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2021-03-31-accounts

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date Period end date Day Month Year Day Month Year From 01 04 2020 To 31 03 2021

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name SPARKES HOME SRI LANKA

Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1128189

Charity's principal address 17 GLENDARVON STREET

LONDON Postcode SW15 1JS

Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity

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20		 Trustee name Office (if any) Dates acted if not for whole
**year **		 Name of person (or body) entitled
to appoint trustee (ifany)
Juliet Stoker Chair
Claire Stratton
KerrySparkes
PhilipGay
David Innes
Edward Stratton
Duncan Sparkes

Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees)

Name Dates acted if not for whole year

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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser
Name
Address		 Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser
Name
Address		 Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser
Name
Address
Treasurer Alistair Stoker 17 Glendarvon Street, London, SW15 1JS

Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)

Section B Structure, governance and management

Description of the charity’s trusts

Type of governing document Trust Deed

How the charity is constituted Unincorporated association (eg. trust, association, company)

Trustee selection methods Appointed by existing trustees on the basis of knowledge and skills (eg. appointed by, elected Appointed required for the workings of the charity bby)

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:

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Section C Objectives and activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document

To relieve suffering and homelessness, and to assist with the education and pastoral care of the people of Sri Lanka, in particular by the establishment and maintenance of children’s homes.

In conjunction with Ragalla Aid Project (charity number 1079120), the trustees raised funds after the 2004 tsunami to build a home in Kallar, on the east coast of Sri Lanka, to provide a home for up to 40 girls. The trustees funded the running of the home through Ragalla Aid until March 2009, at which time a separate charity, Sparkes Home Sri Lanka, was established and took over full responsibility for the ongoing funding of the home.

The home is managed on a day to day basis by the Methodist Church of Sri Lanka on whose land the home stands. The trustees maintain close contact with the Methodist Church both at the local and national level to ensure the home is well financed and run.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

The girls range in age from 6 to 18. The initial group of girls were either orphans or children of destitute families arising from the devastation of the tsunami and the civil war which was ongoing at that time. Since then, girls have been referred to the home both through the Methodist Church and the local government social services. The girls all attend the local schools with the older girls taking ‘O’ and ‘A’ level. We provide additional tuition to the girls, in particular in Maths, English and IT.

The home offers these girls a warm and loving environment. Volunteers from the UK visit the home and provided support to the housemother, teach English to the girls and help maintain the home. They have been hugely impressed by the atmosphere and the support the girls give to each other.

The Trustees became aware of a funding crisis for several other childrens’ homes run by the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka and visited 3 homes to discuss providing specific support. The Trustees agreed a programme of support with the Methodist Church and from 1 January 2013 Sparkes Home has funded the day to day running costs of girls’ homes in Kalmunai on the east coast of Sri Lanka and Tummodara on the west coast. The Trustees also agreed to fund vital rebuilding works for the girl’s home in Hatton in the central province and to assist with the running costs of this home that are mainly borne by Methodist churches in South Korea.

The Trustees also agreed to fund the running costs from 1 January 2014 of a pre-school near the Kallar home on the east coast of Sri Lanka and a pre-school and day care centre south of Colombo from 1 July 2019. Both these projects are under the day to day control of the Methodist Church.

The Trustees also agreed to fund the costs of attending university and

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other further education colleges for girls from the homes.

The Trustees of Sparkes Home Sri Lanka meet regularly to review the activities of the charity and their obligations in respect of public benefit. The Trustees have complied with the duty in Section 4 of the Charities Act 2006 to have due regard to public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission.

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:

The Trustees have agreed with the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka to provide funds for the running of 4 girls’ homes. The Trustees agree budgets for each home with the Methodist Church and agree the grants to be made on a monthly basis. Grants for additional projects are reviewed and agreed by the Trustees as they arise.

All the activities of the charity are conducted on a voluntary basis. Trustees visit the homes on a regular basis and bear all their own costs. In addition, volunteers regularly visit Kallar and Kalmunai to assist the girls with additional English and other activities.

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Section D Achievements and performance

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year

The year from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021 was totally dominated by the Covid crisis. Trustees visited all the projects in February 2020, just before the pandemic broke, and were very pleased by the state of all the projects and the academic prospects for the girls.

Sri Lanka has not been affected as badly by Covid as many of its South Asian neighbours but has still been hit by several waves of infection resulting in very strict lockdown requirements. No trustee visits were possible in the year and we have been reliant on reports from Methodist HQ in Colombo. In turn they have been hampered by the strict lockdown with staff unable to access the office and almost no visits to the homes.

Schools have been closed and reopened several times. At the same time our homes have either partially or fully closed with the girls going back to their villages or relatives. Some girls have had nowhere to go and have been looked after by the resident ministers in the homes.

Following the initial lockdown, schools started to move to some online teaching, especially for girls in their exam years. Two of the homes, Kalmunai and Tummodara, responded by keeping the homes fully open as they were able to provide a minimum level of access to the online schooling.

