Mr. Joseph Mondéjar

Rev. Paul Ormrod

Mr. Roger Pike

Ms. Kim Stollard

Mrs. Sheila Stuart

Mr. David Wolfe

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Chairman’s report for 2016 and appeal for 2017 Dear Friend of the British Benevolent Fund,

I am writing to you again with the Chairman’s Report for 2016 before reporting to you at

the Annual General Meeting. This year the AGM has been brought forward as the BBF is

now operating on a calendar year basis as it is a legal entity in Spain.

Our Honorary President, H.M. Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley CMG will once again

preside over the AGM and we are grateful to him for hosting the event.

Solid progress has been made during 2016 both in fundraising efforts and reaching more

people in need.

The Executive Committee met 7 times during 2016 and helped 42 people financially and

paid out the sum of €35,400 during the course of the year. This was an increase of 1183%

over the previous year in the total value of grants made. In addition, members of the

Committee made 15 befriending visits in the area of Madrid and partnered with

Runnymede College in their Duke of Edinburgh’s Award programme.

The BBF continued to support one long term case but the remaining cases dealt with were

for short term relief with some payments made in instalments.

During the course of 2016 the focus has been in the Province of Alicante and surrounding

coastal areas collaborating with Age Concern España, Help International, the Royal British

Legion in Spain and MABS Cancer Support. The cases that we receive from these charities

are supplemented by those from the British Consulates around Spain. A charity workshop

with representatives from the aforementioned charities and the Consulate in Alicante was

held on October 24th, 2016 prior to a

fundraising concert held in the Alicante

Auditorium supported by the choir of

King’s, the British School of Alicante.

For the first time the BBF held a fundraising

concert in London on 21st April, 2016 to

celebrate the 90th birthday of Her Majesty

the Queen. A modest sized audience

included H.M. Ambassador, Simon Manley

and his wife with the costs underwritten by

the William Allen Young Charitable Trust, a

long-time supporter of the BBF.

The summer fete in September of each year

is now well established in the calendar of English speaking non-profit making groups

around Madrid. Well attended with over 30 stalls promoting various organisations,

coordinated by the BBF and St. George’s Anglican Church.

LtoR: HMA Simon Manley CMG, Rebecca Taylor, Lorena Paz Nieto, Wagner Moreira, Maria Isabel Fernandez Utges Stanley, Michael Butten and Gwyn Owen at St.Philip’s Church. Earls Court, London

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The annual fundraising concert in

Madrid took place at the Real

Academia de Bellas Artes on 27th

October with an excellent attendance

and great music supplied by

musicians trained at the Royal

Academy of Music in London. The

theme this time was Songs from the

Shows and together with the choir

from Runnymede College provided

entertainment for over 150 people.

Unfortunately the cost of hiring

Bellas Artes increased substantially

and an alternative venue will be sought for 2017. The BBF is extremely grateful to the

musicians who travelled to Alicante and Madrid and who gave of their time free.

During the course of 2016 there was only one meeting of the Advisory Council. Lisa

Montague, CEO Loewe in Spain, returned to London but we are pleased to welcome

Lauren Taylor-Perolo, Director Marketing at the King’s Group. The Advisory Council

consists of five people from the world of academia and commerce to provide guidance to

the Executive Committee and to ensure the wellbeing of the Fund.

A particular vote of thanks is due to members of the Executive Committee who give of

their time without reimbursement. This includes the Case Support Committee, who

evaluate the receipt of cases carefully and promptly, as well as the Events and Marketing

Committees.

Thanks also go to our gestor who acts as the auditor. Sylvia Alvarez of DH Asociaciones has

always made herself available for consultation and is a specialist in registered associations.

The BBF also wishes to thank John Kiddell who has made a meeting room available at no

cost for Executive Committee meetings.

The BBF remains very grateful to those

who support us with donations each year.

This year we received significant support

from the William Allen Charitable Trust,

Frank Powell the Principal of Runnymede

College and the Bernard Sunley

Charitable Foundation.

Grateful thanks go to all those who donate money.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Stewart Cusden Chairman

Rebecca Taylor (piano), Jenny Stafford (soprano), and Ross Scanlon (tenor) with the choir of Runnymede College at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando, Madrid

The Summer Fete on the patio at St. George´s Church, Madrid

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Treasurer’s Report 2016 and Budget 2017

The statement of accounts for 2016 and the comparison with 2015 is displayed on the

opposite page. As well as a new current account, the Fund opened an additional sterling

bank account to handle income and expenses in that currency and reduce exchange costs.

For the purposes of this report an exchange rate of 1.17 Euros per pound has been used.

Income: Over the course of 2016, the fund grew growth by just over €17, 600 despite the

objective of awarding grants equivalent to the total net income. This brought the fund to a

total value of €211,700 at the end of the year. This can be compared to a total fund value

of €98,400 at the end of 2010 to see that the fund has more than doubled in just 6 years.

Otherwise, the net income of about €52,550 after allowing for event expenses was similar

to the previous year.

Grants: Notwithstanding this growth, the total grants awarded in 2016 exceeded €35,400

which was an incredible increase of more than 118% compared to the €16,250 awarded in

2015. Further details are provided in the Grants Report.

Donors: The number of donors increased to 52 (46 in 2015) and was an encouraging step

along the path of trying to reach the levels of 72 donors achieved in 2010.

