THE NEEM TREE TRUST The Old Stables Avoncliff Bradford-on-Avon Wiltshire BA15 2HA
Registered UK Charity No 1099077
## **REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31[st] MARCH 2024**
The trustees present their report along with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2024. The financial statements comply with the charity’s trust deed and applicable law.
## **CONSTITUTION**
The Neem Tree Trust is constituted under a trust deed dated 19[th] May 2003 and is a UK Registered Charity No 1099077.
## **OBJECTS**
The objects of the charity are:
To advance the education and vocational training of the residents of the Society for the Care of the Handicapped, a boys’ home located 30 kms from Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, South India.
To support the work of St Luke’s Leprosarium, Peikulam in the District of Thoothukudi in caring for leprosy patients and their children.
Relieve poverty and sickness in the Tirunelveli district and its surrounding area of Tamil Nadu
The trustees who have served during the year are:
JOHN HOSKINS PATRICIA MARGARET KINZETT KATHLEEN MILLER
Trustees are appointed by the board of trustees and serve from 1-3 years after which period they may put themselves forward for re-appointment. Trustees are appointed for their ability to make a contribution to the pursuit of the objects of the charity.
No Trustee has received any expenses or remuneration for their services.
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## **HOW AND WHY THE NEEM TREE TRUST WAS FORMED**
The creation of The Neem Tree Trust was the result of Kathy Miller’s first visit to India in September 1999 when she travelled with an organisation called Projects Abroad, which sent volunteers to various countries to teach conversational English in schools.
After a month teaching at a village school near Madurai she was given the opportunity to spend time at the Society for the Care of the Handicapped Tirunelveli (SCHT), a Disabled Boys’ Home in Tamil Nadu, South India.
Dr Karuna Chelliah, a Medical Practioner with a thriving practice in Tirunelveli, had a serious motorcycle accident in 1976, which injured his spinal cord and confined him to a wheelchair. Slowly his stamina returned and ten years later, encouraged by Mr Vedasiromani, his former Principal at St John’s College, and his brother-in-law Mr Edward Jonathan, he set himself new goals for the future and established the SCHT Disabled Boys’ Home, which is a Society Registered by the Indian Government. Dr Karuna Chelliah sadly died in March 2012 but his work is continued by his wife, Princess, and his Board of Directors.
The aim of the home is to provide disabled boys with a safe, caring environment in which they can learn to become independent and self-sufficient. Around 50 boys live at the home, some of whom have suffered from polio and all come from very poor family backgrounds. As it will be difficult for the boys when they leave the home and return to their villages, provision is made for them to continue their education in college or they are taught life skills in order that they can earn a living.
Kathy also visited St Luke’s Leprosy Hospital, which is situated at Peikulam, in the Thoothukudi District of Tamil Nadu. St Luke’s is a referral centre for leprosy patients suffering from complications, which cannot be managed by general practitioners, private clinics and Government hospitals. Dr.Haebus Solomon Vethabothagam, grandson of the founder of the hospital, is the Medical Superintendent.
Leprosy is still shrouded in mystery and superstition; with many people not realising that leprosy can be cured. By visiting villages and schools with films and audio-visual aids, the St Luke’s Health Education Team is able to spread the good news that leprosy is curable and that help can be given to those in need.
Kathy Miller and her husband, Ken, founded The Neem Tree Trust in 2003 principally to help support children at the boys’ home and patients and children at St Luke’s Leprosy Hospital with both friendship and grants.
## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE**
The Trustees believe that the charity has achieved its objectives during the year and propose to continue to follow the same strategies in the future. We will continue to have a presence with stalls at local events but Kathy has decided, now that we have laid the foundations of our charity, to give fewer talks to groups unless they are particularly local.
Each year our Trustees review our objectives and activities to ensure they continue to reflect our aims. In carrying out this review the trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. Kathy Miller’s annual trip to India to visit the children we support is an essential part of our strategy as it enables her to report to the Trustees and supporters on progress at the centres and to evaluate, through consultation with Mrs Princess Karuna Chelliah and Dr Haebus Solomon Vethabothagam, their future needs. An important aspect of her visit is to offer the hand of friendship from all Neem Tree Trust supporters to the children
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we support and to ensure that the objects of our charity continue to be carried out for the public benefit in the area of operation in Tamil Nadu, South India.
## **SCHT BOYS HOME**
During the financial year 2023/2024 the Trust provided a grant of £20,000 to the SCHT Boys’ Home to pay for:
- Assistance with welfare and rehabilitation when the boys return to their villages after leaving the home.
- Assistance for boys who are studying further education at college.
- Improvements to the buildings and facilities on the campus, including the bathroom and toilet facilities
## **ST LUKE’S LEPROSY HOSPITAL**
Through the Trust, a number of supporters of St Luke’s have made donations towards the feeding programme set up at the hospital for the benefit of the in-patients and children as well as sponsoring individual children and renovating the kitchens and staff quarters.
## **FUNDRAISING ACTIVITIES**
Kathy Miller’s daughter, Alex Allberry, ran the Half Marathon in Paris raising £720.84.
Christina and Richard Cornish once again opened their garden in Corsham in aid of the Neem Tree Trust raising £2291.00.
We held a Coffee Morning at Holy Trinity Church, Bradford on Avon in memory of Ken Miller and to celebrate the 20[th] anniversary of the foundation of The Neem Tree Trust. We raised £2147.00.
John Kendall held his usual Christmas stall at his home in Seend selling small antiques and collectables raising £2687.00.
We claimed Gift Aid of £4899.00 from the Inland Revenue on donations from UK taxpayers.
