2025-08-31-accounts

B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

31 AUGUST 2025

Company Registration Number: 03768246 Charity Number: 1075620

B C P C

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Contents	Page
Report from the Chair of Trustees	2
Trustees’ Annual Report	3 – 11
Reference and Administrative Information	12
Independent Examiner’s Report	13
Statement of Financial Activities	14
Balance Sheet	15
Statement of Cash Flows	16
Notes forming part of the Financial Statements	17 - 27

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

BCPC continues to thrive under the leadership of our Director, Rhianwen Gilson. The carefully curated handover with Tree Staunton has enabled her to provide both continuity through her own voice, but also to discern what might need to “change to remain the same”. Thank you Rhianwen for all that you do. Demand for student places has remained strong, despite the pressures in the general economy, our three Foundation and our Psychotherapy Course were over-subscribed.

Our levels of staff turnover remain low, with minimal external recruitment required, partly as a result of our tutor progression model whereby tutors generally join the organisation at the Foundation training level and then progress over time to their areas of clinical and training expertise. Wherever possible, we have sought to pair new and more experienced tutors in the teaching of our courses in order to provide greater continuity, and this model continues to work well in building strong tutor teams across the Foundation and professional trainings.

Juliette and Lydia have continued to ensure the office offers an approachable environment, ensuring tutors and students are supported throughout the year. The office has seen a change this year with Karen Iles leaving the Finance Manager role after many years. She has left the finances in a good place with a Balanced Budget and appropriate Reserves. We would like to acknowledge the dedication and sensitivity that she brought to the role Clive Barker has joined as our new Finance Manager and brings to role considerable experience and insight. In continuing Karen’s good work, the new 2025-26 Budget, is planned to deliver a surplus. He has also produced a new Investment Strategy which will hopefully deliver better returns, whilst keeping our funds safe.

The end of year accounts report a small £10,233 surplus on a turnover of £657,742. This has enabled us to increase our general reserve, this provides the charity with some cover for any unforeseen events. After 2 years of deficits (resulting from a number of factors) I am extremely pleased to be able to report the surplus.

The spend on Low Cost Services has increased to £4,944 for this year. This is good progress and shows us targeting one of the main purposes of the charity. This spend has resulted in the Low Cost Therapy Fund reserve reducing to £4,322. During 2025-26 the organisation needs to look into identifying funds to boost this reserve to ensure we can continue supporting members of the public who need support but who do not have the funds to pay for them at market prices.

Our students remain the focus of our work and we take pride in the competence, confidence and ethical soundness our graduates continue to display and then extend to their support of clients. The various courses are well regarded, this is a reflection of all involved, staff and students alike. I am pleased to state that 27 students (Counselling 16, Psychotherapy 11) graduated in 2024-25.

This year I have taken over as Chair. I would like to thank the outgoing chair, David Presswell, for his hard work over previous years, which he always conducted with a gentle but incisive touch. He has left the organisation in a good place. I continue to appreciate the four trustees’ voluntary investment in BCPC, their skills and experience ensure that the necessary governance is in place. This year we welcome Mark Ames to that team, who brings with him a long career in student support services in higher education. I would also like to acknowledge the numerous BCPC Members who give voluntarily of their time and experience as Committee Members. Our governance would not be possible without them and, on behalf of our Board and Management, I would like gratefully to acknowledge the work they do. Finally, in an increasingly febrile world, the inner and outer work that we are all committed to at BCPC seems all the more imperative.

Martin Gledhill, Chair

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

BCPC Board of Trustees, October 2025

Objectives and Activities of the Charity

The objects of the organisation, as set out in the Memorandum and Articles of Association are:

‘To promote the preservation and protection of mental health, to advance education and to relieve persons suffering from psychological or emotional illness by:

(1) Educating, training, qualifying, setting standards of practice for and supporting psychotherapists and counsellors through the provision of courses, classes, seminars workshops and conferences on the subject of psychotherapy and counselling, leading to recognised qualifications to practise in these areas, as well as through the promotion of an association for students, trainees, and a professional community of practice for psychotherapists and counsellors;

