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2025-08-31-accounts

Annual Report

Tuesday volunteers preparing crowns for Christmas Journey.

2024-2025

Contents

Page

Staff News 4
Director’s Report 5
Trustees’ Report 6
Finance Report 8
ExploRE Report 12
Supporters and Volunteers 18
The Team 20

Many Thanks

10Giving, Broadwater Fair Trading, Bunyan Baptist Church, Christchurch Baldock, Churches Together In Stevenage, Grace Community Church, Hertfordshire County Council, Herts Police Choir, Hockerill Education Foundation, Holy Trinity, Longmeadow Evangelical Church, Royal British Legion, St. Hugh & St. John, St Ippolyts Church, St Martin’s Knebworth, St. Mary’s Graveley, St Mary’s Junior School Ware, St. Mary’s Shephall, St. Nicholas, St. Peter’s Church Tewin, St Peter’s Church Broadwater, Shalom Ministries, Sirius Digital Solutions, Stevenage Borough Council, Stevenage Family History Society, Trinity Church Knebworth, United Reformed Church, Verulam House Fund Trust, Welwyn Garden City Band and individual donors for your support.

Staff News

In September 2024 we welcomed Lynne Lee-Diep to the team as ExploRE Manager overseeing The Christmas Journey and The Easter Journey. Lynne has previously been a Trustee for Bridge Builders and has been involved with The Christmas Journey at St Peters for many years.

Lynne joins the existing team in the office: Janice Hawketts, Catherine Beach, Amanda Bryant and Gemma Campbell.

In March we said goodbye to our Director Steph Knell. The team and Trustees presented Steph with a rose to thank her for all her work at Bridge Builders. She will be much missed by the team.

We wish Steph well for the future.

Recruitment for a new Director has commenced and we hope to have someone in place for autumn 2025.

Director’s Report

It is with regret and sadness that I stepped down as Director of Bridge Builders this year. I have enjoyed working for Bridge Builders for the last eight and a half years, first as Administration Manager, then ExploRE Manager, and finally as Director. There have been many changes - staff turnover, moving offices, as well as working through the covid pandemic.

I am delighted that Bridge Builders has new members of staff who are carrying on the work of reaching primary school children in Stevenage with the good news about Jesus. We are currently going into 9 local primary schools doing assemblies or lessons, The Christmas Journey and The Easter Journey are still well attended with over 1000 children attending each annually. We also have online Journeys for year 1 and year 6 which have been appreciated.

Thank you to those of you who pray, give financial support or help with the Journeys. I would encourage you to continue to pray for Bridge Builders, and offer what support you can, as they provide children in Stevenage many opportunities to hear about Jesus.

Steph Knell

Trustees’ Report

It has been another year of change for Bridge Builders Christian Trust as Steph Knell stepped down from the role of Director at the end of April after 8 years working for Bridge Builders. We give thanks to God for Steph's faithful service over these years and for the many ways in which Bridge Builders has evolved and developed under her wise leadership. Perhaps most notable were the ways in which the work of Bridge Builders had to change during the covid-19 pandemic, and how the decisions made during that time have led to more children being able to engage with Bridge Builders' resources for many years to come.

As we move into this new school year, we seek God's guidance as we hope to appoint a new Director to lead Bridge Builders through this new season, knowing this will bring fresh opportunities.

We are once again grateful for the work of the whole Bridge Builders team this year. Cathy and Janice have taken on new team leader roles, which has enabled the whole team to continue during this interim period without a Director.

We have been encouraged by the increasing number of schools who have welcomed assemblies and asked for support with RE lessons. REach continues to work towards having a project for all primary school age groups, with the new year 3 Journey 'Our World' currently in the editing phase having been filmed earlier this year. And then, of course, The Christmas Journey and The Easter Journey were both well attended in local churches and accessed from many other schools, with over 3000 children following these Journeys in total this year!

We continue to be thankful for the team of volunteers who make sure that all the resources for each of these projects are prepared. Without them, the work of Bridge Builders would just not be possible.

Thank you to all those who have supported Bridge Builders over the past year; for the generous donations of churches, individuals and grant funders, for the prayerful support of the work in the office, in churches and in local schools, and for office space which is a real blessing.

We look forward to seeing God at work through Bridge Builders in this new school year!

Andrew Brown

The Bridge Builders team would like to thank the Trustees for the many ways in which they have helped us this year; leading prayers at our staff meetings, dressing up for Christmas Journey, helping at the Easter Journey, delivering resources to schools and all the other errands you have run. We are very grateful for your guidance and support.

Finance

In the year to 31st August 2025 the Trust had income of £43,310 and expenditures of £37,540 leaving a surplus in the year of £5,770.

The income is derived mainly from personal giving including associated Gift Aid £22,456 & from local partnering churches, £10,742. Our REach Project was awarded a £3k grant from The Verulam House Fund Trust, £3k from the Hockerill Education Foundation and local councillors gave grants totalling £600 towards purchasing crafts for The Christmas Journey & The Easter Journey.

Local fundraising events contribute to the “Other Income” figure along with bank Interest, printing income (from printing we do for other non-profits), Christmas card sales, resource loan income & online fundraising income e.g. Easyfundraising.org.uk

Expenditure in the year was mainly for payroll costs, £24,741; Office Expenses, £4,100; Rent of Resource Centre and Garage, £5,241; Insurance £1,102 & HR consultancy £72.

Financially, this was a good year with a surplus of £5,770. The income from our faithful supporters has remained consistent and so too that from our partner churches. Our payroll costs were lower than expected as it did not include the Director's salary, which explains the reduced expenditure.

