The Objective of the Trust is to perpetuate the memory of Norman J Barnes by making grants to students to attend musical study courses or similar activities directly associated with music. The intention is to help students who might not otherwise be able to afford such courses but this should not preclude those who can. Applicants should be attending either King Edward VII School, Sheffield or the choir of St John’s, Ranmoor, Sheffield, and be under 19 years of age at the time of application.
Contact: Shelagh
Marston (Hon Sec), Smith Wood Studios, 62 Endcliffe Hall Avenue, Sheffield S10
3EL; tel: 0114 266 4449; fax: 0114 267 1922;
email: shelaghmarston*at*btinternet.com.
NJB died on 2nd April 2000. It was during the planning for the Memorial Service at St John’s that a number of his ex-pupils expressed the view that it would be good to set up a memorial fond to perpetuate his name and a collection was taken at the service to start the fund going.
It was the end of August 2000 before four Trustees had been found (two from King Edward’s and two from St Johns). Trustees then had to prepare the Trust Deed and formulate rules of operation. Initial advice from NJB’s solicitor (privately funded) was costly and so Shelagh Marston took advice from the Charity Commission and drafted the Deed herself. It took a while to satisfy the Commission and so it was late autumn before Trustees sent the Deed to be franked by the Inland Revenue and approved by the Charity Commission.
In December 2000 Trustees received a notification from the Charity Commission for a Supplemental Deed to cover the eventuality that both St John’s and King Edward’s would cease to exist! No charity number would be allocated until a Supplemental Deed had been agreed and sent for approval At this point it got very frustrating because the Treasurer had been unable to open a bank account; the high street bank said that a charity number was needed first. Some cheques had been written at the Memorial Service and these went out of date and had to be returned to the donors. Later the Charity Commission informed Trustees that the bank had been wrong.
The Trust was finally fully set up in April 2001, just in time for the first anniversary of NJB’s death. By now we had £600 - £300 from the Memorial Service and from people associated with the service, and £300 from the Old Edwardians. The Old Edwardians indicated that each year they will be willing to consider donating to the fund if they are kept informed about its affairs, and the way it is administered. Trustees sent out a letter of invitation to all those who had implied at the memorial service that they wished to know when the Trust was set up, and to others who might be interested. By autumn 2001 there was £2,990 in the kitty plus £51.69 interest (by now the capital sum was in an account with the Charities Aid Foundation). Only the interest is spent on the grants.
In the spring of 2002 Trustees embarked on the first year of grant making. A detailed set of rules had been prepared as guidelines. Ideally Trustees would like to give one award to each institution each year. There was just over £100 of interest to give away i.e. 2 grants of about £50. Not a vast sum, but it keeps NJB’s name very much alive. That year St. John’s did not have any applicants so two grants were awarded to ICES pupils - a grant of £40 for a CSYO member to go on the orchestra’s summer tour to Croatia and £70 to a student to attend a Samba Fever course in Wales (now that would amuse NJB!). In 2003 it was the turn of KES to be unable to supply applicants for a grant, partly because KES had a new Head of Music. So two choristers from St John’s received grants - one for £70 to attend the RSCM Easter course at Stowe School and one for £30 to attend the RSCM Cathedral course at York in the summer. In 2004 the tables reversed again; a new Director of Music at St. John’s did not have suitable applicants. There was £110 interest to give away and grants were made of £50 to a King Edward’s pupil attending a folkworks youth summer school at Durham and of £60 to twins in the sixth form going to Spain with the CSYO.
Trustees hit an unexpected problem when begging letters started arriving from all over the country. The Objectives of Trusts registered with the Charity Commission are displayed on a Web site. Our Objects (which the Commission stated should be as brief as possible) did not say that only applicants from two institutions were eligible to apply. That was in the rules, but not in the Objects. Another Supplemental Deed had to be prepared and registered with the Commission
The donations received so far total £3,230. This has been augmented by a Gift Aid Reclaim of £776. The capital is held in an account with the Charities Aid Foundation. The interest generated to October 04 is £356. Grants made in 2002, 2003 and 2004 total £320. Trustees meet at least twice a year, formal minutes are taken and annual reports are made. A return is made to the Charity Commission each year.
Trustees are delighted to have a significant Memorial Fund with which to honour Norman Barnes. He is still a powerful memory for many of us.
Contact: Shelagh
Marston (Hon Sec), Smith Wood Studios, 62 Endcliffe Hall Avenue, Sheffield S10
3EL; tel: 0114 266 4449; fax: 0114 267 1922;
email: shelaghmarston*at*btinternet.com