THE COTTON TREE TRUST

Registered charity 1172069 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The charity helps asylum seekers to tell their stories both for therapeutic purposes and to help them with their claims for the right to remain in the UK. It also gives them and other refugees legal and practical advice and representation in relation to asylum claims and appeals, and gives other practical help and advice and support in relation to their lives in the UK.

Objects

OBJECTS(1) IN THIS CLAUSE 'REFUGEES' MEANS PERSONS WITHIN ENGLAND AND WALES SEEKING ASYLUM OR OTHER REFUGEE STATUS CONFERRING A LEGAL RIGHT TO REMAIN IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THOSE GRANTED ASYLUM OR SUCH OTHER RIGHT TO REMAIN AND THE DEPENDANTS OF ANY OF THE ABOVE LIVING IN ENGLAND AND WALES.(2) THE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY ARE (A) TO ADVANCE EDUCATION AND RELIEVE FINANCIAL HARDSHIP AMONGST REFUGEES IN PARTICULAR BY (I) THE PROVISION OF LEGAL AND OTHER ADVICE, (II) PROVIDING TRAINING AND EDUCATION FOR THEM SO AS TO ADVANCE THEM IN LIFE AND ASSIST THEM TO ADAPT TO LIFE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND BE ACCEPTED BY THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY, AND SUCH TRAINING AND EDUCATION MAY INCLUDE IN PARTICULAR THE PROVISION OF VOCATIONAL AND SKILLS TRAINING, ADVICE AND SUPPORT AND THE TEACHING OF ENGLISH AND (III) DIRECTING REFUGEES TO OTHER SOURCES PROVIDING THE ADVICE, TRAINING AND EDUCATION REFERRED TO IN (I) AND (II) ABOVE.(B) TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF REFUGEES.(C) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC ABOUT ISSUES RELATING TO REFUGEES.(D) TO PROVIDE FACILITIES FOR, ASSISTANCE WITH AND ADVICE ABOUT RECREATION AND OTHER LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE OF REFUGEES WHO NEED SUCH FACILITIES, RECREATION OR LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION BY REASON OF THEIR YOUTH, AGE, INFIRMITY, DISABLEMENT, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES AND TO DIRECT REFUGEES TO OTHER SOURCES PROVIDING SUCH FACILITIES, ASSISTANCE AND ADVICE.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Economic/community Development/employment · Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity · Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Islington, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity incurred a net deficit of £65,468 for the year ended 31 December 2025, reducing its total reserves to £239,277. The trustees report that the charity's principal asset is debtors owed by the Legal Aid Agency, noting that start-up funding was exhausted and future activities are dependent on securing new funding. Despite the deficit, the trustees maintain a going concern basis, asserting adequate resources for the next 12 months.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Corporate structure

• Trading subsidiary: THE COTTON TREE TRUST LIMITED Companies House 13077836

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Cotton Tree (matched by registered charity number).

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook

Trustees · trustee networks

• Dr RUTH CIGMANchair · trustee of 1 other charity
• George Goldstein · trustee of 2 other charities
• Judith Favour Ahikire · trustee of 1 other charity
• Michael Mark · trustee of 1 other charity
• Ram Gudovitch
• Ruba Gbalang Sesay

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with FAMILY REFUGEE SUPPORT PROJECT.

• FAMILY REFUGEE SUPPORT PROJECT income £255k
• TREE OF HOPE income £1.1m
• THE OLIVE TREE CENTRE TRUST (SOUTH EAST) income £25k
• THE COLTSTAPLE TRUST income £951k
• OAK TREE HOMES TRUST income £64k
• COLIN BENNETT CHARITABLE TRUST FOR THE HOMELESS income £40k

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.