Accounts

Income and Expenditure (£) for the Year Ended 31 August 2025

----- Start of picture text -----
Income
Other
£3,512 Personal
£18,906
44%
8%
Grants
£43,310
£6,600 15%
Total
8%
25%
Tax Refunds
under Gift Aid Church
£3,550 £10,742
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
Expenditure
Office Employment
Expenses £24,741
66%
£4,100
Insurance 11% £37,540
£1,102 3% Total
5% Rent
0% £5,241
Project Costs 14%
1%
£1,761
Legal &
Other Professional
£162 £432
----- End of picture text -----

Fundraising

Bridge Builders Christian Trust’s work in primary schools in Stevenage and the surrounding area is completely free of charge to schools, and we want to keep it that way.

The fundraising process at Bridge Builders is rather like a fork with four tines! There are four approaches to our fundraising strategy:

Below you will see opportunities for online platforms, direct giving (regular or one off) and monthly giving. On the following pages you will find a report on local fundraising events for Bridge Builders in the last year, as well as some successful grant applications. Shopping online, select If you’re a UK taxpayer Bridge Builders as your completing a Gift Aid beneficiary and we will Declaration means your donation is worth 25% more. receive a donation for every £1 you spend . Be

Grant Funding

We are grateful to have received funding from a number of grant funding bodies, including the Verulam House Fund Trust and The Hockerill Education Foundation. We provide reports about how we spend grants, and how projects are progressing. We give detailed data including the number of schools/children who attend, and how the project was resourced, delivered and monitored. We also provide feedback from the school staff, children, and ministers or church leaders who attended.

We were awarded 50 copies of The Jesus Storybook Bible from 10Giving this year. These were used as gifts for classes participating in The Easter Journey.

Some councillors granted us awards from their Locality Budget for The Christmas and The Easter Journeys. We are always grateful for the support of our local councillors.

Fundraising Events

We are very grateful to the many churches and individuals who host and attend local fundraising events for Bridge Builders. Throughout the year, there were a variety of events; a quiz evening (including fish & Chips), a Brass Band concert, a Police Choir concert and a Fairtrade coffee morning. We also sold Christmas cards in local churches.

Overall, £1,935 was raised for Bridge Builders!

If you would like to host a fundraising event on behalf of Bridge Builders please get in touch with us at admin@bridgebuilderstrust.org.uk . . We would love to hear from you!

ExploRE

ExploRE is the umbrella term we use for our work in schools. The three core projects making up ExploRE are:

All of our work in schools is available to schools free of charge and is tied to the Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus of Religious Education

Lessons

We received requests from two schools this year to help support RE lessons, to speak to children about Christian Christmas traditions, what Christians believe happens when we die and a lively year 2 workshop on how Christians believe we should look after the world and other people. The children particularly enjoyed playing musical statues and posing as different animals each time the music stopped!

Looking forward into the new academic year, I am praying for more contacts in other schools so that more children can hear of God’s love for them.

ExploRE

Assemblies

Bridge Builders offer schools one assembly per half term and help with RE lessons. I have enjoyed getting to know the various schools in Stevenage this year. The assemblies were met with enthusiasm from the children, one school giving a cheer that it was a Bridge Builders assembly rather than one lead by their Deputy Head. Hopefully, he wasn’t too upset!

This year we have looked at subjects like worry, perseverance, friendship and our world. Each one has used a Bible story to show a Christian perspective on the subject. There is always a way the children can join in, like playing noughts and crosses, unpacking items to show what the story is about and most recently playing catch with eggs! (They were rubber, not that the children knew that to start with!)

‘”The children are really enjoying the assemblies and asked when their next Bridge Builders one is.”

An Assistant Head Teacher

The Christmas Journey

22 schools participated. 1019 children went on The Christmas Journey

The Christmas Journey is offered to Yr2 children, aged 6-7. They visit a church to explore the Christmas Story and to meet the shepherds in the fields, Anna and Simeon in the temple who are faithfully waiting for the messiah, the Wise Men who travel long distances, following a bright star. They even get to meet Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus!

Children are given a notebook in which they have an activity to complete after meeting each character in the Journey which helps them remember the story. They also decorate a crown to keep. es | i 7

The visit concludes by meeting Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus and " — =>\ ne hearing their account of what took place. | “It was amazing for The Christmas Journey is also the children to available online for schools who personally experience are unable to visit a hosting the Christmas Story church. There are video clips which helps bring our where they can hear characters sharing their version of RE lessons to life!” events. We provide all the craft from a Yr2 teacher and resources which are required. - We are so thankful for the volunteers, and hosting churches, as well as local councillors who donated to fund the craft activities. We cover the cost of £8 per child who attends The Christmas Journey and rely on donations to be able to offer it year after year.

The Christmas Journey is also available online for schools who are unable to visit a hosting church. There are video clips where they can hear the characters sharing their version of events. We provide all the craft and resources which are required.

The Easter Journey

The Easter Journey is an interactive event aimed at Year 5 children aged 9-10.

24 schools booked. 15 visited a church and in total 1323 children had the opportunity to hear about Easter.

Broken into sections, children watched a video clip together explaining the events that took place and posing some questions for them to consider.

After watching each clip, children returned to their tables, where there was further discussion with a church volunteer as they completed a short activity.

Starting with the miracles of Jesus, the children heard about His teaching, the events of Holy Week, from Palm Sunday and His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, to His death and resurrection. Children were asked questions for them to explore: “Why was Jesus a Saviour?” and “Why did He die?”