One encouraging development was the transfer of Rev Vinoth from Kalmunai to Kallar. We had been impressed by his record in Kalmunai and the very close support from his wife. We are confident that the girls in Kallar are in good hands.

We look forward to the easing of the Covid pandemic and the opening of travel to Sri Lanka so that we may visit all the homes and pre-schools at the earliest opportunity.

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Section E Financial review

Brief statement of the charity’s policy on reserves This is the twelfth year of the charity’s operation. The scope of activities continues to expand and the future commitments have therefore increased. The Trustees regularly review the funds available and future commitments. The emphasis is on increasing the funding of the core objectives of the charity.

The trustees believe reserves of up to two years expenditure are required to ensure the long term support for the homes. Funds in excess of this are committed to additional initiatives, as has been seen by the extension of our funding support to additional homes, pre-schools and tertiary education for girls from our homes.

Details of any funds materially in deficit

Further financial review details (Optional information)

You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:

Trustees bear all the costs of their visits to Sri Lanka individually. During their visits, Trustees review the fund flows from source in the UK through to the end use in the individual homes and other projects.

Funds available at 31 March 2021 amounted to £100,037 (2020 £97,064).

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Section F Other optional information Section G Declaration Th• trustoo• dKlor• that thoy have •pprov•d th• trust•M' r•port abovo. Slgnod on boh•lf of th• charlty's Slgnature($ Full namels Po8ltlon (•9 Socr•taryJ Chair, uliet Stoker 5-, Q+-,-. Chair Ltbkl TAR Marth 2012

No (if any) SPARKES HOME SRI LANKA 1128189 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period Period start date Period end date To from 01/04/2020 31/03/2021

Section A Receipts and payments Section A Receipts and payments Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts Unrestricted
funds
to the nearest £
28,339
-
8,849
-
-
-
-
-
37,188
-
-
-
37,188
32,010
1,672
1,330
371
509		 Restricted
funds
to the nearest £
6,285
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
6,285
-
-
-
6,285
-
4,608
-
-
-		 Endowment
funds
to the nearest £
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-		 Total funds
to the nearest £
34,624
-
8,849
-
-
-
-
-
43,473
-
-
-
43,473
32,010
6,280
1,330
371
509		 Last year
to the nearest £
Donations 28,339 46,917
Fund raisingevents - 4,025
Gift Aid repayment 8,849
- -
- -
- -
- -
- -
Sub total(Gross income for
AR)		 37,188 50,942
A2 Asset and investment sales,
(see table).
-
-
 -
~~Sub total~~ - -
Total receipts
A3 Payments
50,942
Grants to Girls homes 32,010 37,620
Grants topre-Schools 1,672 10,221
Grants to universitystudents 1,330 1,172
Fund raisingcosts 371 916
Bank charges and other costs 509 543
- - - - -
**Sub total ** 35,892 4,608 - 40,500 50,472
A4 Asset and investment
purchases, (see table)
-
-
**Sub total ** - -
Total payments
Net of receipts/(payments)
A5 Transfers between funds
A6 Cash funds last year end
Cash funds this year end
50,472
1,296 2,973 470
- - -
96,031 97,064 96,594
97,327 100,037 97,064

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

19/11/2021

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Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period Cat•gorÉès D8ts116 funds to Mirn•t£ fund¥ B1 Cash fvnds 97A27 Ino 1710 yn(A)) Unrg•lrf¢tsd EndoMn•nt fund• fund• to nEqR£ Detsils to Fund tOTthkh Details Details B4 A8••ts r•tsln•d for thfr charlty'8 own u80 Details FLThI towhh Amount Vh•n d B5 Liabilit1•¥ SKJnJ by one trust0￿ on l)ehaWof all lh8 trustee8 Signatu Pfwrt Nama al 10-Nov-21 1¢ r4o<ZI CLP<iQk S-, Rh- CCXX R2 ISSI la111rd￿21

CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGL4ND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Roport to the trustee81 membors of SPARKS HOME SRI LANKA On aGGounts for the yoar ended Charity no {rf any) 3010312021 1128189 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the a￿OUnts of the above harity (Ihe Trusf) for the year ended 3110312020 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 Charilies Act 2011 ("the Act"). I report in respect of my examination of the Trusys accounts carried out under sèction 145 of the 2011 Act and in carying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5Xb) of the Act. Independent examinerfs statement I have completed my examination. I confimi that no material matters have come to my attention in wnnection with the examination (other than that disclosed below") whi¢h gives me cause to believ6 that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act- or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records. or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements conceming the fom and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a 'true and fair, view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination. I have no concems 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 Ihe accounts to be reached. Please elete the w(Yds in the brackets rfthey do nol apply. Signed: Date: Name: DANUTA TAGG Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (rf any): F.C.A. (ICAEW) IER Oct 2018

Address: THE STABLES. DONHEAD ST ANDREW SHAFFESBURY SP7 9EA Section B Disclosure Only complele ifthe examiner needs to highlight material matters of con￿rn (see CC32. Independent examination of charity ac￿unts= directions and guidan(￿ for examiners). Glve hore brief detai15 of any items that the examinerwishes to dlsclose. IER Oct 2018