2022-04-05-accounts

Trustees’ Annual Report for the period 06/04/21 to 05/04/22

Charity name: Bridge Schools Support

Charity registration number: 1186110

Objectives and Activities

The Trust Deed states the objects of the charity as:

For the public benefit to promote the teaching of ESL (English as a Second Language) and other languages in the context of traditional values in such ways as the trustees think fit, in particular but not exclusively by making grants to organisations offering ESL across the world.

Our activities :

• Making grants to organisations

• Raising donations from the public

• Providing volunteer teachers to the organisations

• Training and mentoring teachers

The organisations helped :

• Rio Vivo church in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It has a ministry of free English classes.

• Bridge School of Languages in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is a business but also subsidises poorer students, upskills employees, trains missionaries and models ESL best practices. During the year, the owner Abay changed its name to Bridge Professional Development Centre to reflect their growing provision of soft skills training (leadership, communication, customer service …). Their ESL continues.

• 222 Ministries serving Iranians worldwide. We are helping them establish online English classes with students paying a subsidised fee.

- Our policy on grant making:

• Only to organisations, not individuals.

• Organisations must offer ESL in the context of traditional values.

• Organisations must be in good relationship with one of our trustees or their church.

• If the organisation is a business, we do not fund core costs but scholarships, staff training etc.

Public Beneft:

The Trustees have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance. In particular:

• Our beneficiary organisations serve the general public – anyone who wants English lessons. Brazil offers free classes, 222 subsidised classes and Ethiopia (although charging commercial fees) includes some helping of poorer students.

• Better English equips students for better social integration, better jobs and better educational opportunities.

Achievements and Performance

Rio Vivo church, Brazil

The English classes are run by the church. We made monthly grants totalling £17,880 to run them. The church used it mainly for the salary of the school leader.

Before Covid, classes were all in the church premises and the teacher was present or by Skype from abroad. With Covid, only Beginner classes were in the premises and the rest by zoom. This enabled more students, some students from outside Rio and more native teachers. This year spanned three semesters. They had 1-2 Beginner classes in the premisses taught by Michael and 6-8 online classes taught by 3 Brazilians and 5 from abroad. In the last semester, 90 students enrolled. About half continued all semester – this dropout rate is usual for their classes being free and online.

They ran Alpha twice – at the end of each semester for 7 sessions to the 3 higher classes. 25 attended the first, with good response from several. Several attended the second with 5 finishing.

A young English couple went out for 4 months to serve the church, including the classes.

In June, we increased our monthly grant to include part-salary for the evangelist Gustavo, because his work includes reaching out to and following up students.

Bridge PDC (= Professional Development Centre), Ethiopia:

Having given over £5,000 last year, which kept them from going bankrupt during Covid, we declined further bail-out. Praise God, Abay was able to steer them to profitability with a growing provision of soft skills training (leadership, communication, customer service …) to a variety of clients (Compassion, an International school, various companies). Our grants have reverted to non-core business costs: £2,063 covering a staff retreat, ESL training for 3 staff, books and a zoom licence.

Abay changed the name from Bridge School of Languages to Bridge PDC. Languages are now secondary in importance, but continue: English summer school for kids; English for individuals and Compassion staff (4 of our volunteers taught courses by zoom); Arabic to prepare SIM missionaries.

Abay chooses the best teachers and staff available, not limited to evangelical Christians. But he seeks to keep God at the heart and runs a weekly bible study with staff. His vision is to be the leading training provider in Ethiopia.

E2GO classes for Farsi speakers with 222 ministries:

All of last year, we ran pilot classes finishing with 3 levels. One of these continued to the summer of this year. Rob ran 2 months of Teacher Training for 4 Iranians. Then there was a long wait, while 222 agreed the details of the project and its leader. Once Hamid was appointed, Rob and Richard visited him and project administrator Shahrzad in two cities in Turkey. Term-1 began in the last week of the year with about 50 students in 5 zoom classes, all taught by English teachers with Iranian assistants.

The project is named E2GO = English to Go. Students outside Iran pay a nominal amount. E2GO has details and enrolment on the Iranian churches’ Cheshme app. Advertising is on the app and at the big online Persian Sunday service. We have sent no money this year because Hamid and Shahrzad are employed by 222 and run the project as part of their employment.

Volunteers:

14 volunteers taught 1-2 lessons a week and 2 taught 4 lessons a week. There were 3 Brazilian teachers, 6 English, 1 South African and 1 American plus 5 Iranian assistants. One Australian was mentored by us, then started a project in Adelaide.

Financial Review : 6/4/20 – 5/4/21

----- Start of picture text -----
this year last
year
Incomin Opening balance 7,904 1,221
g
Gifts (from 3 churches and 28 individuals) 18,604 33,03
9
Total Incoming 26,508 34,26
0
Outgoin Brazil, Rio Vivo grants (mainly salary for the school 17,880 13,49
g leader) 8
Brazil, poor appeal (food distribution) 62 6,483
Ethiopia grants (staff retreat, training, books, 2,063 5,497
zoom)
Iran expense (trip by Rob and Richard) 579 420
Expenses (zoom licence, ESL resources, bank 269 458
charges)
Total Outgoing 20,854 26,35
6
Closing balance 5,654 7,904
----- End of picture text -----

Gift-Aid:

We made our second claim in October: £2,771. We claim annually.