In November 2023 we sent out our annual newsletter via email to supporters giving them an update on the children’s progress and inviting them to make a donation to The Neem Tree Trust for the benefit of the children at the boys’ home and the patients and children at the Leprosy Hospital. Donations from individuals and organisations for both the Boys’ Home and St Luke’s, including regular standing orders, amounted to £48923.00.
The Neem Tree Trust deposits funds as they are raised into a CAF Gold account. In the financial year 2023/2024 bank interest from this account plus The Charity Bank Account amounted to £2828.00.
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## **PAYMENTS**
The following payments were made during the year:
Purchase of items for resale .................................................£516.00 Maintenance of equipment and computer systems. ..............£456.00 Printing, stationery and postage. ...........................................£364.00 Annual Public Liability Insurance ........................................£240.00 Vehicle expenses and travel ..................................................£114.00 Bank Charges ........................................................................£112.00
## **GRANTS**
The charity made grant payments to SCHT Boys’ Home of £20642.
In January 2024 we made a grant of £20,000 to St Luke’s Leprosy Hospital but unfortunately this money was returned as the bank account in India had been frozen. We are trying to resolve this matter in order that we can send the grant to St Luke’s again.
The trustees considered the above grants to conform to the Objects of the charity.
## **DECLARATION**
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature…………………………………………………………………
**FULL NAME** : KATHLEEN MILLER **POSITION** : TRUSTEE AND FOUNDER
Date:
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Ga|Saeed|THE NEEM TREE TRUST|1099077|
|Receipts and payments accounts|
|CC16a|
|01/04/2023|31/03/2024|
|For the period from|To|
|Section A Receipts and payments|
|Unrestricted|Endowment|
|Restricted funds|Total funds|Last year|
|funds|funds|
|to the nearest|
|to the nearest £|to the nearest £|to the nearest £|to the nearest £|
|£|
|A1 Receipts|
|DONATIONS|-|-|-|45,923|82,853|
|SALE OF GOODS|-|-|-|842|344|
|TALKS TO GROUPS|-|-|-|65|380|
|EVENTS|-|-|-|7,891|6,327|
|GIFT AID REFUNDS|-|-|-|4,899|4,268|
|BANK INTEREST|-|-|-|2,828|338|
|-|-|-|
|Sub total|(Gross income for AR)|-|-|-|62,448|94,510|
|A2 Asset and investment sales, (see|
|table).|
|-|-|-|-|
|-|-|-|-|-|
|Sub total|-|-|-|62,448|94,510|
|=|Total receipts|-|-|-|62,448|94,510|
|A3 Payments|
|PURCHASES OF MATERIAL FOR|
|516|200|
|RESALE|-|-|-|
|MAINTENANCE OF EQUIPMENT|
|456|354|
|AND COMPUTER SYSTEMS|-|-|-|
|PRINTING, STATIONERY AND|
|364|38|
|POSTAGE|-|-|-|
|INSURANCE|-|-|-|240|220|
|VEHICLE EXPENSES AND TRAVEL|
|114|
|-|-|-|
|SCHT GRANTS AND SUPPORT|
|20,642|20,000|
|-|-|-|
|ST LUKE'S GRANTS AND SUPPORT|
|-|-|-|30,000|
|BANK CHARGES|-|-|-|112|123|
|Sub total|-|-|-|22,444|50,935|
|A4 Asset and investment purchases,|
|(see table)|
|-|-|-|-|
|-|-|-|-|
|e|Sub total|ee|-|-|-|-|
|Total payments|-|-|-|22,444|50,935|
|Net of receipts/(payments)|-|-|-|40,004|43,575|
|A5 Transfers between funds|-|- -|
|A6 Cash funds last year end|-|- -|67,540|
|Cash funds this year end|=|-|-|-|107,544|67,540|
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## **Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period** ~~ee~~
**Unrestricted Restricted funds Endowment Categories Details funds funds to nearest £ to nearest £ to nearest £ B1 Cash funds BANK BALANCE CAF CASH 935 BANK BALANCE CAF GOLD 49,791 BANK BALANCE CHARITY BANK 56,818** ~~—~~ _**Total cash funds**_ **107,544** (agree balances with receipts and **OK** payments account(s)) #REF!
|Signed by one or two trustees on
behalf of all the trustees
**B5 Liabilities**
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**own use**
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CHARITY COMMISSION
FOR ENGLAND AND WALES
Independent examiner's
report on the accounts
Section A
Independent Examiner's Report
Report to the trusteesl
members of
iharity Name
THE NEEM TREE TRUST
31103124
On accounts for tho year
ended
Charlty no
{If any
1099077
Sat out on page8
I1&111DP.r ICF rJOI11rtE rile page numbers of addilional sh8el
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above
charity ('Ihe Trust.) for the year ended
Responslbllltle8 and A8 the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation
baslg of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act
2011 ('the AcV>.
I report in respect of my examination of the Tru8t'8 accounts carrred out
under sedion 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I
have followed the applicable Directions given by the Char6ty Commi88lon
under section 145(5}{b) of the Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matter8 have
come to my att8nlion (other than that disclosed below '} in connection with
the examination which giv88 me cause to believe that in, any material
respect..
accounting mcords were not kept in accordance with 8ertion 130 of
the Act or
the accounts do not accord with the accounting record8
Independent
examIne3 statomont
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connectlon
with the examination to which attenlion should be drawn in order to enable a
proper understanding of the account8 to be reached.
' Please delete the words In the brackets rfthey do not apply.
Slgned:
Dats:
Name:
ROBERT BRANCH
Relevant professional
quallflrAtlon(3) or body
lif any):
FCA
Address:
30 GAY STREET
BATH
BA12PA
IER
October 2018