Bringing Schools Together www.twins.org.uk REPORf AND FINANCIAL STATEMENrs FOR THE PERIOD I JAIYUARY TO 31 DECEMBER 2021
TWINS CONTENTS Page Charity Information Charity OveNiew Report of the Trustees statement of Responsibilities
TWINS CHARITY INFORMATION Trustees William Oswald Ashley Gray Bryony Croft Managing Trustee William Oswald Registered Office Buckton Park Leinlwardine Herefordshire SY7 OJU Bankers National Westrninster Bank plc 15 Bull Ring Ludlow Shropshire SY8 1AG Accountants Ashmole & Company Manchester House Grosvenor Hill Cardigan SA43 1 HY UK Registered Charity Number 1160469 Further Infonnation www.1wins.or .uk
TWINS CHARITY OVERMEW Introduction Twins links schools beeen the UK and areas of natural disasterlgeneral need for practical support, educational interaction and cuttural understanding. It was inFtially established in reaction to the effects of the Asian tsunami on schools in Southem Sri Lanka and about 200 schools were twinned. More retly, pilot projects have been established in Pakistan, Somalia. Somaliland and Yemen. Activities The fundamental aim of Twins is to establish mLrtual understanding and frsendship between children of different cultures and religions. through educational and social interaction. This is achieved through various collaborative programmes, some of which are Gompatible with inclusion in UK national curricula, in recognitson of how Itttle spare time schools have available. Details of the programmes are provided to schools through an online schools resources area on the charity's websrte. There is also a fundraising and expendtture element. bLrt much effort is made to avoid dependency and cO-dendencY mindsets through undue focus on this element. An underfying principle of the Twins fundraising model is that every penny raised by a UK school is spent directly on its own 'twtn' school. Nothing is taken by Twns for administration and funds are not spread been schools. This means that everything raised by those in the UK is spent on those wth whom they are building direct relationships overseas. The purchase of Ètems such as IT and sports equipment, generators and water-coolers, even classroom construction, is Caled out by project management according to strict controls (tvn$ never gives cash to schools). A coincidental result of Twins, more rent activities is that it has becorne a conduit for friendship and understanding between children of Christian and Muslim cultures. While the fostering of interculturalffaith relationships was always an aim of Twns, rt was perhaps a less urgent mission in relation to Twins, operations in primarily Buddhist and Hindu Sn Lanka. The more recent projects in Pakistan, Somalia, Somaliland and Yemen come at a particularfy important time for understanding and cooperation ben moderate majorities. Postiive interaction bemeen Ghildren at such a fomialive age can be invaluable_ Twins also contributes to efforts to ensure that girts have access to education and that the education reiVed by boys is balanced and progressive. Twins, local partner for Pakistan, DIL Trust UK, has established over 250 schools there. educating thousands of boys and girls who might othetwise receive only narrow religious educations or be denied education completely. Education is key to building happy, prosperous and peaceful communrties, with positive global relationships and citizens who are less likely to take terrible risks lo try to start lives in other countries. Governance & Management Twins has three trustees; Ashley Gray, Bryony Croft and William Oswald, the last of whom manages the charity on a daily basis. Twns has four patrons", Field Marshal Lord Guthrie. Edward Gould, Rageh Omaar and Shehan Ratnavale. Twns has a Constitution drawn up by William Oswald and legal advisors Shearman & Sterfing. Atthough founded in 2005, Twins was only registered as a charity in 2015. Charttable status was unnecessary earlier. as all donations were expended overseas through Twins. local country partners. while Twns. UK costs were covered privately. Twins works with local partners in each overseas county. using a comprehensive set of Standard Operating Procedures. These 'SOPs' detail all of the ProsseS involved, along wrth providing templates to be used and other relevant infonnation, notes and references. They have been designed to be sufficiently generic. such that they could be used in relalion to any overseas country for which a partner is available. The SOPS and other related rtems are posted in an online management resources area, accessible through the TrynS websrte.
