Trustees’ Annual Report
1[st] January - 31[st] December 2025
Charity Contact Information
Scottish Charity Name: Wat Buddha Metta UK
Scottish Charity Number: SC053866
Address : The Cottage, 11 Beechgrove, Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway Postcode : DG10 9RS
Telephone number : 07707 617671
Email address : wbmuk2025@gmail.com
Charity Trustees
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Michael Read – Principal Contact
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Peter Foster - Treasurer
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Kenneth Garrod - Chairman
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Supha Prawatto - Secretary
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Philip Cheetham
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Objectives and activities
The organisation’s main purpose is “The advancement of the Buddhist Religion” but also with regard to “The promotion of Religious and Racial harmony”.
The charity was setup to establish a base from which students from Thailand, particularly monastics, could come to the UK and study; whilst experiencing UK culture and practising their Buddhist day to day responsibilities.
The “Buddha Metta Society” charity (1154796) was setup in England & Wales in 2013 to help the work of a senior Thai Theravada Buddhist monk Luangpor Chaowaphit Sudhiro. Many of his supporters in the UK have visited his monasteries in NE Thailand and he has been invited many times to come and stay in the UK.
Luangpor has been ordained for over 40 years and would be the senior monastic overseeing the WBMUK Buddhist Centre/Temple and would also be available for his UK supporters, avoiding the need for them to travel to Thailand. He would hold regular daily Buddhist activities and be available for religious ceremonies such as births, weddings, blessings and funerals.
Since its inception in December 2024, the charity has attracted a number of regular monthly donors along with a number of one-off donations. Once a suitable place is found, the income required to run it will be supplemented by holding regular retreats and Buddhist and Thai festivals.
The organisation is currently waiting to see if there will be any financial support from Thailand. The Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, Somdet Phra Ariyavangsagatayana IX has been instrumental in assisting young monastics in their study both in Thailand and abroad and it is our hope that his kindness and tireless energy in providing an ethical and fruitful path for future young people to follow may inspire some support to establish a permanent place in Scotland.
To honour the Sangharaja’s 100[th] birthday and recognize his ongoing support and sponsoring of monastics to study and travel abroad, a financial proposal was created with invitations to continue his work and help support young monastics to come and stay at the new Centre/Temple to practice the Dhamma, improve their English, learn about western culture and share their knowledge with the people of the UK. A summary of this proposal has been included in this TAR.
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Structure, Governance and Management
Type of governing document
The WBMUK charity is a SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation).
Trustee recruitment and appointment
The charity was setup with 5 Trustees, 4 born in the UK and the 5[th] a Thai national. Supha Prawatto was born in Thailand and has known Luangpor for most of her life.
Supha is married to an Englishman and lives in Oxford but, along with her husband, visits Thailand regularly. Supha’s ability to speak both languages and her knowledge of both cultures acts as a bridge between East and West and is an extremely useful asset for the charity.
The trustees were chosen based on their experience of Luangpor and their willingness to help establish somewhere for him to stay for longer periods in the UK, as well as provide a place for students to stay and study and visitors to go on retreats.
It is expected that the trustees will change over time as there are a number of Luangpor’s supporters who would like to be involved, but the existing would like to remain until such time as a place has been found and acquired.
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Achievements and Performance
Since the WBMUK was granted SCIO charitable status in December 2024, the trustees, along with Luangpor, have visited a number of properties in Scotland, including the one in the picture on the first page of this TAR.
However, due to the Scottish property and financial legal constraints, the charity is attempting to acquire sufficient financial backing before it can make an offer on any property.
To support this, the charity opened 2 bank accounts. The first is a standard Business current account into which the regular standing orders are paid. The second is an interest-bearing Business savings account into which all monies to the former have been regular transferred to ensure the charity is getting a return whilst it is fund raising.
The savings account at the end of December 2025 had a balance of £43,199.
The charity has also received a pledge of a further £70,000 which the donor has offered with no end date for repayment.
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Financial Review
The WBMUK will use the 2 bank accounts in such a way as to have the Business current account for its regular income and expenditure and the savings account for any money set aside for projects. Until such time as a property has been acquired, all the money will be held in the savings account to accrue interest.
The WBMUK has a regular monthly standing order income of £575 into the current account and £43,199 in the savings account as at 31[st] Dec 2025.
The charity has not incurred any costs since it was established, so the income total of £43,199 is also the end of year balance.
The trustees created a “Financial Proposal” honoring the Somdet’s 100 birthday and offering an opportunity to provide support and share in the establishment of the Buddhist Centre/Temple. Luangpor has close contacts with “Mahamakhut Buddhist University” which has a number of campuses around Thailand and its main one in Bangkok.
If the charity is successful, students from these campuses along with others from particularly monastic institutions will benefit from being able to stay at the Scottish Buddhist Centre/Temple. So, it is hoped some support may come from MBU.
The “shares” described are only in name however. The ownership of the property will be entirely held in the name of the SCIO “Wat Buddha Metta UK” and the trustees will be wholly responsible for making decisions on behalf of the charity.
The proposal is summarised on the next page.
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Financial Proposal inviting Thai monastic, lay and educational institution support
In order to finance this project, the Wat Buddha Metta UK SCIO would like to invite donors to share in the foundation of this Monastery and Retreat Centre.
There are 10 “shares” in the project where the property cost will be borne in 1/10[th] portions. Each share can be an individual, group or organization who would like to be part of the founding of a legacy that will be left for generations to come.
The BMS UK charity have donated the first of the “shares”, providing 3/10[ths] of the cost of the property that will be bought to convert into a Monastery and Retreat Centre.
Please help to make this happen, to honour and continue the Somdet’s generosity and kindness towards the young monastic Sangha, and to place roots in Scotland in the UK, providing a place for the Dhamma to grow and flourish particularly for the young people experiencing mental and psychological problems in this modern world of stress and anxiety.
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Wat Buddha Metta UK - 1/10th Shares
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----- Start of picture text -----
10%
10% 30% Buddha Metta Society
Anumodana
Sadhu
Thank You
10%
Metta
Karuna
Mudita
10% 10% Upekkha
10% 10%
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Future Plans
One of the trustees, Ken Garrod, is travelling to Thailand in June 2026 in order to ordain as a Thai Forest Tradition Buddhist Monk, staying at one of Luangpor’s monasteries in Isan NE Thailand.
Ken plans to remain a monk for at least 3 months and will use some of his time to raise the awareness of the charity and invite donors to help financially based on the proposal detailed in this TAR.
It is hoped that by the end of 2026, the charity will have a clear picture of whether the project will be a success or not and whether the vision of the trustees will be able to be brought to fruition.
Declaration
Signed on behalf of the charity trustees:
Print name Peter Foster Designation Treasurer Date 8[th] June 2026
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