The trustees present their report and financial statements for the year ended 31 July 2020.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's memorandum and articles of association , the Companies Act 2006 and “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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016).
The charity's objects are to advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Beliefs appearing in the Memorandum and Articles in Eastbourne and in such other parts of the United Kingdom or the world as the trustees of the Charity may from time to time think fit and to fulfil such purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales and are connected with the charitable work of the Charity.
The primary activity undertaken to achieve these objectives is the Bible by the Beach Bible Teaching conference held annually in Eastbourne.
The Vision – Statement of Aim
Bible by the Beach aims to provide a high quality Bible teaching conference in a lively and contemporary style with a secure platform (clearly conservative evangelical, reformed and gospel-centred) and with a warm-hearted, welcoming generosity, celebrating God’s grace It aims to encourage, strengthen and equip the saints and build up the church through the clear, faithful and applied exposition/teaching of the Bible for all God’s people, for all ages, based in Eastbourne but focusing on the whole south east region and beyond.
Public benefit
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Overall Context of Bible by the Beach
Bible by the Beach is a registered charity (charity number 1125792) and operates under a Statement of Faith. It has a Board of Trustees and employs two part time Event Co-ordinators and one part time Chairman’s Assistant/Charity Secretary. Additionally there is a Children’s programme lead and a Youth lead – these latter two posts are in response to the growing number of families/children who attend Bible by the Beach each year and have been funded in Year 1 by grants.
Bible by the Beach is a high quality Bible teaching conference each year during the first May bank holiday and 2020 would have been its 12 th year. The conference takes place in Eastbourne, East Sussex.
Conference details 2020
Venue 2020
Following on from May 2019 when Bible by the Beach was one of the first events to be held in the newly opened Congress Theatre there was much to anticipate with the 1600+ Congress Theatre, Welcome Centre, Locker room and significantly the additionally two new large underground areas which would be ready and open for use by Bible by the Beach for the first time enabling more flexibility with programming and with conference booking capacity and allowing for the continued future growth as a conference. At point of cancellation we were extremely grateful to the Congress Theatre that there were no venue costs or cancellation fees.
Delegates/Bookings
In 2019 : there were 1517 booked so there was a significant increase with new delegates to Bible by the Beach and increasing numbers of groups from churches who are choosing to make Bible by the Beach their church weekend away. There were significant local church groups booked in too. This was encouraging in 2019 and the hope was to build on that for 2020.
In 2020 : the first challenge with bookings for 2020 was presented with the late change to the May bank holiday date announced by the Government. Due to VE Day commemorations the first May bank holiday was duly moved from Monday 4 th May to Friday 8 th May. This immediately had an impact on the conference and programme planning and led to decisions on some programme and ticketing changes to allow families to book in for a full programme up to Sunday afternoon and allow for a slightly altered programme on the Monday. A change to booking numbers was duly anticipated in light of this.
The second and main challenge is well documented across the UK and beyond. The impact of Covid 19 led to many events being cancelled including the inevitable and sad decision that was taken on 16 March to cancel Bible by the Beach (with full lockdown being announced in the days following by the UK Government with immediate effect on Monday 23 rd March 2020).
All delegates, key partners and suppliers were duly informed. We were able to make all our talks from previous years available on a complimentary basis so that all could benefit from this bible teaching as an important resource even though the conference was not able to take place.
Marketing 2020
Once again there was targeted marketing and advertisements across a range of Christian publications as well as at Christian conferences. We are grateful for clear marketing through networks such as Sussex Gospel Partnership and FIEC (Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches) Additionally we thank Evangelicals Now who approached Bible by the Beach and then kindly published an article by some of our speakers for their May edition in light of the conference not taking place. We are grateful to them for this. Our warm partnership links with key networks continues to strengthen each year.
2020 Conference Overview
Title: Fearless – Advancing the gospel
Integral components of the conference planned with some programme planning changes due to the bank holiday change:
Main adult programme (Bible readings, seminars, Family Praise, evening celebrations, final all age celebration on Sunday afternoon)
Full children and youth programme (with changes in light of the bank holiday change)
Sunday evening Celebration which is open to all local church congregations
Sunday morning at local church services
Bookshop/resources provided by 10 of those
Media talks for purchase
Exhibition stands showcasing different organisations areas of ministry and service.