“It has tied together all our learning in the last few weeks and has allowed children to deepen their learning through the opportunity to chat to volunteers.” From a Yr5 teacher

From a child when asked which part of the journey they liked best…

“The bits where Jesus washed the disciple’s feet because he saw himself as equal”

The REach Project

The REach Project offers online ‘Journeys’ to schools, with the aim that there will be one Journey available for each primary school year group. Each Journey is a 90-minute workshop based on a Christian theme with links to the Hertfordshire Agreed R.E. syllabus. Teachers are provided with film clips and the resources needed to complete craft or classroom activities linked to the topics in the video.

The Christmas (Y2) and Easter Journeys (Y5) are already available to schools in an online format. 543 children followed The Harvest Journey in September 2024. They heard the story of Joseph and the famine, about the feeding of the 5000, and were given time to reflect on where food comes from and God’s provision for us. A Journey about the Life of Jesus (Y4) is to follow in 2026.

----- Start of picture text -----
The Adventure
Journey
----- End of picture text -----

----- Start of picture text -----
The Our World
Journey
----- End of picture text -----

… was launched in summer 2025. Six schools signed up for the Journey and 292 children have completed it. The Journey is aimed at year six children (age 10/11), focussing on Pentecost and Paul with the core message of trusting in God in times of change. It links to the theme of transition to secondary school.

… was filmed in May 2025. It is currently being edited and is likely to be piloted in Spring 2026. Children will learn about the story of creation, Noah, and then hear about Jesus and the wedding at Cana. Our thanks go to everyone who helped with the filming either in an on-screen role or behind the scenes with AV support.

Regarding The Harvest Journey, one teacher said, “The children enjoyed being creative. The song really helped. Having a cartoon and the narrators separate really helped them”

SEN and Journeys

There has been a large increase in the number of pupils with Special Educational Needs and this is reflected in our experience of children attending The Christmas and Easter Journeys. We have developed a number of adaptions to our Journeys to assist these children including:

The Christmas and Easter Journeys

We have developed adapted versions of The Christmas Journey and The Easter Journey which are available to schools for students with disabilities and additional needs. These feature simplified storytelling and more hands-on resources such as puppets, goblets and palm leaves. We are grateful to Lonsdale School and to St Hugh and St John’s Church for their help in developing these Journeys.

Supporters

Friends of Bridge Builders believe Bridge Builders Christian Trust has a significant role to play in Stevenage and the surrounding area and commit to supporting its ongoing work.

If you would like more information, or would like to attend the monthly prayer meetings, please contact the Bridge Builders office. Either phone us on 01438 314314 or email us at admin@bridgebuilderstrust.org.uk.

Volunteers

At Bridge Builders our volunteers are a huge part of our ministry. Their time and skills are a valuable resource, helping us with a wide range of tasks throughout the year.

Our host churches recruit a huge number of volunteers each year to help run The Christmas and Easter Journeys. Some volunteers dress up as characters from the nativity, others help with activities or serve refreshments.

All of our Journeys include numerous activities which need preparing and sorting into class sets for schools and churches. We have a group of volunteers who come to our office on a Tuesday morning to help. We also need volunteers to deliver resources to schools ready for use.

The REach project relies on volunteers, including people willing to appear in one off roles in one of the videos, or to assist with filming and video editing.

Contact our office to find out more. We would love for you to be involved in our ministry work, helping to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with children across Stevenage.

The Team

Staff Team

Mrs Stephanie Knell—Director (left March 2025) Mrs Janice Hawketts—Finance and IT Manager Mrs Cathy Beach – ExploRE Manager - REach Mrs Amanda Bryant – Fundraiser

Mrs Lynne Lee-Diep – ExploRE Manager - Journeys Mrs Gemma Campbell – ExploRE Manager - Assemblies

Trustees

Mr Peter Gordon Mrs Penny Paton (Left Aug 2025) Mrs Helen Gale

Rev Margaret MacCarthy Mr Andy Brown

Mr Jon Woodrow

01438 314314 admin@bridgebuilderstrust.org.uk 01438 314314 admin@bridgebuilderstrust.org.uk United Reformed Church, Cuttys Lane, Stevenage, SG] 1UL Charity no: 1088885 The United Reformed Church, Cuttys Lane, Stevenage, SG1 1UL

Bridge Builders Christian Trust

REPORTS & ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Bridge Builders Christian Trust United Reformed Church Cuttys Lane Stevenage Herts. SG1 1UL

GOVERNING DOCUMENT Declaration of Trust dated 1 March 2001

CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1088885

TRUSTEES Mrs Helen Gale Mrs Penelope Paton (resigned 31 August 2025) Mr Peter Gordon Margaret MacCarthy Mr Andrew Brown Mr Jon Woodrow

BANKERS Barclays Bank Unit 3, The Forum Centre Stevenage, SG1 1ES

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mr William Anderson

INDEX

Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-6 Trustees' Report Page 7 Independent Examiner's Report Page 8 Income & Expenditure Account Page 9 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Page 10 Notes to the Accounts

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year.

Objects of the charity

To advance the Christian faith

To advance education in accordance with Christian principles

To provide facilities in the interest of social welfare

The vision of the Trust is that all children will have opportunities to explore the values of the Christian faith, and to look forward with hope as they experience Christian love in action.

The mission is to reach out to primary school children, and introduce them to Christian faith and love through conducting Christian assemblies and teaching Christian religious education in schools in conjunction with local churches, and by organising themed visits to churches.

