Ripples Charity Trustees’ Annual Report
For the year ended 1 November 2025
| Charity name: | Ripples Charity |
|---|---|
| Charity number: | 1198000 |
| Charity structure: | Charitable Incorporated Organisation, Foundation model |
| Registered date: | 21 February 2022 |
| Registered address: | 10 Chaldon Way, Coulsdon, CR5 1DB |
| Website: | https://ripplescharity.com/ |
| Reporting period: | 02 November 2024 to 01 November 2025 |
1. Introduction from the Trustees
This Trustees’ Annual Report sets out the work of Ripples Charity during the year ended 1 November 2025. It explains our charitable purposes, the activities carried out during the year, the public benefit delivered, the charity’s financial position and our plans for the year ahead. Ripples Charity exists to support people and communities facing poverty, limited access to education, barriers to training, poor health outcomes and lack of opportunity. Our main focus remains Ghana, where we work through trusted local partners and community-led projects.
During the year, the trustees continued to develop the charity’s work in line with its objects, with a focus on responsible giving, local partnership, good governance and practical support that can make a clear difference. Alongside the projects delivered this year, the trustees have continued to develop a longer-term vision for Ripples Charity. A key part of that vision is the proposed development of a vocational school in Ghana. This has become an important point of direction for the charity. The proposed school would give young people access to practical skills, training and opportunity, helping them move towards greater independence and a more secure future.
During the year, trustees and volunteers visited Ghana, including the proposed land for the vocational school, and met with local community representatives to better understand the needs, opportunities and practical steps involved. These early discussions have helped shape the charity’s future plans and strengthened the trustees’ commitment to education, training and community-led development. The trustees see this vision as a guiding focus for the charity’s future work: practical support that creates opportunity, builds confidence and helps communities flourish over time.
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2. Objectives and Charitable Purposes
The objects of Ripples Charity, as set out in its governing document, are:
The relief of poverty, advancement of education, relief of sickness and advancement of good health by the provision of grants to charities, or other organisations working to further these purposes.
The charity works towards the prevention and relief of poverty, mainly in Ghana, by supporting education, training, healthcare and wellbeing projects. This may include grants, direct funding and practical support to individuals, charities and other local organisations that are working with communities in need.
Our vision is: To create a world where disadvantaged individuals and communities are empowered to live a better life.
Our mission is: To drive practical, sustainable change through education, training, healthcare and community support, making one difference at a time and impacting many over time.
3. Public Benefit Statement
The trustees confirm that they have had regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when planning and reviewing the charity’s activities.
The trustees believe the charity’s work provides public benefit by supporting people and communities who face poverty, disadvantage, limited educational opportunity and restricted access to healthcare or wellbeing support.
During the year, the charity’s activities were directed towards beneficiaries in Ghana who need practical support. The trustees reviewed proposed projects and funding decisions against the charity’s objects, the needs of the intended beneficiaries and the likely benefit of each activity.
The charity does not operate for private benefit. During the year, the charity funded Aggie’s Charity to provide vocational training for young people. Any personal benefit received by individual beneficiaries, such as training, skills development, improved employability or access to future income, was incidental to the charity’s wider charitable purposes of relieving poverty, advancing education, relieving sickness and advancing good health.
The trustees were satisfied that the support provided was directed towards charitable need and delivered public benefit by helping young people gain practical skills, improve their prospects and move towards greater independence.
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4. Activities During the Year
Ripples Charity’s four focus areas are:
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Education support
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Health support
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Community development
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Water, sanitation and hygiene
During the year, two trustees, the treasurer, one of the founders and a volunteer travelled to Ghana to visit potential projects, meet local partners and better understand local needs.
The visit included an orphanage, Aggie’s Foundation and the proposed land for a future vocational school. The team also met with the local Chief to discuss community needs, including the potential provision of a borehole to support the planned vocational school site.
The visit helped the trustees assess future project opportunities, strengthen relationships with local partners and consider how Ripples Charity could support education, training, community development and water, sanitation and hygiene in a practical and sustainable way.