Expenses: Net administration costs were just over €3,400 for 2016 compared to €2,400 for

the previous year. This increase was much lower than expected. The extra costs of the

gestoria and insurance were offset by minimal marketing costs compared to those of 2015

for the purchase of roll-up banners, visiting cards and reprinting of leaflets.

Budget 2017: The proposed budget for

2017 is shown on the right. It has been

prepared taking into account the changes

experienced by the BBF over the last two

years. These include becoming a legal

association, deciding not to hold an event in

Alicante in 2017, and cautious optimism

that the main benefactor will continue to

support the work of the BBF for the

immediate future. As last year, the budget

has been prepared using the zero-sum

principle with the intention of matching

grants with the estimated income in 2017.

Charlie Wilson Honorary Treasurer

€ RECEIPTS

50,000.00 Donations

5,500.00 Events/Concerts/Raffle

220.00 Interest

55,720.00 Total Income

EXPENSES

-51,220.00 Grant Payments

-4,500.00 Administration Costs

-55,720.00 Total Expenditure

0.00 Excess exp/income

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Grants Report 2016 In line with the long term vision of providing help to British people in need throughout the

whole of Spain, regular grants have been reduced and exceptional grant activity for cases

outside Madrid has been expanded. In 2016 the focus was on developing partners in the

region covered by the Alicante consulate. Working with these partners the BBF was able

to put in place an effective application process and develop guidelines on how grant

applications are assessed.

In 2016 there were a total of 31 applications, 23 of which were awarded grants and the

remaining 8 were either rejected or funds were not needed.

Total grants of €35,442 were paid out to help 22 cases as follows:

Exceptional grants €28,442 21 cases helping 42 people including dependants

Regular grants €6,600 1 case currently under review

Consular emergency funds €400 helping 30-40 people on average

2016 represented a growth year. In 2015 total payments made were only €10,391 of

exceptional grants for 9 cases, €7,500 of regular grants for 2 cases and €200 to Consular

emergency funds. This represents an increase in 2016 of 133% on the number of

‘exceptional grant’ cases accepted and an increase of 174% in the value of exceptional

grants awarded. By contrast, the regular grant cases were halved and the value of regular

grants decreased by 12%.

Grants Awarded by Category

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It is expected that this growth trend will continue in 2017 with the aim of reaching a value

of €45,000 of exceptional grants awarded and further reducing the value of regular grants

that are made. The focus for 2017 is to develop further partners in the areas covered by

the Malaga and Barcelona consulates.

In addition to the national grant awarding activities, BBF volunteers made befriending

visits to 15 isolated/vulnerable individuals living in the Madrid region. The BBF also

partnered with Runnymede College to successfully match students working for their Duke

of Edinburgh awards with individuals in need of befriending.

Kim Stollard Case Support

Advisory Council Mr. Simon Manley CMG (Leader) H.M. Ambassador The British Embassy, Madrid

Mr. Frank Powell Headmaster Runnymede College

Ms. Lisa Montague (until Sept 2016) Chief Executive Officer Loewe, S.A.

Ms. Lauren Taylor-Perolo (from Sept 2016) Marketing Director King’s Group

Mr. Nick Alexander Director G4S European Security Systems

Mr. Roger Cooke, MBE Asesor Internacional, Inmobiliario y de Empresas

Mr. Andrew Mackay Director British Council

Mr. Stewart Cusden Chairman British Benevolent Fund

Grants Awarded by

Geographical Area

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Donations received in 2016

Mr. Ian Alexander

Mr. Nicholas D. F. Alexander

Mr. Jonathan H. Beattie

Mr. Michael L. Buneman

Mr. Keith Robert Chapman

Ms. Sarah Chelton

Ms. Susan Cheyne

Mr. Olaf Clayton

The Consulate General of Madrid

Mr. Roger Cooke, MBE

Mr. Jonathan Cumming

Mr. Stewart Cusden

Dr. Ian M. Daniel

Ms. Patricia Doswell Langford

Mr. Charles Francis Drayton

Mr. Charles Elwell

Ms. Mª del Carmen Figueras Bartroli

Sir Roger Fry, CBE

Mr. Robert P. H. Good

Ms. Mª Eugenia Duperier Aymar

Mr. Robert D. Grant

Mr. George Cyril Hall

Mr. John V. Hutchinson

Mr. Harold V. Jones

Ms. Susan Jones Bidwell

Mrs. Diane Kiddell

Mr. Andrew Mackay

King’s College Madrid

Mr. Brian D. Mahoney

Mr. Joe Mondéjar

Mr. Andrew J. G. Moore

Mr. Paul William Ormrod

Mr. Roger Anthony Pike

Mr. Alexander Pitts

Mrs. Susan Reed

Mrs. Patricia Anne Rigge, MBE

Runnymede School

Mr. Mervyn Samuel

Mr. Peter Shackleford

Mr. David Smith

Ms. Carolyn Stewart de Melendez

Ms. Kim Stollard

Mrs. Sheila Stuart

Mr. Dale McDonald Sumner

Mrs. Anne Elizabeth Sunley, MBE

Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation

Ms. Johanna Swanson

Ms. Claire Dominique Tedjini

Ms. Winifred Helen Young

William Allen Young Charitable Trust

Mr. Charlie P. Wilson

Mr. David Edward Wolfe