Chair of Charity Commission, Mark Simms, reflects on the work of Friends of Cathedral charities in maintaining and supporting places of worship and community.
Good afternoon,
Thank you for having me. It is a pleasure and a joy to be joining you in this handsome cathedral building, grand not only in size but also in the architectural vision and ambition involved in its construction.
This building perfectly exemplifies why your work as Friends of Cathedrals matters so much. And its distinctive design mirrors, I think, the singular spirit of the great city of Liverpool.
I have the pleasure of visiting Liverpool regularly. One of the Charity Commission's offices, our largest in fact, is just around the corner in Bootle. I feel a tremendous buzz of activity and initiative whenever I enter our Bootle offices, much as I do more generally in the city.
Liverpool's energy is, of course, ecumenical, emanating from a diverse population of people from various Christian denominations, as well as those of other faiths and none.
And as we celebrate the work of Friends of Cathedrals, it seems important to hold in mind another of Liverpool's great places of worship, the Roman Catholic Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, no less striking architecture, which of course stands just a half a mile from here, at the other end of Hope Street.
The importance of cathedrals to our communities and wider society should not be underestimated.
Cathedrals are not just bricks and mortar, not just buildings of beauty and grandeur.
They are sites of worship, of musical excellence, of shared ritual and ceremony.
And for well over a thousand years, they have existed to serve as literal and metaphorical beacons of the Christian gospel within society.
The work of Friends of Cathedrals charities
Preserving, maintaining and supporting cathedrals in all of these functions is of course at the heart of the work of Friends of Cathedral charities.
You don't need me to tell you this, but I am aware that our nations' cathedrals would be a great deal less well preserved, plainer, less resplendent and less welcoming were it not for what you do.
The charity I lead, called P3, is based in Derbyshire, a short drive from the city of Derby.
Derby's Cathedral stands in the centre of the city. It traces its origins back over a thousand years and is of significant historical interest.
But it's also a living, modern community - and its Friends help ensure it serves the widest number of people possible.
Recently, a significant contribution from the charity helped fund a new broadcasting system for the cathedral, allowing those who can't easily attend services in person to watch on YouTube.
Just one example of the great work of Friends of Cathedrals
I would like to thank you for that contribution.
And I'd like to thank you not just as volunteers, but specifically as trustees.
What trustees do is not always understood, let alone celebrated by those who benefit from a charity's work.
Trusteeship is often a role that is performed beyond the limelight.
If you will allow me a religious analogy.
If the work of some front-line volunteers is akin to singing loudly from the chancel: delightful, visible and audible.
Then the work of volunteer trustees is more like modest prayer, contemplation and sacrifice.
Serving as diligent stewards of your charity's mission and purposes, making difficult decisions along the way - whether that's about how to raise funds, how to apply them, or, in larger charities, how to manage staff in the best interests of the charity.
Like prayer to the faithful, trusteeship is at the heart of what matters in a charity.
Managing relationships
We know that each charity - each board of trustees - faces a unique set of circumstances, and by extension specific challenges.
Where charities have close relationships with other organisations - whether these are charities or not - issues can arise in ensuring that trustees know where their charities begin, and where they end.
I imagine that this may be a challenge for some trustees of Friends of Cathedrals, whose objects are so closely tied to the work of the cathedral they are associated with.
And indeed whose governing documents may expressly require close cooperation with those running the cathedral.
Often, as you will know, Deans and Canons or other members of the Chapter will also be trustees of Friends of Cathedrals.
Overall, these factors mean that the lines can be very fine, between the work of a cathedral, and the work of your charities in supporting it.
These lines must nonetheless be drawn with as much clarity as possible.
Because they equate to the fundamental duty of trustees to ensure everything their charity does is in furtherance of its purposes, and its purposes only.
No matter how lovely and worthwhile activities beyond those objects might be.
As you will be aware, your purposes or charitable objects are, for all that they are tied to the cathedral, distinct and separate.
Typically, a Friends of Cathedral charity is established to contribute to the care, maintenance and preservation of the cathedral itself, while the Cathedral Charity itself has a primary purpose to advance the Christian faith.
Research into trustee attitudes published by the Commission last year showed that while most trustees are aware of their positive duties, fewer are clear on things they should not be doing, including making decisions based on their personal views, or avoiding awkward questions.
So I'd encourage you to have a clear grip on your purposes, and what they mean in the context of your charity. Ensure you make decisions with these purposes in mind, and do not allow yourselves to be swayed beyond the limits of your mission.
This does not preclude a Friends of Cathedral charity from working in close and friendly cooperation with the management of the cathedral itself - and as mentioned, that cooperation is in some cases required.
But you should not allow decision making about how the charity spends its funds to be taken out of your hands.
Trusteeship involves a kind of courage - a courage that is to be wielded on behalf of your charity, no one and nothing else.