The following speakers were booked:
Richard Pratt (main speaker), Ben and Gloria Kwashi, Duncan Forbes, Sharon James, Mark Greene and William Taylor. We are grateful that no costs had been incurred by them at point of cancellation for overseas flights/travel.
Musicians
EMU Music which had been extremely well received at a previous conference were due to be the musicians in 2020. The Saturday evening After Hours concert was due to be Yvonne Lyon (who has performed at Keswick Convention). We are grateful that no costs had been incurred by them at point of cancellation for flights/travel etc.
Youth and Childrens Programme
Children's ministry matters. Being away at a Christian conference or camp over several days are often pivotal times for these young people in not only grappling with gospel truths but making a decision for Christ. We recognise and acknowledge that and continue to be committed to investing in the right leadership, acknowledging too that families and youth are key areas of growth. We were delighted and privileged to welcome once again Ed Drew, Director of Faith in Kids as well as newly appointed Jo Turnbull to lead the Youth.
2020 REPORT FROM THE CHAIRMAN
The national events of 2020 are well documented with the effect of Covid 19 on all our lives.
The Article in Evangelicals Now, May 2020 summarises the situation for Bible by the Beach:
“From the Bible by the Beach Chair of Trustees, David Bourne
It was with much sadness, but recognising the fast pace of world and national events, that the Trustees took the inevitable and necessary decision to cancel this year’s Bible by the Beach conference which was due to take place at the Congress Theatre, Eastbourne from 1 – 4 May 2020 . We find ourselves in confusing and troubling times, and yet we remain confident in our good and sovereign Lord and in His good purposes. The 2020 conference title was “Fearless – advancing the gospel” and the text written for our initial publicity read as follows:
‘It seems our world is changing all around us and it’s often hard to understand what is happening. Yet to that rapidly changing world we preach an unchanging gospel. ‘Fearless’ aims to strengthen our confidence in the gospel, and to motivate us fearlessly to proclaim it wherever we are placed’.
Those words seem even more apt today, both the assurance and the challenge of the gospel. So, for now it seems that, rather than meeting together for our conference, we are instead all out ‘on mission’ in our local contexts - learning, serving, growing and encouraging one another through God’s Word as we meet in a more ‘virtual’ way.
We are delighted therefore to bring a little of Bible by the Beach 2020 to you and are grateful to our 2020 speakers, Ben Kwashi and Sharon James, for preparing articles for a wider public.
So, yes a great disappointment we are not able to meet together, but please be assured that plans are well underway for ‘Bible by the Beach’ 2021 from 30 April – 3rd May in Eastbourne with our main speaker David Short joining us from Canada.”
Friends of Bible by the Beach
We gratefully acknowledge those who commit to becoming a Friend of Bible by the Beach, supporting the work prayerfully and financially. Numbers continue to increase and this now stands at 173 which is a great encouragement.
The result for the year was a surplus on the genera l unrestricted fund of £ 12,988 (2019 - £ 31,094 ) for which the Trustees are extremely thankful to God. General unrestricted reserves ended the year at £ 76,138 (2019 - £ 63,150 ). Restricted funds carried forward were £6,750 (2019 - £6,750).
The Trustees are also very grateful to the ongoing support of the Friends of BBTB whose regular contributions are essential for the ongoing work.
We praise God for His faithful provision sustaining us through a year of significant challenges, already documented – anticipating the impact of the change of bank holiday date and then more significantly the full cancellation of the conference due to Covid 19.
All 1002 delegates were duly refunded and some kindly waived their refund and preferred to donate it to Bible by the Beach. We were humbled too by a kind and generous gift of £10,000 and are grateful to God for His kindness and provision.
At point of cancellation we had no liability with any of our venues, speakers, partners or suppliers and instead we were in a position to gift various associated ministries at this time.
Reserves policy
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month's expenditure calculated to be between £30,000 and £60,000 . The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity's current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised.
At the year end, the level of reserves stood at £76,966, above the desired range.
Risk management
The trustees have assessed the major risks to which the charity is exposed, and are satisfied that systems are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks.
