SPARK(BURNTWOOD) CIO

Registered charity 1184253 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as SPARK, SPARK(BURNTWOOD) C.I.C

We operate a community hub on the site of a former childrens' centre, offering a range of groups and activities to benefit the local community in particular pre-school age children and their families.

Objects

THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO ARE:1. TO ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN IN BURNTWOOD AND THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES, (HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE 'AREA OF BENEFIT') BY THE PROVISION OF CHILDCARE AND PLAY FACILITIES AND ACTIVITIES.2. TO ADVANCE EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR CHILDREN, PARENTS, CARERS AND RESIDENTS WITHIN THE AREA OF BENEFIT WITH A PARTICULAR VIEW TO PROMOTIG VOLUNTEERING AND RELIEVING UNEMPLOYMENT.3. TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF PARENTS, FAMILIES, LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND ORGANISATIONS IN THE AREA TO BENEFIT IN RELATION TO CHILDCARE, PLAY, EDUCATION AND EARLY LEARNING SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES.

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 · Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Lichfield, West Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£164k

Latest spending

£186k

Registered

2019

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that Spark operates with a reserves policy targeting a 3-6 month financial cushion to mitigate risks from potential funding cuts. The trustees report that the charity draws on a diverse mix of statutory, charity, and local funding sources, reducing reliance on any single stream. No specific unrestricted reserves figure or audit opinion is disclosed in the provided text.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: National Lottery Community Fund

“The largest amount was from the National Lottery Community Fund for the Bright Beginnings-Grow and Thrive Project, Children in Need and Lichfield District Council for the Community Connections Project.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: 3-6 month cushion

“We have a Reserves Policy which addresses various potential scenarios and provides for a 3-6 month cushion in case of short-term decreases in funding.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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
Risk management
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.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2025

Volunteers: 34
Government income: £22,684 — grants £22,684 (2); 14% of the £163,696 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2024

Volunteers: 43
Government income: £11,482 — grants £11,482 (4); 5% of the £212,763 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2023

Volunteers: 54
Government income: £16,196 — grants £16,196 (4); 7% of the £241,405 total gross income on the same return

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

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Spark (Burntwood) (matched by registered charity number).

Trustees · trustee networks

Andrew Twyman
Frances McCallum
Laura Edwards Revd · trustee of 1 other charity
Rev LINDA HOOD
Sarah Lucas
Suzanne Kirk

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

Operates in: Birmingham City · Staffordshire · Walsall · Wolverhampton

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£164k	£186k
31/08/2024	£213k	£192k
31/08/2023	£241k	£217k
31/08/2022	£221k	£202k
31/08/2021	£125k	£126k

Common questions

Is SPARK(BURNTWOOD) CIO financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that Spark operates with a reserves policy targeting a 3-6 month financial cushion to mitigate risks from potential funding cuts. The trustees report that the charity draws on a diverse mix of statutory, charity, and local funding sources, reducing reliance on any single stream. No specific unrestricted reserves figure or audit opinion is disclosed in the provided text.

Who funds SPARK(BURNTWOOD) CIO?

Funders whose own accounts filings name SPARK(BURNTWOOD) CIO as a grant recipient include SMALLWOOD TRUST, THE NOEL SWEENEY FOUNDATION, SKIPTON BUILDING SOCIETY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, LILLIE JOHNSON CHARITABLE TRUST, GAY AND PETER HARTLEY'S HILLARDS CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount
SMALLWOOD TRUST	FY2021	£33k
THE NOEL SWEENEY FOUNDATION	FY2025	£5k
SKIPTON BUILDING SOCIETY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2025	£2k
LILLIE JOHNSON CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£1k
LILLIE JOHNSON CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£1k
GAY AND PETER HARTLEY'S HILLARDS CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£1k

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	30/01/2025	£497k	Bright Beginnings-Grow & Thrive
The National Lottery Community Fund	16/12/2022	£10k	Spark Support
The National Lottery Community Fund	27/08/2021	£387k	Grow and Thrive
UK government	11/08/2020	£36k	Coronavirus Community Support Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund	17/10/2019	£10k	Improving Maternal Mental Health

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
THE BARROW CADBURY TRUST	2	£209k
THE A B CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£99k
THE CITY OF LONDON OCTOBER CLUB	1	£810k
IMPETUS - THE PRIVATE EQUITY FOUNDATION	1	£446k
THE YOUTH ENDOWMENT FUND CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£445k
THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSIC	1	£395k
BERNARD LEWIS FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£343k
THE DAWES TRUST	1	£228k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with SPARK COMMUNITY SPACE.

SPARK COMMUNITY SPACE income £267k
SPARC TRUST income £299k
THE SPARK ARTS FOR CHILDREN income £534k
SPARK SOMERSET income £1.6m
Spark2Life income £1.5m
SPARKS PROJECT CIO income £205k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
SPARK(BURNTWOOD) CIO	£164k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SPARK COMMUNITY SPACE FY2026	£267k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SPARC TRUST FY2026	£299k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE SPARK ARTS FOR CHILDREN FY2025	£534k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SPARK SOMERSET FY2025	£1.6m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
Spark2Life FY2025	£1.5m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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