2026-03-31-accounts - Bespace

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BeSpace Annual Report

2025-2026

Providing creative, reflective prayer spaces across Oxfordshire and beyond 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.

info@bespace.be

Charity No. 1168891

Our Vision

We want to see every child joyful, resilient and growing spiritually for life.

Our Mission

We encourage and equip churches to provide spaces where school children grow spiritually through contemplative Christian practices.

Prayer and reflection spaces

A prayer and reflection space transforms a classroom, library or meeting room into a calm, creative environment for spiritual exploration.

Retreats

Retreats offer an extended time of stillness to help pupils discover inner stillness.

Pilgrimages

Pilgrimages follow the ancient practice of walking to a series of stopping points designed for reflection.

Statistics

65 60 5 New Spaces Schools Schools

15 45 Community/ Schools with a State Christian Schools foundation

Over 13,500 young people have experienced a prayer and reflection space in their local school or church this year. This is what they say:

“The space was fun and helped me to pray for the first time.”

“I have a “I feel more confident warm about praying feeling in to God.” my heart.”

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

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 1st April 2025 – 31st March 2026

Charity name	BeSpace
Charity number	1168891
Charity Address	St James Church Centre 13 Beauchamp Lane Oxford OX4 3LF
Names of Charity Trustees who manage the charity	Mr Patrick Gale (Chair of Trustees) Rev Ewan Charles Kerr Mrs Mary Krutz Mrs Yvonne Morris Rev Gemma Beesley

Structure, Governance and Management

BeSpace is constituted as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered with the Charity Commission on 24th August 2016 under the charity Number 1168891. It is governed by a constitution which was adopted on the 24th 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 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 24th 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. This last year we have begun to offer Retreat days for schools, to advance the Christian faith too.

The prayer spaces and pilot retreat days 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

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

In planning activities for this year, we have kept in mind the charity commission’s guidance on public benefit at our trustee meetings. The focus of our activities has been to facilitate prayer and reflection spaces within schools. Building on the future plans outlined in the previous annual report, this year we also began piloting retreat days for schools, offering students the opportunity to explore the Christian faith in greater depth. At one retreat day we supported the Headteacher said ‘How can we scale this up for other schools’.

These activities have been delivered primarily through equipping local churches to host prayer spaces in schools. This has included modelling good practice and providing bespoke support tailored to the needs of individual churches. In addition, we facilitated two pilot retreat days in two secondary schools, delivered in partnership with churches.

Through prayer spaces and retreats, we continue to advance the Christian faith while schools are supported in delivering elements of the curriculum concerned with pupils’ spiritual development.

This year has marked a significant year of growth for BeSpace. We have:

Following comprehensive stakeholder engagement, supported by a Christian branding studio and informed by in-depth discussions with the trustees and our leadership consultant, a decision was taken, to further advance the Christian faith in line with our charitable Objects. This will be achieved through the development of two additional practices that complement existing prayer spaces which are pilgrimages, and retreats.

Achievements and Performance

In order to give greater clarity and direction to this strategic development, we reviewed and revised our vision and mission to reflect the inclusion of a broader range of contemplative practices for the advancement of the Christian faith. Our updated vision is to see every child joyful, resilient and growing spiritually for life. Our refreshed mission articulates how we seek to achieve this: by encouraging and equipping churches to provide spaces where school children grow spiritually through contemplative Christian practices.
To support this renewed strategic direction, the trustees prioritised strong and effective leadership. During the year, three key appointments were made: Chief Executive Officer, Oxfordshire Development Lead, and Children’s Spiritual Formation Lead. Recognising the importance of strong and effective leadership, and building on the impact of our leadership consultant over the previous year, the trustees appointed her as CEO from January 2026. To support planned growth across Oxfordshire, we appointed an Oxfordshire Development Lead to provide focused regional leadership. In addition, to enable the strategic development of a national spiritual formation pathway, encompassing prayer spaces, retreats, and pilgrimages, the trustees approved the appointment of a Children’s Spiritual Formation Lead commencing in April 2026.
The trustees agreed to intentionally grow our work beyond Oxfordshire. Over the past 15 years, we have established a strong foundation in the county, facilitating more than 750 prayer spaces. With the extension of our mission, we believe this is the right time to take a more intentional approach to national growth. During the year, we also updated and redesigned our website to reflect our refreshed offer, increase awareness of our work, and make it easier for supporters to donate.