Update on 2021 (September 2020)
‘Under Construction – building healthy churches’ (30 April – 3 May 2021)
It is obvious to say that at this point there are many unknowns but the events team are proceeding with plans for Bible by the Beach 2021 at the Congress Theatre, but building in a number of points for review not least that we might need to consider an on-line conference.
In terms of venues the Congress Theatre is still to confirm their revised contractual details around their cancellation policy and we have been advised that it will re-open in April 2021 and the capacity of venue will likely be reduced by a third to allow for social distancing (at this point in time). This will of course affect our costs if numbers need to be limited due to these venue restrictions.
All speakers (David Short, David Martin, Karen Soole, Mark Pickles, Paul Mallard, Lee Gatiss, Simon Vibert) and musicians are booked (EMU, Yvonne Lyon)
Our main publicity launch is to be pushed back from mid-September to the end of October 2020, launching on 26 th , mainly to allow churches to settle into their Autumn programme and so we are suggesting a single early bird discount period until the end of February.
A general statement is on our website and social media in the meantime.
A letter has gone to Friends of Bible by the Beach to update them and thank them for their ongoing partnership with us and asking for their prayers as we navigate the coming months.
We are so grateful for our solid financial position particularly in these times.
We have much to give thanks to our sovereign, gracious God. We have much to pray for in the coming months as we seek to make wise decisions in the overall planning of the conference.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
New trustees with suitable gifts and experience are appointed by the existing trustee. Appropriate induction and training procedures are followed.
None of the trustees has any beneficial interest in the company. All of the trustees are members of the company and guarantee to contribute £10 in the event of a winding up. The charity is managed by a Board of Trustees supported by two office staff and volunteers.
The Trustees' r eport was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Bible by the Beach for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Bible by the Beach (the charity) for the year ended 31 July 2020.
As the trustees of the charity (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (the 2006 Act).
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act) . In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no 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 386 of the 2006 Act; or
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act 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; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
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 financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Bible by the Beach is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Chantry House, 22 Upperton Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex, BN21 1BF.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the charity's Memorandum and Articles of Association, the Companies Act 2006 and “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)” (as amended for accounting periods commencing from 1 January 2016). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling , which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary a mounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Conference fees are recognised as charged for the annual Bible Conference event with sales of ancillary items recognised as received during the event.
Expenditure is recognised on an accruals basis when the liability is incurred.
Charitable expenditure comprises those costs incurred by the charity in pursuit of its charitable objectives.
Both Support and Governance costs are recharged to the main activity and form part of charitable expenditure with a separate analysis being provided in the notes. Governance costs include those costs associated with meeting the statutory requirements of the charity and include independent examination fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity.
All costs include non-recoverable VAT.
Property, plant and equipment are initially measured at cost and subsequently measured at cost or valuation, net of depreciation and any impairment losses.
Depreciation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bas i s:
Only items in excess of £500 are capitalised to the statement of financial position.
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is recognised in net income/(expenditure) for the year.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include trade and other receivables and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including trade and other payables and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future p aymen ts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade payables are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade payables are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
Grants receivable
Conference fees
Sales of ancillary items
Exhibitors' fees
Programme advertising
Promotion and publicity
Venue hire
Technical team fees, equipment hire and expenses
Speakers expenses and gifts
Musicians fees and expenses
Staff and volunteers expenses
Youth work
Catering
Media
Delegate books
Sundry expenses
Insurance
Print, postage and stationery
Website development
Telephone and mobile
Trustees' travel expenses
Miscellaneous
Independent examination
Accountancy
The spouse of Trustee Rev M Redhouse was employed by the charity during the year. She received a salary of £7,801 (2019:£nil) and the charity contributed £125 into a pension for her (2019:£nil) during the year.
Trustees were reimbursed a total of £ 374 (2019 £1,149) for travelling and accommodation expenses.
The total aggregate amount of donations received (without conditions) from the Trustees amounted to £ 807 (2019 - £5,416)
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
Specific gifts
During the year ended 31 July 2019 a donation was received to cover specific expenses incurred in putting on the conference.
Youth work
During the year ended 31 July 2019 a grant and donation were received to fund the youth work at the 2020 conference. The funds will be held over to cover costs at the 2021 conference.
Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds
Unrestricted Funds
Restricted Funds
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2019 - none).