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Removed
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This charity was removed from the register on 13 Apr 2022
Public benefits
The beneficiaries are primarily Protestants of all denominations but also the general public. We have three charitable purposes: Firstly, to advance the culture and heritage of the Orange institution for the Protestant people in Northern Ireland. Secondly, to advance education about the Orange institution's history, traditions and culture to the
general public and our members. Thirdly, to encourage and uphold the principles of the reformed faith. The first two purposes are very much interlinked: advancing culture and education about the Orange institution. The direct benefit from these purposes is that the beneficiaries will gain knowledge about the history, literature, cultural traditions and music of the Orange institution. Another benefit of advancing culture is that the heritage of the Orange institution will be preserved for generations to come. Through our activities we are bringing people together to experience our traditions which brings great enjoyment to many people, for example our 12th July celebrations brings many families out to enjoy the parades. We are continually working to promote this festival to all the people of Belfast. We support the district orange lodges to promote our traditional music by hosting entertainment such as Ulster Scots dancing and marching band practice in Orange halls so that they can teach the younger generation our traditions. The direct benefit that comes from advancing the education of the general public about our traditions is that it will promote a greater understanding of our traditions from outside of our membership. We see this as an important role in promoting good community relations with other cultural traditions. By educating others we aim to challenge myths and stereotypes about the Orange institution, for example, we held an open evening in West Belfast so that people could find out about our activities. We hope to do more of this in the future. Our benefits are also evidenced by the numbers of people participating in our festivals and other activities such as historical events with guest speakers. The beneficiaries of our third purpose are predominantly from the protestant denominations, however, our church services are open to anyone who would like to attend. The direct benefit which flows from upholding the principles of the reformed faith is that people are being brought together to worship with other like-minded people which helps to give a sense of community and togetherness. These benefits are evidenced through the religious services we host throughout the year and each meeting we hold opens with prayer and scripture reading. We can also provide literature to encourage a deeper understanding of our faith. There is no private benefit from our activities. There may be a perception among those outside of the Orange community that our work is negative and therefore harmful. However, it is part of our role to counteract the negative publicity that sometimes surrounds our events. We produce a booklet/programme annually for the 12th festival, which includes historical events and helps to educate others that it’s a cultural event and not a political one. The profit raised from the sale of these books is distributed to various charities.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
We endeavour to advance the heritage and culture of Orange Institution in Belfast throughout the year, and to maintain and uphold the principles of the Reformed Protestant Evangelical Faith. This culminates in our 12th July, Demonstration, which is an annual event of celebration for anyone who wishes to see an expression of our culture, heritage
and faith, as portrayed through the art work on our banners, the traditional music played by marching bands on this and other occasions. These components give a sense of identity and community spirit. As a faith based organisation we encourage Christian values and church attendance, bringing like-minded people together for worship. We also raise funds through the sale of our 12th demonstration programmes /booklets, the profit of which is dispersed by way of donations to various charities i.e. RNLI, The Buddy Bear Trust, Action for Children, The Christian Institute, Child Evangelism Fellowship, Marie Currie, UDR Benevolent Fund, Wounded Police Officers & Families, N.I. Prison Service Benevolent Fund, The Orange Widows Fund, to name a few. In past years, many other charities have received donations from the Orange Institution, to provide a benefit to people of all ages, religions and cultures through the charities that we support. Charity nominations are normally considered by recommendation, or by written request.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of religion
- The advancement of the arts, culture, heritage or science
Who the charity helps
- General public
- Voluntary and community sector
How the charity works
- Cultural
- General charitable purposes
- Heritage/historical
- Religious activities
Charitable purposes
The Society is established to bring together Protestants of all denominations - irrespective of ethnic background - to preserve their British way of life and uphold the principles of the Reformed Faith, and in particular to: a) encourage Scriptural Truth and oppose Biblical error. b) advance education about the Orange Institution, history, literature, traditions and culture. c) to educate the general public by promoting awareness of the history, literature, music and folklore of the Orange Institution. d) to promote the Orange Institution in all its forms: Orange traditional music, song, dance and literature. e) to promote, by education and encounter, good community relations with other ethnic groups and cultural traditions and to interact with them. f) organise various activities which will raise funds for local charities.