2025-03-31-accounts - Bespace

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Annual Report 2024 - 2025

Providing creative, reflective prayer spaces across Oxfordshire since 2010. Encouraging faith and spiritual development in children and young people Equipping local churches to run prayer and reflection spaces in schools Facilitating church relationships with their local schools.

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50 Spaces
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52 Schools
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8 Community and state schools 2 new schools 46 Schools with a Christian foundation

Over 10,500 young people have experienced a prayer and reflection space in their local school or church this year. This is what they say:

I iiked it a lot because I could The space made be in peace and me feel safe and it made me feel listened too. calm

I think I am going to pray It helped me tonight and connect with thank God for all God He doea does me

100s of volunteers from over 55 local churches have been involved in prayer and reflection spaces this year.

Charity Number: 1168891

info@bespace.be www.bespace.be

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1[st] April 2024 – 31[st] March 2025

CharityName	BeSpace
CharityNumber	1168891
Charity Address	St James Church Centre 13 Beauchamp Lane Oxford OX4 3LF
Names of Charity Trustees who manage the charity	Rev Dr Canon Geoff Bayliss (Chair of Trustees) Mr Patrick Gale Mrs Mary Krutz Rev Nina Oskarsdottir Rev Gemma Beesley

Structure, Governance and Management

BeSpace is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission on 24[th] August 2016 under the charity Number 1168891. It is governed by a constitution which was adopted on the 24[th] August 2016.

The Charity Trustees are responsible for the general control and management of the charity. The Trustees meet, currently online, at least four times a year and are appointed by a resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the Charity Trustees.

The CEO oversees the day to day running of the charity. There is a safeguarding policy in place and all trustees, staff and volunteer networkers are DBS checked by the charity. BeSpace is part of the Prayer Spaces in Schools network. There are a number of other policies in place, including Risk Management.

Objectives and Activities

Summary of the objects of the charity set out in the governing document of BeSpace

The Object of the CIO is, for the public benefit, the advancement of the Christian faith through, in particular but not limited to, creating prayer spaces to engage with members of the community, developing education of the Christian faith in schools and in such other ways as the charity trustees may from time to time decide.

Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects

BeSpace came into existence as a registered charity on the 24[th] August 2016. In planning our activities, the charity has kept in mind the Charity Commissions guidance on public benefit. The Charity has sought to advance the Christian faith for the public benefit by running prayer spaces, engaging members of the community in prayer spaces and training Christians to provide these spaces. The prayer spaces benefited people by providing them sacred spaces, contributing to their spiritual development, and teaching them about the Christian faith. The following outlines in more detail how the objectives have been pursued throughout the reporting period.

Achievements and Performance

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BeSpace

Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year.

In planning our activities for the year, we kept in mind the charity commission’s guidance on public benefit at our trustee meetings. The focus of our activities remains to facilitate creative prayer and reflection spaces in schools and where we have capacity at other community events. We do this mainly through equipping local churches to run prayer spaces by modelling, leading prayer spaces and training churches. These prayer spaces help advance the Christian faith and support the element of a school’s curriculum that teaches about spiritual development

We appointed a leadership consultant in May 2024 for a day week to strengthen the leadership of the charity after an internal strategic reviewed had highlighted the that key priority was to strentgthen leadership. Over the course of the year we increased the number of days of the consultant.

As a result of investing into strengthening our leadership we have ended this financial year on a surplus instead instead of a deficit, as we had done in the previous financial year. We finished the year on a £7,111 surplus compared to last year’s deficit of £7,623. Our income has more than doubled than in 2023-2024, with income of just over £78,263 compared to last year’s income of £34,307.

Our Leadership Consultant developed a three year strategy for the charity in consultation with the trustees. With one of the main aims to grow from working with 60 schools a year to 120 a year over the next three years. A secondary aim is also to look at ways to develop ongoing spiritual formation for children beyond prayer and reflection spaces. Alongside the three year strategy our consultant set a clear budget for it and a fundraising strategy to go along side it. This strategy outlines growing our Major Donor base, Grants from Trusts and Foundations, increasing our Regular Givers and three core fundraising events. Of which we have clear target for each area as we going into the new financial year.

