Trustees’ Annual Report for the period:
1[st] April 2023 to 31[st] March 2024 Charity name: Little Sparks Enfield Charity registration number: 1195845
Objectives and Activities
The objectives 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 we were fully back to face-to-face activities. These included bereavement groups, parent groups, 1:1 play activities, Easter egg delivery, outings, Christmas party and Christmas present deliveries. Overall, we worked with over 62 children from 33 families.
When planning our activities for the year, the Trustees have considered the Charities Commission’s guidance on public benefit. We have considered the section of the public that our activities 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 activities.
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 loneliness.
This year our bereavement groups included a sports day activity which allowed for 15 bereaved siblings to have an opportunity to socialise and have a fun day out.
We also ran two parent groups, giving them a safe place to feel comfortable and open to speak of their grief and share stories. These groups were accessed by 9 bereaved parents.
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 endof-life condition. We co-work closely with hospitals, community clinicians, schools and other voluntary organisations, and host specialised 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.
Our specialist play sessions this year have provided play support within the family home. All play sessions have been focused to meet the individual needs of the child with aims and outcomes. The Sessions are child-led, and all play is looked at from a holistic approach to enable positive outcomes. We use sensory play as part of our sessions and have been very limited with toys used in the sessions, but this year due to funding we were able to purchase some specialist toys which has made a big difference within the play sessions and now more fun and portable for all children to access. We have also supported children with end-of-life memory work through our play sessions including memory boxes and family 3D hand moulds.
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.
At this year’s memory day, we provided a safe space to remember all Little Sparks Enfield’s children and families who have died. We purchased a memory bench which was placed in a nature reserve for families to visit anytime. Food and drink were provided along with poems being read and a live singer. We plan to expand on this at the next memory day.
Christmas & Easter
We make sure all the families have fun at Christmas time; we supply 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. We also deliver presents to the doorsteps of families that are isolating. At Easter we doorstep deliver eggs that this year were donated by Tesco Enfield.
Christmas this year was celebrated with a Grotto in a school sports hall and provided entertainment and food alongside Christmas activities. All children received a Christmas present and for some this is the only gift they would receive. Due to medical reasons and some families isolating due to treatments some were unable to attend, and presents were delivered.
This year Tesco donated Easter Eggs which we distributed at a party or delivered to those unable to attend.
Child’s Birthday
As with the Christmas Party, we organise birthday celebrations for the child and their siblings, to make positive memories. The child can 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.
This year we took 6 number of children to places like Harvester, McDonald’s, Nandos and Creams. After the planning with children, parents and volunteers we were able to create memories with siblings and allow them to experience their favourite places they do not usually have access to due to treatments, time or funds.
Medically Beneficial Purchases
This year we purchased a cold blanket which provides the opportunity for families to enable a child to remain at home following the death until the time of the funeral if desired by the family. The use of the cold blankets reduces the rate of the body’s physical deterioration, and this enables the family time to say farewell at their own pace and to plan funeral of their choice.
We also purchased some large sensory toys from spacecraft which has changed the way our play sessions are delivered and designed and can now be tailor made to each child’s needs with access to a wider range of fun toys which will give opportunity from sensory input regardless of location as all portable for the play specialist to take to the family home.
Financial Review
This Annual Report is the third as a registered charity. There was a carried forward balance of £17,523. The Charity received funds by way of donations, fundraising and a grant. The donations came from regular monthly donations as well as corporate donations. The fundraising means were by third party activities from supporters and from platforms such as Easy Fundraising, Amazon Smile and Just Giving. There are costs associated with these platforms giving a total net fundraising revenue of £14,549.
The Charity also received a grant from John Lewis plc of £2,000
Little Sparks used the income to carry out the previously mentioned charitable activities. Beneficial Purchases £2,525.33 Outings and birthdays £1,387.38 Christmas & Easter £992.59 Memory Work £926.22 Bereavement Work £762.05 Play Sessions £473.81
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 £27,004
Next year, Little Sparks Enfield plans to create a “Wish List” of large beneficial purchases.
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: |
|---|---|---|
| Chair | Lisa Dodd | From 20thSeptember 2021 to 11thJuly 2023 |
| Lisa Goodridge | From 12thJuly 2023 | |
| Vice Chair | Senada Gjokaj | From 12thJuly 2023 |
| Secretary | Stacey Easton | From 12thJuly 2023 |
| Trustee | Lisa Goodridge | From 20thSeptember 2021 to 11thJuly 2023 |
| Mark Cope | From 20thSeptember 2021 to 11thJuly 2023 |
Names of Advisers Treasurer Yvonne Voegt 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: Yvonne Voegt Position: Treasurer Date: 31/05/2024
Litt Spa& cltItY No 1195645 Annual accounts for the eriod Perbjd stsrtda Pw-23 To Mar-24 Section A Statement of financial activities (including summary income and expenditure account) Redricled UnrelLd Ine¢ymè Ethdowment nd8 funds ds Pr4oryÈar d8 ReCoMmeIed catsgowiesby adr¥ity Total ndS Ineon 13,512 13,512 1.140 6.432 16,652 16,652 21,143 Expenditiye Fl¥jflVj 103 103 215 7,171 7,171 16,580 Net inc{1{eXPen1ItUre) before lax for the reporting period 9,481 9,481 4,564 pay& Net Inc<¥1(¢nthturo} aftertax fore investrn?nt gain1055) 9,481 9,481 4,564 Net Inc1{eXPen1titUre) Extraordinaryite Tran5fEf5 betEen lunds Other recognised gain&llloMesl: 9.481 9.481 4,564 Not movwn•ntin funds 9,481 9,481 4,564 TotafLTrJ5tAwJMfu•d 17,523 27,(MM 17,523 27,004 17,523 Sbwed by orE or tntsteBs beh10181 thp trSlee Slu int Name Dateof aFpru1 Vo8gt 312ry24