(2) Providing counselling and psychotherapy for those suffering from psychological or emotional illness; assessing the needs of members of the public requiring counselling or psychotherapy and making such referrals as are deemed appropriate; as well as providing skilled practitioners for nurturing better relationships at all levels*;

(3a) Undertaking research into and the study of psychological or emotional well-being and illness and the theory and practice of psychotherapy, counselling and human relationships at all levels*, and publishing the useful results and findings of such research and study;

(3b) To model and reflect the approaches we teach and espouse in our own organisation and trainings;

(4) To do all such other acts and things as are or may be incidental or conducive to the attainment of the object or ancillary thereto and to formulate, prepare and establish schemes therefore provided that all the activities of the Charity shall be of a charitable nature.

• by relationships at all levels we mean both: a) cognitive, emotional, physical and spiritual; and b) personal, inter-personal, couples, families, groups, teams, organisations, systems, transpersonal and ecological.

Public Benefit Reporting

The trustees have paid due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on Public Benefit in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.

The principles of Public Benefit are:

• there must be an identifiable benefit which is related to the aims of the charity; and,

• benefit must be to the public or section of the public.

Taking the aims of the charity in turn, these requirements are addressed below:

Objective 1 was pursued in various forms – training courses, workshops, Continuing Professional Development courses and speaker day/conferences; a rigorous network of committees for maintaining standards of training, ethics, the reaccreditation of graduate members and;

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

professional practice rooms for consultation to members of the public – and this activity delivered the following public benefits in 2024/25.

• qualified counsellors and psychotherapists of a high standard with ongoing professional support and standards monitoring were trained and entered professional practice in the community. This benefits all members of the public seeking mental health care of this type. Therapists often operate sliding fee scales linked to income, thus not excluding users on the grounds of poverty.

• members of the public could train and educate themselves in counselling and psychotherapy with BCPC, at a level appropriate to their interests and financial resources

• members of the community of graduate counsellors and psychotherapists have been able to attend professional workshops and talks at BCPC in order to further their knowledge and skills in their professional practice.

Objective 2 was pursued via the provision of a free referral service (the RS) to the public, which helps identify and refer them to appropriate therapists. The benefits of these services to the public are self evident and do not exclude users on the grounds of low income.

Objective 3 leads to the furtherance of publicly available knowledge and skills in the application of counselling and psychotherapy, thus providing obvious public health benefits.

Objective 4 has been pursued via the delivery of the BCPC low cost counselling scheme which has a dual purpose of providing counselling to senior citizens and those on low income whilst providing invaluable experience to student practitioners. The scheme had another successful year, with 50 clients benefiting from the service and each seeing students for blocks of 10 weeks. This has been advertised through local GP surgeries, community centres, universities, and other public sites. This year Designated reserves were used to provide additional ongoing sessions to the growing number of clients presenting with more complex needs.

Review of Activities and Performance

The academic year 2024/25 saw solid student numbers across all courses. The Foundation year, a gateway to both the counselling and psychotherapy professional training, as well as a selfdevelopment year, had a full intake. Demand for professional training is stable and all training took place in person in the BCPC building.

Feedback from the external examiners for both professional trainings was both supportive and excellent and contributes to organisational confidence in BCPC’s high standards across all its courses and professional trainings. The organisation invests in its community of staff and consequently the standard of tutors employed is very high, contributing greatly to the richness of the student experience and learning. Staff were supported to undertake additional training as requested and new and experienced tutors alike benefited from further training in working with groups.

The Director and the Finance Manager meet weekly to discuss financial and business matters relating to the running of the organisation. The BCPC Management Team, comprising the Director and Course Leaders, meets fortnightly to discuss current and strategic curriculum matters and to ensure the continued health of the Foundation course and the professional trainings.

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

The BCPC committee members (sub-committees of the Trustees) continued to work hard to support the organisation and its members across a broad range of organisational activity. These committees are the Training Committee, Re-accreditation Committee, Referral Service & Low-Cost Counselling Committee and Diversity, Standards and Ethics Committee. These committees remain a vital part of the BCPC organisational structure.

The BCPC Spring Conference and Graduation Ceremony was held in May 2025. We were delighted that former Director of Studies and founder of BCPC Peter Hawkins and co-founder Judy Ryde were the guest speakers. It was well attended and members were interested to hear about what has changed since the starting of BCPC in 1984, and what the future could look like.

