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2021-12-31-accounts

1[st] January 2021

31[st] December To

2021

Trustees' Annual Report for the period

Period start date

Period end date

From

Section A Reference and administration details

Charity name Buddha Metta Society

Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 1154796

Charity's principal address 19E LAWNGREEN AVENUE CHORLTON CUM HARDY MANCHESTER Postcode M21 8FH

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)
Ken Garrod Chairman
Peter Foster Treasurer
Mandy Walker Secretary
Jeremy Bruce
Zarine Zatrak
Hui Pheng Teoh
Marjorie Jack
Sarah Horn

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)

Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of adviser
Name
Address
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 [Constitution ]

How the charity is constituted [Trust ]

Trustee selection methods

Additional governance issues (Optional information)

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

Section C Objectives and activities

To advance the understanding of the general public in the Buddhist religion by:-

· providing opportunities for them to spend time with Summary of the objects of the experienced and ordained representatives from the Thai Forest charity set out in its Tradition Monastic Sangha governing document · to provide pilgrimages to significant world Buddhist sites for anyone interested in Buddhism, accompanied by experienced guides and teachers · to support the work of the Buddhist monk Luangpoh Sudhiro

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who has been ordained for over 30 years in the Thai forest tradition to teach and host pilgrimages · to provide information to the general public in relation to the Buddhist religion

The charity has a number of regular donors who give money to support the work of Theravadin Thai Forest tradition monk Chaowaphit Sudhiro (Luangpoh).

The charity also invites Luangpoh to the UK and provides transport and accommodation for him during his stay. He tries to visit everyone that invites him and he spends time at various places including Buddhist temples around the country.

The BMS hoped his next visit would be in the summer of 2022 but Summary of the main due to continuing Covid-19 restrictions and the slow response to reactivities undertaken for the opening borders and processing visa applications, we have had to public benefit in relation to defer this until 2023. these objects (include within this section the statutory It also arranges annual pilgrimages to provide an opportunity for declaration that trustees have people to experience living simply as the monks do and the money had regard to the guidance raised from these also contributes to the charity’s objectives. issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)

Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)

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Luangpoh has a close relationship with Mahamakut Buddhist University Isan Campus (MBUISC) in Khon Kaen NE Thailand where the Vice Director Phra Ajahn Sakorn is also a monk and he has arranged for representatives of the charity to help there.

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

So far 3 of the BMS members have volunteered as a native English speaker to offer opportunities for conversation to the students and to help with learning the language.

Due to the risks and restrictions involved with Covid-19, it was not possible to travel to Thailand in 2021.

However, the BMS will continue to provide free help with English teaching and members of the charity booked to return to Thailand when the borders reopened in January 2022.

During the pandemic, the BMS has also provided online help with students’ English, providing face to face conversation via social networking sites and remote essay and homework correction and help. This will also continue in the future.

