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SPAN
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SPAN St Peter's Aid for the Needy Supporting People Across the Nations Registered Charity No. 1040252 Annual Report and Accounts For the Year Ended 31 December 2024 **----- Start of picture text -----**
Objectives & Activities
The objectives of St Peter's Aid for the Needy, SPAN, Supporting People Across the Nations, are to
hold and apply its income firstly to the relief of poverty, secondly to the preservation and
promotion of good health and thirdly for any other general charitable purpose the Trustees
think fit. The Trustees have developed a set of priorities for reducing suffering wherever
possible, both locally and overseas, by bringing Christian love in practical ways to those in
need. SPAN does this mainly by making grants to charitable organizations or individuals.
SPAN is based at the churches of Catholic Leamington, which are St Peter’s, St Joseph’s in
Whitnash and Our Lady’s in Lillington. SPAN’s incomeis derived principally from parishioners’
contributions. Members of our parishes are invited to participate in the activities of SPAN and
to donate to its work. Administration costs (including fees and bank charges) amounted to
2.8% of expenditure in 2024 (3% the previous year). All officers and helpers gave their time
voluntarily.
Several ‘first call’ payments (bullet pointed below) are made each month from the general
income of the month. The amounts collected specifically for ‘Crisis in Africa’ are paid to
CAFOD to support its work in Darfur, Sudan. There are also a few continuing charitable
commitments for which we set aside a fixed sum each month, to be paid when sufficient
funds have accumulated to reduce the bank transfer fees. A proportion of SPAN's remaining
income is allocated to St Francis' Hospital and TB / Leprosy Centre in Nyenga, Uganda (20%)
and to Ortum Mission Hospitalin Kenya (20%). The balance is then available to respond to the
appeals considered at SPAN's monthly meetings (60%).
Other activities include gifts of supermarket vouchers at Christmas and Easter to needy
families in the Leamington area and Christmas cards for sick and housebound parishioners.
The Trustees have regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit and believe
thatthe activities of the Trustin accordance with its objects provide a public benefit as required
by the Charities Act 2011.
Achievements and Performance
There is now increased Mass attendance in our Churches since Covid 19, giving access to
collection envelopes and boxes and we are able to promote our work during the year. Cash
collected in churches was around £ 1,321 in 2024 (£ 1,955 in 2023). We now use a card reader
where possible. While the weekly amounted collected in church is slightly down in 2023, the
amounts collected at Christmas and Lent still remain substantial.
Appeals were received from many organisations and individuals, which were responded to
bearing in mind our Principles for Distributing Funds and the available funds each month.
SPAN's donations in 2024 were approximately 67%, (last year 63%) for overseas needs and
33% (last year 34%) for people in the UK (mainly Leamington and the surrounding area). This
shows a greater amount responding to overseas needs than in the previous year, reflecting
our Christian response to many international disasters.
SPAN donates a regular sum each month to a number of local charities, for some of which
Catholic Leamington parishioners work as volunteers:
e Warwick District Food Bank (£ 100) provides emergency food supplies and support to
people in crisis in Warwick, Leamington and Kenilworth.
e New Chapters (£ 100) providing an affordable drug and alcohol recovery programme.
e Young People First (£ 100) supporting initiatives for youth around Leamington including
counselling in several schools.
e Social workers at local Children’s Centres have appealed for white goods, totalling £
2,600 this year, to help ten families in very hard circumstances, often following
relocation after escaping domestic violence.
Our Catholic Primary Schools have sums from SPAN they can call upon to help families.
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Some overseas people / charities are also core beneficiaries:
e Hope House Babies Home in Nairobi, Kenya where abandoned babies are given a
healthy start.
e House of Light and Hope (£ 83) in Beirut, Lebanon, supporting the work of Dr Robert
Caracache sheltering and educating street children.
e Fr Gabriel U Mayele (£ 37) in Uganda supporting the education of vulnerable students.
We continue to respond to ongoing overseas needs:
CAFOD’s work in Darfur, Sudan.