We have also implemented a CRM to improve our record keeping of numbers, and ensuring our impact data is up to date, accurate & helpful to give reports & envision all stakeholders including potential donors.

The charity celebrated its 15[th] year in March 2024, with over 80 attendees and raising just over £7,000. The event was well attended by volunteers and church leaders. We heard from Headteachers and children of the impact of the prayer space on them and their school communities. This event added to the agreement of the trustees that there is a huge need for the work and an energy from churches, schools and volunteers to see more children and young people have space for prayer and reflection on the Christin Faith in their local school community.

Number of prayer spaces were slightly lower as we had to focus on fundraising so we can building robust finance to enable us to grow in numbers of prayer spaces next year and to 120 year in the next three years.

We continue to be grateful for the support we receive from Churches, all the volunters and schools all of which remain core to the Charity’s work. We are grateful for Rt Rev Bishop Gavin for being our Patron and offering support to our Charity.

The Impact of the activities of BeSpace:

Prayer Spaces that have happened in Schools:

Due to our work, 50 spaces took place with 52 schools. 2 new schools had prayer spaces this year.
The breakdown of the types of schools that have had prayer spaces this year are:
2 Secondary schools and 50 Primary Schools (1 Independent)
46 schools with an Anglican foundation
8 community/state schools

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BeSpace

We have reached over 10,500 young people between the ages of 4-18, which has enabled the Christian faith to be shared and helped young people grow in their understanding of the faith and what it means to be able to connect with God and have a relationship with him.
We have continued through prayer spaces to benefit young people through contributing to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.
Over 55 churches in the county have been involved in either leading a prayer space for a local school or supporting a prayer space by providing volunteers from their congregations to help in prayer spaces local to them.

Volunteers and Networkers

We could not achieve all of this without the time, energy and effort of the many volunteers from over 50 churches across the county who give their time to set up, lead and facilitate prayer and reflection spaces in schools.
We continue to have 1 official volunteer networker who champions the charity in their local geographic area and help grow volunteer teams to run prayer and reflection spaces in their local schools.
We have several potential people in the pipeline who may become networkers in the future.

The impact on people experiencing prayer spaces.

The following are a sample of comments from young people who experienced a BeSpace during this time. These comments demonstrate how prayer spaces have advanced the Christian faith for the public benefit.

It helped me connect with God

Ii felt like bricks had left my shoulders

I felt free and I It helped me to felt God was express my with me feelings

It made me think a bit about God and people who we love

I could forget all It made me Prayer space is my regrets and happy because good because bad feelings that I I was so just needed to you can say excited to what you feel wipe away from come my mind

I got to grow closer to God today

I feel brighter on the inside

I liked the room because it helped me reflect and relax

I like the sand because I can get rid of my stress

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BeSpace

And a comment from a teacher:

(The space provided)… ‘children throughout the school with such a lovely calm, safe environment in which to reflect on their hopes, regrets, gratitude’s and worries. Through a range of engaging activities each child’s thoughts and ideas were respected and valued, allowing them to express their feelings freely and empowering them with strategies to help in the future.’

And feedback from Head Teachers:

“The children are taking away strategies, so when we are talking about forgiveness, love and letting things go they are now things the children say I can do in my life, and its ok to have times of prayer whenever I want to.”

‘It was wonderful to watch the children engaging with the whole experience and sharing their reflections in the different areas. Some of our children that often find quiet times challenging were able to experience the feeling of calm and reflection during a busy week. I am looking forward to another prayer space so that the children can continue to build and nurture their reflection and prayer over time.’

