Trustees’ Annual Report for the period:
20[th] September 2021 to 31[st] March 2022
Charity name: Little Sparks Enfield
Charity registration number: 1195845
Objectives and Activities
The objectivies of Little Sparks Enfield are to provide therapeutic activities and events for children with terminal and life threatening conditions and their families; working closely with the families, hospitals, community clinicians and schools.
Little Sparks Enfield provides fun events for the public, aimed at individual families and events open to wider groups. We offer our support for families through bereavement, be that a sibling or close family member and we help families deal with their child’s sickness and bereavement, helping to leave them with long lasting positive memories. This year those activities have included play sessions, bereavement work, hosting a Christmas party, outings and birthday celebrations.
When planning our activities for the year, the Trustees have considered the Charities Commission’s guidance on public benefit. In particular, we have considered the section of the public that our activites are aimed at and who may benefit from our activities. Little Sparks Enfield exists for the sole charitable purposes to enhance the experiences of the public and, whilst the activities would benefit a specific section of the local community, any member of the public is able to contact us for assistance.
Achievements and Performance
This year we have carried out the following charitable activites .
Bereavement Groups
Our bereavement work is vital for families throughout their grief journey. This is why the bereavement lead offers one-to-one work with children and young adults between the ages of 5-16, from the London Borough of Enfield, who have been bereaved of a sibling or a parent and have been referred to us. Groups for children and young adults are run during the school holidays which allows the bereaved children to share their experiences of their grief journey with their peers in a safe and nurturing environment. Activities may include crafts or physical activities.
It has been well documented that, without support, a bereavement of a close family member can lead to risk taking and crime related behaviours in children and young adults. Helping prevent this and mental health issues at later stages in life benefits wider society.
Our bereavement lead also offers one-to-one work with parents who have experienced a loss of their child, making sure they are emotionally supported within their grief journey. Parents also have access to our Bereaved Parents’ Group which allows them to talk with other parents who have lost a child. A child bereavement is a very lonely experience and these groups can help to ease that lonlieness.
Play Sessions
Little Sparks works with children in Enfield who have complex medical conditions, or who are deemed as having a short life expectancy. Their access to activities can usually be very limited; something that other children may take for granted. Siblings of these children can also feel isolated. Little Sparks offers a safe place for them to talk, feel included and express themselves through play and craft activities, supported by specially trained volunteers.
We provide support for children and their families who have a life limiting, life threatening, or an end of life condition. We co-work closely with hospitals, community clinicians, schools and other voluntary organisations, and host s pecialised events, tailor made for children and families to meet their individual needs. It is important to provide inclusive, fun events that can be accessed by children and their families, regardless of age or ability. The aim is always to provide therapeutic one-to-one play sessions, with the child, with or without siblings, to help them to understand their illness and allow them to express themselves through play to relieve anxiety.
Memory Making
Any family from Enfield that has been bereaved of a close family member is invited to join us for our annual Memory Day. We bring together parents who have had a child die, to celebrate the child’s life through poems and singing, allowing time to reflect and remember every one of their children.
We also held other memory making activities, supporting the family to make lasting positive memories through crafts or photos from one of our parties or outings.
Christmas Party
We make sure all the familys have fun at Christmas time; we suppily food, a present, games and meet and greets with Father Christmas, all free of charge to families who are not able go to a traditional grotto due to their condition.
Child’s Birthday
As with the Christmas Party, we organise birthday celebrations for the child and their siblings, to make positive memories. The child is able to choose where they like to go like for food or park or crazy golf; giving the child at the end of their life important time together with their siblings.
Financial Review
This Annual Report is the first as a registered charity. Previous to this, the same Trustees and volunteers had been carrying out the same activities as a company registered with Companies House (Little Sparks Play and Bereavement). The first injection of unrestricted funds £6,590.83 into the charity account was from the company account and raised from donations and fundraising activities. In addition £270.35 was raised from the platforms Just Giving and Easyfundraising. The final £8,282.70 raised was from both regular and ad-hoc donations from the public. One company alone donated £7,500 of this amount. The total unrestricted funds received for the period was £15,143.88.
The total expenditure of £2,185 was made up of £2,112.76 on the charitable activites mentioned previously and £72 Just Giving subscription costs.
Reserves Policy
Little Sparks Enfield does not currently have a policy to maintain a reserves balance. This is because the money received is directly spent on charitable activities only. Any remaining unrestricted funds at the end of any financial year is to be carried forward to the next financial year to be used for charitable activity that year.
The total funds carried forward to the next financial year totals £12,959
Covid 19 social interaction restrictions were still prevalent during this financial year. It is anticipated that, as we become able to interact with more vulnerable children, the expenditure for charitable activities will increase in the next financial year. We also plan to carry out more fundraising events which will require initial expenditure. All expenses will be taken from the carried forward funds.
Structure, governance and management
Governing Document
Little Sparks Enfield is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation - Foundation registered on 20[th] September 2021 with a Constitution governing document.
Trustees
Every charity trustee must be a natural person, over the age of 16 with at least one trustee being over the age of 18. There must be at least three charity trustees, with no maximum number that may be appointed to the CIO. Apart from the first charity trustees, every trustee must be appointed for a term of one year by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the charity trustees. In selecting individuals for appointment as charity trustees, the charity trustees must have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO.
Administrative information
The name of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation (“the CIO”) is: Little Sparks Enfield and is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales number 1195845.
The Charity’s principal address is: Cedar House, St Michaels PCC, Gater Drive, Enfield, EN2 0JB
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity Lisa Dodd Chair from 20[th] September 2021 Lisa Goodridge Trustee from 20[th] September 2021 Mark Cope Trustee from 20[th] September 2021 Names of advisers Yvonne Voegt Treasurer from 20[th] September 2021
Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Print Name: Lisa Dodd Position: Chair Date: 18[th] January 2023
Little Sparks Enfield Charity No 1195845 Company No Annual accounts for the period Period end Period start date Oct-21 To date Mar-22
Section A Statement of financial activities (including summary income and expenditure account)
| Expenditure Expenditure on: Tax payable Net gains/(losses) on investments Extraordinary items Other gains/(losses) Reconciliation of funds: Total Recommended categories by activity Income Income and endowments from: Charitable activities Other trading activities Separate material item of income Other Donations and legacies Investments/Grants Total funds carried forward Total Net income/(expenditure) after tax before investment gains/(losses) Net income/(expenditure) Transfers between funds Net movement in funds Other recognised gains/(losses): Net income/(expenditure) before tax for the reporting period Total funds brought forward Gains and losses on revaluation of fixed assets for the charity’s own use Charitable activities Separate material expense item Raising funds Other |
Unrestricted funds Restricted income funds Endowment funds £ £ £ 8,283 - - 270 - - - - - - - - - - 6,591 - - |
Total funds Prior year funds £ £ |
|---|---|---|
| 8,283 - 270 - - - - - - - 6,591 - |
||
| 15,144 - - |
15,144 - |
|
| 72 - - 2,113 - - - - - - |
||
| 72 - 2,113 - - - - |
||
| 2,185 - - |
2,185 - |
|
| 12,959 - - |
12,959 - |
|
| - - - |
- - |
|
| 12,959 - - |
12,959 - |
|
| - - - |
- - |
|
| 12,959 - - |
12,959 - |
|
| - - - - - - - - - - - - |
- - - |
|
| - - - - |
||
| 12,959 - - |
12,959 - |
|
| - - - |
- - |
|
| 12,959 - - |
12,959 - |
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
Lisa Dodd 18[th] January 2023
Chair