The charity completed the following water, sanitation and hygiene projects:
| Project Name: | Zion Community Tsito Borehole Project |
|---|---|
| Partner Organisation: | Ripples Charity (United Kingdom) |
| Completed & Commissioned By: |
Hon Emmanuel Kwasi Bedzrah (MP), Hon Francis Profer Dusey (DCE) & Lawyer Biadela Akpadzi Mortey |
| Commissioned Date: | 17th August 2025 |
| Region: | Volta, Ghana |
| Zion is a suburb of Tsito Awudome in the Volta region of Ghana where the population has overgrown its water needs resulting in acute water shortage in recent times. This resulted in people, particularly children walking long distances in search of clean water. The project has provided a mechanised borehole for the Zion community, a suburb of Tsito Awudome with more than 700 residents. This will help ease a significant pressure caused by the community’s longstanding water shortage. |
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| Project Name: | Amisano Community Borehole Project |
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| Partner Organisation: | Ripples Charity (United Kingdom) |
| Completed & | Nana Kobina Amissah III |
| Commissioned By: | |
| Commissioned Date: | 25th September 2025 |
| Region: | Central Region, Ghana |
Amisano is a populated settlement in the KEEA Municipal District, located at an elevation of approximately 62 metres above sea level, with a population of around 2,451. The community previously faced a significant water supply challenge, placing a heavy burden on residents — particularly women and children who spent long hours collecting water.
The project involved drilling, casing, wellhead construction and tiling of a community borehole, together with an elevated polytank water storage system, to provide Amisano Community with reliable access to clean and safe drinking water.
The project now provides an estimated 2,451 residents of Amisano with a dependable source of clean, safe drinking water close to home, easing a burden that fell most heavily on women and children, who previously spent long hours each day fetching water.
4.1 Grants and direct support
The charity continues to identify suitable grant and support opportunities, working with local partners and community representatives to identify needs to agree future practical responses.
4.2 Education and training
During the year, the charity continued to explore education and training support in Ghana, with a particular focus on Aggie’s Foundation and its work with young people.
As part of the trustees’ visit to Ghana, the team visited Aggie’s Foundation to learn more about its vocational training work, understand the needs of the young people it supports and consider how future funding from Ripples Charity could help develop practical training opportunities.
During the visit, Ripples Charity also donated stationery to Aggie’s Foundation to support its education and training activities. This practical support was given in line with the charity’s focus on education support and its wider charitable purpose of advancing education.
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4.3 Health and wellbeing
During the trustees’ visit to Ghana, the charity visited an orphanage to better understand the needs of children and young people receiving care.
As part of the visit, hygiene products and stationery were provided to the orphanage. The hygiene products supported the charity’s focus on health, wellbeing, while the stationery provided practical education support. These items were funded through a mixture of charity funds and personal donations from trustees.
This support was modest but practical, and helped the trustees better understand future opportunities to support children and young people through trusted local contacts and community-led projects.
4.4 Community-led support
The charity continued to work with local partners and community representatives to identify needs and agree future practical responses.
During the visit to Ghana, the team visited the proposed land for a future vocational school and met with the local Chief to discuss the needs of the community. These discussions included the potential provision of a borehole to support the site and improve access to water for future users of the school and the wider community.
5. Achievements and Impact
The charity assessed, reviewed and completed two mechanised borehole water projects in communities with limited access to clean water in Ghana during the year.
These projects have improved access to clean, safe and reliable drinking water for local residents. They have also reduced dependence on unsafe water sources and helped lower the risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera, typhoid and diarrhoea.
The projects are expected to have a particular benefit for women and children, who previously spent long periods collecting water from distant sources. Improved access to water should allow more time for education, work, family responsibilities and other daily activities.
Alongside the health benefits, the projects have supported better sanitation and hygiene and strengthened community ownership through local involvement in the management and maintenance of the facilities.