Future Plans

We continue to have a sharp focus on our fundraising goals in order to stablise our regular income from a range of sources.
We currently work with 60 schools a year, our aim is to increase to 75 next year, 95 the following year and 120 the year after. Thus, reaching a 1/3 of all schools in Oxfordshire. Enable us to impact more children’s lives by doubling the number of schools we are in.
To reach this target we are going to be designing & delivering a tailor-made training & support programme that caters for the needs of different churches, so localised volunteer-led teams are established & strengthened. This will enable us to increase from 60 to 120 schools a year within the next three years. Additionally, these teams will be supported and equipped to consider how else they can develop the spiritual life of their local school communities. The training & support programme will still include modelling of excellently run prayer spaces but will also include pre-, during & post coaching calls, as well as formal group coaching training to work towards the creation of robust interdenominational volunteer led teams, serving the spiritual life of schools. Using a coaching approach will enable the training to be unique for churches or groups of churches.
We would also like to grow to serve more children in Buckingamshire and Berkshire if we can raise funds to do this.
As part of our vision for the year ahead, we hope to build on the positive impact of prayer spaces by piloting retreat days for groups of children from schools. While the current prayer spaces offer valuable moments of stillness and reflection, these full day retreats will provide extended time for prayer, creative reflection and other contemplative practices, giving children the opportunity to slow down and engage more deeply with their spiritual lives, and begin to form lasting habits of spiritual practice in an increasingly fast-paced world.

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

………………………………………………………..

Rev Dr Canon Geoff Bayliss - Chairman

30/07/2025

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BeSpace

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of BeSpace

I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of BeSpace (the Charity) for the year ended 31[st] March 2025.

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’).

I 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 I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

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

accounting records were not kept in respect of the Charity as required by section 130 of the Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or
the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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.

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.

Samuel Rebbettes ACCA

18 North Street Kingsclere Newbury RG20 5QX

[30/07/2025]

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BeSpace

BeSpace

Statement of Financial Activity for the year ended 31st March 2025

Note
Income
Income and endowments from:
Donations and legacies
2a
Investment income
2b
Total income and endowments
Expenditure
Expenditure on:
Charitable Activities
3a
Total expenditure
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Balance brought forward
at 31st March 2024
Net surplus / (deficit) for the year
Transfers between funds
9
Balance carried forward
at 31st March 2025

Unrestricted
Total
Unrestricted
Total
Funds
2025
Funds
2024
£
£
£
£
77,896
77,896
34,307
34,307
367
367
-
-
78,263
78,263
34,307
34,307
71,152
71,152
41,930
41,930
71,152
71,152
41,930
41,930
7,111
7,111
(7,623)
(7,623)
67,540
67,540
75,163
75,163
7,111
7,111
(7,623)
(7,623)
-
-
-
-
74,651
74,651
67,540
67,540

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BeSpace

BeSpace

Statement of Financial Position as at 31st March 2025

Note Fixed assets Tangible fixed assets 6 Current assets Debtors 7 Cash at bank and in hand Liabilities: amounts falling 8 due within one year Net current assets Net assets Funds Unrestricted funds 9	£ £ 754 1,202 74,398 75,600 (1,703) 73,897 74,651 74,651 74,651 2025	£ £ 1,005 497 67,617 68,114 (1,579) 66,535 67,540 67,540 67,540 2024

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

…...........................................................................

Rev Dr Canon Geoff Bayliss - Chairman 30/07/2025

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BeSpace

BeSpace

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2025

1. Accounting Policies

1a. Basis of accounting

The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention and in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102 1A) (effective 1 October 2019).

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102.

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties around the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern.

1b. Income Recognition

All incoming resources are included in the SOFA when the charity is legally entitled to the income and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. Incoming resources are included gross.

No credit is taken for either general or gift aid donations until they are actually received. The amount credited to the income and expenditure account in respect of gift aid donations does however include the amount of income tax recoverable in respect of income actually received.

Grant income is recognised as receivable subject to fulfilment of any associated conditions. Where conditions have been met or are likely to be met, grant income is recognised in full.

1c. Expenditure Recognition

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis, and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category.

Charitable activity costs are those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the Charity.

Support costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the Charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements.

1d. Pensions

Contributions payable for the year are charged in the income and expenditure account. The charity contributes to a defined contribution scheme for its employees.

1e. Irrecoverable VAT

The Charity is not registered for VAT and hence is unable to recover VAT on expenditure incurred. All costs are therefore shown inclusive of the associated input VAT.