Section D Achievements and performance

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Section D Achievements and erformance p The involvement of the BMS charity at the university and the Summary of the main interest in Buddhism of western visitors encourages students to achievements of the charity value their national religion and there has been an increase in during the year students ordaining as monastics to study. This is especially true of Mae Chee (nuns). This is continuing to contribute to the improvement of English spoken by the monks and nuns, allowing them to participate in ‘Monk Chat’ sessions at their temples when speaking to foreign visitors. The charity is providing help over and above the obvious financial purpose it serves and we are warmly welcomed as well as the volunteers getting a sense of personal satisfaction through the aid. Luangpoh has continued to sponsor students with our donations, both ordained and lay at Mahamakut Buddhist University Khon Kaen, offering some less privileged young people to be educated at a higher level than they might otherwise have been able. The donations have also been used to support the establishment and ongoing development of two monasteries. The first is in Baan Sammuang called the ‘Buddha Metta Project’ which has 2 Thai style houses where visitors are able to stay and experience the traditional life of Buddhism in Thailand. The second is in Phu Kaat, a village about 30 minutes away from Luangpoh’s main temple Wat Pah Kanjanabhisek. This second temple has been given the name Wat Makhut Vimutti Giri and it is Luangpoh’s intention that this will provide a safe space for students from MBUISC to visit and practice together. There have been a great deal of developments at this temple over the last 12 months and new buildings built to support the growing community of nuns. The charity donations continue to provide school socks for all the children at the primary school in Baan Sammuang. Since the Sangharaja of Laos passed away, Luangpoh has been raising money to build a ‘chediya’ (stupa) in his honour at his birthplace in Ubon Ratchathani. Some of the BMS donations have been directed there too. It is hoped that the chediya will attract visitors from different neighbouring countries as Luangpoh would like to have information on the inside in various ASEAN languages and Ubon is on the border with Laos and Cambodia. Due to the pandemic the BMS was unable to arrange a pilgrimage in 2021 but the charity will continue to offer experience of living in this way once the borders reopen and international travel returns to normal. It is the BMS charity’s hope that travellers who experience this simple life, gain a clearer perspective on life in general. And it doesn’t matter whether you are religious or not, everyone is welcome. To date, everyone has returned to their country valuing what they have far more than when they left.

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Section D Achievements and erformance p

But most importantly, there are some who realise they have too much and gained an understanding how much they do actually need to achieve happiness and contentment.

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Section E Financial review

We will continue to try and invite Luangpoh on an annual basis and Brief statement of the arrange a pilgrimage around the UK during his visit. charity’s policy on reserves However, with the continuing Covid-19 pandemic, we were unable to do this in 2021, so all of the donations made to the charity were forwarded to Thailand in the usual way to support his work. We are hopeful that Luangpoh will now visit the UK in 2023. If this is possible, his transport, accommodation and food will be financed by his supporters in the UK. To support this, we may reserve some of the money from regular donations and January pilgrimages to finance his flights from Thailand to the UK and back. However, if he does not come for whatever reason, all the money raised by the charity will continue to be forwarded to support his work in Thailand. The only exception to this will be an amount set aside to pay for an independent examination as the charity's income is now close to the limit after which an examination is required. All remaining donations will be forwarded to continue to support the causes in Thailand. Details of any funds materially N/A in deficit Further financial review details (Optional information)

Section F Other optional information

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Section G Declaration

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) Full name(s) Peter Foster Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)[Treasurer ] Date 1st October 2022

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Charity number : 1154796

BUDDHA METTA SOCIETY

Year Ending December 31st 2021

STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY ACCOUNT

The BMS would like to thank everyone who has donated this year through the charity towards the work of Luangpor Chaowaphit Sudhiro. Your kind donations continue to provide many benefits to people and communities and to the teaching of Dhamma both here in the UK and abroad.

The charity began receiving donations into the Barclays Community account in May 2013 until the present date and has raised : £203,542.29 This Income & Expenditure statement details the totals of donations made to the charity in months up to 31st December 2021 along with the dates and amounts of the account balance transferred via International Money Transfer to the Siam Commercial Bank Thailand in the name of Phra Chaowaphit Sudhiro to support the work of Luangpor (Phra Ajahn Chaowaphit Sudhiro).

Some of the donations are used to support special projects, e.g. the Buddha Metta Village at Baan Sammuang, the Chediya in Ubon for Luangpoo Maha Pong the late Sangharaja of Laos and the building of Wat Makhut Vimutti Giri. Over the past year, Buddha Metta Society members have continued to donate generously towards the 'Savika Fund' that was established to help support the Mae Chee community.

The Mae Chee community spend their time at Wat Pah Kanjanabhisek and Wat Makhut Vimutti Giri and is continuing to grow. In 2021 the community gained 4 young Mae Chees from poor backgrounds, who decided to become Mae Chees to help their families financially and who are benefiting from the kind generosity of the BMS and other donors who help support their living at the temples and the cost of their studies.

