THE BARTIMAEUS CHARITABLE TRUST (No:1077876)
ANNUAL REPORT 2024-2025
Activities
The Charity has been run in accordance with the Trust Deed dated 30 June 1999 as amended.
The primary objective of the Charity is to receive donations for the support of the education and care of about 60 visually impaired children at The Sharp Memorial School for the Blind, Rajpur, Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand, India. The School is a registered charitable organisation in India and provides for children mostly from poor backgrounds. The Trustees are satisfied that the School’s aims are for the public benefit.
Trustees
Mr Stephen Aplin Mrs Lara Karat Mrs Ann Todd Mr Richard Todd
Miss Jean Kallmeier
Finances
Income from donors of £26,362 was down 38% compared with the prior year.
Grants of £35,125 to The Sharp Memorial School, were similar to the previous year. Higher exchange rates meant that the amount of rupees received by the School was 4% higher than the previous year. The trustees set the level of grant to utilise reserves at the start of the year, however, extra income late in the year resulted in the Charity’s funds decreasing in the year by £8,843 to £10,989. The Trustees plan to further reduce reserves in order to maintain support for the School.
The Trustees will continue to make grants to the School, principally towards the ongoing running costs of schooling and accommodation. The Charity has no commitment to make grants other than from the available reserves, which comprises income received from a faithful group of supporters – for whom the Trustees are very grateful.
The Trustees hope that donors will maintain their support for the Charity. The Trustees aim to make grants of £30,000 in the year ahead, which will result in a fall in reserves.
The Charity’s bank account is with The Co-Operative Bank plc.
In the twenty four years of its activities the Charity had total income of £856,000, made grants of £845,000, and now has £11,000 in reserves.
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THE BARTIMAEUS CHARITABLE TRUST (No:1077876)
ANNUAL REPORT 2024-2025 (continued)
Sharp Memorial School
The School continually looks out for blind or visually impaired children who could benefit from schooling and care, and each year children are admitted from disadvantaged backgrounds. The school also provides education to local children which means all pupils benefit from integration between children with a range of abilities. For many good reasons older children move on to adult life with skills and confidence.
There are nineteen teaching staff and the head teacher and superintendent are responsible for the management of the School. They report to the board which has oversight of the running of the School. The School maintains a good reputation for its work and Christian ethos.
Risk Management
Each year the trustees consider the risks that the charity faces, and take suitable steps to counter those risks. The primary risk is of reduced income which determines the level of grants which can be made. There is no fundraising activity apart from periodic sharing news of the School with supporters. The secondary risk is in the mis-use of grants. This is addressed through regular contact with the School, who provide confirmation to the trustees that funds were used for the stated purpose – the care and education of visually impaired children.
Supporters
The Trustees are grateful to individual supporters, churches and charitable trusts supporting the Charity and School by taking an interest, through prayer and in giving. The lives of many blind children are prospering at the School and the School’s periodic newsletters encourage supporters. However, supporter numbers are modest with limited opportunities to introduce the work of the school to potential donors. The Trustees satisfy the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations.
Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities
The Trustees are responsible for keeping proper books of account with respect to the affairs of the Charity. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
This report was approved by the Trustees on 10 May 2025 and signed on their behalf by the chair Trustee:
S Aplin
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THE BARTIMAEUS CHARITABLE TRUST (No:1077876)
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the period ended 5 April 2025
Receipts and Payments
| Receipts: Voluntary Receipts: Churches Grant making Trusts Individuals Tax refunds Bank interest Total Receipts Payments in respect of the Charity’s objectives: Grants to The Sharp Memorial School for the Blind Bank fees on grant payments Total Payments Net receipts/(payments) Transfers between funds Net movement in funds in the year Total Funds at start of year Total Funds at end of year |
2025 £ 2024 £ 2,300 1,871 1,200 1,200 18,648 35,511 4,214 3,715 80 - |
|---|---|
| 26,442 42,297 |
|
| (35,125) (35,000) (160) (128) |
|
| (35,285) (35,128) |
|
| ( 8,843) 7,169 - - |
|
| ( 8,843) 7,169 19,832 12,663 |
|
| 10,989 19,832 |
The financial statements set out on pages 3 to 5 for the year ended 5 April 2025 are as approved by the Trustees.
Richard Todd Hon Treasurer Date: 10 May 2025
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THE BARTIMAEUS CHARITABLE TRUST (No:1077876)
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 5 April 2025
Assets and Liabilities
| Assets and Liabilities | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bank and cash balances Bank Account - The Cooperative Bank Deposit account Current account Total Other assets and liabilities Gift aid tax recovery not yet received |
2025 £ 9,980 1,009 10,989 1,403 |
2024 £ 19,832 - |
| 19,832 | ||
| 1,859 |
All the assets and liabilities are in respect of the charity’s unrestricted funds.
Notes to the Financial Statements
1 Charity Information
Bartimaeus Charitable Trust is a charity with registered charity number 1077876. It was established in 1999 and is registered and domiciled in England at the address of 27 Radway Road, Southampton, SO15 7PL.
2 Basis of Preparation
The accounts have been prepared on a receipts and payments basis with a statement of assets and liabilities.
3 Donations
All donation income is available for the general purposes of the Trust. Donations were received from 34 individuals (2024 - 42) of which 18 made regular periodic donations. Of these 9 made donations via Charities Aid Foundation or Stewardship Services, who pass on donations plus tax recovered, after deducting a small fee.
| Income from churches: St Mary Le More, Wallingford Sundridge & Ide Hill PCC Other |
2025 2024 £ £ 2,000 1,500 300 266 - 105 |
|---|---|
| 2,300 1,871 |
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THE BARTIMAEUS CHARITABLE TRUST (No:1077876)
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS for the year ended 5 April 2025
Notes to the Financial Statements (continued)
4 Grants Payable
Grants to the Sharp Memorial School for the Blind were made quarterly to meet the costs of education and maintenance of the visually impaired children in the care of the School.
The amount in rupees was 3,704,000 at an average rate of 105.5 rupees to the £, compared with 3,568,000 at an average rate of 101.9 rupees to the £ in the prior year.
The year’s grants of £35,000 cover approximately 40% of the direct costs of schooling and accommodation of pupils. The School has confirmed that the grants have been applied for the intended purposes.
5 Declarations on certain matters
The charity has no paid employees.
Except for donations from Trustees, there were no transactions with Trustees or related parties.
No expenses, other than bank fees, were incurred by the Charity in respect of the charitable activities.
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THE BARTIMAEUS CHARITABLE TRUST (No:1077876)
Independent Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of The Bartimaeus Charitable Trust
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of The Bartimaeus Charitable Trust (the Trust) for the year ended 5 April 2025 on pages 3 to 5.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the Trust you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner’s statement
I 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:
-
accounting records were not kept in respect of the Trust as required by section 130 of the Act; or
-
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records.
I 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.
Name: J Gay
Relevant professional qualification or body: Chartered Certified Accountant Address: LOWER ASHFIELD HOUSE, ROMSEY. HANTS SO51 9NJ Date: 20 June 2025
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