Impact report for the year ending 30 September 2025
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Contents
| Section Header | Page |
|---|---|
| Our vision,mission and aim | 2 |
| A message from our Chair | 3 |
| Activities in 2024-25 | 4 |
| Governance and Committee | 5 |
| BVDA’s accounts and notes to the fnancial statements | 6 |
Our vision, mission and aim
Our vision is of a global community working together to deliver sustainable positive change.
Our mission is to inspire and enable students to actively engage in sustainable international development.
Our aim is the advancement of education and the relief of poverty, sickness and distress in developing countries.
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A message from our Chair
This year we changed our approach to projects in order to reduce some of the risks associated with organising volunteering projects overseas. Instead of organising projects ourselves, the trustees and committee decided to signpost to students volunteering opportunities that they could organise themselves. We identified Maya Universe Academy in Nepal as a suitable destination.
The committee were successful in publicising this opportunity with the result that two students travelled to Nepal in the summer of 2025. Whilst the impact of this kind of volunteering may not be as high as for traditional BVDA projects, the reduced financial and organisational risks meant that those who wished were not affected by other students dropping out, which continues to be a challenge.
Ultimately, we want to ensure that committed students are able to complete their chosen volunteering opportunity. Next year, one of the students returning from Nepal will work with the other members of the student committee to continue with a similar approach.
As a result of this change in strategy, our financial reserves are greater than are required for future operations. This is primarily because we no longer carry the financial risks associated with organising projects overseas. In the next year therefore the trustees will explore options for distributing excess reserves to organisations which share BVDA’s objectives.
Ben Perry, chair of trustees
Thank you
The trustees are very grateful to the students that have taken part in local BVDA activities during the year, and to all those who have supported us during the year.
BVDA was founded by Bristol University students, and our mission continues to be to actively engage in sustainable international development. This is made possible by the continuing commitment of the Bristol University students and their wider community. Thank you.
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Activities in 2024-25
Publicity and Recruitment
This year BVDA did not participate in the Bristol SU Welcome fair. Although the fair increases the profile of BVDA and normally leads to a high number of students registering interest, in recent years insufficient numbers of these students have gone on to participate in overseas volunteering, making it harder to justify the high cost of participating.
The BVDA committee did however participate in several other publicity and recruitment events. In addition to holding information talks, the BVDA committee advertised BVDA in person and via social media.
A New Approach
This year BVDA decided that, due to the risks of project cancellation and the costs associated with them, we would not organise our own projects as in previous years.
Instead, the committee and trustees reached out to other similar charities to identify approaches to overseas volunteering that could be more successful and less at risk of cancellation, and which could be undertaken by students directly rather than through BVDA. We identified a school in Nepal where students from a UK university had volunteered in the past.
The committee and trustees contacted the school (Maya Universe Academy) and also spoke to students who had volunteered there. Volunteer experience and impact had been successful, and the school were keen to receive volunteers. Following detailed risk assessments and further communication with the school, BVDA felt comfortable recommending the school to Bristol University students.
A small number of students registered interest in this opportunity and participated in planning meetings with the committee and trustees. Some of those students ultimately decided not to take part, however this did not stop those who wished to from travelling independently.
Fundraising
No active fundraising was carried out during the year, with the students choosing to self-fund their volunteering. The trustees contributed £250 towards one of the volunteer’s costs of placement at Maya Universe Academy.
BVDA maintains adequate reserves, and expenses during the year were kept to a low level, so the trustees and committee decided that no fundraising was required. Next year trustees will review options for distributing excess reserves to charities whose aims align with BVDA.
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Monitoring & Evaluation
The trustees and committee carried out a detailed M&E exercise with the students following their volunteering. The impact of the volunteering was reduced compared to previous years, due primarily to students spending a shorter amount of time on site.
Nevertheless, feedback from both the school and volunteers was excellent. Below are some quotes from the volunteers:
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“I most enjoyed the opportunity to immerse myself in a new culture and learn about the economic and political factors shaping people’s lives. I enjoyed building connections through conversations about common goals and through cultural exchanges.”
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“I stayed on project for a total of a month. In this time, I completed all the goals I set
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myself for the project. I built strong relationships with the kids and other Maya staff. I learnt a lot about the culture and politics of Nepal.”
