SIDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH

Registered charity 1158651 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as Freedom Church, Bexhill

As a Christian Church activities include but are not restricted to:? regular public worship, prayer, Bible study, preaching and teaching;? believers baptism by total immersion, celebration of Lord's Supper? evangelism, mission (local, national & international), discipleship, pastoral care and inclusion of all? encouraging relationships with and supporting other Christians.

Objects

3.1 THE PRINCIPAL PURPOSES OF THE CHURCH ARE:-3.1.1 THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH ACCORDING TO THE PRINCIPLES OF THE BAPTIST DENOMINATION. 3.1.2 THE CHURCH MAY ALSO ADVANCE EDUCATION AND CARRY OUT OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND/OR OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD. 3.2 NOTHING IN THIS CONSTITUTION SHALL AUTHORISE AN APPLICATION OF THE PROPERTY OF THE CHURCH FOR PURPOSES WHICH ARE NOT CHARITABLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 7 OF THE CHARITIES AND TRUSTEE INVESTMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT 2005 OR SECTION 2 OF THE CHARITIES ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 2008. 4 BELIEFS AS A MEMBER OF THE BAPTIST UNION THE CHURCH SUBSCRIBES TO THE BAPTIST UNION’S DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLE: “THAT OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH, IS THE SOLE AND ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY IN ALL MATTERS PERTAINING TO FAITH AND PRACTICE, AS REVEALED IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, AND THAT EACH CHURCH HAS LIBERTY, UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, TO INTERPRET AND ADMINISTER HIS LAWS. THAT CHRISTIAN BAPTISM IS THE IMMERSION IN WATER INTO THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON AND HOLY SPIRIT, OF THOSE WHO HAVE PROFESSED REPENTANCE TOWARDS GOD AND FAITH IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST WHO ‘DIED FOR OUR SINS ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPTURES; WAS BURIED, AND ROSE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY’. THAT IT IS THE DUTY OF EVERY DISCIPLE TO BEAR PERSONAL WITNESS TO THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST, AND TO TAKE PART IN THE EVANGELISATION OF THE WORLD.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Religious Activities · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Rother, South East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£91k

Latest spending

£126k

Registered

2014

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net outgoing of resources for the year, with total expenditures exceeding incoming resources. Unrestricted reserves decreased from £190,835 to £169,838, falling below the trustees' stated policy target of holding three months of expenditure plus three months of staff costs. The trustees note that the church is heavily dependent on volunteers and that income from offerings has decreased, though they maintain that financial systems are in place to manage these challenges.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: three months of all expenditure plus a further three months staff costs (reserves figure: £170k)

“Freedom Church Reserves Policy is as follows: “To hold three months of all expenditure plus a further three months staff costs to adapt to any changes in the income or expenditure of the church.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Payments to trustees: Rev Sally Sago (Trustee) received remuneration as Minister and manse accommodation benefits.

“Rev Sally Sago acts as one of the church's trustees and receives remuneration and other benefits in respect of her services as minister. This includes rent paid by the church for the provision of manse accommodation in the private residence of the minister and her husband.” — page 16

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Minister Rev Sally Sago is a Trustee and receives remuneration (stipend) and benefits (manse rent).

“Rev Sally Sago acts as one of the church's trustees and receives remuneration and other benefits in respect of her services as minister. This includes rent paid by the church for the provision of manse accommodation in the private residence of the minister and her husband.” — page 16

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 40

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 30
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; other trustee benefit

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 30
Government income: £7,886 — grants £7,886 (1); 7% of the £112,858 total gross income on the same return

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook

Register events

Received assets from another charity (15/01/2021) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Heidi Belton
Helen Jane Goldsmith
Isobel Costley
Jennifer Ann Hall
Peter Graham Goldsmith
Rev Sally Sago
Sharon Britton

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: East Sussex

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£91k	£126k
31/12/2024	£132k	£132k
31/12/2023	£113k	£114k
31/12/2022	£89k	£108k
31/12/2021	£76k	£117k

Common questions

Is SIDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net outgoing of resources for the year, with total expenditures exceeding incoming resources. Unrestricted reserves decreased from £190,835 to £169,838, falling below the trustees' stated policy target of holding three months of expenditure plus three months of staff costs. The trustees note that the church is heavily dependent on volunteers and that income from offerings has decreased, though they maintain that financial systems are in place to manage these challenges. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds SIDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH?

Funders whose own accounts filings name SIDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH as a grant recipient include THE ASHBURNHAM THANKSGIVING TRUST.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount
THE ASHBURNHAM THANKSGIVING TRUST	FY2025	£2k
THE ASHBURNHAM THANKSGIVING TRUST	FY2024	£2k
THE ASHBURNHAM THANKSGIVING TRUST	FY2023	£800

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
Country Houses Foundation	1	£566k
THE LONDON BAPTIST ASSOCIATION	1	£10k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with HADDON HALL BAPTIST CHURCH.

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
SIDLEY BAPTIST CHURCH	£91k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
HADDON HALL BAPTIST CHURCH FY2025	£156k	£19,468	unclear	—	no doubt
PAIGNTON BAPTIST CHURCH FY2025	£149k	£630	unclear	—	no doubt
CLEVEDON BAPTIST CHURCH FY2026	£258k	—	within	—	no doubt
BROMHAM BAPTIST CHURCH FY2025	£197k	—	above	—	no doubt
GUISELEY BAPTIST CHURCH FY2025	£210k	—	above	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.