## **Trustees’ Annual Report for the period** **From 01/04/2024 Period start date To 31/03/2025 Period end date** ## **Charity name: Children of Colombia** ## **Charity registration number: 1095987** ## **Objectives and Activities** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary of the purposes of
the charity as set out in its
governing document|Para 1.17|**To raise funds for three recognised and**
**respected organisations providing care**
**and education to sick, impoverished and**
**disadvantaged**
**young**
**people**
**in**
**Colombia.**| |Summary
of
the
main
activities in relation to those
purposes
for
the
public
benefit, in particular, the
activities,
projects
or
services identified in the
accounts.|Para
1.17
and
1.19|**Funds have been raised by sponsorship,**
**donations**
**and**
**fundraising**
**events.**
**These funds have been paid out to the**
**specified**
**foundations**
**supported**
**by**
**Children of Colombia which provide**
**support to disadvantaged young people**
**in line with our charity’s objectives.**| |Statement
confirming
whether the trustees have
had regard to the guidance
issued
by
the
Charity
Commission
on
public
benefit|Para 1.18|**The guidance on public benefit issued by**
**the**
**Charity**
**Commission**
**has**
**been**
**considered by the trustees. No personal**
**benefit is received by the board as all**
**funds are used for the support of our**
**three carefully chosen foundations, with**
**whom trustees maintain close contact to**
**monitor activities and developments.**| **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: ||SORP reference| |---|---| |Policy on grant making|Para 1.38| |Policy on social investment|Para 1.38| |including program related|| |investment|| |Contribution made by
volunteers|Para 1.38| |Other|| ## **Achievements and Performance** ||SORP reference|| |---|---|---| |Summary
of
the
main
achievements of the charity,
identifying the difference the
charity’s work has made to
the circumstances of its
beneficiaries and any wider
benefits to society as a
whole.|Para 1.20|**Funds were donated by a combination of**
**regular and one-off donors. Children of**
**Colombia was therefore able to distribute**
**over £47,500 to the foundations over the**
**year.**
**Fundacion Natutama celebrated its 20th**
**anniversary in 2025. Still recovering from**
**the effects of Covid on tourism and**
**unpredictable climate conditions in the**
**Amazon, the charity continued to make**
**improvements**
**and**
**repairs**
**to**
**its**
**Education**
**Centre**
**which**
**welcomes**
**international**
**visitors**
**and**
**local**
**communities**
**to**
**learn**
**about**
**the**
**underwater world and the conservation**
**of this delicate ecosystem. It purchased**
**equipment**
**to**
**improve**
**essential**
**communications**
**and**
**audio-visual**
**displays in the centre. The education**
**programme covered over 400 children**
**aged 4-12. Its team of educators works**
**closely with schools and the local**
**community, giving classes, field trips**
**and rubbish clean ups.**
**Hogares Luz y Vida continues to offer the**
**highest**
**standards**
**of**
**professional**
**healthcare to over 220 children and**
**young people with mental and physical**
**disabilities,**
**serious**
**and**
**chronic**
**diseases and others who have been**
**abandoned or orphaned. They run two**
**homes in downtown Bogota and another**
**in the countryside, all offering a bright,**
**cheerful and caring environment. Their**
**current project to construct a new,**
**purpose-built home for chronically ill**
**youngsters in Bogota requires major**
**funding which Children of Colombia has**
**plans to contribute towards in 2025/26.**
**After helping many girls from abusive,**
**extremely**
**poor**
**and**
**disadvantaged**
**backgrounds**
**through**
**high**
**school,**
**technical**
**training**
**and**
**university,**
**Fundacion Fenix is expected to close**
**down in the near future (2026). No new**
**students are being recruited and all**
**resources are being used to ensure**
**funding and support for the last two**
**young women taking degrees in Nursing**
**and Social Work, one of whom graduated**
**in early 2025.**| **Funds from Children of Colombia helped to support all these essential projects benefiting both individuals and their communities.** **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |Achievements against
objectives set|Para 1.41|**The high level of donations has**
