Spirit of Peace
Kent-registered peace-education charity and company that runs the UK Friends of Hope Flowers, raising money for the Hope Flowers School near Bethlehem, whose pupils its accounts say mostly live in Deheisha Camp
| Spirit of Peace
| |
|---|---|
| Type | Charitable company |
| Founded | 2008-02-18 (registered) |
| Registration ID | Registered charity 1122834; company 06339788 |
| Headquarters | Sevenoaks TN13 (register); registered office at its accountants in Ewell, Epsom KT17 (accounts) |
| Area served | Gloucestershire, Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Hampshire, Kent, West Sussex, City Of York, Throughout London |
| Website | www.spiritofpeace.co.uk |
Spirit of Peace is a charitable company (company 06339788, incorporated on 10 August 2007) registered as a charity on 18 February 2008.[1][2][3] Its register address is in Sevenoaks TN13 and its registered office is at its accountants in Ewell, Epsom; the register lists eight areas of operation, including Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.[2][4] Its objects are the advancement of public education "in the theory and practice of peace-making and reconciliation" and the promotion of equality and diversity, and its programmes include the UK Friends of Hope Flowers, Kingian Nonviolence, the Oxford Three Faiths Encounter and "Pathways for Human Flourishing".[4] The register lists five trustees – Barbara Carol Payman, Miriam Ozanne (from 14 August 2019), Julie Golding (from 13 December 2019), Elliott Albert Lancaster (from 13 January 2021) and the Revd Heather Faith Serjeant (from 16 May 2024) – and the accounts name Heather-Jane Ozanne as chief executive.[2][4] In the year to 31 August 2025 income was £35,062 (2024: £32,069), mostly donations for charitable activities (£31,105) and grants (£2,337); spending was £31,747 (2024: £33,043), including donations made of £16,300 (2024: £15,000) and sub-contractor and facilitation fees of £9,553; funds rose from £9,763 to £13,078, of which £10,672 was restricted (Hope Flowers £10,335; Jerusalem Peacemakers £337).[4] The accounts were examined by Mary E Ryan and approved on 27 May 2026.[4]
Objects and activities
The charity's registered objects read: "A)TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF PEACEMAKING AND RECONCILIATIONB) THE PROMOTION OF EQUALITY AND DIVERSITY FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT"[2]
The register describes its activities as: "To advance the education of the public in the theory and practice of peacemaking and reconciliation.The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit."[2]
Register classifications: General Charitable Purposes, Education/training, Arts/culture/heritage/science, Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity.[2]
Areas of operation recorded on the register: Gloucestershire, Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Hampshire, Kent, West Sussex, City Of York, Throughout London.[2]
Trustees
Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:[2]
| Trustee | Appointed | Chair | Other trusteeships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Carol Payman | not recorded | — | |
| Miriam Ozanne | 2019-08-14 | — | |
| Julie Golding | 2019-12-13 | — | |
| Elliott Albert Lancaster | 2021-01-13 | — | |
| Heather Faith Serjeant | 2024-05-16 | — |
Historical trustees (UK Government Web Archive)
| Capture date | Trustees listed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-01-12 | Miriam Ozanne (from 14 August 2019); Barbara Carol Payman; Milly Sinclair (from 01 July 2011) | [5] |
| 2021-07-05 | Gaynor Cobb (from 15 December 2020) – also trustee of Childaid to Eastern Europe; Elliott Albert Lancaster (from 13 January 2021) – also trustee of The Wolfpack Project; Miriam Ozanne (from 14 August 2019); Barbara Carol Payman; Julie Golding (from 13 December 2019) | [6] |
Companies House lists four current directors (Golding, Lancaster, Ozanne and Payman); Susan Dorothy Howard was a director from 6 September 2007 to 14 July 2026 and company secretary until 10 November 2021. The Revd Heather Faith Serjeant, a register trustee from 16 May 2024, does not appear among the company's officers.[1][2]
Companies House officers
Companies House lists 13 current and former officers of the charitable company (06339788), 4 of them active.[7]
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 2021-08-31 | £33,323 | £24,826 |
| 2022-08-31 | £32,680 | £41,381 |
| 2023-08-31 | £20,057 | £28,563 |
| 2024-08-31 | £32,069 | £33,043 |
| 2025-08-31 | £35,062 | £31,747 |
Source: register annual-return history.[2]
Archived accounts
Accounts no longer on the live register were found in the UK Government Web Archive:
Funding in Israel
- Year to 31 August 2025: the Hope Flowers restricted fund received £25,322 and spent £18,517 (2024: £16,397 and £15,050). The accounts describe the Hope Flowers School as "providing an education for primary school children close to the historic Palestinian town of Bethlehem for over 30 years", with the "majority of the pupils" living in refugee camps, "mostly Deheisha Camp".[4]
- The charity's website says donations for the school are "processed by Spirit of Peace through a dedicated bank account" and that it has supported the school "for almost two decades".[10]
- The report also describes a 2024 UK tour with Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, "visiting from his home in Nazareth", and video interviews "with both Palestinians and Israelis"; no payment to a body in Israel is itemised.[4]
Israeli partners
The Hope Flowers School in Bethlehem, whose managing director is named as Ibrahim Issa; the accounts also mention a restricted fund for "Jerusalem Peacemakers" (£337 at the year end) without describing it.[4][10]
Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF
Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the Israeli recipient organisation, not proven use of UK funds.
| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|
| The accounts place the Hope Flowers School "close to the historic Palestinian town of Bethlehem", say most pupils live in "Deheisha Camp", and refer to "Israeli military operations in the West Bank, including Bethlehem"; £18,517 was spent from the Hope Flowers restricted fund in the year. The register lists the Occupied Palestinian Territories as an area of operation.[4][2] | High (beneficiary school, town and camp named in the accounts, which place Bethlehem in the West Bank; amount given) |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated. The accounts refer to "Israeli military operations in the West Bank, including Bethlehem" as affecting the Hope Flowers School, not as anything the charity funds.[4]
Controversies and regulatory action
- No Charity Commission inquiry, Official Warning or Gazette insolvency notice naming this charity was found, and its register entry shows no regulatory alert;[11] it is not among the charities named in the Commission's cheque-cashing class-inquiry announcements (May, September and December 2025) or in the September 2026 statement of results.[12][13][14][15] The charities in the Commission's settlements class inquiry (opened August 2026) have not been named, so it is not known whether this charity is among them.[16]
- Loan from the chief executive. The accounts say the chief executive personally met costs such as travel and accommodation for overseas speakers; £3,141 (2024: £3,390) unreimbursed at the year end was treated as an "interest free loan" and repaid on 7 October 2025.[4]
- Out-of-date report text. The trustees' report for the year to August 2025 describes events of 2023 and 2024 and says of Kingian Nonviolence that "we have not developed this programme further in the year end August 2024".[4]
Other registers and records
Scotland and Northern Ireland
No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 14 October 2026, searched by name).[17] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[18]
The Gazette
Searches of The Gazette for "Spirit of Peace" returned Companies House filing lists that include the company (06339788) and older notices using the phrase in other contexts; no insolvency, winding-up or strike-off notice naming the charity was found.[19]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
| Date | Funder | Amount (£) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-11-29 | Co-operative Group | 2,433.39 | Fund training to teach young people life skills which enable them to manage conflict in relationships without resorting to violence. |
| 2018-01-17 | The National Lottery Community Fund | 7,700 | The funding will be used by a charity to develop its programme of support activities for communities that are experiencing the effects of so |
| 2020-07-07 | Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport | 4,372 | "The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 cris |
| 2022-02-04 | The National Lottery Community Fund | 4,600 | The funding will be used to deliver a series of themed outdoor multicultural events. The project aims to create friendships and support netw |
No grants made by the charity are published in 360Giving data, so flows between linked charities could not be traced there.[20]
Sanctions screening
The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees and officers named in the accounts read for this profile and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found.[21]
Land and property
The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[2] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[22]
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Spirit of Peace" returned 99 contributions in total; those not listed above were not established to concern this charity.[23]
Web archive
The UK Government Web Archive holds 2 archived Charity Commission register pages used in this profile (cited in the sections above). The 2021 archived full print showed the status "Charity reporting is up to date" and "Other regulators: No information available".[5]
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Companies House, SPIRIT OF PEACE (06339788) Find and update company information, overview and officers, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public extract (tables charity, charity_trustee, charity_annual_return_history, charity_area_of_operation, charity_classification, charity_other_names), extract dated 14 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Spirit of Peace (1122834): full print Register of Charities, retrieved 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 Charity Commission, Spirit of Peace (1122834): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Register entry 1122834, full print (capture of 20210112) UK Government Web Archive.
- ↑ Register entry 1122834, full print (capture of 20210705) UK Government Web Archive.
- ↑ Company 06339788: officers Companies House, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Spirit of Peace accounts, year ended 2016-08-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200103).
- ↑ Spirit of Peace accounts, year ended 2018-08-31 UK Government Web Archive (capture of 20200103).
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Spirit of Peace, Hope Flowers, Bethlehem spiritofpeace.co.uk, viewed 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Register of Charities, charity overview page (register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/ followed by the organisation number) for each of the 25 batch-25 charities, all retrieved on 16 October 2026 and checked for a "Regulatory alerts" notice; none showed one.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026, with Statement of the results of a class inquiry (same date).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
- ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-25 charity names found no matching Scottish registration.
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-25 charity names returned zero results).
- ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Spirit of Peace' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1122834 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-25 screening covered 459 name strings: the 25 charity names and their other names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees, officers, examiners and other people and organisations named in the accounts and websites read for this batch, every person and organisation linked in the profiles, and the Companies House officers of the charitable companies and of the related companies Renco Properties, Conlatuse and Landmead; the only hits were generic words (the word "QA" in the names of corporate formation agents) and surname-only matches, which were rejected; no person matched. Screened 16 October 2026.
- ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK – the service returned HTTP 403 (bot protection) to automated access in October 2026; no titles were looked up or purchased. Candidate title numbers below come from the free CCOD / OCOD datasets (October 2026 release), not from paid title registers.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Spirit of Peace" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).