Fund raising:

• Through the personal networks and regular prayer letters of trustee Rob Rawlins and school leader Michael Rawlins in Brazil.

• One quiz (Poor attendance, no immediate donations. Not worth the effort.)

Donors specify how their donations should be allocated. If not specified, then ‘open’.

Donors are spread among Rob’s and Michael’s networks. Generous giving came from Rob’s church, Hope (£1,745) and 8 members (£5,580).

- Pattern of giving + year end position:

The backbone of support is monthly giving from 3 churches and 12 individuals making nearly half our income. The other 16 individuals give regularly at longer intervals or give in response to appeals. There was only one new donor. The drop in giving from last year to this was mainly due to the generous response to the poor appeal last year.

We started the year with the large balance of nearly £8,000, following an appeal in January in Rob’s prayer letter and a personal letter to previous donors. His November prayer letter said Brazil’s pot had run out and we were drawing on the open pot. This resulted in 4 gifts of £1225. At the same time, Hope Church and RB Birmingham started monthly giving of £300 between them. An appeal by prayer letter in March resulted in 8 extra gifts of nearly £5,000.

The year closed with £5,654 in the bank.

Reserves:

We have none, except the bank balance. If donations dry up, so will our grants. Brazil knows our monthly commitment depends on continuing donations. We have no other commitments, so we need no reserves.

Voluntary:

Expenses were £269. Rob and Richard’s trip to visit the Iranian team cost £579. All other outgoings were grants. All our teachers are voluntary. The trustees are voluntary. Rob’s running the charity is voluntary.

Risk:

If Rob were off sick, no one is currently available or trained to run the charity.

Prophecy:

At a prayer meeting launching the Iranian classes, the local Iranian pastor had a picture of streams merging. Richard added ‘and flowing into the sea’. We interpret that as our branches (Brazil, Iranians, Ethiopia, Bromley) working/merging together and impacting the sea of God’s kingdom. We already intended more working together.

Structure, Governance and Management

The governing document is a trust deed.

Trustees:

• Meet 3 times a year. Rob sends an update report before each meeting.

• This year we have had our minimum of 3 trustees.

• Chris completed his 2-year commitment and was re-appointed. Lisa and Rob were within their 3 and 4 year commitments.

• We began to look for another trustee and asked three people, but all declined.

• New trustees will receive our document ‘Being a trustee of BSS’ and will be assigned an existing trustee as a mentor.

Reference and Administrative details

Charity name: Bridge Schools Support Other names used: none Registered charity number: 1186110 Address: 320 Hither Green Lane, London SE13 6TS Trustees: Robert Champion Rawlins (chairman) } Lisa Jane Wilson } all acted all year Christopher Andrew Marston } Runs the charity: Rob Rawlins

Declarations

The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.

Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees

Signature(s) RcRawlins

Full name(s) Robert Champion Rawlins

Position (eg Chair Secretary, Chair, etc)

Date 26/9/2022

- Bridge Schools Support: Accounts 2021 2022

- Statement of Financial Activities: 2021 2022

from 6/4/2021 to 5/4/2022

Incomings

Opening balance on 6/4/2021 7,903.96 Gifts: Unrestricted 3,562.56 Gifts: Restricted: Rio Vivo Support 14,949.03 Gifts: Restricted: Rio Vivo Poor 92.50 Total incomings: 26,508.05

Total incomings:

Less Outgoings

From Unrestricted account to Ethiopia From Unrestricted account to Iran From Restricted ac to Rio Vivo Support From Restricted ac to Rio Vivo Poor Expenses (detail below)

Total outgoings:

-2,062.97 -579.11 -17,880.00 -62.50 -269.07 -20,853.65

Closing balance on 5/4/2022 5,654.40

Expenses detail: IE recommended last year this be added EFL resurces 80.39 Zoom licenece 143.88 Bank fees 44.80 Total Expenses: 269.07

Signed on behalf of the TrusteesRcRawlins 09/26/2022 Robert Champion Rawlins. Chair of Trus

Statement of Assets and Liabilites on 5/4/2022

Assets: Only cash held in bank (the closing balance)

Accounts 2021-22

Brought forward on 6/4/21 In: Gifts during year Out: Grants during year Out: Expenses Closing balance on 5/4/22 Closing balance carried forward on 6/4/22

Total Unrestricted Ethiopia 7,903.96 2,215.36 18,604.09 3,562.56 -20,584.58 -2,062.97 -269.07 -269.07 5,654.40 5,508.85 -2,062.97 5,654.40 2,896.77 0.00

Liabilities: None. We only receive gifts and make grants.

We make no commitments to our beneficiaries for future grants.

They know grants are dependent on gifts received.

Signed on behalf of the TrusteesRcRawlins 09/26/2022 Robert Champion Rawlins. Chair of Trus

stees

Iran	RV Spt	RV Poor	RV Poor
	5,688.60
	14,949.03		92.50
-579.11	-17,880.00		-62.50
-579.11	2,757.63		30.00
0.00	2,757.63		0.00

tees

117 Marvels Lane,

Grove Park,

London SE12 9PP

19[th] September 2022

To: Trustees of Bridge Schools Support

As an independent examiner of the accounts of Bridge Schools Support, I affirm that I have no personal relationship with the trustees.

Having examined the report, I have found no discrepancies. However, I would make the following recommendation.

That there is a greater accountability for grants sent to Ethiopia, e.g. receipts for retreats.

Richard Plummer