**continued due to the generosity of our**
**donors which allowed us to provide a**
**similar level of support to the**
**foundations as in previous years. We**
**wanted to liaise effectively with the**
**foundations with a view to winding**
**down the charity in 2025/26, and we**
**have done so.**| |---|---|---| |Performance of fundraising
activities against objectives
set|Para 1.41|**We did not run any specific appeals or**
**engage in direct fundraising activity this**
**year, but we continued to enjoy the**
**financial support of both regular and**
**new donors in 2024/25.**| |Investment performance
against objectives|Para 1.41|| |Other||| ## **Financial Review** |Review
of
the
charity’s
financial position at the end
of the period|Para 1.21|**£430 cash held in the bank. The charity**
**ended the period in a very healthy**
**financial position having transferred the**
**balance of funds to the foundations and**
**achieved all its objectives during the**
**year.**| |---|---|---| |Statement
explaining
the
policy for holding reserves
stating why they are held|Para 1.22|**The charity maintains a reserve to cover**
**regular**
**costs**
**eg**
**Just**
**Giving**
**subscriptions and website maintenance.**
**Funds are periodically distributed to the**
**three foundations supported by Children**
**of Colombia when a sufficient balance in**
**excess of £500 has accumulated to**
**justify the transfer costs or as requested**
**by the foundations.**
**It is the trustees’ stated aim to move**
**funds to the foundations as regularly as**
**possible to maximise the funds available**
**to them.**
**Since the year end, more than £16,174**
**has been transferred to Natutama, Fenix**
**and Luz y Vida in 2025/26 to date.**| |Amount of reserves held|Para 1.22|**Policy**
**to**
**maintain**
**reserve**
**of**
**approximately £500. The final reserve at**
**31 March 2025 was £430 due to timing**
**differences of expenses and donations.**| |---|---|---| |Reasons for holding zero
reserves|Para 1.22|**n/a**| |Details of fund materially in
deficit|Para 1.24|**n/a**| |Explanation
of
any
uncertainties
about
the
charity continuing as a going
concern|Para 1.23|**At the meeting on Thursday 27 March**
**2025 Trustees voted unanimously to**
**close the charity Children of Colombia in**
**the 2025/26 year, with major activity due**
**to cease in June 2025 (although final**
**transactions are expected to go through**
**later in the year).**
**The charity continued to receive high**
**levels of financial support from donors**
**and transferred £47,560 to its three**
**nominated educational fundaciones in**
**Colombia in 2024/25 compared with**
**£45,756 in 2023/24 so is happy to end on**
**a high, fulfilling its responsibilities to**
**donors and foundations.**
**Over the past 23 years since it was set up**
**in 2002, Children of Colombia has helped**
**to fund medicines, beds, salaries, books,**
**computers, educational courses and**
**building**
**materials**
**and**
**repairs. The**
**charity is proud to have made a**
**significant difference to the lives of many**
**children and young people in Colombia.**
**It has adhered to the principles of**
**founder Rachel Leighton of keeping**
**overheads**
**to**
**a**
**bare**
**minimum,**
**maintaining regular contact with the**
**organisations**
**in**
**Colombia**
**and**
**monitoring how the money is spent.**
**However, circumstances change and key**
**Trustees are leaving due to pressures of**
**family, work and age. Regular visits to**
**Colombia to monitor how the children are**
**benefiting from the donations are no**
**longer possible. The foundations have**
**also experienced important changes.**
**Some directors are retiring and many of**
**the children are now young adults**
**resulting in the loss of long-established**
**personal contacts.**
**The charity’s website and Just Giving**
**pages have been closed in 2025/26. All**
**remaining funds will be distributed and**
**reported to the Charity Commission in**
**the 2025/26 year.**| **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: |The
charity’s
principal
sources of funds (including
any fundraising)|Para 1.47|**The charity raises funds from the public**
**who contribute chiefly via the charity’s**
**Just Giving page or directly to the**
**charity’s bank account.**| |---|---|---| |Investment
policy
and
objectives
including
any
social
investment
policy
adopted|Para 1.46|| |A description of the principal
risks facing the charity|Para 1.46|| |Other||| ## **Structure, Governance and Management** |Description
of
charity’s
trusts:||| |---|---|---| |Type of governing document
(trust deed, royal charter)|Para 1.25|**Declaration of Trust**| |How
is
the
charity
constituted?
