Trustees' Annual Report for the period
Period start date Period end date 01 09 2023 31 08 2024 From To Section A Reference and administration details Charity name THE OPEN BIBLE TRUST Other names charity is known by Registered charity number (if any) 326717 Charity's principal address FORDLAND MOUNT UPPER BASILDON READING, BERKSHIRE Postcode RG8 8LU ~~ee~~ Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity Dates acted if not for whole Name of person (or body) entitled Trustee name Office (if any) year to appoint trustee (if any) 1 ANDREW MARPLE 2 CLIFFORD RICHMOND 3 VICTORIA WILKINSON SECRETARY 4 WILLIAM HENRY CHAIRMAN 5 ANDREA MARPLE 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 ~~===~~ Names of the trustees for the charity, if any, (for example, any custodian trustees) Name Dates acted if not for whole year
Section A Reference and administration details
Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
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Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
| Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) | Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) | Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information) |
|---|---|---|
| Type of adviser Name Address |
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| Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information) | ||
Section B Structure, governance and management
Description of the charity’s trusts
TRUST DEED
Type of governing document (eg.trust deed, constitution) TRUST How the charity is constituted
(eg. trust, association, company)
APPOINTED BY TRUSTEES Trustee selection methods
(eg. appointed by, elected by)
Additional governance issues (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant, about:
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policies and procedures adopted for the induction and training of trustees;
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the charity’s organisational structure and any wider network with which the charity works;
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relationship with any related parties;
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trustees’ consideration of major risks and the system and procedures to manage them.
Section C Objectives and activities
Summary of the objects of the charity set out in its governing document
The object of the Trust shall be the furtherance of the Christian faith to bring men and women to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth and to prepare God’s people for works of service so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God (1 Timothy 2:4; Ephesians 4:12-13).
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In accordance with paragraph 3 of the Trust Deed, during the year ended 31 August 2024, the Open Bible Trust:
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(1) Published 6 Christian magazines ( Search ), 6 Bible Study Booklets, and 2 new books.
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(2) Continued to hold monthly one-hour mid-week Bible Studies and one three-hour Saturday afternoon conference on Zoom.
Summary of the main activities undertaken for the public benefit in relation to these objects (include within this section the statutory declaration that trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit)
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(3) Continued to send Christian Magazines and literature free of charge to prisoners in Britain, people in nursing and care homes, and to ministers and pastors in Third World countries, mainly in Africa.
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(4) Continued to try to get Christian resources to prison chaplains and prisoners.
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(5) More booklets, pamphlets and graphics were added to the website as free downloads, to help and encourage people, bringing the total to over 130 and 80 past issues of “Search” have been added to the free downloads. Also, more free Bible studies were put on YouTube, bringing the total to over 320.
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(6) Published more e-Books on Kindle and i-tunes, raising the number to about 420.
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(7) Continued to develop the OBT Facebook site, especially to advertise publications, resources and forthcoming events.
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(8) Continued producing podcasts and developing the new podcast channel having four series consisting of over 30 podcasts.
The Trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit.
Additional details of objectives and activities (Optional information)
Volunteers helped with:
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editing publications
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proof reading
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designing covers
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the OBT website
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writing articles, booklets and books
You may choose to include further statements, where relevant, about:
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speaking at live events as well as evening Zoom Bible studies and Saturday afternoon Zoom conferences and the OBT podcast channel and the OBT YouTube channel
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processing printed publications for e-book format
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policy on grant making;
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policy programme related investment;
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contribution made by volunteers.
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Section D Achievements and performance
Summary of the main achievements of the charity during the year
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(1) Search magazine and other publications were made available to the public for a modest fee and sent free to various prisoners and others in need in the UK, and to various people in the third world.
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(2) The administrator undertook speaking engagements via Zoom and in person in various churches in the South of England.
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(3) Further work was undertaken on the OBT website, the OBT Facebook page, the OBT YouTube site and the new OBT Podcast channel.
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(4) Provided guest speakers, via Zoom, for the annual conference of the Berean Bible Fellowship of Australia, and for their weekly studies.
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(5) Exhibited at Christian Resources Exhibitions and produced videos of seminars given for the CRE website.
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Section E Financial review
Reserves are used to subsidise the production of Search and the Bible Brief statement of the Study Booklets to keep the annual subscription low. charity’s policy on reserves
Details of any funds materially in deficit
Further financial review details (Optional information)
You may choose to include additional information, where relevant about:
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the charity’s principal sources of funds (including any fundraising);
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how expenditure has supported the key objectives of the charity;
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investment policy and objectives including any ethical investment policy adopted.