Everyone is welcome to donate either on a one off basis or through a regular standing order. Anyone making donations through the Buddha Metta Society charity are welcome to indicate where they wish their donations to go whether to a specific cause or to the general work and projects supported by Luangpor. All donations made for pilgrimages held in January each year are used to defray the costs incurred during the pilgrimage and to support Luangpor's work in general.

The charity has been granted gift aid status by the UK Inland Revenue, which means we are able to reclaim tax paid for donations made by tax payers who gift aid their donations. This means the BMS can claim another 25% of your donation from the UK Tax Office and will in time amount to a quite considerable sum, the first such claim was received in October 2014 and so far we have claimed : £23,046.47

If you don't currently 'Gift Aid' your donations and are a tax payer, please get in touch to find out how.

Donations to Buddha Metta Society

Income Expenditure
2020 December Balance B/Fwd from year end December 2020 410
2021 6th January Transfer to Thailand 410
January Total of donations 210
HMRC gift aid claim 821.63
February Total of donations 210
10th March Transfer to Thailand 1241.63
March Total of donations 210
April Total of donations 210
May Total of donations 210
1st June Transfer to Thailand 630
9th June Generous single donation transferred to Thailand 7000 7000
June Total of donations 8210
1st July Transfer to Thailand 8210
July Total of donations 590
Early August Total of donations (incl. Hill Cottage 'Living in Dhamma' retreat) 1790
11th August Transfer to Thailand 2380
Late August Total of donations 1714
Early September Total of donations (incl. Savaka Fund raising) 1470
HMRC gift aid claim 871
15th September Transfer to Thailand 4055
Late September Total of donations 1860
October Total of donations 1055
Early November Total of donations 500
5th November Transfer to Thailand 3415
Late November Total of donations 230
December Total of donations 890
End of year subtotal £28,461.63 £27,341.63
End of year balance £1,120.00

Donations towards Wat Buddha Metta

Due to the initial lack of funds and the start of the global pandemic at the beginning of 2020, plans to purchase a permanent temple in the UK were put on hold. However, the appeal for Wat Buddha Metta is still ongoing in the hope that once the disruptions caused by Covid-19 settles down, there may be the possibility to pursue it again.

It is worth noting that if this venture is progressed, it is outside the responsibility of the Buddha Metta Society. The intention is for a separate entity to be formed to take ownership for establishing and developing Wat Buddha Metta.

In the interim, any donations received for Wat Buddha Metta will be kept in a separate account and will be transferred to the new entity when it is formed. If plans to establish Wat Buddha Metta do not materialise, unless we receive alternative instructions from individual donors, the donations will go towards supporting Luangpor’s other charitable work. The primary purpose of the Buddha Metta Society is to continue to support Luangpor’s work in the Far East (Thailand, Laos, etc) and invite him here to the UK.

2020 December 2021

Income Expenditure Account opening balance £4,417.90 Total of donations (incl interest on account) £159.44 End of year balance £4,577.34

Unrestricted Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds Funds Funds Funds
2021 2021 2021 2020
RECEIPTS
Voluntary receipts:
Receipts from donors 26,359.00 159.00 26,518.00 18,364.98
Gift Aid 1,692.63 1,692.63 7,838.75
Investment income 0.44 0.44 1.90
Total receipts 28,051.63 159.44 28,211.07 26,205.63
PAYMENTS
Charitable activities 27,341.63 27,341.63 29,919.73
27,341.63 27,341.63 29,919.73
CASH FUNDS BROUGHT 410.00 4,417.90 4,827.90 8,542.00
FORWARD
INCREASE/(DECREASE) IN 710.00 159.44 869.44 (3,714.10)
CASH FOR THE YEAR
CASH FUNDS CARRIED 1,120.00 4,577.34 5,697.34 4,827.90
FORWARD
Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds Funds Funds Funds
2021 2021 2021 2020
£ £ £ £
_CASH _ FUNDS
Bank accounts 1,120.00 4,577.34 5,697.34 4,827.90
1,120.00 4,577.34 5,697.34 4,827.90