Annual report and financial statements
1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023
Charity number 1142658 Company number 07556101
The Bridge Trust Ltd Trustees’ Report Year ended 31 March 2023
The trustees are pleased to present their annual directors’ report and financial statements for the charity for the year ending 31 March 2023, which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and accounts for Companies Act purposes.
The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities.
Chair’s report
At the end of August 2022, my wife Rhi and I retired from our employment with Bridge, and handed over our responsibilities to Colin and Cara Medus. We are happy to be able to continue our involvement with the trust’s work in the role of trustees.
This was an important year for Bridge. We were able to restart many of our normal activities that had been curtailed by the pandemic. We also started considering expanding our work in Zambia. With COVID restrictions being lifted around the world we were able to begin to visit our partners again in both India and Zambia, and we were encouraged to see the projects we support thriving. The work of the health care workers and slum schools in India have been re-established, and in Zambia it was encouraging to join the Fire Baptised Church for their annual leaders’ conference and to see the work of Fomawoso in Solwezi, who support women to exit the sex trade.
In Zambia we also visited the Mutende project, a children’s village and school run by the Fire Baptised Church but supported by the UK charity Care for Zambia. This was with a view to the two UK charities bringing their work closer together. This process has continued into the current financial year. Bridge has agreed to take on responsibility for the Mutende project, and Care for Zambia are to transfer their assets to us. We continue to work to bring the two charities together and hope to complete this early in 2024. Several Care for Zambia trustees have become trustees of Bridge, bringing with them their experience of this work.
We were able to take John and Allison Todd from our partners at Mercy in Action to India to see how their funds support our work there. Their support and advice remain invaluable and we look forward to continue working with them in the future.
We are grateful to all our supporters who continued praying for us and giving to us through the pandemic and we have emerged in a relatively good position. We are now focused on improving our financial position, as like many charities we have seen the effects of inflation on our work.
Finally, I want to thank our trustees for giving their time and providing their skills and expertise to the smooth running of the trust.
Dave Day
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Our purposes and activities
Objects
The objects of the charity are
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to advance the Christian faith, mainly but not exclusively, by teaching about Christian faith and action, and through training and mentoring church leaders, in the United Kingdom and overseas.
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to relieve those in need by reason of poverty, illness, disability, social exclusion or age in the United Kingdom or overseas by raising awareness of needs, by making grants to persons in such need and to those working to relieve poverty in such a way, and by training others to do the same.
We achieve these objects through support of work mainly in India and Zambia. We employ two members of staff. Dave and Rhi Day, who have long experience of church leadership in the UK and overseas, fulfilled this role until they retired at the end of August. We are pleased not to have lost the benefit of their expertise, as they now serve on a voluntary basis in the capacity of trustees. Our connections with India and Zambia exist for the most part as a result of the links they have established over the years. We now employ another couple, Colin and Cara Medus on a job-share basis. Details of the work we support are provided below under the heading Achievements and performance .
The trustees have considered the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit. We think that our work provides public benefit in many ways, in particular because the work of the slum schools and health workers in India, the health centre in Zambia, and the ministry of the churches whose leaders we support is open to all, and makes a tangible difference to the lives of ordinary poor people in both countries.
Achievements and performance
With the easing of the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions, we have been able to start visiting the projects we support overseas again.
India
Dave and Rhi Day were able to visit India in March 2023. They took with them John and Allison Todd, who run a charity called Mercy in Action, which helps support Bridge’s work. They saw first-hand the impact that the slum projects we support have on people’s lives. They visited the slum schools that are providing a safe place and food for many children. The team also met the health care workers who deliver a life-saving community outreach service.
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We have continued supporting orphans in India whose care is organised by the Love India Trust in Delhi. (£2,910 this year.)
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Last year we reported on a feeding programme for families in the slums of Delhi who lost their livelihoods during the pandemic. This programme continued into the early part of this year, and we contributed £3,515 to the costs.
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We continued funding the work of 30 health workers in a slum area of Delhi. They have been able to resume their usual work with the easing of pandemic restrictions. (£15,475 this year.)
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The Love India Trust, with whom we work, runs a number of schools in two slum areas of Delhi, between them teaching and feeding some 4,000 children every day. Many of the children’s families came to Delhi to find work, and live in slums where there is no other educational provision. The schools are now open again. Thanks to donors who regularly give us the money to fund two of these schools, we have sent £11,624 for this work this year.
