BREATHING SPACE

Registered charity 1207717 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

A health and wellbeing charity based in and around St Michael's church, Witton Gilbert, for adults and children of all faiths and none, non-discriminatory, and utilizing the '5 Ways to Wellbeing' approach. A wide spectrum of guided activities is provided, including mindfulness, ecotherapy, art, walk and talk, folk singing, creative writing, walk for life, woodland conservation and forest school.

Objects

1)TO RELIEVE THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS (INCLUDING ISSUES AROUND MENTAL, PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL AND SPIRITUAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING, AS RECOGNISED BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION) IN WITTON GILBERT, SURROUNDING VILLAGES AND THE WIDER NORTH EAST REGION, BY PROVIDING ACCESS TO SPACE, SERVICES, SUPPORT AND ACTIVITIES IN AND AROUND THE CHURCH AND LAND OF ST MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS, WITTON GILBERT AND OTHER LAND AND SPACES WITHIN THE COMMUNITY.2)TO PROVIDE OR ASSIST IN THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE FOR RECREATION OR OTHER LEISURE TIME OCCUPATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE NEED OF SUCH FACILITIES BY REASON OF THEIR YOUTH, AGE INFIRMITY OR DISABILITY, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR SOCIAL CIRCUMSTANCES WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THEIR CONDITIONS OF LIFE.

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

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Disability · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: County Durham, North East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2026 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted funds (free reserves) stood at £50,858 as of 31 March 2026. The trustees' report notes a policy target of holding reserves equivalent to approximately six months of unrestricted expenditure, though the specific expenditure figure required to assess compliance is not explicitly provided in the text. The charity reported a net deficit for the year, with total funds decreasing from £62,477 to £50,858.

Automated summary of the FY2026 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 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.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

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.

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

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (14/05/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Amanda Jayne Hillary
• David John Wilcox
• Denis Daggett
• Noel Dixon
• Rev Michael John Peers · trustee of 2 other charities
• Robert Dean
• STEPHEN JOHN ELLIS

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

Operates in: Durham

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

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

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).