Cathedrals as charities
Now as you will know, it is only recently that Anglican cathedrals themselves became registered charities.
For decades, cathedrals were excepted from registration, despite being in their purposes charitable.
We at the Commission recognise the hard work involved in ensuring the governance of cathedrals reaches the standard expected of modern of modern-day charity and remains there.
Including in being compliant with charity law in every particularity, with trustees who are aware of their duties as such.
As Friends Of charities, you of course have been grappling with charity law, and the Commission as your regulator, for a very long time.
You may be small charities, compared to the vast resources and powers of the cathedrals you work with.
But in this matter, you may be more experienced.
You may have something to show and teach your cathedral colleagues.
Be generous with your instruction and guidance.
And remind your fellow trustees - whatever charity they might serve - that the Commission is there to help.
Commission's role and the support we offer
We aim to be fair, balanced and independent in the exercise of our regulatory functions. This means that we put as much thought and energy into supporting trustees to get it right, as we do on handling the situations where trustees have made mistakes - usually through oversight, or a lack of understanding of the legal requirements.
We know that the vast majority of trustees want to get it right, and want to serve their charities by fulfilling their legal duties and responsibilities with care and integrity.
Our guidance is there to support their endeavours.
We have worked hard over recent years to improve the clarity and accessibility of our online guidance. Recognising that trustees tend to be busy people, doing other things alongside their volunteer duties.
Our 5-minute guides, for example, offer succinct introductions to key topics, including decision making, safeguarding, managing your charity's finances and managing conflicts of interest.
We recently published our first ever annual Charity Sector Risk Assessment, which identifies the key risks facing charities from our perspective as regulator.
We found that challenges to financial resilience are among the gravest threats facing the sector. While the impact of financial pressures vary significantly between charities, depending on their size and operations, overall, more than 22% of charities reported an operating deficit in their 2023 Annual return.
The Commission cannot, of course, change the economic weather. However, we are doing our bit to help charities respond, and prepare.
We recently launched a new financial resilience campaign, which provides online guidance and a financial health check tool to help trustees better understand and manage their financial responsibilities.
I encourage you to seek these tools out, whether you are facing acute financial pressures at this time or not.
The research I mentioned earlier shows that those trustees who are aware of the Commission and what we offer are more likely to understand those trustees who do access and use our guidance are better able to demonstrate that they are well informed.
So do please engage with our guidance. It's there to be used.
Recruiting trustees and trustee diversity
I am aware that for many charities, a great challenge is recruiting new trustees who are willing to carry the work of the charity into the future.
I understand that Friends of Cathedrals are not immune from this challenge. And indeed, looking around me today, I notice that there is much, shall we say, maturity and experience in this room.
Last year we published a really interesting piece of research, with the organisation Pro Bono Economics which examined who trustees are and what their attitudes are to trusteeship.
It revealed that the median age of trustees is between 65 and 69, with over half retired. People aged 44 and under make up only 8% of trustees, and just 1% overall are aged 30 or under.
We are grateful to those who serve as trustees, at whatever time of life.
Their work is appreciated and valued, and should be celebrated, as we will do again this Trustees' Week in early November.
But we know that the best decisions in charities - as in other organisations - are made where there is robust debate, challenge and discussion.
And these things are more likely to happen where there is diversity of experience, skill and perspective on a board.
So we at the Commission are supportive of efforts within the sector to encourage people from a broad range of backgrounds to consider trusteeship.
In this context, I was interested to read that there may have been a recent revival in church attendance among younger people. The Bible Society published some research earlier this year suggesting church going among men under the age of 25 may have quadrupled to 16% since 2018, helping reverse the decline of church-going over all.
I would be interested to know whether cathedrals are among the beneficiaries of such a trend, and if so, whether efforts are being made to involve new members of your congregations to get involved with your charities.
There is lots of evidence that those who serve as trustees gain enormously from the role.
The research mentioned earlier showed that the vast majority of trustees are "immensely positive" about their experience, with eight in ten trustees likely to recommend the role to others.
And there are specific benefits for young people: around 6 in ten trustees under the age of 30 said trusteeship supported their career development.
So please, reach out to your communities, encourage new people to get involved with your charities - doing so will only benefit your cause, and incidentally enhance the lives of those you recruit.
Conclusion
Finally, I'd like to thank the Friends of Liverpool Cathedral and the Cathedral itself for hosting this event, bringing trustees from charities across the country together to share ideas, discuss pressing issues and offer mutual guidance.
There is, I have no doubt, huge and diverse experience and expertise in this room, and it's great that you're coming together to share it.
This kind of co-operation is vital in upholding and maintaining good standards of governance, and by extension, inspiring continued public trust in registered charities.
So thank you - on behalf of the Commission, and the public we all, ultimately exist to serve.