1f. Fixed Assets

Equipment which is deemed by the charity to have a useful life of more than one year is capitalised and included within fixed assets. Depreciation is provided on all equipment so as to write off the cost or valuation, less any estimated residual value, over the expected useful economic life on a straight line basis at 33% a year.

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BeSpace

Notes to the Accounts

for the year ended 31st March 2025

1g. Fund Accounting

Unrestricted Funds

These are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects of the charity at the discretion of the Trustees.

2. Income

2a. Donations and legacies

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|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Total|Unrestricted|Total| |2025|2025|2024|2024| |£|£|£|£| |Donations and legacies from:| |Individual giving|50,262|50,262|13,941|13,941| |Gift Aid recoverable|7,071|7,071|2,271|2,271| |Church and Organisation giving|8,963|8,963|2,345|2,345| |Grants receivable|11,600|11,600|15,750|15,750| |77,896|77,896|34,307|34,307|

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2b. Investment income

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|||||| |---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Total|Unrestricted|Total| |2025|2025|2024|2024| |£|£|£|£| |Bank interest receivable|367|367|-|-|

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3. Expenditure

3a. Expenditure on charitable activities

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||||||| |---|---|---|---|---|---| |Unrestricted|Total|Unrestricted|Total| |2025|2025|2024|2024| |Note|£|£|£|£| |Prayer space costs|2,316|2,316|1,789|1,789| |Support costs|3b|68,836|68,836|40,141|40,141| |71,152|71,152|41,930|41,930|

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BeSpace

BeSpace

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2025

3b. Support costs Note Staff costs 4 Consultancy Costs Office costs & Website Costs Governance costs: Accountancy & Professional Fees 4. Staff Costs Salaries including employer's national Pension contributions Training and other staff costs	Unrestricted Total 2025 2025 £ £ 33,661 33,661 26,532 26,532 5,795 5,795 2,848 2,848 68,836 68,836 insurance	Unrestricted Total 2024 2024 £ £ 31,614 31,614 - - 3,227 3,227 5,300 5,300 40,141 40,141 2025 2024 £ £ 31,115 25,877 544 1,199 2,002 4,538 33,661 31,614

No employee received £60,000 or more in this or the preceding financial year.

The average number of staff employed during the year was:	2025 2024 2 2

5. Trustee Remuneration

Trustee expenses totalling £101 (2024: £836) were incurred in the year.

The amount owing to trustees at the end of the year with respect to expenses was £nil (2024: £nil).

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BeSpace

BeSpace

Notes to the Accounts

for the year ended 31st March 2025

6. Fixed assets

Cost As at 1st April 2024 Additions in year Disposals in year As at 31st March 2025 Depreciation As at 1st April 2024 Charge in year Eliminated on disposal As at 31st March 2025 Net book value As at 31st March 2025 As at 31st March 2024 7. Debtors Prepayments Gift Aid Recoverable 8. Liabilities: amounts falling due within one year Trade creditors Taxation & Social Security Accruals	Office Equipment £ 2,475 263 - 2,738 2,394 124 - 2,518 220 81	Venue Equipment Total £ £ 10,571 13,046 114 377 - - 10,685 13,423 9,647 12,041 504 628 - - 10,151 12,669 534 754 924 1,005 2025 2024 £ £ 1,202 498 - - 1,202 498 2025 2024 £ £ - 1,339 1,463 - 240 240 1,703 1,579

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BeSpace

BeSpace

Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2025

9. Funds

Unrestricted General unrestricted Unrestricted General unrestricted	Balance at Transfers Balance at 1st April between 31st March 2024 Income Expenditure funds 2025 £ £ £ £ £ 67,540 78,263 (71,152) - 74,651 Balance at Transfers Balance at 1st April between 31st March 2023 Income Expenditure funds 2024 £ £ £ £ £ 75,163 34,307 (41,930) - 67,540

10. Related Parties

The trustees made donations including gift aid totalling £38,876 (2024: £8,963) to the charity.

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BeSpace