Bell Restoration Fund Rules

Registered Charity No 515824

Rules of the Fund adopted at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association held on 12th April 2008
Changes to Rule 7 adopted at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association held on 14th April 2018
Changes to Rule 7 adopted at the Annual General Meeting of the Association held on 13th January 2024

  1. The fund shall be known as The Shropshire Association of Church Bell Ringers (the Association) Bell Restoration Fund (the Fund).
  2. The object of the Fund shall be to provide financial assistance by way of grants to churches in the Salop Archdeaconry of the Lichfield Diocese for the provision, maintenance and improvement of their bells and bell installations for full circle ringing.
  3. The provision, maintenance and improvement of bells and bell installations shall include taking out existing bells and frames, recasting flawed bells, welding cracked bells, tuning bells, removing cast-in crown staples and cannons, reclappering existing bells, providing replacement or additional bells, providing new frames, repairing or extending existing frames, overhauling existing ringing fittings, providing replacement or additional fittings, rehanging bells, installation or improvement of sound control systems and the provision and maintenance of equipment to facilitate the teaching of ringing.
  4. The replacement of bell ropes is regarded as a matter of routine maintenance and will not qualify for grant assistance from the Fund
  5. The Committee of the Association may from time to time allocate sums of money from the Fund to support the maintenance of a bank of re-furbished bell ropes.
  6. Grants will be awarded at the discretion of the Committee of the Association.
  7. The value of an individual grant may be up to whichever is the greater of 50% of the value of the project or 15% of the balance held in the Fund, calculated on the date the grant is awarded. The maximum grant will be £10,000 and no grant will exceed 50% of the value of the project.
    Should a donation be received on the condition that the funds are to be used for a specific purpose those funds are to be ring-fenced within the accounts until such time as the distribution can be made to fulfil the conditions of the donation. The maximum grant values for the project will be applied as set out in Rule 7 and the conditional donation will be given in addition to the calculated grant value.
  8. All applications must be supported in writing by the PCC of the church for which assistance from the Fund is sought.
  9. Where appropriate, a copy of the Faculty for the work must accompany the application.
  10. All applications must be accompanied by a copy of a written quotation from a reputable contractor who is to undertake the work. In the case of projects with a value in excess of £2,000, at least two quotations must be obtained and copies supplied with the application. In the case of large projects, churches are recommended to obtain at least three quotations from reputable contractors.
  11. Payment of a grant will be made on satisfactory completion of the project. The Association's Bell Adviser will inspect the work and, when satisfied that all has been completed to a satisfactory standard, will instruct the Association's Treasurer to release the monies.
  12. Staged payments of grants from the Fund will be considered by the Committee where such an arrangement forms part of the agreement with the contractor. Such payments will be made on a pro-rata basis in accordance with the value of the contractor's interim invoices. These payments will be subject to approval following inspection by the Association's Bell Adviser as in paragraph 11 above.
  13. The fund shall be administered by the Committee of the Association who shall have the power, after considering an application submitted in writing, to approve a grant from the Fund. Any offer of a grant from the Fund that is not taken up will expire after a period of, normally, two years from the date of the offer letter. Applicants will then be free to re-apply.
  14. The Trustees of the Association shall be Trustees of the Fund. Any two of the authorised signatories of the Association may sign cheques drawn on the Fund. The Trustees shall have the power to invest or otherwise deal with the sums in the Fund in such a way as the Committee shall direct. Any changes in investment and any grants made will be announced by the Treasurer at the first Committee meeting afterwards.
  15. In the event of the dissolution of the Fund, the assets of the Fund shall be distributed for the purposes of bell restoration in accordance with the objects of the Fund (as set out in Rule 2 above) by a General Meeting of the Association.
  16. The Association Treasurer shall prepare a balance sheet as at 31st December of each year and an income and expenditure account for the year ended on that date. These accounts shall be audited or independently examined by an auditor or independent examiner appointed by the Association. They shall be presented to the members at the first Annual General Meeting held after 31st December of the year for which they are prepared.
  17. No alteration, addition or deletion to these rules shall be made so as to cause the Fund at any time to cease to be a charity in law. No alteration or deletion shall be made except at an Annual General Meeting of the Association or at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Association called especially for the purpose. Notice of any proposed alteration, addition or deletion to these rules shall be given to the Secretary of the Association at least one calendar month prior to the date of the Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting.