(Ed. Note: Mark Anderson, the present Chair of Trustees found this historical gem – THANK YOU! We offer both the facsimile as a pdf flipbook and the text below.)

 

THE FINDHORN FOUNDATION 

THE PARK – FINDHORN BAY -FORRES
MORAY -SCOTLAND
Telephone: Findhorn 311 

Trustees:                                                                         Executive Committee:
Captain R. Ross Stewart, R.N. (Ret’d) D.L., J.P.           Founder & Chairman: Mr. Peter Caddy
Sir George Trevelyan, Bart, M.A.                                  Treasurer : Miss Joan Hartnell-Beavis
Miss Joan Hartnell-Beavis                                            Secretary: Miss Dorothy Maclean, B.A.
Mrs. Pauline Tawse
Mr. John Hilton 

                                           June, 1972 

Dear 

As Chairman of the Trustees of the newly-formed Findhorn Foundation, I am writing to all the friends of The Findhorn Trust to tell them that our application for recognition as a Religious and Educational Charity has been successful. We are now registered with the Inland Revenue authorities under our new name of “The Findhorn Foundation”. 

An application for charitable status was made some years ago but was refused because the Inland Revenue authorities were unable to recognise that the aims of the Community were directed to the service of humanity as a whole. The booklet “Transformation of Findhorn” makes it clear that, during the earlier years the energies of the Community were, in part, devoted to putting down the roots of the centre and to creating an environment of New Age living in which the continuous revelation of the active presence of God in all creațion might be experienced.

As Findhorn evolved our new identity became apparent. It was as if the seed pods had burst and the seeds had started to germinate. Our weaving, pottery and crafts became silent messengers of the God within. The spoken word at our new College also conveyed the same message, as did the publications from our expanded printing presses. The seemingly self-contained nature of our Community was now becoming increasingly dynamic.

In the deed of the new Trust the aims and objects of The Findhorn Foundation are defined as follows:-

“The advancement of religion and religious studies and practices in any part of the world by teaching, example and demonstration of the validity of the essential truths of all religious and spiritual teachings and by such means to encourage and help those who sincerely seek, by the increase of their knowledge and the development of their being, to achieve a greater understanding of the purpose and meaning of life and its relationship to God’s plan.”

This phraseology is that of our Edinburgh Solicitors, and I think it would be hard to improve upon it. We are grateful to them for the skilful and expeditious way in which they dealt with our application.

I think I should take this opportunity of defining what advantages accrue to the Trust from “charitable status”. In the first place, The Trust is not liable for income tax on its earnings provided that these monies are used exclusively to further the approved purposes of the Trust. Secondly, there will be rating concessions on all buildings used for Trust purposes. Thirdly, where a supporter of the Trust decides that he or she wishes to execute a Deed of Covenant whereby they contract to pay a fixed annual sum to the Trust funds for a period of not less than seven years, the Trust is entitled to recover the income tax which the donor has paid on the amount of each annual sum. Fourthly, in accordance with the provisions of the recent Budget all gifts to the Trust for sums up to £50,000 are now exempt from Estate Duty.

As has been stated in “Transformation of Findhorn”, the Community has been guided to undertake a rapid and wide expansion involving certain projects which, we are told, will be vitally important in the days ahead. As a friend of Findhorn it will interest you to know the nature of these projects. They include those undertaken during the past year and still in the process of development, and others which we have been told are soon to be embarked upon, of which the following are the most important:-

College Development

Residential Accommodation
Classrooms
Recording Equipment
Library Fund
Musical Instruments
Outdoor Activities Fund
Conversion of Old Shop to Small Theatre, and Theatre Equipment

Community Development

Nursery School
Extension to Community Centre
More Accommodation for Residents and Visitors
More Office Accommodation

Studio Development

New Printing Premises and Additional Machinery
New Kiln and Kiln Room

In the past our expansion has always been confined to a single project at any one time, such as the building of the Community Centre which took place in 1969. Proceeding under guidance and in obedience to the Laws of Manifestation, we had complete faith that our needs would be met. Indeed they were met, and in consequence we acquired a reputation for prompt payment of our bills.

During the past year the Community has more than doubled its numbers. At the same time, more and more people are anxious to visit us, and the demand throughout the world for information about Findhorn and for our literature is constantly increasing. It is this realisation of the crying need of the World that has convinced us that our expansion has to be speeded up to the point where a number of different projects have to be undertaken simultaneously, This has been confirmed by guidance.

Whereas initially it was our financial needs that were met through the action of our well wishers, more recently it has been our need of skilled personnel that has been supplied. People dedicated to the New Age Vision, and equipped with the particular skills which we require, have come to Findhorn prepared to give up their livelihoods in the outside world in order to help us the more rapidly and effectively to achieve our aims and objectives. This has meant that the funds which have continued to be manifested for the needs of the Community, have had to be used very largely for the maintenance of our new personnel, many of whom are young people.

However, the reputation and goodwill which have been established over the years among our suppliers have stood us in good stead and although it has not been possible to meet our bills with the promptness which we prefer, they have been generous in their co-operation. It will be appreciated that it would not be right to lean too heavily on this generosity, and therefore, we are inviting all those who share the vision which this Centre is seeking to actualise for the world, to express in a practical way their desire to participate in our work and our expansion, the furtherance of which depends on our ability to meet our commitments and to continue to support those young people who come here to demonstrate their dedication to the New Age and so prepare themselves for the greater responsibilities which, at some future time, they will be called upon to assume

We need your support in whatever measure you are able to give it, be it large or small; but above all we need to know that you and all those who count themselves our friends are aware that it is through their support of our work that this Centre will be able to realise the vision of the New Age which it is seeking to demonstrate.

Yours sincerely,

(Ross Stewart, Capt. R.N.)
Chairman