Several opportunities were identified to improve impact and experience if students choose to volunteer at Maya Academy Universe in future years.
Governance and Committee
At the start of the 2024/25 period, BVDA was governed by four registered trustees. The trustee team was unchanged over the year.
BVDA was supported by a small student committee during the year. With guidance from the trustees, the president took the lead on activities and meetings, including event promotion, social media communications, volunteer recruitment, planning for the overseas project, and student social activities.
Our current trustee board is:
Ben Perry (Chair)
Caitlin Bromfield (Committee Contact)
Vaihari Balendran (Finance)
Liam Joyce (Projects and Safeguarding)
Trustee recruitment typically consists of reaching out to BVDA alumni (three of the current trustees) or by advertising for specific skills and trustees based in Bristol, using websites such as Reach volunteering (one of the current trustees). Anyone interested in becoming a trustee, and who has either BVDA experience or is based near Bristol, is welcome to contact BVDA.
BVDA’s registered charity number is 1173282.
The registered address of BVDA is 6 Cavendish Road, Bristol, BS9 4DZ.
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BVDA’s accounts for the year ended 30 September 2025
The charity’s trustees are responsible for the preparation of the accounts. The charity’s trustees consider that neither an independent review nor an audit is required for this year under sections 144(2) and 145(1) of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).
Receipts and Payments
| Receipts and Payments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts Voluntary income Fundraising sales Deposits and grant income Bank Interest Total Receipts Payments Fundraising costs Project expenditure Administrative costs Insurance Transfer Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) Transfers between funds Cash funds from last year end Cash funds this year end Statement of Assets and Liabilities Cash funds Net assets and liabilities |
FY 2025 | FY 2024 | |
| Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds - - - - - - - 10 |
Total - - - 10 |
Total - - 500 10 |
|
| - 10 - - - (250) - (316) - - - - |
10 - (250) (316) - - |
510 - - (1,155) (135) - |
|
| - (566) |
(566) | (1,290) | |
| - (556) |
(556) | (780) | |
| - - - 11,017 |
- 11,017 |
- 11,797 |
|
| - 10,461 |
10,461 | 11,017 | |
| FY 2025 | FY 2024 | ||
| Restricted Funds Unrestricted Funds - 10,461 |
Total 10,461 |
Total 11,017 |
|
| - 10,461 |
10,461 | 11,017 |
The accounts, together with the related notes to the financial statements, were approved by the trustees and were signed on their behalf by:
Ben Perry, Chair 2024/25
Vaihari Balendran, Finance Trustee 2024/25
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Notes to the financial statements
Basis of accounting
The financial statements are prepared on a ‘receipts and payments’ basis.
Receipts
Bank interest income is earned on reserve balances. Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity.
Payments
Fundraising costs represent the costs associated with the income from fundraising sales.
Project expenditure represents payments made to volunteers or overseas partners to fund volunteering projects. It includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such activities and those costs of an indirect nature necessary to support them. Volunteers do not receive payments for their services.
Administrative costs include the costs associated with meetings of the trustees and committee. Neither the trustees nor the committee members receive any payment for their services to the charity. During the year, travel and expense costs were reimbursed to trustees and committee members totalling £190 (2024: £331). Insurance costs represent the public liability insurance purchased for UK operations.
Restricted funds
The charity’s policy for restricted funds is to separately record donations, grants and other sources of fundraising where restrictions are imposed that are narrower than the charity’s overall objectives. No restricted funds are held at 30 September 2025.
Taxation
BVDA is a registered charity, and as such is entitled to certain tax exemptions including receipt of Gift Aid. BVDA is not registered for VAT and accordingly, all expenditure is recorded inclusive of any VAT incurred.
Foreign currencies
Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at the rate incurred as part of the transaction. Bank fees incurred are recorded as direct project expenditure. All bank accounts are held in pounds sterling.
Reserves (cash funds)
The trustees have determined historically that BVDA needed to retain £7,500 in charity reserves to cover operational costs for one year, including the cost of financing projects. Following the change in project approach, reserve requirements have reduced and therefore BVDA will review options for distribution of excess reserves. There are not restrictions applicable to current reserves.
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