Government

The policy and operating decisions of the charity rest with the Trustees who meet formally six times each year to monitor the activities of the charity, to set policy and overall direction. There are currently six Trustees. New Trustees are appointed by the Trustees who seek committed Christians with broad experience representing a wide range of denominations.

Day to day operations are run by a part time Director supported by a number of part-time highly motivated professionals working in schools or supporting the activities from the central resource centre.

A look back at the year gone by

It's been another year of change for Bridge Builders.

Last year we reported that our Director, Steph Knell, stepped back from her paid role in February 2024. She continued as Director and led The Easter Journey in March of that year. Steph stepped down from the role of Director at the end of April 2025 after 8 years working for Bridge Builders. We give thanks to God for Steph's faithful service over these years and for the many ways in which Bridge Builders has evolved and developed under her wise leadership. Perhaps most notable was the ways in which the work of Bridge Builders had to change during the covid-19 pandemic, but how the decisions made during that time have led to more children being able to engage with Bridge Builders’ resources for many years to come. The team and Trustees presented Steph with a rose to thank her for all her work for Bridge Builders. She will be much missed by the team, volunteers and Trustees. We wish Steph well for the future.

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In September 2024 we welcomed Lynne Lee-Diep to the team as ExploRE Manager overseeing The Christmas Journey and The Easter Journey. Lynne has previously been a Trustee for Bridge Builders, so is familiar with all our work and has been involved with The Christmas Journey for many years as a volunteer at her home church, St Peters in Stevenage.

As we move into this new school year, we seek God's guidance as we hope to appoint a new director to lead Bridge Builders through this new season, knowing this will bring fresh opportunities

We are once again grateful for the work of the whole Bridge Builders team this year. Cathy and Janice have taken on new team leader roles, which has enabled the whole team to continue during this interim period without a director.

We continue to be thankful for the team of volunteers who make sure that all the resources for each of these projects are prepared. Without them, the work of Bridge Builders would just not be possible.

Thank you to all those who have supported Bridge Builders over the past year; for the generous donations of churches, individuals and grant funders, for the prayerful support of the work in the office, in churches and in local schools, and for office space which is a real blessing.

We look forward to seeing God at work through Bridge Builders in the next school year!

Review of Activities

ExploRE is the umbrella term we use for our work in schools. The three core projects making up ExploRE are:

Assemblies and Lessons

The Christmas Journey and The Easter Journey

The REach Project

All of our work in schools is tied to the Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus of Religious Education and is available to schools free of charge.

Assemblies

Assemblies are a great way for us to spread the message of the Bible through fun, interactive stories and games and they allow us to have regular contact every half term with over 1500 children. Each assembly is only 15 minutes long but we always

Bridge Builders offer schools one assembly per half term and Gemma has enjoyed getting to know the various schools in Stevenage this year. The assemblies seem to be met with enthusiasm from the children, one school giving a cheer when they discovered that it was a Bridge Builders assembly.

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This year we have looked at subjects like worry, perseverance, friendship and our world. Each one has used a Bible story to show a Christian perspective on the subject. There is always a way the children can join in, like playing noughts and crosses, unpacking items to show what the story is about and most recently playing catch with eggs! (They were rubber, not that the children knew that to start with!)

Lessons

We have received requests from two schools this year to help support RE lessons, speaking to children about Christian Christmas traditions, what christians believe happens when we die and alively year 2 workshop on how Christians believe we should look after the world and other people. The children particularly enjoyed playing musical statues and posing as different animals each time the music stopped!

Looking forward into the new academic year, we are praying for more contacts in other schools so that more children can hear of God’s love for them.

The Christmas Journey

The Christmas Journey is aimed at primary year 2 children, who are aged 6 to 7. We offer The Christmas Journey to schools as an in-person event hosted by our partner churches or as a series of video clips which can be accessed by schools online. The churches give the staff and pupils a warm welcome and there is always a lot of chatter as the excited children see the dedicated volunteers in their character dress and the wonderful setting. Those that choose to stay in school for the event still have a lot of fun as we package up and deliver all the craft supplies and teacher resources to them.

Whichever way the event is experienced, the children travel back in time to meet the characters involved in that first Christmas event. They meet the shepherds who tell them about the angels, the Wise Men who talk about the star, and Anna and Simeon who express their joy at meeting Jesus. Each child has a special Journey notebook in which they complete an activity after meeting each of the characters to remind them of what was said. They also get to decorate their very own crown. At the finale, they meet Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus before singing a lively song.

22 Schools, 1019 children took part in The Christmas Journey this academic year

We are once again so grateful to all the volunteers, the hosting churches, and also to the local councillors who donated to fund the craft activities without whom we would not be able to offer this amazing event free to schools.

The Easter Journey

The Easter Journey is aimed at primary year 5 children, who are aged 9 to 10. Like the Christmas Journey, schools were given the option to either attend the event hosted bya local partner church or to remain in the classroom and use online video clips together with craft materials and Teacher resources, all provided by Bridge Builders.

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An amazing total of 1323 children participated in the Easter Journey this academic year; 24 schools booked to participate, of which 15 travelled to a church, the others opted to stay in the classroom and use the resources delivered to them.

As part of the Easter Journey the children heard about the teachings and miracles of Jesus and the events of Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday. They found out about Jesus’s life, teaching and death, and heard about Jesus’s resurrection appearances to his disciples. They were encouraged to think and ask questions, as well as consider and explore: ‘Why was Jesus a Saviour?’ and ‘Why did He die?