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We support five pastors in India, three from the trust’s unrestricted funds, and two from specific donations for this purpose from individual supporters. Most of the churches and their members are not well off, and without our support their pastors could not afford to devote themselves to church leadership. (£8,900 this year.) We have also been able to provide support to help with the running of a church in Chennai, thanks to a UK church who provided the funds. (£1,500.)
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Two Indian church leaders we knew lost their lives to COVID-19. Donations received have enabled us to continue providing funds for the teenaged daughter of one of them to continue her education. We have also provided funds to help the daughter of another pastor to pursue training as a counsellor, which could not have been afforded otherwise. (£1,750 between them.)
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We have continued funding rural toilet blocks. This is important for the safety of women in villages that have no indoor facilities. (£2,445 this year.)
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We have again funded IT training to give poor young women skills through which they will be able to provide for themselves. They take a year’s course which is accredited by the Delhi city government. We have sent £2,704 towards the costs this year.
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The Indian churches we work with usually run regular training events for their leaders and members but were unable to do so during the pandemic. Thanks to generous donors we have provided funds for them to resume the training this year. (£7,726.)
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We have started supporting the work of the iCare rehabilitation centre for children with special needs in Jalandhar in Punjab. This is run by members of one of the churches we have been working with over the years. (£900 this year.)
Zambia
Visits to Zambia were also prevented by the pandemic, but were able to resume this year. Dave Day together with Colin and Cara Medus went in January 2023. They visited the Mutende Children’s Village in Chingola which is supported by the charity Care for Zambia, and the project in Solwezi that we have been supporting. (See also below.)
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We provide regular small amounts of support for pastors working with the Fire Baptised Churches of Zambia (£780 each year, plus an extra £500 this year). We have also funded a training conference for FBC pastors. (£3,760)
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We continued our connection with Sachibondu Rural Health Centre, in Northwest Zambia. The clinic provides treatment to hundreds of people every day, some of whom walk long distances to get there. We are grateful to the donors who have enabled us to continue this support. (£3,024 this year.) We also provide some personal financial support for a young woman at Sachibondu. (£312.50)
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For some time we’ve had a connection with Fomawoso, an organisation in Solwezi. Fomawoso supports marginalised women with employment training. This year we have been able to send £1,200 to help train more women.
Mutende
Towards the end of this financial year, Care for Zambia (CfZ) suggested to us that Bridge should take on the support of the Mutende project. This work is a good fit with what we already do in that area. At the time of submitting this report, the two charities are making arrangements for some of the CfZ trustees to join us as trustees of Bridge, and for CfZ’s assets to be transferred to Bridge. This transition is currently still in progress.
Other activities
The Bath-based charity Mercy in Action (www.mercyinaction.org.uk) has continued sharing the profits from one of their charity shops with Bridge, as well as making other one-off contributions to our work. This has made a significant difference to our finances and we are very grateful for their support. (£23,805 this year.)
Staff activities (Dave and Rhi Day / Colin and Cara Medus)
The Trust employed Dave and Rhi until they retired from the role at the end of August 2022. Besides promoting the work of the Trust, Dave and Rhi have mentored church leaders and visited and advised several churches.
We started employing Colin and Cara Medus in September 2022. They have organised fundraising events, done most of the work associated with the proposed transfer of the Mutende project, and have been working on key policies, especially safeguarding.
Safeguarding
We conducted a safeguarding audit following guidelines from the safeguarding organisation thirtyone:eight. As a result, we drew up a safeguarding action plan, which we have started to implement. A Code of Conduct and Trustees’ Role Descriptions are already complete, and we are in the process of establishing partnership agreements with our overseas partners, obtaining DBS checks for trustees, reviewing existing policies and developing new ones in line with these guidelines. All trustees and staff will be undertaking core safeguarding training.
Financial review
The trust’s income in 2022-23 was just over £110,000. This is somewhat less than it was last year, but that had been exceptional because of one-off amounts given to support the Delhi slum feeding programme during the pandemic. In other respects our donations and the range of things we have been able to support from them have increased. Once more, the generous support from Mercy in Action has been a significant component of our income.
We have increased the amount held as a reserve to £15,000 as at the end of the financial year.
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At our present levels of income and regular commitments, we have no concerns about the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.
The trustees consider that under the Charities Act 2011, the income of the charity falls within the range for which an independent examination of the charity’s accounts is required, but an audit is not required.
Related party transactions
There were no related party transactions requiring disclosure.
Structure, governance and management
The Bridge Trust Ltd is a company limited by guarantee. Its governing document is its Memorandum and Articles of Association. The trustees are also the directors of the company. They may be appointed either by a resolution by the members of the charity, or by the directors. Directors must periodically retire, though they may offer themselves for re-appointment.
Reference and administrative details
The name of the charity is The Bridge Trust Ltd. It is registered as a company incorporated in England and Wales (number 07556101. It is also registered as a charity by the Charity Commission (number 1142658).
The company’s registered office address is 24 Stanbury Road, Bristol, BS3 4QG.
Dave and Rhi Day were appointed as trustees during the year. Five trustees from Care for Zambia have become trustees of Bridge in the period between the end of the financial year and the date of this report. Full details of the trustees are as follows.
| the period between the | end of the financial year and the date of this report. Full details of the trustees are as follows. |
|---|---|
| Mike Bennett | Appointed 26 September 2023 |
| Dave Day | Appointed 27 February 2023. |
| Rhian Day | Appointed 27 February 2023. |
| Josh Edbrooke | Served throughout the financial year and up to the date of this report. |
| Lucy Heude | Appointed 29 November 2023 |
| Huang Yu Hsin | Served throughout the financial year and up to the date of this report. |
| Lesley McAllister | Served throughout the financial year and up to the date of this report. |
| Chris Matthews | Appointed 26 September 2023 |
| Steve Perrins | Appointed 26 September 2023 |
| Liz Sanderson | Served throughout the financial year and up to the date of this report. |
| Ian Wilson | Served throughout the financial year and up to the date of this report. |
| Paul Uttley | Appointed 26 September 2023 |
| Marian Uttley | Appointed 26 September 2023 |
Approved by The Bridge Trust Ltd trustees on 29 November 2023 and signed on their behalf by:
Ian Wilson (Director & Company Secretary)
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The Bridge Trust Ltd Independent Examiner’s report to the trustees Year ended 31 March 2023
I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 March 2023.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the trustees of the Company (and 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 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
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:
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accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or
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the accounts do not accord with those records; or
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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
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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.
John Mills
35 Ducie Road Staple Hill Bristol BS16 5JZ
16 November 2023
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The Bridge Trust Ltd
Statement of financial activities for the year ending 31 March 2023
| Note Income: Donations 3 Other income 4 Fund-raising events 5 Total income Expenditure: Costs of raising funds 5 Expenditure on charitable activities 6 Total expenditure Net income/(expenditure) and net movement in funds for the year Reconciliation of funds Total funds brought forward Total funds carried forward |
Unrestricted funds £ Restricted funds £ Total funds 2022-23 £ Total funds 2021-22 £ 48,389.65 59,196.72 107,586.37 122,511.98 188.40 188.40 6.04 2,416.75 2,416.75 - |
|---|---|
| 50,994.80 59,196.72 110,191.52 122,518.02 |
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| 1,649.00 1,649.00 - 47632.39 58,058.72 105,691.11 113,697.11 |
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| 49,281.39 58,058.72 107,340.11 113,697.11 |
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| 1,713.41 1,138.00 2,851.41 8,820.91 20,870.73 12,375.75 33,246.48 24,425.57 |
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| 22,584.14 13,513.75 36,097.89 33,246.48 |
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The Bridge Trust Ltd
Balance Sheet as at 31 March 2023
| Note Fixed assets Current assets Cash at bank and in hand Liabilities Creditors falling due within one year 10 Net current assets/total net assets The funds of the charity Restricted income funds 11 Unrestricted funds Total charity funds |
2023 2022 £ – – 36,896.49 33,772.62 (798.60) (526.14) |
|---|---|
| 36,097.89 33,246.48 |
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| 13,513.75 12,375.75 22,584.14 20,870.73 |
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| 36,097.89 33,246.48 |
For the financial year in question, the company was entitled to exemption under section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. No members have required the company to obtain an audit of its accounts for the year in question in accordance with section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. The directors acknowledge their responsibility for complying with the requirements of the Act with respect to accounting records and for the preparation of the accounts. These accounts are prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.
The notes at pages 9-11 form part of these accounts.
Signed
Dave Day (Chair) on behalf of the trustees
Approved by the trustees on 29 November 2023
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Notes to the financial statements
1. Accounting policies
The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:
a. Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS 102, second edition 2019) as applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable to the Micro-entities Regime (FRS 105, January 2022) and the Companies Act 2006. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy notes.
b. Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis The financial statements have been prepared on the basis that the trustees consider the company to be a going concern.
c. Income recognition policies
Income from donations is only recognised when it has been received. Gift aid is not recognised until it has been received from HMRC. Interest on funds held on deposit is recognised upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the bank.
d. Fund accounting
Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of the charity. Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the trust’s work.
e. Cash at bank and in hand
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and bank balances, as well as balances held at PayPal, Stewardship and CAF.