The BCPC graduation ceremony was a very moving occasion and celebrated the qualification of 13 counsellors and 6 psychotherapists together with family, peers, BCPC staff and tutors and BCPC trustees. A total of 27 students graduated in counselling and psychotherapy during the year.

Over 100 people attended the 5 CPD events held this year. The topics included an Introduction to Food Addiction, Creative Writing for Therapeutic Purposes, Offering a Therapeutic Space for Autistic Clients, A Compassionate Approach to Psychotherapy and Gender, Power, Privilege and the Therapeutic Encounter.

The BCPC Referral Service and its ‘Find a Therapist’ facility continued to be in high demand as did the Low-Cost Counselling service operated by BCPC counselling and psychotherapy students.

1. Objectives for the year 2024/25

The main objectives for the academic year were addressed as follows:

• The Low-Cost Counselling Service continued to deliver services to those in need in the local community. Increased advertising was focussed on local agencies, community groups, charitable organisations and local shops leading to an increase in visibility for the service and a steady flow of referrals through the year. All suitable clients who contacted the service received counselling support. Seven individuals with complex needs were subsidised for weekly therapy for a period of up to 6 months.

• BCPC continued to offer a free referral service to members of the public with increased service users across Bath, Bristol and the wider Southwest area.

• BCPC offered Continuing Professional Development opportunities to members across a range of issues both in person and online through the academic year, and these were well attended. BCPC continues to encourage its graduates to successfully publish their research in relevant professional journals.

• BCPC hosted the Spring Conference with an external speaker followed by the presentation of graduate awards.

• The increased support for students with Specific Learning Difference was consolidated and benefitted a number of students across the Foundation courses and the professional trainings.

• Membership of the organisation remained strong.

• A BCPC bursary was awarded to an applicant from a racially marginalised group and in genuine financial need, with a view to bringing underrepresented groups into the profession.

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

2. Student numbers in 2024/25

The table below shows start of year student numbers for the last three years:

	2024/25	2023/24	2022/23
Foundation	54	54	54
Counselling
-Year 1	15	17	16
-Year 2	13	14	25
- Year 3	23	23	30
Psychotherapy
-Psychotherapy Year 1	18	16	18
-Module 1 (start of M.A.)	13	18	13
-Modules 2&3	26	24	22
-Module 4	12	10	16
-Module 4S (5)	43	34	28
Total	217	220	222

For the academic year 2025/26 226 are enrolled.

3. Financial review

3.1 Background

A charity must classify the income it receives as either ‘unrestricted’ (no special restrictions have been placed on the income and it can be spent as the trustees see fit) or as ‘restricted’, where the donor places explicit restrictions on the future use of the money.

The surplus of income over expenditure in any year is termed Net Income for a charity (in other organisations this is called Profit) and this gives rise to an accumulated reserve at the year-end, called a ‘fund’. A fund is not simply cash, but rather all assets minus all liabilities.

A fund is akin to a ring-fenced pot of money. A charity may have several funds due to it having to keep track of how it received and spent different pots of money in complying with any special conditions on their use. BCPC’s main unrestricted fund is called the General fund – this is where most of the training and membership activities are recorded. The funds are all listed in the accounts and summarised in the table below at section 3.3.

3.2 Income and expenditure in the year

The unrestricted General fund, trading results for 2024/25 report a surplus of £10,233 (2023/24: deficit of £20,503). This improved position was achieved by increasing income by 9% whilst keeping cost increases down to 4%. Foundation Course fees were reviewed and increased to align with the market and application levels were maintained.

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

No significant increases occurred with Expenditure this year. Good budget management has occurred, and expenditure kept to a minimum. Salary increases were set at 2.5%, the lower end of that agreed for the Universities and Colleges. The surplus will be transferred to General Funds. The surplus of £10,233 was slightly better than the planned budget (£7,439 surplus).

Two Listening Skills courses took place this year. Take up was good with 16 students undertaking the on-line course and 18 students attending the in person course. Applications to the Foundation course were high with all 54 places filled with a waiting list.