Broken into sections, children watched a video clip together explaining the events that took place They have to be attentive because at points the video stops and questions are asked about what just happened or what they think might happen next!

After watching each clip, children returned to their tables, where there was further discussion with a church volunteer as they completed a short activity. This meant that the children would see the same volunteer each time which helped even the shyest of students to open up and discuss their thoughts. They each had a notebook as a reminder of their Easter Journey to take away with them.

REach project

The REach Project offers online ‘Journeys’ to schools, with the aim that there will be one Journey available for each primary school year group. Each Journey is a 90-minute workshop based ona Christian theme with links to the Hertfordshire Agreed R.E. syllabus. Teachers are provided with film clips and the resources needed to complete craft or classroom activities linked to the topics in the video.

The Harvest (Year 1), Christmas (Year 2), Easter Journeys (Year 5), The Adventure Journey (Year 6) are already available to schools in an online format. Our World Journey (Year 3) is in production the Journey about the Life of Jesus (Year 4) is to follow.

The Harvest Journey - For Year One children. 543 children followed The Harvest Journey in September 2024. They heard the story of Joseph and the famine, about the feeding of the 5000, how Christians give thanks to God and they were given time to reflect on where food comes from and God’s provision for us. Like other online Journey events, all the required resources were delivered to the schools in a Bridge Builders' blue bag and links to the online videos were sent directly to the teacher by email.

The Adventure Journey - For primary Year Six children (age 10 to 11). Focussing on Pentecost and Paul with the core message of trusting in God in times of change. Linking to transition to secondary school.

The Adventure Journey was launched in summer 2025. Six schools signed up for the Journey and 292 children have completed it.

Our World Journey was filmed in May 2025. It is currently being edited and is likely to be piloted in Spring 2026. Children will learn about the story of creation, Noah and then hear about Jesus and the wedding at Cana. Our thanks go to everyone who helped with the filming either in an on-screen role or behind the scenes with AV support.

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Financial Review

In the year to 31st August 2025 the Trust had income of £43,310 and expenditures of £37,540 leaving a surplus in the year of £5,770.

The income is derived mainly from personal giving including associated Gift Aid £22,456 & from local partnering churches, £10,742. Our REach Project was awarded a £3k grant from The Verulam House Fund Trust, £3k from the Hockerill Education Foundation and local councillors gave grants totalling £600 towards purchasing crafts for The Christmas Journey & The Easter Journey.

Local fundraising events contribute to the “Other Income” figure along with Bank Interest, printing income (from printing we do for other non-profits), Christmas card sales, resource loan income & online fundraising income e.g. Easyfundraising.org.uk

We are very grateful to the many churches and individuals who host and attend local fundraising events for Bridge Builders. Throughout the year, there werea variety of events; a quiz evening (including fish & Chips), a Brass Band concert, a Police Choir concert and a Fairtrade coffee morning. We also sold Christmas cards in local churches. All these events raised £1,935 for us so that we can continue to offer our events for free to schools.

Expenditure in the year was mainly for payroll costs, £24,741; Office Expenses, £4,100; Rent of Resource Centre and Garage, £5,241; Insurance £1,102 & HR consultancy £72.

Financially, this was a good year with a surplus of £5,770. The income from our faithful supporters has remained consistent and so too from our partner churches. Our payroll costs were lower than expected as it did not include the Director's salary, which explains the reduced expenditure.

Reserves Policy

The Trustees have decided that a reserve of cash and other current assets less current liabilities is held, sufficient to fund an orderly wind down of the activities of the Charity, should that ever become necessary. £10k has been identified as being the amount currently required for this and is shown as Designated Funds, a separate component of the reserves in these accounts. At the end of this accounting year FY24/25 unrestricted reserves stood at £18,007, Designated Funds at £10,000 and restricted £7,083 which is committed to the REach project.

Trustees' Responsibilities

Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the income & expenditure of the charity for the year.

We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.

Andrew Brown (Trustee*) a * Role of Chair is vacant at time of signing

date le |a/acre

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES

| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Bridge Builders Christian Trust for the year ended 31 August 2025 on pages 8 to 10 following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

| report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination | have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

| have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or

  2. the accounts did not accord with the accounting records.

| 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.

William Anderson Address:

date C [2 | oh

10 Berkeley Letchworth Garden City Herts SG6 2HA

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

Notes Restricted Unrestricted Unrestricted 2025 2024
Income Funds General £ £
Voluntaryincome
Grantsand gifts received 8,693 27,555 36,248 33,217
Tax refunds under Gift Aid 25 3,525 3,550 3,352
8,718 31,080 39,798 36,569
Otherincome
Interest received - 379 379 255
Other 975 2,158 3,132 4,029
Total Income 9,693 33,617 43,310 40,853
Expenditure
Payment infurtherance ofthe Trust's objectives
Direct costs 2 16,221 21,319 37,540 34,621
Total Expenditure 16,221 21,319 37,540 34,621
Net Income/(Expenditure) £ (6,529) £ 12,298 £ 5,770 £ 6,231
Transfers between funds 4 £ 8,762 £ (8,762) £ - £ -
Net Movement in Funds £ 2,234 £ 3,536 £ 5,770 £ 6,231
Balances brought forward £ 4849 £ 24,471 £ 29,320 £ 23,089
BalancescarriedForward £ 7,083 £ 28,007 £ 35,090 £ 29,320