There are African priests to whom we send small amounts regularly for pastoral needs in their
localities: Fr Frederick Kasozi in Otumbari, Uganda; and Fr Gabriel Mwanza in Chadiza,
Zambia.
Small grants were made (mainly through more specialized UK charities) to projects overseas:
e Malaika Kids, Tanzania supporting the Relatives Support Programme resettling
children within wider family.
e Letthe Children Hear, Uganda supplying hearing aids.
e Reach the Children, Uganda and Kenya providing school latrines.
e Bright Sight Mission, Ghana performing free cataract operations.
e Empowering Kids in Kenya enabling purchase of solar lamps for school children.
e LAFF, Latin America Foundation for the Future, Peru working with teenage mothers.
e Five Talents working mainly in Africa providing savings schemes alongside literacy and
business training for communities who have been marginalised.
e Deki, Togo providing access to ethical micro-loans, alongside business and
community development training, empowering women to become leaders in their
communities and role models for the next generation.
e New Ways, Turkana, Kenya focussing on health and development projects provides
basic nutritional support and healthcare to under 6's to improve life expectancy.
Development of bore holes.
e Medair UK, DR Congo improving water infrastructure.
e STAND, Formerly Legs4Africa in 8 African countries recycling prosthetic limbs.
e Enpowering Kids In Kenya providing book packs after their Solar Lamp provision.
e EACP, East African Children’s Project, working in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda to
empower disadvantaged children.
e Hands Around the World, Rwanda supporting disadvantaged street children.
e Serendip Children’s Home, Sri Lanka giving assistance to vulnerable children and
women.
e Children of the Dump, Philippines assisting street children.
e Forever Angels, Tanzania supporting a Baby Home.
e Sustainable Global Gardens, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania relieving poverty by
promoting small-scale environmental, agricultural and social welfare projects.
e Porridge & Pens, Ghana providing meals for some of the most disadvantaged children
and young adults.
e Sand Dams Worldwide in several African countries promoting the application of sand
dam technology in drylands.
e World Medical Fund for Children, Malawi using mobile clinics to ease suffering and
save young lives every day they go out.
e Transformation through Education, Monze, Zambia supporting a school for orphaned
and vulnerable children.
e Starfish Malawi working with the vulnerable and marginalised, alleviating poverty
through education, vocational training and use of sustainable resources.
We receive specific donations for Fr Siluvai Nathan in India and House of Light and Hope in Lebanon.
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This year SPAN organised £5,000 of gift vouchers and cards sent to local families through our Catholic
Primary Schools, or local Family support agencies, or the SVP, and Christmas cards to sick or
housebound parishioners.
We held a Quiz evening in February raising £ 1,000 for Friends of the Holy Land. With talks
after Masses earlier in the year, the total raised was £ 3,300. We were pleased to introduce
Chris Connors from CoCo’s Foundation at this event.
In June, we held a 50" anniversary celebration evening attended by many of our early
supporters. A great time to reflect and give thanks with entertainment from across the world.
SPAN chooses specific causes for Lenten Almssgiving. This year for local families via primary
schools we raised £ 2,500 and £ 1,000 was sent to House of Life and Hope in Lebanon.
Over the year we were happy to be able to support:
e The Society of St Vincent de Paul (SVP) supportingaLeave to Remain appeal for a known
family (£ 3,315)
e Kindaid for the Kiirua Mission Hospital in Kenya ( £ 1,200)
e Temwa (£2,000) from FG (Frank Garvey) Legacy working in Malawi.
e CoCo’s Foundation from FG Legacy working in South Africa
At our meetings we share reports from our core beneficiaries and receive annual reports from groups
we support from time to time e.g. Five Talents, Temwa, Sand Dams Worldwide, Friends of the
Holy Land Institute of the Deaf.
