Introduction

The Oxford León Association and Trust is open to all members of the public.

• Promotes and maintains friendship between the citizens of Oxford and Leon
• Supports visits and delegations between the two cities
• Fosters dialogue between councillors and officers of Leon and Oxford
• Raises awareness amongst the people of Oxford about the life of the people of Leon
• Raises funds which can be used by us for projects in Leon

The Oxford León link.

In the 1980s there was a popular movement to twin cities in the UK with counterparts in the developing world, especially with Nicaragua. At that time there was a great deal of interest amongst the British public and in Oxford an Association (called the Oxford León Association – OLA) was set up of people interested in developments in Nicaragua. A number of influential people from Oxford visited Nicaragua at that time, some on brigades and others independently.

By 1985 the decision was taken by members of OLA to establish a more formal link between the cities of León and Oxford. Letters were exchanged between the respective mayors and a charity inaugurated. The charity was named the Oxford León Trust.

The Oxford León Association and Trust continues to campaign and generate funds at a community level and is a registered charity (Registered Charity Number: 294149) prevented by law from political campaigning and is restricted to the administration of its funds for the purposes outlined in its trust deed, i.e. projects in Leon. The Oxford Leon Association and Trust is supported by Oxford City Council and is one of five twin towns.

The Oxford León’s work as a charity

The Oxford León Trust is a registered charity whose trust deed was signed on 24 March 1986. As a registered charity the Trust submits an annual report on its work and income and expenditure to the Charity Commission which is the national body governing the work of all the UK charities.

Vision:We aim to work towards a sustainable future for the region of León, Nicaragua by providing support in the fields of education, health and public works.

Mission:
To raise funds in Oxford and its surrounding area for educational, health and other public works in León, Nicaragua, working particularly with the poor and marginalized sectors and to hold those funds on behalf of the people of León until suitable projects are selected and implemented.

Objectives:
Every charity in the UK has what are called charitable objectives, ours are:

• The relief of poverty
• The relief of sickness
• The advancement of education
• The provision of or the funding for public works for the improvement of the region

Lines of Work
By raising funds through donations and public appeals in Oxford and by transferring those for application in projects benefiting the poor in the educational, health and other public sectors the trust aims to alleviate poverty in the region of León, Nicaragua.

The City of Oxford has a co-operation agreement with the City Council of Leon and has a formal link which the Trust supports. Signposts on the main approach roads to the city all include León as one of Oxford’s twinning links. In the past the city council has provided grant funding towards the work of the Trust each year although the amount of the grant has sharply declined in recent years. The Council also employs an ‘international worker’ part of whose job description is support for the Oxford León Association and Trust.

The Trust has a group of trustees, comprising city councillors and prominent individuals living within Oxford who supervise our work.

The current Trustees are John Tanner, Janet Marshall, Janey Carline and David Preston.