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES

1. Bank& Cash Balances 2025 2024
£ £
Held at Bank 33,828 27,971
Cash float 27 27
33,854 27,998

2. Other Assets & Liabilities

Assets
Debtors - -
Other monetary assets 2,453 2,053
2,453 2,053
Liabilities
Creditors & Accruals 1,218 731
1,218 731

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf

by Bor date @/2 [202 Andrew Brown (Trustee*) * Role of Chair is vacant at time of signing

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

1 Accounting Policies

The accounts have been prepared on an accruals basis with a statement ofassets and liabilities

2. Directcosts Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds Funds 2025 2024
£ £ £ £
Employment costs (Note 3) 10,346 14,396 24,741 19,524
Rent 5,241 - 5,241 5,434
Insurance 1,102 - 1,102 1,082
Office Expenses 3,966 134 4,100 5,694
Legal & Professional 72 - 72 72
Materials and Resources 221 1,270 1,492 1,862
Independent examination - - - -
Other costs 370 421 791 953
21,319 16,221 37,540 34,621

The grants to institutions amounting to more than £1,000 in the year were nil.

3. Employees

Employment costs relate to part-time employees, of which the charity had 5 up to 31 August 2025.

No amounts were paid or are payable to any trustee or to any person connected to any trustee.

4. Movement ofFunds Balance at Balance at
31stAug24 Income Expenditure Transfers 31stAug25
Restricted Funds £ £ £ £ £
ExploRE - 3,687 (12,449) 8,762 -
Reach Project 4,849 6,006 (3,772) - 7,083
Total Restricted 4,849 9,693 (16,221) 8,762 7,083
Unrestricted Funds
General Reserves 24,471 33,617 (21,319) (18,762) 18,007
Designated Funds* 10,000 10,000
Total Unrestricted 24,471 33,617 (21,319) (8,762) 28,007
TotalAllFunds 29,320 43,310 (37,540) - 35,090

*See Reserves Policy paragraph, page 6

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

REPORTS & ACCOUNTS

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

LEGAL & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS

Bridge Builders Christian Trust United Reformed Church Cuttys Lane Stevenage Herts. SG1 1UL

GOVERNING DOCUMENT Declaration of Trust dated 1 March 2001

CHARITY REGISTRATION NUMBER 1088885

TRUSTEES Mrs Helen Gale Mrs Penelope Paton (resigned 31 August 2025) Mr Peter Gordon Margaret MacCarthy Mr Andrew Brown Mr Jon Woodrow

BANKERS Barclays Bank Unit 3, The Forum Centre Stevenage, SG1 1ES

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER

Mr William Anderson

INDEX

Page 1 Legal & Administrative Details Pages 2-6 Trustees' Report Page 7 Independent Examiner's Report Page 8 Income & Expenditure Account Page 9 Statement of Assets & Liabilities Page 10 Notes to the Accounts

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

REPORT OF THE TRUSTEES

The Trustees have pleasure in submitting the Report and Accounts for the year.

Objects of the charity

To advance the Christian faith

To advance education in accordance with Christian principles

To provide facilities in the interest of social welfare

The vision of the Trust is that all children will have opportunities to explore the values of the Christian faith, and to look forward with hope as they experience Christian love in action.

The mission is to reach out to primary school children, and introduce them to Christian faith and love through conducting Christian assemblies and teaching Christian religious education in schools in conjunction with local churches, and by organising themed visits to churches.

Government

The policy and operating decisions of the charity rest with the Trustees who meet formally six times each year to monitor the activities of the charity, to set policy and overall direction. There are currently six Trustees. New Trustees are appointed by the Trustees who seek committed Christians with broad experience representing a wide range of denominations.

Day to day operations are run by a part time Director supported by a number of part-time highly motivated professionals working in schools or supporting the activities from the central resource centre.

A look back at the year gone by

It's been another year of change for Bridge Builders.

Last year we reported that our Director, Steph Knell, stepped back from her paid role in February 2024. She continued as Director and led The Easter Journey in March of that year. Steph stepped down from the role of Director at the end of April 2025 after 8 years working for Bridge Builders. We give thanks to God for Steph's faithful service over these years and for the many ways in which Bridge Builders has evolved and developed under her wise leadership. Perhaps most notable was the ways in which the work of Bridge Builders had to change during the covid-19 pandemic, but how the decisions made during that time have led to more children being able to engage with Bridge Builders’ resources for many years to come. The team and Trustees presented Steph with a rose to thank her for all her work for Bridge Builders. She will be much missed by the team, volunteers and Trustees. We wish Steph well for the future.

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In September 2024 we welcomed Lynne Lee-Diep to the team as ExploRE Manager overseeing The Christmas Journey and The Easter Journey. Lynne has previously been a Trustee for Bridge Builders, so is familiar with all our work and has been involved with The Christmas Journey for many years as a volunteer at her home church, St Peters in Stevenage.

As we move into this new school year, we seek God's guidance as we hope to appoint a new director to lead Bridge Builders through this new season, knowing this will bring fresh opportunities

We are once again grateful for the work of the whole Bridge Builders team this year. Cathy and Janice have taken on new team leader roles, which has enabled the whole team to continue during this interim period without a director.

We continue to be thankful for the team of volunteers who make sure that all the resources for each of these projects are prepared. Without them, the work of Bridge Builders would just not be possible.

Thank you to all those who have supported Bridge Builders over the past year; for the generous donations of churches, individuals and grant funders, for the prayerful support of the work in the office, in churches and in local schools, and for office space which is a real blessing.

We look forward to seeing God at work through Bridge Builders in the next school year!