Achievements and Performance

During the year we also aimed to root the season of transition in prayer. We hosted fifteen hours of continuous prayer at Christ Church Abingdon. Through a series of creative prayer stations focused on thanksgiving and intercession, we gave thanks to God for the past fifteen years and sought His guidance and vision for the years ahead. People signed up hour by hour, to pray for children and young people.
As a result of sustained investment in strong and effective leadership and strategic clarity, we have ended the financial year in a significantly improved financial position compared with the previous year. Our income has more than doubled compared with 2024–2025, reflecting increased confidence in our work and mission. This growth, is in part, due to grant funding received from the Benefact Trust and the Maclellan Foundation.

Impact

The Impact of the activities of BeSpace

Prayer Spaces in Schools:

1.Due to our work, 65 spaces took place with 60 schools. 5 new schools had prayer spaces this year.
2.Breakdown of types of schools:
3 Secondary schools (1 Independent) and 57 Primary Schools (5 Independent)
45 schools with an Anglican foundation
15 community/state schools
3.Reached over 13,500 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.
4.We have continued through prayer spaces to benefit young people through contributing to their SMS education.
5.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.
6.Facilitated 2 pilot retreats in secondary schools, impacting over 90 students.

Volunteers and Networkers

We could not achieve all of this without the time, energy and effort of the many volunteers from over 55 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 staff and young people who experienced a BeSpace during this time. These comments demonstrate how prayer spaces have advanced the Christian faith for the public benefit.

A comment from a teacher:

‘What an organised, calm and safe environment you all provide for the children to draw emotional and spiritual nourishment from. Truly wonderful. Every child was able to access this and enjoyed it.'

A comment from a Headteacher:

‘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.'

A comment from a church leader:

‘The children demonstrated an understanding that speaking to an adult or friend, or God, would help them when they felt worried because worries that are shared usually get smaller than worries that we keep inside to ourselves.’

Comments from students:

“The forgiveness (activity) was my favourite, it will make me

“I felt safe and warm because was with us.”

“I enjoyed that I could let out all my feelings and emotions and know

“Something I learned was that there are so many ways of looking at a Bible verse and you can always

to other students at the school and realise that they are going through the same things that I'm going through and we can now help each other.”

“I really liked the fact that I got to be still and really and myself because I don’t always have the chance to do stuff like that.” 11

Future Plans

Looking ahead, the trustees have identified three core areas of strategic development that will guide the charity’s work from the coming year onward.

We have three core areas we are developing, starting this coming year.

1. A Deeper Reach

The trustees aim to further develop Oxfordshire as a county of best practice, offering tailored and strategic support to churches as they enable school children to grow spiritually through contemplative Christian practices. As part of this focus, the charity plans to support growth to 120 prayer spaces over the next three years. In addition, the trustees will seek to secure funding to potentially pilot the development of this work in Buckinghamshire.

2. A Wider Reach

Building on our established experience and learning, we will begin to equip and encourage churches and schools across England to embed pilgrimages, and retreats within the spiritual life of their school communities as part of a gradual development of a broader spiritual formation pathway.

Alongside this, we will start to support churches and charities across England to offer additional contemplative Christian practices as part of their engagement with schools and children.

3. A Trusted Reach

Build a sustainable, trusted & go to charity for churches

The trustees are committed to building a sustainable, trusted and “go-to” charity for churches seeking to support lifelong spiritual growth for school children through contemplative Christian practices. Through building a strong inferstraucture and training in contemplative practices, we aim to be recognised as a reliable and effective resource for developing contemplative Christian practices within schools for spiritual development.

Financial Review

Total income for the year ended 31st March 2026 was £200,656 (2025: £78,263), of which £36,000 related to restricted funds (2025: £nil).

After expenditure totalling £119,666 (2025: £71,152) - of which £1,416 related to restricted funds (2025: £nil) - the charity achieved a surplus of £80,991 (2025: surplus of £7,111).

The charity's total unrestricted reserves as at 31st March 2026 were £121,058 (2025: £74,651), and the charity's restricted reserves sat at £34,584 (2025: £nil).

The trustees will continue to maintain a strong and disciplined focus on fundraising as

the charity enters its next phase of development. For the 20262027 financial year, the charity expects income of just over £70,000 from the Maclellan Foundation, the

Benefact Trust and another grant making body, alongside ongoing income from regular givers and is looking to develop its strong fundraising pipeline to ensure that its total operating budget of £169,000 is full funded.

Of the charity’s reserves, £34,584 relates to restricted funds, expenditure for which is fully included within the charity’s operating budget. BeSpace’s fundraising target for the remainder of the financial year therefore sits at £64,000.

The trustees consider that the charity's reserves are sufficient to cover any fundraising shortfall, and are in agreement that the charity's reserves policy, to cover up to six months of future operating costs, will at all times be met within the coming financial year.