The charity also provided practical support during the year through the donation of hygiene products and stationery to an orphanage, funded through a mixture of charity funds and personal donations from trustees. Stationery was also donated to Aggie’s Foundation to support its work with young people in Ghana.
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6. Working with Partners
Ripples Charity works through trusted local partners who understand the communities they serve. This helps the charity direct funding towards real needs and reduce the risk of poorly targeted support.
During the year, the charity worked with:
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Aggie’s Foundation to review educational needs of children and young people for future sponsorship in their Educare programme
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Adjay Edu (Francis) to manage a mechanised water borehole project in the Central Region of Ghana
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Mr Kafui, a trusted representative in Ghana, to complete a water project in the Volta Region of Ghana
Before making grants or providing support, trustees considered:
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How the proposed project fitted the charity’s objects
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The needs of the beneficiaries
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The credibility and local knowledge of the partner
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The proposed use of funds
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How spending and impact would be checked
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Any safeguarding, financial, operational or reputational risks
Trustees will continue to strengthen due diligence, monitoring and reporting for all partner-led activity.
7. Structure, Governance and Management
Ripples Charity is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
The charity is governed by its constitution. The trustees are responsible for the overall control, management and administration of the charity. The founders are kept updated on project funding, progress and completion of funded projects.
All trustees continued to serve during the year:
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Sarah Keen - Chair
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Jose Giles - Trustee
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Andrew Bernard - Trustee
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Joanna Salter - Trustee
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Lauren Keen - Trustee
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The trustees aim to meet quarterly and otherwise as required to review the charity’s activities, finances, risks and future plans. Major decisions are taken collectively by the trustees. A combination of meetings in person, via Teams and on Whatsapp are also used to communicate between official Board meetings.
During the year, the trustees had three formal Board meetings as well as carried out a trustee visit to Ghana. Major decisions were taken collectively by the trustees and recorded in the charity’s records.
No trustees received remuneration for their role as trustees during the year. Trustee expenses were not paid during the year.
8. Trustee Responsibilities
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Annual Report and the charity’s accounts in line with charity law.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records, protecting the charity’s assets, taking reasonable steps to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities, and using the charity’s funds only in support of its charitable purposes.
The trustees confirm that they have reviewed the charity’s activities and financial position for the year and approved this report.
9. Safeguarding
The charity recognises that safeguarding is part of good governance and responsible charitable activity.
Ripples Charity does not currently deliver services directly to beneficiaries. Trustees do not provide direct services to beneficiaries, although during the year two trustees, the treasurer, a volunteer and one of the founders visited Ghana to meet local partners, visit potential projects and better understand local needs.
The trustees consider safeguarding as part of their oversight of any funded work, and will continue to take reasonable steps to satisfy themselves that partner organisations have suitable safeguarding policies, reporting arrangements and local oversight in place before and during funded activity.
There were no safeguarding incidents reported to Ripples Charity during the year.
Where the charity works through local partners, trustees expect those partners to take suitable steps to protect children, vulnerable adults and other beneficiaries from harm.
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10. Risk Management
The trustees reviewed the main risks facing the charity during the year. These included:
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Misuse of funds or weak financial controls
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Limited evidence of project delivery or impact
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Safeguarding risk when supporting children or vulnerable people
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Over-reliance on a small number of donors
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Reputational risk from partner activity
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Currency, transfer and overseas delivery risks
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Governance risk if trustee roles and decisions are not recorded clearly
The trustees managed these risks by:
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Keeping financial records and bank statements under review
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Approving grants and spending through trustee decision-making
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Asking partners for updates, receipts and evidence of delivery
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Recording key decisions in trustee minutes and via whatsapp
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Strengthening due diligence before new projects or partnerships
The trustees will continue to improve risk management as the charity grows and lessons are learned operating in Ghana.
11. Financial Review
11.1 Summary of financial position
The trustees reviewed the charity’s financial position during the year and at year end. For the annual accounting period from 2 November 2024 to 1 November 2025, the charity had funds brought forward of £3,456. During the year, the charity received a total income of £343,577. This comprised £353 in bank interest and £343,224 in donations received.