TWINS REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES The Trustees present their Report together with the Finanaal Statements for the period 1st January 2021 to 315t Dember 2021. Activities The charity continued to link schools between the UK and areas of natural disasterlgeneral need for practical support, educational interaction and cuttural understanding. During the period, the Charity continued to operate three pilot projects in Pakistan. Somalia and Somaliland, adding a fourth in Yemen. The Charity established an account with charity donations website 'JustGiving' htt s:/lwww. ust ivin -com , due to the closing of charity donations website 'Virgin Money Giving,. School Donatlons and funding of administrative costs The Core focus of Tn$ is educational and social interaction between the children involved. However, there is also the facilty for UK children to raise funds to help improve the lives of the children at the schools wtth which they are twinned. Twins maintains a policy of nng-fencing funds received from each UK school's donations for expendrture on the specrfic overseas school with which that UK school is twinned. There is no 'pooSing' befvleen schools and Twins does nol use any such funds for sts own administrative costs. All funds reiVed by Twins from UK schools. donations are remitted to the relevant country project partners for exFenditure on items to benefit the appropriate overseas schools. Accordingly, funds received by Twins from UK schools are held and accounted for separately. in a similar mannerto that of a 'client account,. At the beginning of the period, the Charity was holding no schools, donations (Due to temporary school dosures in reaction to the global pandemic, there was very little school activtty and no fundraising during the previous period. During that previous period. schools, donations of £584.82 held at the start of that period were remitted to the relevant country project partners). During the period, the Charity reiVed £555.25 in schools, donations, being £566 50, less £11.25 deducted in fees and disbursements by Virgin Money Giving, before funds were remitted to the Charity ffhere may have been further funds taken and deducted by Virgin Money Giving, but no such funds reached the Chanty). During the period, the Chartty remrtted £311.00 to the country project partner for Yemen and therefore ended the period holding £244.25 in schools. don*ions. The Charity started the period with administrative fvnds (from general donations in earfier periods) of £1,442.04 and received a further £25.81 in general donations to the Charity. During the period, the Charity spent £28.78 on domain, YbsIte hosting. Maintenan and development costs, and £38 in subscriptions1£18 JustGiving and £20 British Yemeni Society). Al other administrative cost were directly covered privately by the Managing Trustee. Review of the Chaiity The Chanty will remain open to reIving general funding. If any such funding is sufficiently large and ongoing, the Chartty may use it to increase administrative resources, in order to expand operations wtthin current country projects and to extend operations to new country projects. Othejwse, the Chanty will not subject itself to any substantial ongoing expenditure commitments and will limit one-off expendtture items to those that can be afforded wth existing funds. Through this policy and with administrative costs covered diredy privately by the Managing Trustee, th¢ Charity will remain sustainable and financially secure. By Order of the Board of Trustees William Oswald Trustee 24.02.22
TWINS INCOME AND EXPENDTURE GENERAL ACCOUNT (See notes on previous page) 2021 2020 Income General Donations £25.81 Expenditure Domain, Website Hosting, Maintenaft & Development £28.78 Subscriptions £38.00 £66.78 Funds remaining at period end £1,401.07 £1,442.04 SCHOOL DONATIONS (See notes on previous page) Income School Donations through Virgin Money Giving (inc. Gift Aid) £566.50 Expenditure Wirgin Money Giving card processing & transaction fS (Amounts taken at source by Virgin Money Giving) £11.25 Net Donations Received £555.25 Funds Disbursed Through Local Partners Twins Pakistan Project Twins Somalia Project Twins Somaliland Proiect Twins Yemen Projed £584.82 £311.00 £311.00 Funds remaining held for schools at period end £244.25
TWINS BALANCE SHEET Fixed Assets 2021 2020 Tangible assets Current Assets Debtors Cash at bank and in hand Cash held for schools Accounts receivable for schools £1.401.07 £244.25 £1,442.04 £1.645.32 £1.442.04 Creditors.. due within one year Cash due for schools A¢counts Payable £244.25 £244.25 Net Cuent assets £1,401.07 £1,442.04 Total assets less current liabilities £1,401.07 £1,442.04 Creditors.. due after one year £1,401.07 £1,442.04 In approving these Accounts as Trustees of the Charity we hereby confimi: a. that, due to the amounts concerned. there was no requirement for either an independent examination or an audit to be conducted in relation to the Charity's accounts during the period." and b_ that we acknowledge our responsibilities to comply with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 with regard to the keeping of accounting records. to the preparation and scrutiny of statements of account, and to the preparation of annual reports and returns. The statements of account. reports and retums will be sent to the Charity Commission (regardless of the incorne of the Charity) no later than ten months from the financial year ena. Approved by the Board of Trustees on 24. February 2022. William Oswald ) Trustees Bryony Croft