Review of Activities

ExploRE is the umbrella term we use for our work in schools. The three core projects making up ExploRE are:

Assemblies and Lessons

The Christmas Journey and The Easter Journey

The REach Project

All of our work in schools is tied to the Hertfordshire Agreed Syllabus of Religious Education and is available to schools free of charge.

Assemblies

Assemblies are a great way for us to spread the message of the Bible through fun, interactive stories and games and they allow us to have regular contact every half term with over 1500 children. Each assembly is only 15 minutes long but we always

Bridge Builders offer schools one assembly per half term and Gemma has enjoyed getting to know the various schools in Stevenage this year. The assemblies seem to be met with enthusiasm from the children, one school giving a cheer when they discovered that it was a Bridge Builders assembly.

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This year we have looked at subjects like worry, perseverance, friendship and our world. Each one has used a Bible story to show a Christian perspective on the subject. There is always a way the children can join in, like playing noughts and crosses, unpacking items to show what the story is about and most recently playing catch with eggs! (They were rubber, not that the children knew that to start with!)

Lessons

We have received requests from two schools this year to help support RE lessons, speaking to children about Christian Christmas traditions, what christians believe happens when we die and alively year 2 workshop on how Christians believe we should look after the world and other people. The children particularly enjoyed playing musical statues and posing as different animals each time the music stopped!

Looking forward into the new academic year, we are praying for more contacts in other schools so that more children can hear of God’s love for them.

The Christmas Journey

The Christmas Journey is aimed at primary year 2 children, who are aged 6 to 7. We offer The Christmas Journey to schools as an in-person event hosted by our partner churches or as a series of video clips which can be accessed by schools online. The churches give the staff and pupils a warm welcome and there is always a lot of chatter as the excited children see the dedicated volunteers in their character dress and the wonderful setting. Those that choose to stay in school for the event still have a lot of fun as we package up and deliver all the craft supplies and teacher resources to them.

Whichever way the event is experienced, the children travel back in time to meet the characters involved in that first Christmas event. They meet the shepherds who tell them about the angels, the Wise Men who talk about the star, and Anna and Simeon who express their joy at meeting Jesus. Each child has a special Journey notebook in which they complete an activity after meeting each of the characters to remind them of what was said. They also get to decorate their very own crown. At the finale, they meet Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus before singing a lively song.

22 Schools, 1019 children took part in The Christmas Journey this academic year

We are once again so grateful to all the volunteers, the hosting churches, and also to the local councillors who donated to fund the craft activities without whom we would not be able to offer this amazing event free to schools.

The Easter Journey

The Easter Journey is aimed at primary year 5 children, who are aged 9 to 10. Like the Christmas Journey, schools were given the option to either attend the event hosted bya local partner church or to remain in the classroom and use online video clips together with craft materials and Teacher resources, all provided by Bridge Builders.

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An amazing total of 1323 children participated in the Easter Journey this academic year; 24 schools booked to participate, of which 15 travelled to a church, the others opted to stay in the classroom and use the resources delivered to them.

As part of the Easter Journey the children heard about the teachings and miracles of Jesus and the events of Holy Week, starting with Palm Sunday. They found out about Jesus’s life, teaching and death, and heard about Jesus’s resurrection appearances to his disciples. They were encouraged to think and ask questions, as well as consider and explore: ‘Why was Jesus a Saviour?’ and ‘Why did He die?

Broken into sections, children watched a video clip together explaining the events that took place They have to be attentive because at points the video stops and questions are asked about what just happened or what they think might happen next!

After watching each clip, children returned to their tables, where there was further discussion with a church volunteer as they completed a short activity. This meant that the children would see the same volunteer each time which helped even the shyest of students to open up and discuss their thoughts. They each had a notebook as a reminder of their Easter Journey to take away with them.

REach project

The REach Project offers online ‘Journeys’ to schools, with the aim that there will be one Journey available for each primary school year group. Each Journey is a 90-minute workshop based ona Christian theme with links to the Hertfordshire Agreed R.E. syllabus. Teachers are provided with film clips and the resources needed to complete craft or classroom activities linked to the topics in the video.

The Harvest (Year 1), Christmas (Year 2), Easter Journeys (Year 5), The Adventure Journey (Year 6) are already available to schools in an online format. Our World Journey (Year 3) is in production the Journey about the Life of Jesus (Year 4) is to follow.

The Harvest Journey - For Year One children. 543 children followed The Harvest Journey in September 2024. They heard the story of Joseph and the famine, about the feeding of the 5000, how Christians give thanks to God and they were given time to reflect on where food comes from and God’s provision for us. Like other online Journey events, all the required resources were delivered to the schools in a Bridge Builders' blue bag and links to the online videos were sent directly to the teacher by email.

The Adventure Journey - For primary Year Six children (age 10 to 11). Focussing on Pentecost and Paul with the core message of trusting in God in times of change. Linking to transition to secondary school.

The Adventure Journey was launched in summer 2025. Six schools signed up for the Journey and 292 children have completed it.

Our World Journey was filmed in May 2025. It is currently being edited and is likely to be piloted in Spring 2026. Children will learn about the story of creation, Noah and then hear about Jesus and the wedding at Cana. Our thanks go to everyone who helped with the filming either in an on-screen role or behind the scenes with AV support.

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Financial Review

In the year to 31st August 2025 the Trust had income of £43,310 and expenditures of £37,540 leaving a surplus in the year of £5,770.