The charity made total payments of £58,384 during the year. This comprised £58,174 in project expenses and charitable support, £60 in monthly bank charges and £150 in SWIFT payment charges. After income received, payments made and funds brought forward, the charity recorded net income/receipts of £288,649 for the year.
At the year end, the charity held cash at the bank of £288,649. The statement of financial position also recorded expenses falling due of £241.70. After taking account of these liabilities, the charity’s net current assets at the year end were £288,407.
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The charity’s income came mainly from donations from founders. The charity’s expenditure was mainly used to fund Project costs. The trustees are satisfied that the charity’s income and expenditure during the year were in line with the charity’s objects and that charitable funds were used to support the prevention and relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the relief of sickness and the advancement of good health.
11.2 Reserves policy
During this reporting period, the trustees did not put a reserve in place due to not having any financial commitments. However, the trustees agreed to put a reserve in place to ensure we hold sufficient unrestricted funds to meet known commitments, basic running costs and any short-term funding gaps during the next reporting year.
11.3 Going concern
The trustees have reviewed the charity’s financial position and planned activity. Based on current funds, expected income and planned expenditure, the trustees believe the charity can continue its activities for the next 12 months.
If income is lower than expected, trustees will reduce discretionary project spending and avoid making commitments that cannot be funded.
12. Fundraising
During the year, the charity did not raise any funds through fundraising.
13. Volunteers
Ripples Charity is supported by trustees and volunteers who give their time freely to help the charity carry out its work.
During the year, volunteers supported the charity by visiting potential projects, reviewing local needs, carrying out financial and administrative duties, supporting governance activity and helping trustees assess how charitable funds could be used well.
The trustees are grateful for the time, care and practical support given by volunteers during the year.
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14. Serious Incidents
The trustees considered whether any matters during the year needed to be reported to the Charity Commission as serious incidents.
There were no serious incidents during the year.
15. Future Plans
In the next financial year, the charity plans to:
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Continue supporting education, training, healthcare and wellbeing projects in Ghana
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Strengthen local partnerships and due diligence
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Improve monitoring and impact reporting
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Build a clearer project pipeline
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Review and update key policies
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Continue developing the charity’s website and public communications
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Explore future community-led projects, including the proposed development of a vocational school in Ghana and the potential provision of a borehole to support the school site and surrounding community
The trustees will focus on projects that are practical, affordable, aligned with the charity’s objects and capable of showing clear benefit to the people and communities supported.
16. Approval and Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved this Trustees’ Annual Report.
Signed on behalf of the trustees:
Name: Sarah Keen Role: Chair Signature: _____ Date: _____ 19th July 2026
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Ripples Charity Annual Returns Year end 1st November 2025
| Annual Account Period Year End Income Received Brought Forward Total Revenue/funds Brought Forward Gross Income/Receipts Other Receipts Bank Interest Received Donations Received Total Income/Receipts |
02.11.24 - 01.11.25 3,456 3,456 - 3,456 353 343,224 343,577 |
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Overheads/Expenses
| Projects Expenses(Charitable Support) | 58,174 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bank Charges (Monthly Account Charges) | 60 | |
| Bank Charges (Swift Payment Charges) | 150 | |
| Total Payments (Receipts) | 58,384 | |
| Net Income/Receipts (payment) | 288,649 |
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Ripples Charity Annual Returns Year end 1st November 2025
Statement of Financial Position
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Assets | - | - | ||
| Current Assets | ||||
| Cash at Bank | 288,649 | 3,456 | ||
| Total Current Assets | 288,649 | 3,456 | ||
| Current Liability | ||||
| Expenses falling due over one year | 242 | 0 | ||
| Net Current Liability | 242 | - | ||
| Total Assets Less Current Liability | 288,407 | - | ||
| Balance at start of Period | 3,456 | 3456 | ||
| Balance at end of Period | 288,407 | 3,456 |
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