We have been able to respond quickly to international disaster appeals, largely thanks to
having received Gift Aid rebates awaiting allocation:
e CAFOD Afghanistan drought appeal (£ 700)
e CAFOD Darfur, Sudan appeal (£ 1,300) from FG Legacy
e SPICMA Kenyan flood appeal (£ 330)
e IRT — International Refugee Trust for the 2 Italian hospitals in Amman and Karak in
Jordan that we have supported in the past (£ 500)
e CAFOD Sudan appeal (£ 500)
SPAN continue to assist communication between our Catholic Leamington charity groups e.g.
SVP, CAFOD and Kindaid. Attendees of our monthly meetings come from all our churches.
We hold in person meetings with a few online meetings in winter months. We held our
traditional SPAN Sunday in November where we spoke at each mass about SPAN’s work,
launching our Christmas appeal at this time.
Monthly newsletters and updates from Justice & Peace at Catholic Leamington are shared at
SPAN meetings. CAFOD, Justice & Peace, SVP and Kindaid events are also highlighted
throughout the year. News of New Chapters is received, and specific concerns are often
raised by a case worker from CRMC.
We received letters of thanks, updates on projects and on the health of many of our contacts
throughout the world. It is impossible to mention them all, but prayers were regularly asked for
the House of Light & Hope in Lebanon.
People from allthree churches regularly attend our monthly meetings. An average of 10 people
attended the SPAN monthly meetings. The encouragement and support given by the parish
clergy is greatly appreciated. We see everyone in our parishes as part of SPAN.
Our Principles Governing the Distribution of Funds document can be found on our
website.
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Financial review In 2022 we received a large legacy from Frank Garvey and are spending it over 4 to 5 years supporting four projects in Africa: Coco’s Foundation, Temwa and Global Care (£ 2,000 every 6 months) and £100 a month to CAFOD for Darfur for 5 years. SPAN has continued to donate to our core beneficiaries, largely thanks to those who pay by Bank Standing Orders. We have also started to use JustGiving for our seasonal appeals such as Lenten Alms and Christmas vouchers and continue to encourage electronic methods of giving. Our overall expenditure for 2024 was £71,000, an increase from 2023 at £ 56,904. This continues to be a tremendous achievement for Catholic Leamington. There was no change in the year to the permanent endowment fund composed of previous legacies to the Trust, which is invested in COIF Charities Investment Fund income units. The income earned during the year from the permanent endowment investments amounted to £ 3,934. The remaining funds are divided into restricted income funds, given with a specification or an expectation on the part of the donors as to their application, and unrestricted income funds, given without such expectation. More information on the funds structure can be found in note 1(b) to the accounts. It has long been SPAN’s policy not to hold significant reserves (that is, income held back for future expenditure), although small amounts of money are accumulated in specific funds until they reach a level that is efficient to remit to the beneficiary. **----- Start of picture text -----**
SPAN % distributed to regions in 2024
UK, £23,433,
33%
Africa, £35,402, 50%
| Asia, £1,950, 3%
Middle and Far East, £10,370, 14% South America, £300, 0%
SPAN less FG Legacy % to regions in 2024
UK, £23,433, Africa, £20,027, 36%
42%
/S Asia, £1,950, 3%
Middle and Far East, £10,370, 18% South America, £300, 1%
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The lower pie chart summarises allocations without the Frank Garvey Legacy, showing that SPAN has targeted support for Gaza and Lebanon this year; otherwise funding is spent equally between local causes and those overseas. During the year of 2024, 34% of SPAN’s income was generated through donations by individual parishioners of Catholic Leamington, of which 31% was by standing orders on donors’ bank accounts. A further 3% was collected through collection boxes in churches. within Catholic Leamington. Lenten Alms collections at£ 3,659 totalled 9% of overall income, with the majority donated to the local needy, in the form of supermarket vouchers. The collection for Crisis in Africa remains down on previous receipts, but our grants to CAFOD for their