Section F Other optional information
Section G Declaration
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
| Signature(s) Full name(s) Position (Secretary, Chair, etc) Date |
Signed | Signed |
|---|---|---|
| William Murray Henry | Andrew Barry Marple | |
| Chair | ||
| 25/04/2025 | ||
| 25/04/2025 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|THE OPEN BIBLE TRUST|326717|
|Receipts and payments accounts|CC16a|
|For the period|
|01/09/2023|To|31/08/2024|
|from|
|———|
|Section A Receipts and payments|
|Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|
|Total funds|Last year|
|funds|funds|funds|
|to the nearest|
|to the nearest £|to the nearest £|to the nearest £|to the nearest £|
|£|
|A1 Receipts|
|Sales of books, CDs & DVDs|6,802|-|-|6,802|7,815|
|Subscriptions|3,210|-|-|3,210|4,220|
|Donations|32,335|-|-|32,335|24,223|
|Legacy|1,000|1,000|
|Tax reclaimed|2,650|-|-|2,650|3,808|
|VAT|-|-|-|-|-|
|-|-|-|
|Sub total|(Gross income for|
|45,996|-|-|45,996|40,067|
|AR)|
|=== >=|
|A2 Asset and investment sales,|
|(see table).|
|Investment sales|-|-|-|-|-|
|Asset sales|-|-|-|-|-|
|Sub total|-|-|-|-|-|
|——————|Total receipts|45,996|-|-|45,996|40,067|
|A3 Payments|
|Printing|5,554|-|-|5,554|4,730|
|Purchases of books|397|-|-|397|412|
|Salaries & NI|15,970|-|-|15,970|13,350|
|Stationery & computer supplies|1,304|-|-|1,304|1,330|
|Promotion & advertising|2,993|-|-|2,993|3,843|
|Insurance|328|328|325|
|Telephone & postage|7,198|-|-|7,198|7,272|
|Travel expenses|1,068|-|-|1,068|641|
|Miscellaneous|-|-|-|-|
|Bank charges|404|-|-|404|250|
|VAT|290|-|-|290|- 118|
|Sub total|[ 35,505 ]|-|-|35,505 #|32,036|
|A4 Asset and investment|
|purchases,|(see table)|
|Asset purchases|430|-|-|430|-|
|-|-|-|-|-|
|Sub total|[ 430 ]|-|-|430|-|
|Total payments|35,935|-|-|35,935|32,036|
|Net of receipts/(payments)|10,061|-|-|10,061|8,031|
|A5 Transfers between funds|-|- -|- -|
|A6 Cash funds last year end|62,834|- -|62,834|54,804|
|Cash funds this year end|—|72,895|S55|-|-|72,895|62,835|
----- End of picture text -----
CCXX R1 accounts (SS)
30/03/2025
1
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B2 Other monetary assets B1 Cash funds B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets |
Tax due not yet paid Signature yes Details Details Computer equipment Furniture & fittings Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Tax reclaim due Other debts Details Bank balances Details |
Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 72,895 - - - - - 72,895 - OK OK Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 1,268 - 2,754 - - - - - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) - - - - - Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) Unrestricted - Unrestricted - - - - - - - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) Unrestricted - - - - - Print Name William M Henry |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
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| - | |||
| OK | |||
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
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| - | |||
| - | |||
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| Current value (optional) |
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| Current value (optional) |
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| When due (optional) |
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| Date of approval |
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| yes | William M Henry | 19/01/2025 | |
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
30/03/2025
2
CHARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examiner's Report Report to the trusteesl members of THE OPEN BIBLE TRUST On accounts for the year ended 3110812024 Charity no (if any) 326717 Set out on pages I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust") for the year ended 3110812024. Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Act") I report in respect of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. I have completed my examination. I confinn that no material matters have come to my attention { "} in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect". accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or the accounts do not accord with the accounting records Independent examiner's statement I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply. Signed: Date: 0510412025 Name: David Richard Coe Relevant professional qualification(s) or body (if any): FCCA Address.. 210 Silverdale Road. Earley, Reading RG6 7NB IER October 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete rf the examiner needs to highlight matters of concem {see CC32, Independent examination of d)arity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners). Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to dlsclose. IER October 2018