The Psychotherapy Year 1 course was full with 18 students. The Counselling Year 1 course numbers were disappointing with only 15 attending. This low take up was discussed internally and a different approach implemented in 2025, this has been successful with 17 students starting in September 2025.

The Director organised 5 popular CPD events online and in person which were well attended. Spring Conference was held in the building which generated a small amount of income. The Referral Service income obtained this year was £10,850, more than last year (£9,908) and the budget (£10,000). The Low Cost Service generated £2,181 slightly more than last year (£1,776).

Overspends were reported surrounding the National Insurance change and Repairs and Maintenance (roof and boiler works). These have been negated by underspends in General Office costs and Reviews and Audits.

The Low Cost Therapy Fund exists to support more complex clients. In these circumstances BCPC pay experienced psychotherapists in training a top up amount to match their prescribed trainee rate to support clients who cannot afford market rates. In 2024/25 £4,944 was paid to these trainees, this will be funded by a transfer from this reserve.

There are 2 restricted reserves held by BCPC, these total £3,355. The Low Cost Service Fund (previously Community of Practice (CoP) fund) supports low cost service referrals who have more complex requirements than can be accommodated within the current service and the BCPC Hardship Fund (previously Student Representative Group (SRG) fund). No expenditure or income has occurred in the restricted reserves in 2024/25.

3.3 Reserves position at the year-end

The General fund has increased to £546,581 at the end of August 2025. The increase from £531,405 is due to the surplus on the general account and the transfer from the Low Cost Therapy Fund. A £30,000 Unrestricted Property Fund (for maintenance of the building) remains at 31 August 2025 with no transactions occurring in this financial year.

There were no transfers from Restricted Funds.

The unrestricted and restricted funds position at the year end is shown in the table below.

	At 31.8.25	At 31.8.24
Unrestricted funds:	£	£
- General	546,581	531,405
- Designated	34,322	39,266
	580,903	570,671

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Restricted funds:
- Low Cost Service Fund	26	26
- BCPC Hardship Fund	3,327	3,327
Total funds	584,256	574,024

The Trustees have reviewed the charity’s reserves policy to have free reserves - that is unrestricted funds free of long term encumbrance, such as being invested in fixed assets. Due to the amount of cash held in the business due to courses being paid in advance it is considered that reserves should be equal to three months of annual running costs. This equates to £164,446 (based on 2024/25 running costs). At the end of this financial year the free reserves are £143,618.

The Trustees are committed to increasing the general reserve in future years (in accordance with what has happened in 2024/25). This will result in the free reserves growing steadily over the next few years towards the current target of 3 months, enabling the charity to be able to cover any sudden unforeseen increase in expenditure. The charity’s ‘on-going’ status has been reviewed in setting the new budget and the Trustees and the Directors are content that, with the current plans and reserves, that the organisation will continue as an ‘on-going’ concern.

Plans for Forthcoming Academic year 2025/26

• To continue to promote the Low-Cost Counselling Service widely and ensure it is known by, available to, and accessed by, vulnerable individuals in our community. In achieving this seeking additional funds to ensure that it is long term financially viable,

• To continue to ensure access to the BCPC Referral Service to all potential clients in Bath, Bristol, and the surrounding areas in the Southwest.

• To develop a rich and varied programme of Continuing Professional Development that supports Counselling and Psychotherapy professionals to develop their practice, build their expertise and become aware of new areas of research

• To hold a Spring Conference that develops contemporary themes alongside the BCPC Graduation ceremony

• To maintain strong organisational membership levels

• To continue to promote a BCPC Bursary for those applicants from racially marginalised groups and in genuine financial need

• To continue to monitor the structure that supports students with Specific Learning Differences to access learning at BCPC

• To review and develop our internet presence in the counselling and psychotherapy training marketplace.

• To review office processes in order to ensure data is held efficiently and effectively on stable ICT platforms.

Structure, Governance and Management

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

1. The charity is governed by a Memorandum and Articles of Association, with accompanying bylaws. The charity is also a company limited by guarantee.