The income is derived mainly from personal giving including associated Gift Aid £22,456 & from local partnering churches, £10,742. Our REach Project was awarded a £3k grant from The Verulam House Fund Trust, £3k from the Hockerill Education Foundation and local councillors gave grants totalling £600 towards purchasing crafts for The Christmas Journey & The Easter Journey.

Local fundraising events contribute to the “Other Income” figure along with Bank Interest, printing income (from printing we do for other non-profits), Christmas card sales, resource loan income & online fundraising income e.g. Easyfundraising.org.uk

We are very grateful to the many churches and individuals who host and attend local fundraising events for Bridge Builders. Throughout the year, there werea variety of events; a quiz evening (including fish & Chips), a Brass Band concert, a Police Choir concert and a Fairtrade coffee morning. We also sold Christmas cards in local churches. All these events raised £1,935 for us so that we can continue to offer our events for free to schools.

Expenditure in the year was mainly for payroll costs, £24,741; Office Expenses, £4,100; Rent of Resource Centre and Garage, £5,241; Insurance £1,102 & HR consultancy £72.

Financially, this was a good year with a surplus of £5,770. The income from our faithful supporters has remained consistent and so too from our partner churches. Our payroll costs were lower than expected as it did not include the Director's salary, which explains the reduced expenditure.

Reserves Policy

The Trustees have decided that a reserve of cash and other current assets less current liabilities is held, sufficient to fund an orderly wind down of the activities of the Charity, should that ever become necessary. £10k has been identified as being the amount currently required for this and is shown as Designated Funds, a separate component of the reserves in these accounts. At the end of this accounting year FY24/25 unrestricted reserves stood at £18,007, Designated Funds at £10,000 and restricted £7,083 which is committed to the REach project.

Trustees' Responsibilities

Charity law requires us as Trustees to prepare financial statements for each accounting year which record the income & expenditure of the charity for the year.

We also have a responsibility to safeguard the assets of the charity and to take reasonable steps to prevent fraud or any other irregularities.

Andrew Brown (Trustee*) a * Role of Chair is vacant at time of signing

date le |a/acre

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES

| report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of Bridge Builders Christian Trust for the year ended 31 August 2025 on pages 8 to 10 following.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

| report in respect of my examination of the charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination | have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

| have completed my examination. | confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in any material respect:

  1. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or

  2. the accounts did not accord with the accounting records.

| 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.

William Anderson Address:

date C [2 | oh

10 Berkeley Letchworth Garden City Herts SG6 2HA

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

INCOME & EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT

Notes Restricted Unrestricted Unrestricted 2025 2024
Income Funds General £ £
Voluntaryincome
Grantsand gifts received 8,693 27,555 36,248 33,217
Tax refunds under Gift Aid 25 3,525 3,550 3,352
8,718 31,080 39,798 36,569
Otherincome
Interest received - 379 379 255
Other 975 2,158 3,132 4,029
Total Income 9,693 33,617 43,310 40,853
Expenditure
Payment infurtherance ofthe Trust's objectives
Direct costs 2 16,221 21,319 37,540 34,621
Total Expenditure 16,221 21,319 37,540 34,621
Net Income/(Expenditure) £ (6,529) £ 12,298 £ 5,770 £ 6,231
Transfers between funds 4 £ 8,762 £ (8,762) £ - £ -
Net Movement in Funds £ 2,234 £ 3,536 £ 5,770 £ 6,231
Balances brought forward £ 4849 £ 24,471 £ 29,320 £ 23,089
BalancescarriedForward £ 7,083 £ 28,007 £ 35,090 £ 29,320

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES

1. Bank& Cash Balances 2025 2024
£ £
Held at Bank 33,828 27,971
Cash float 27 27
33,854 27,998

2. Other Assets & Liabilities

Assets
Debtors - -
Other monetary assets 2,453 2,053
2,453 2,053
Liabilities
Creditors & Accruals 1,218 731
1,218 731

The accounts were approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf

by Bor date @/2 [202 Andrew Brown (Trustee*) * Role of Chair is vacant at time of signing

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Bridge Builders Christian Trust

FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 August 2025

NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS

1 Accounting Policies

The accounts have been prepared on an accruals basis with a statement ofassets and liabilities

2. Directcosts Unrestricted Restricted Total Total
Funds Funds 2025 2024
£ £ £ £
Employment costs (Note 3) 10,346 14,396 24,741 19,524
Rent 5,241 - 5,241 5,434
Insurance 1,102 - 1,102 1,082
Office Expenses 3,966 134 4,100 5,694
Legal & Professional 72 - 72 72
Materials and Resources 221 1,270 1,492 1,862
Independent examination - - - -
Other costs 370 421 791 953
21,319 16,221 37,540 34,621

The grants to institutions amounting to more than £1,000 in the year were nil.

3. Employees

Employment costs relate to part-time employees, of which the charity had 5 up to 31 August 2025.

No amounts were paid or are payable to any trustee or to any person connected to any trustee.

4. Movement ofFunds Balance at Balance at
31stAug24 Income Expenditure Transfers 31stAug25
Restricted Funds £ £ £ £ £
ExploRE - 3,687 (12,449) 8,762 -
Reach Project 4,849 6,006 (3,772) - 7,083
Total Restricted 4,849 9,693 (16,221) 8,762 7,083
Unrestricted Funds
General Reserves 24,471 33,617 (21,319) (18,762) 18,007
Designated Funds* 10,000 10,000
Total Unrestricted 24,471 33,617 (21,319) (8,762) 28,007
TotalAllFunds 29,320 43,310 (37,540) - 35,090

*See Reserves Policy paragraph, page 6

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