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

Patrick Gale- Chairman 7/1/2026

Independent examiner’s report to the trustees of BeSpace

Statement of Financial Activity for BeSpace the year ended 31st March 2026 for the year ended 31st March 2026Statement of Financial Activity

		Unrestricted	Restricted	T o tal	Unrestricted	Restricted	T o tal
		Funds	Funds	2026	Funds	Funds	2025
	Note	£	£	£	£	£	£
Income
Incomeand endowments from:
Donations and legacies	2a	163,914	36,000	199,914	77,896	-	77,896
Investment income	2b	742	-	742	367	-	367
Total income and endowments		164,656	36,000	200,656	78,263	-	78,263
Expenditure
Expenditure on:
Charitable Activities	3a	115,235	1,416	116,652	71,152	-	71,152
Raising Funds	3b	3,014	-	3,014	-	-	-
Total expenditure		118,250	1,416	119,666	71,152	-	71,152
Net movement in funds		46,407	34,584	80,991	7,111	-	7,111
Reconciliation of funds
Balance brought forward
at 31st March 2025		74,651	-	74,651	67,540	-	67,540
Net surplus / (deficit) for the year		46,407	34,584	80,991	7,111	-	7,111
Transfers between funds	9	-	-	-	-	-	-
Balance carried forward
at 31st March 2026		121,058	34,584	155,642	74,651	-	74,651

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BeSpace

Statement of Financial Position as BeSpace Statement of Financial Position at 31st March 2026 as at 31st March 2026

----- Start of picture text -----
2026 2025
Note £ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Tangiblefixedassets 6 727 754
Current assets
Debtors 7 1,568 1,202
Cash at bank and in hand 158,214 74,398
159,782 75,600
Liabilities: amounts falling 8 (4,867) (1,703)
due within one year
Net current assets 154,915 73,897
Net assets 155,642 74,651
Funds
Unrestricted funds 9 121,058 74,651
Restricted funds 9 34,584 -
155,642 74,651
----- End of picture text -----

Approved by the trustees and signed on their behalf by:

…........................................................................... Patrick Gale - Chairman

6/23/2026

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BeSpace

Notes to the Accounts BeSpace Notes to the Accounts for the year ended 31st March 2026 for the year ended 31st March 2026

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 incomingresourcesare 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 expenditureisaccounted for on an accruals basis, and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category.

Expenditure on charitable activities constitutes those costs incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the Charity.

Expenditure on raising funds constitutes costs incurred on maintaining and developing the charity's financial support network.

Support costs are those incurred in connection with administration of the Charity and compliance with constitutional and statutory requirements. Support costs are considered wholly attributable to the charity's expenditure on its charitable activities.

1d. Pen si o ns

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

TheCharity is notregistered 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 and a cost greater than £250 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

1g. Fund Accounting Unrestricted funds are funds which can be used in accordance with the charitable objects of the charity at the discretion of the Trustees.

Restricted funds are subjected to restrictions on their expenditure declared by the donor or through the terms of an appeal, and fall into one of two sub-classes: restricted income funds or endowment funds.

Income
2a. Donations and legacies

Donations and legacies
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted		Restricted	Total
	2026	2026	2026	2025		2025	2025
	£	£	£	£		£	£
Donations and Legacies from:
Individual Giving	85,265	-	85,265	50,262		-	50,262
Gift Aid Recoverable	18,861	-	18,861	7,071	-	-	7,071
Church and Organisation Giving	2,589	-	2,589	8,963	-		8,963
Grants Receivable	57,200	36,000	93,200	11,600			11,600
						-
	163,914	36,000	199,914	77,896			77,896

2b. Investment income

Investment income
	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted	Restricted	Total
	2026	2026	2026	2025	2025	2025
	£	£	£	£	£	£
Bank Interest Receivable	742	-	742	367	-	367

Exp en dit u re
3a. Expenditure on charitable activities

		Unrestricted	Restricted	Total	Unrestricted		Restricted	Total
		2026	2026	2026	2025		2025	2025
	Note	£	£	£	£		£	£
Prayer Space Costs		8,514	90	8,604	2,316		-	2,316
Support Costs	3c	106,722	1,326	108,047	68,836	-		68,836
		115,235	1,416	116,652	71,152		-	71,152