(e.g
unincorporated
association, CIO)|Para 1.25|**Trust**| |Trustee selection methods
including
details
of
any
constitutional provisions e.g.
election to post or name of
any person or body entitled
to appoint one or more
trustees|Para 1.25|**Appointed by the Board**| ## **Additional information (optional)** You may choose to include further statements where relevant about: Policies and procedures Para 1.51 adopted for the induction and training of trustees The charity’s organisational structure and any wider Para 1.51 network with which the charity works Relationship with any related parties Para 1.51 Other ## **Reference and Administrative details** |Charity name|Children of Colombia| |---|---| |Registered charity number|1095987| |Charity’s principal address|97 Kingston Road
Oxford
OX2 6RL| ## **Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity** |1
2
3
4
5
6|**Trustee name**|**Office (if any)**|**Dates acted if not for whole**
**year**|**Name of person (or body) entitled**
**to appoint trustee(if any)**| |---|---|---|---|---| ||Ms Kate Seal|Chair||Board of Trustees| ||Mrs Gwyneth
Simmons|Secretary/Publicity||| ||Miss Bryony
Simmons|Treasurer||| ||Mrs Francisca
Sankson|||| ||Ms Alex Raikes|||| ||Ms Antonia Bonilla|||| – Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved **Director name** Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity **Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year** ## **Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others** Description of the assets held n/a in this capacity Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets **Additional information (optional)** ## **Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)** **Type of Name Address adviser** **Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)** ## **Exemptions from disclosure** Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details ## **Other optional information** ## **Declarations** **The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.** **Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees** > **Signature(s)** ~~jects Birsmens —~~ > ~~EP~~ Bryony Simmons **Full name(s)** Gwyneth Simmons Gwyneth Simmons **Position (eg Secretary,** Secretary Treasurer **Chair, etc) Date** 18/12/2025 18/12/2025 CHARITY COMMISSION ' FOR ENGLAND AND WALES No (IT ai)yj 1095987 Children of Colombia Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period from crikJ￿ Lre. dtste To 0110412024 3110312025 Section A Receipts and payments Unrestricted funds to the nearest Restricted funds Endowment funds Total funds Last year to thè nèarest £ to thè nèarest É to thè nèarnst £ to the nearest £ A1 Receipts Donations GIft￿d Legacy Sub total (Gross income for AR) 9.109 1.300 23.707 1,038 32.816 2,338 36.717 10,409 24.745 35,154 36,717 A2 Asset and investment sales. (see table). Sub total azzz Total receipts 10,409 24,74S 35.154 36.717 A3 Payments Transfers to children'5 foundations Web51te design fees Bank transfer fees Just Giving fees Website hosting Ebay ch8r9e Irefundedl 13,306 100 245 216 26 34,2S4 47.560 100 245 216 45.300 100 115 216 25 Sub totsi 13.893 34,254 48,147 45,756 A4 Asset and investment purchases. (see table) Sub total Total payments 13,893 34,254 48.147 45.756 Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end 3,484 9,509 12,993 9,039 3,956 472 9,467 42 13,423 430 22,462 13.423 CCXX R1 accounts ISSI 2611112025 Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Unrestricted funds to nèarest £ Restricted funds to nearest £ Endowment funds to nèarèst £ Categories Details B1 Cash funds Cleared funds In bank 472 42 Total cash funds 472 42 (agree balances with rec8lPts and payments aceounllsll OK Unrestricted funds OK Restricted funds to nearest £ Endowment funds to nearest £ Details to nearest £ Fund to which asset belon Currènt valu• ional Details Cost loptionall Fund to which asset belon Current value tional Details Cost loptionall B4 Assets retained for the charity's own use Fund to which relatès Amount due tional When due tional Detalls B5 Liabilities Signed by one or Iruslees on behalf of all the trustees Date of roval Signature Print Name on Simmons 0910912025 CCXX R2 accounts ISSI 2611112025 Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Children of Colombia This report on the financial statements of Children of Colombia (the 'Charity") for the year ended 31 March 2025 is in respect of an examination carried out in accordance with Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the "Act"). Respective responsibilities of the Charity and the examiner As trustees of the Charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Act. You consider that the audit requirements of section 144 of the Act does not apply. It is my responsibility to issue this report on those financial ststements in accordance with the terms of Section 145 of the Act. Basis of this report My examination was carried out in accordan￿ with the General Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. That examination includes a review of the accounting records kept by the Charity and a comparison of the financial statements with those records. It also includes considering any unusual items or disclosures in the financial statements and seeking explanations from you as trustees concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the evidence that would be required in an audit, and consequently I do not express an audit opinion on the view given by the financial statements. Independent examiner's statement In connection with my examination. no matter has come to my attention: (1) which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material respect the requirements to keep accounting records in accordance with section 130 of the Act, and to prepare financial statements which accord with the accounting records and comply with the requirements of the Act have not been met. or (2) to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached. Signed Narne ( ttcLA *tsic) ts Address 33 LLOSe , p&IsSiLL(￿￿uJ, ILr*STofiJ, STK. Date JA