support of displaced persons in Darfur have remained at approximately the same level as before through allocations from the Appeals fund. The Trustees remain very grateful to the many supporters of SPAN for their continued generosity despite the difficult economic climate. Structure, governance & management SPAN was formed in 1974 and was registered as an unincorporated Charity under a Deed of Charitable Trust (Registered number 1040252) on 19 July 1994. Trustees may be appointed at any time (either by way of replacement or addition) but so that the total number of Trustees shall at no time exceed seven. A Trustee may be appointed or discharged by a resolution of a meeting of the Trustees provided that a memorandum shall be signed as a deed by the person presiding at such meeting and attested by two other persons at the meeting. The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are elected each year at the Annual Review Meeting, and constitute the Committee charged with day-to-day running of the Trust. After discussion in an open meeting each month, they decide what grants the Trust should make. As already described, the Committee on behalf of the Trustees, usually after consulting parishioners in an open meeting each month, assess each application against several criteria including need and likely benefit before advancing any monies. The policies of the Trustees on Complaints or Disagreements, on Conflicts of Interest for Trustees, on Protecting Vulnerable Groups, and on Risk Management are published on the Catholic Leamington website at ~~www.catholicleamington.org.uk/span.html~~ under ‘SPAN POLICIES’. At the end of 2024, the Trustees carried out a risk assessment to identify any potential risks in the management of the Trust and the disbursement of benefits, and they confirm that the major risks to which the Charity is exposed, as identified by the Trustees, have been reviewed and systems have been established to mitigate those risks. It is recognised, however, that difficulties in finding suitable successors to the four key management posts, in the event that one or more of the present officers should be unable to continue in post, present a significant risk to the Trust, which the Trustees are committed to addressing. The Trustees, including the Committee members, are encouraged to keep up to date their understanding of their responsibilities as trustees and best practice in discharging them. Page 5 Reference & administrative details The registered address of St Peter's Aid for the Needy (SPAN) is St Peter's Presbytery, Dormer Place, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 5AA. To contact the Secretary, write to Paul Hayden, SPAN Secretary, 4 Ridgewood Close, Leamington Spa, CV32 6BW. Or e-mail ~~paulhayden444@gmail.com.~~ Trustees during 2024 were Jenny Armstrong (Chair), Caroline Manning (Vice Chair), Michael Barker (Treasurer), Paul Hayden (Secretary), Jonathan Holden (until 3'¢ October), Patrick Reddin and Fr Stephen Day. SPAN holds accounts at HSBC plc, PO Box 88, The Parade, Leamington Spa. SPAN's solicitors are Wright Hassall LLP, Olympus Avenue, Leamington Spa. Mark Ashfield of Harrison Beale & Owen, Highdown House, 11 Highdown Road, Leamington Spa, is the independent examiner of the annual accounts. **----- Start of picture text -----**
Approved by the Trustees on 7“ October 2025 and signed on their behalf by
J ARMSTRONG - CHAIR of TRUSTEES ~
| Jenny Armstrong 5 ( }
7 October 2025
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Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of St Peter’s Aid for the Needy
| report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year
ended 31 December 2024 which are set out on pages 8 to 13.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance
with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
| report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of
the Act and in carrying out my examination | have followed all the applicable Directions given by
the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
| have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have come to my attention
in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the
Act; or
2. the accounts do not accord with those records
| have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination
to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of
the accounts to be reached.