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BeSpace

3b.	Expenditure on raising funds	Expenditure on raising funds
			Unrestricted		Restricted		Total	Unrestricted		Restricted	Total
			2026		2026		2026	2025		2025	2025
			£		£		£	£		£	£
	Marketing & Communications		1,920			-	1,920	-		-	-
	Fundraising Events		1,	-			1,094	-	-		-
			094
					-		3,014	-		-	-
			3,014
3c.	Support costs		Unrestricted		Restricted		Total	Unrestricted		Restricted	Total
			2026		2026		2026	2025		2025	2025
		Note	£		£		£	£		£	£
	Staff Costs	4	46,895			853	47,7 48	33,661		-	33,661
	Consultancy Costs		33,471			473	33,944	26,532	-	-	26,532
	Office & IT Costs		3,026			-	3,026	5,795	-		5,795
	Strategy & Brand Development		19,179			-	19,179	-			-
	Governance Costs:									-
	Accountancy & Professional Fees		3,245			-	3,245	2,848	-		2,848
	Insurance		905			-	905	-			-
										-
			106,722			1,326	107,142	68,836			68,836

Staff Costs	2026	2025
	£	£
Wages and salaries Employer's	44,371	31,115
National Insurance Pension	-	-
contributions	927	544
Other staff costs	2,450	2,002
	47,748	33,661

4. Staff Costs

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

The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees and the CEO. The total remuneration of the key management personnel were £43,739 (2025: £25,282).

	2026		2025
The average number of staff employed during the year was:		2		2

5. Trustee Remuneration

Trustee expenses totalling £88 (2025: £101) were incurred in the year.

The amount owing to trustees at the end of the year with respect to expenses was £nil (2025: £nil).

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BeSpace

6. Fixed assets

6.	Fixed assets
			Office	Venue
			Equipment	Equipment	Total
			£	£	£
	Cost
	Asat1st April 2025		2,738	10,685	13,423
	Additions in year		389	-	389
	Disposals in year		( 1,23	(3,361)	(4,599)
	As at 31st March	2026	8)	7,324	9,213
			1,889
	Dep rec iat io n
	Asat1st April	2025	2,518	10,151	12,669
	Charge in	year	109	307	416
	Eliminated on disposal		(1,238)	(3,361)	(4,599)
	As at 31st March	2026	1,389	7,097	8,486
	Net book value
	As at 31st March	2026	500	227	727
	As at 31st March	2025	220	534	754
7.	Debtors			2026	2025
				£	£
	Prepayments			1,5	1,202
	Gift Aid Recoverable			68 -	-
				1,568	1,202
8.	Liabilities: amounts falling due within one year			2026	2025
				£	£
	Trade creditors			139	-
	Taxation & Social	Security		4,	1,463
	Accruals			123	240
				605	1,703
				4,867

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BeSpace

9. Funds

Funds
	Balance at					Transfers	Balance at
	1st April					between	31st March
		2025	Income	Exp en dit u re		funds	2026
		£	£	£		£	£
Unrestricted
General unrestricted		74,651	164,656	(118,250)		-	121,058
Restricted
Benefact Trust		-	26,000	(599)		-	25,401
St Christopher's - National Retreats		-	10,000	(817)	-	-	9,183
		-	36,000	(1,416)			34,584
						-
		74,651	200,656	(119,666)			155,642
	Balance at					Transfers	Balance at
	1st April					between	31st March
		2024	Income	Exp en dit u re		funds	2025
		£	£	£		£	£
Unrestricted
General unrestricted		67,540	78,263	(71,152)		-	74,651

Notes on Restricted Funds

Benefact Trust -thesefundsare restricted to support the charity's New Creative Contemplative Schools project.

St Christopher's - National Retreats - these funds are restricted to expenditure relating to BeSpace's national retreats programme.

10. Analysis of net assets between funds

Analysis of net assets between funds
	Unrestricted		Restricted	Total Funds
	Funds		Funds	2026
	£		£	£
Fixed assets	727		-	727
Current assets	125,198		34,584	159,782
Creditors <1 year	(4,867)		-	(4,867)
Net assets	121,058		34,584	155,642
	Unrestricted		Restricted	Total Funds
	Funds		Funds	2025
	£		£	£
Fixed assets	754		-	754
Current assets	75,600	-	-	75,600
Creditors <1 year	(1,703)	-		(1,703)
Net assets	74,651			74,651

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11. Related Parties

During the year, 6 trustees (2025: 4 trustees) made donations (inclusive of gift-aid) totalling £69,310 (2025: £38,876) to the charity.

12. Other Significant Item

During the year, the charity was the victim of a minor cyber-security breach and an attempted fraud. Following a full review of the incident, the trustees are satisfied that there was no reportable data breach and that more comprehensive cyber-security controls are now in place. The fraud was intercepted by the charity's bank, and the full amount (less a recovery fee) was repaid to the charity.

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