2. New trustees are elected at the Annual General Meeting (AGM). All trustees have to retire after three years but are eligible to stand for immediate re-election. Between AGMs, the trustees can co-opt new trustees, however, such co-opted trustees must be confirmed in their appointment through election at the subsequent AGM.

3. New trustees are inducted through a process including meetings with the senior management staff and trustees, and the circulation of many relevant documents such as minutes of previous trustees’ meetings, management accounts and annual accounts. A copy of the full induction procedure is available from the office.

4. Trustees are mainly recruited through appeals to the graduate membership, as it is stated in the bylaws that there should be at least two psychotherapy graduates and at least two counselling graduates of the organisation amongst the trustees. In addition, there should be at least two non-member trustees on the Board, who may be recruited through personal recommendation and subsequent approach, or through advertising in relevant press.

5. The trustees meet at least termly, or as the immediate situation demands. The Director reports to the trustees, and their work is directed through resolutions passed at these meetings. If matters requiring direction arise between meetings, the senior management are advised directly by the Chair of Trustees. Additionally, the bylaws indicate that a number of subcommittees also take responsibility for specific areas, including training standards, ethics and re-accreditation. Terms of reference for all subcommittees and job descriptions for senior management roles are in place.

6. The charity is subject to review by various external organisations:

7. The Charity Commission

8. Companies House

9. United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)

10. British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)

11. Middlesex University

These organisations all impose various operating practices on the organisation to maintain its professional relationship and standing, and these form part of the job descriptions of the senior executive managers of the organisation.

1. The charity has no subsidiaries. The main partnership work currently undertaken in pursuit of its charitable objectives is the provision of qualifications accredited by BACP, UKCP and Middlesex University.

2. A risk policy has been created by the trustees. The policy states that in order to reduce risk in accordance with operational requirements, the following principles apply:

3. a) Insurance - policies will be at a level of cover recommended by the insurance company, with excess payments at or below £500.

4. b) Reserves – a process of rebuilding our reserves has been taking place following the acquisition of permanent freehold premises in 2014. This year we are below the General Reserves target. Plans are in place to increase this over the next few years.

5. c) Financial Control - a budget is set each year, with the aim as a minimum to break even over the year. Trustees will monitor the developing financial situation termly. Two signatories will authorise all financial transactions.

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

• d) Risk register - a register of risks shall be maintained and be reviewed by the trustees annually.

Trustees’ Responsibilities in relation to the Financial Statements

The trustees (who are also directors of BCPC Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report (incorporating the strategic report and directors’ report) and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102: The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the income and expenditure of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

• select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;

• observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;

• make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;

• state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and

• prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in business.

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

Small company provisions

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Registered office: Signed by order of the Trustees 1 Trim Bridge Bath BA1 1HD

…………………..

Martin Gledhill

on behalf of

BCPC Board of Trustees

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B C P C

TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

Approved by the Trustees on ……………………

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B C P C

REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2025

1. The name of the charity is Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling. The organisation is incorporated as a company limited by guarantee under the name BCPC.

2. The charity registration number is 1075620. The company registration number (registered in England and Wales) is 03768246.

3. The principal office (and registered office) is located at: 1 Trim Bridge, Bath, BA1 1HD.

4. At the time of this report, the Trustees and Corporate Directors of the organisation were:

5. Martin Gledhil - Chair

6. Frankie McGibney

7. John Barrett

8. Jill Shearer

9. Mark Ames

10. The senior manager of the organisation to whom the day-to-day management of the charity is delegated was Rhianwen Gilson.

11. The independent examiner appointed for the current year is: Joshua Kingston BSc ACA, Burton Sweet Limited, The Clock Tower, 5 Farleigh Court, Old Weston Road, Flax Bourton, Bristol BS48 1UR.

12. The bankers for the organisation are: CAF Bank Ltd, 25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4JQ.

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B C P C

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER’S REPORT

YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2024

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of B C P C (‘the Company’)

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 August 2024.

.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity’s trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

Since the Company’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, which is one of the listed bodies.

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe:

1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or

2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or

3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a ‘true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or

4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Joshua Kingston BSc ACA Burton Sweet Limited The Clock Tower 5 Farleigh Court Old Weston Road Flax Bourton Bristol BS48 1UR

Date: …………………………

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