Mark Ashfield
On Behalf of HB&O Limited
Chartered Accountants
Highdown House
11 Highdown Road
Leamington Spa
Warwickshire
CV31 1XT
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TO
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St Peter's Aid for the Needy Balance Sheet for the Year ended 31 December 2024 Note **----- Start of picture text -----**
2024 2023
Fixed Assets
9 Investments 144,544.91 129,141.17
Total fixed assets 144,544.91 129,141.17
Current Assets
Cash at Bank 61,607.48 91,425.47
Total current assets 61,607.48 91,425.47
Liabilities
Amounts falling due within one year - -
Net current assets or liabilities 61,607.48 91,425.47
Total assets less current liabilities 206,152.39 220,566.64
Amounts falling due after more than one year - -
Total net assets or liabilities 206,152.39 220,566.64
The funds of the charity:
Endowment funds 144,945.21 129,541.47
Restricted income funds 82,420.99 79,059.12
Unrestricted funds (21,213.81) 12,366.05
Total charity funds 206,152.39 220,566.64
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These accounts were approved by the Trustees on 7th October 2025 Registered Charity Number 1040252 9 **----- Start of picture text -----**
St Peter's Aid for the Needy
Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31 December 2024
1 Accounting Policies
(a) Basis of preparation and assessment of going concern
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention with items recognised at cost
or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant notes to these accounts. The financial statements
have been prepared in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by
Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and
Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2014 and the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the United
Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.
The Trust constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.
The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the Trust's ability to continue as a going
concern.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards. The principal
accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements are set out below and have remained
unchanged from the previous year.
(b) Funds structure
In addition to the permanent endowment fund (the James Daly Fund), the Trust has a number of restricted
income funds, where donations have been specified by a donor as intended for a particular purpose or beneficiary,
or where the Trust has announced in advance the purpose for which a collection is to be taken or to which the
proceeds of a fund-raising event are to be applied. All other funds are unrestricted income funds.
(c) Gifts in kind
Donated goods are valued at the estimated resale value after deducting the cost to sell the goods.
Income is recognised when the goods are distributed.
No Donated goods were received and distributed in the year
made up as follows:
(d) Income recognition
All income is recognised once the charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be
received, and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.
Donations are recognised when the Trust receives them.
Legacy gifts are recognised when they are received, accompanied by notification from the executor/administrator.
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the
charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.
Dividends are recognised once the dividend has been declared and notification has been received of the dividend
due. This is normally upon notification by our investment advisor of the dividend yield of the investment portfolio.
(e) Expenditure recognition
Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the
charity to that expenditure, it is probable that settlement will be required, and the amount of the obligation can be
measured reliably.
All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis. All expenses including support costs and governance costs
are allocated or apportioned to the applicable expenditure headings.
Grants payable are payments made to third parties in the furtherance of the charitable objects of the Trust.
There are no one-year or multi-year grants, and the intention to make a grant is communicated to a recipient only
after the grant has been made. The Trust makes regular payments to a number of beneficiaries, but there is no
promise made to them that the grants will continue, and the Trust retains the right to discontinue or vary the
amount of such payments at any time.
(f) Fixed asset investments
Investments are a form of basic financial instrument and are initially recognised at their transaction value and
subsequently measured at their fair value as at the balance sheet date using the closing quoted market price.
The statement of financial activities includes the net gains and losses arising on revaluation and disposals
throughout the year. The investment is with COIF Charities Investment Fund.
Registered Charity Number 1040252
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10
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4,500.00 4,277.41 250.00 400.00 440.00 400.00 400.00 500.00 - 800.00 250.00 500.00 400.00 250.00 500.00 42,508.56 N 400.00 400.00 St Peter's Aid for the Needy 9 Analysis of charitable funds Gains on Fund b/f Income Expenditure investments Fund c/f Endowment funds 129,141.47 15,403.74 144,545.21 Restricted income funds 79,059.12 15,616.60 (12,254.73) 82,420.99 Unrestricted funds 12,366.05 25,165.51 (58,745.37) (21,213.81) 220,566.64 40,782.11 (71,000.10) 15,403.74 205,752.39 Endowment Restricted Unrestricted 2024 Total 2023 Total funds income funds funds funds funds Fixed asset investments 144,545.21 144,545.21 129,141.17 Current assets 82,420.99 (21,213.81) 61,207.18 91,425.17 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year - - Total net assets at 31 December 144,545.21 82,420.99 (21,213.81) 205,752.39 220,566.34 10 Staff costs There were no employees during the year. 11 Related Party Transactions Aside from regular donations by several trustees there have been no transactions with related parties during the year. 13 Registered Charity Number 1040252