2. Legal status of the trust
The trust is a company limited by guarantee and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £10 per member of the charity.
3. Donations received
Donations received include donations from individual supporters (plus gift aid where applicable), and grants from other charities and similar bodies (analysed below).
| Grants from other charities Amazon Smile Crofts End Church Dayspring Church, Chippenham Filton Community Church Four Winds Trust Frontline Trust George Müller Charitable Trust Mercy in Action Thornbury Baptist Church Total |
Total Restricted Unrestricted £ £ £ 21.49 21.49 100.00 100.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 6,160.00 6,160.00 500.00 500.00 12,726.00 12,726.00 250.00 50.00 200.00 23,805.80 800.00 23,005.80 2,800.00 2,800.00 |
|---|---|
| 50,363.29 26,636.00 23,727.29 |
4. Other income
Other income consisted of bank interest received of £188.40.
5. Fund-raising events
£1,649 represents the costs of catering and publicity for a fund-raising event (an Indian meal) and the costs of producing Bridge Christmas cards for sale. The direct proceeds of these were £2,416.75, yielding a surplus of £767.75. In addition, some attendees at the event made generous donations to our work (included in the reported figures for donations).
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6. Expenditure on charitable activities
| 6. Expenditure on charitable activities | |
|---|---|
| Note Payroll costs 7 Support of overseas charitable work 8 Governance and administrative costs 9 |
£ 30,306.60 74,270.25 1,114.26 |
| 105,691.11 |
7. Payroll costs
The charity employed Dave and Rhian Day until 31 August 2022, when they retired from the role. From 1 September 2022, we employed Colin and Cara Medus. Payroll costs consist of their salaries, and pension contributions. As a result of the Employment Allowance for small employers, no employer’s NICs were incurred this year.
8. Support of overseas charitable work
Expenditure on overseas charitable work is analysed as follows, showing whether it was from restricted or unrestricted funds. See Achievements and Performance in the Trustees’ Report for further information about this expenditure.
| India: Slum schools Orphans Health workers Support of pastors and other Christian workers Training conferences Providing toilets in remote villages COVID-19: feeding programme and other relief Educational grants Support for church in Chennai iCare project (Jalandhar) IT training scheme Total (India) Zambia Sachibondu health centre Training conferences Solwezi training scheme Support of pastors and other Christian workers Total (Zambia) Travel costs (India and Zambia) Total expenditure on overseas charitable work |
Restricted funds Unrestricted funds Total £ £ £ 11,624.00 11,624.00 2,910.00 2,910.00 11,160.92 4,314.08 15,475.00 5,602.30 3,297.70 8,900.00 7,726.00 7,726.00 2,455.00 2,455.00 3,515.00 3,515.00 1,750.00 1,750.00 1,500.00 1,500.00 900.00 900.00 2,704.00 2,704.00 |
|---|---|
| 51,847.22 7,611.78 59,459.00 |
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| 3,024.00 3,024.00 2,000.00 1,760.00 3,760.00 |
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| 375.00 825.00 1,200.00 |
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| 812.50 780.00 1,592.50 |
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| 6,211.50 3,365.00 9,576.50 |
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| 5,234.75 5,234.75 |
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| 58,058.72 16,211.53 74,270.25 |
9. Governance and administrative costs
| Bank charges Employer’s liability insurance Website costs DBS checks Governance |
£ 367.24 483.15 125.12 125.75 13.00 |
|---|---|
| 1,114.26 |
Bank charges include the costs of making overseas transfers, and other bank service charges. Governance includes charges incurred for the submission of returns to Companies House. Website costs include web hosting and domain registration. DBS checks were required for staff and trustees visiting a school in Zambia.
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10. Creditors and accrued payments falling due within one year
| HMRC (PAYE on salaries) Web hosting for the year |
£ 673.48 125.12 |
|---|---|
| 798.60 |
11. Restricted funds
Restricted funds comprise funds held for the following
| India Orphans Slum schools Health Workers Support of pastors and other Christian workers Conferences Miscellaneous gifts for work in India Zambia Sachibondu health centre Support of pastors and other Christian workers |
£ 287.50 7079.72 701.25 267.50 800.00 1,513.00 2,646.03 218.75 |
|---|---|
| 13,513.75 |
The £12,375.75 shown as restricted funds brought forward in the statement of financial activities on page 7 corrects a misprint in the closing figure in the accounts for the previous year.
12. Reserves
The trustees consider it desirable to hold a reserve, and have set aside £15,000 of unrestricted funds as a reserve as at 31 March 2023.
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