Bethlehem Development Trust
Somerset-based Christian trust that funds Bethlehem Bible College and its Shepherd Society relief arm, including a Gaza appeal; in 2024/25 it paid a trustee £6,000 in consulting fees and £2,248 in rent while stating that no trustee was paid
| Bethlehem Development Trust
| |
|---|---|
| Logo |  Sign of Bethlehem Bible College, the trust's main beneficiary (2007) |
| Type | Trust |
| Founded | 2022-08-15 (registered) |
| Registration ID | Registered charity 1200065 |
| Headquarters | Langport TA10 |
| Area served | Throughout England And Wales, Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories |
| Key people | Tanas Alqassis (chair) |
Bethlehem Development Trust was established by a trust deed of 28 May 2021, amended on 1 August 2022, and registered on 15 August 2022; its office is in Hambridge, Langport TA10, and its register areas are England and Wales, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (PDF p.5).[1][2] Its objects are to advance the Christian faith, the education of pupils at "Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem" and scholarships there, and "the prevention or relief of poverty in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories by providing humanitarian grants to Bethlehem Bible College who will then distribute the funds" (PDF p.3).[2] The trustees are Tanas Alqassis (chair), Jacob Sara (on the register as Yacoub Yousef Yacoub Sara), Andrew Paget, Mojisola Olu-Oyeyemi and Anne Plested (PDF p.6).[2] The accounts describe the Shepherd Society as the college's social outreach arm, providing food parcels, utility bills, medical costs, job creation and micro-finance (PDF p.4).[2] In the year to 31 March 2025 income was £71,701 (2024: £64,757) and spending £53,586 (2024: £67,794); donations paid were £41,050 (2024: £44,996) (PDF p.5, 12).[2]
Objects and activities
The charity's registered objects read: "A) TO ADVANCE THE CHRISTIAN FAITH WORLDWIDE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC THROUGH PRODUCING AND DELIVERING CHRISTIAN MESSAGES AT CHURCHES, SEMINARS, PUBLIC CELEBRATION OF RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS AND ANY OTHER CHRISTIAN GATHERING AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR NETWORKING (FELLOWSHIP, DISCUSSION AND WORKING TOGETHER) AMONG ESTABLISHED AS WELL AS EMERGING CHURCHES AND CHURCH LEADERS.B) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUPILS AT BETHLEHEM BIBLE COLLEGE BY ASSISTING IN THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR EDUCATION AT THE COLLEGE PROVIDED EITHER IN PERSON OR ONLINE THROUGH PROVISION OF FUNDS AND GRANTS TO THE COLLEGE FOR SUCH PURPOSES.C) FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT TO PROMOTE THE EDUCATION (INCLUDING LANGUAGE AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING) OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE IN SUCH WAYS AS THE CHARITY TRUSTEES THINK FIT, INCLUDING BY AWARDING TO SUCH PERSONS SCHOLARSHIPS, MAINTENANCE ALLOWANCES OR GRANTS TENABLE AT BETHLEHEM BIBLE COLLEGE.D) THE PREVENTION OR RELIEF OF POVERTY IN ISRAEL AND PALESTINE BY PROVIDING HUMANITARIAN GRANTS TO BETHLEHEM BIBLE COLLEGE WHO WILL THEN DISTRIBUTE THE FUNDS TO THOSE SUFFERING FROM FINANCIAL HARDSHIP TOWARDS THE FOLLOWING:A. GENERALLY PAYING FOR ITEMS AND SERVICES SUCH AS FOOD, MEDICINE, UTILITY BILLS OR MEDICAL TREATMENT; ANDB. IN PARTICULAR FOR PAYMENT OF TUITION FEES, COSTS OF EXAMINATIONS OR OTHER EXPENSES CONNECTED WITH VOCATIONAL TRAINING OF STUDENTS WHO FACE FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES AND OTHERWISE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMPLETE THEIR EDUCATION AT BETHLEHEM BIBLE COLLEGE AT 270 HEBRON-JERUSALEM STREET, BETHLEHEM, PALESTINE"[1]
The register describes its activities as: "To advance the Christian faith worldwide for the benefit of the public through producing and delivering Christian messages at churches, seminars, public celebration of religious festivals and any other Christian gathering and opportunities for networking (fellowship, discussion and working together) among established as well as emerging churches and church leaders"[1]
Register classifications: General Charitable Purposes, Education/training, The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty, Religious Activities, Economic/community Development/employment, Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity, Other Charitable Purposes.[1]
Areas of operation recorded on the register: Throughout England And Wales, Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territories.[1]
Trustees
Current trustees, with other charities on which the same register trustee ID appears:[1]
| Trustee | Appointed | Chair | Other trusteeships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mojisola Olu-Oyeyemi | 2021-03-12 | — | |
| Tanas Alqassis | 2022-06-01 | Yes | Food for the Hungry UK (328273) |
| Yacoub Yousef Yacoub Sara | 2022-06-01 | — | |
| Anne Elvina Plested | 2022-06-01 | — | |
| Andrew Paget | 2022-08-01 | Christians in Action (257785); International Gospel Outreach (252872) |
Tanas Alqassis is also a register trustee of Food for the Hungry UK (328273), and Andrew Paget of Christians in Action (257785) and International Gospel Outreach (252872).[1]
Finances
| Financial year end | Income | Expenditure |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-31 | £87,052 | £5,234 |
| 2024-03-31 | £64,757 | £67,794 |
| 2025-03-31 | £71,701 | £53,586 |
Source: register annual-return history.[1]
Funding in Israel
- Year to 31 March 2025: donations paid £41,050 (2024: £44,996), all from restricted funds (PDF p.12). Restricted funds cover the college's running costs and students, the Shepherd Society, a master's student, a Gaza Appeal "administered by Shepherds Society for Gaza" and a Job Creation Appeal for the Christian community in the Bethlehem area (PDF p.13).[2]
Israeli partners
Bethlehem Bible College, Bethlehem, and its social outreach arm the Shepherd Society (PDF p.3–4).[2]
Activity beyond the Green Line and support for the IDF
Findings are graded by confidence. "Partner" findings concern the Israeli recipient organisation, not proven use of UK funds.
| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|
| The accounts place the college and the Shepherd Society in Bethlehem and the Gaza Appeal in Gaza, and the register lists the Occupied Palestinian Territories among the charity's areas of operation; this is Palestinian Christian and relief work, not settlement activity (PDF p.3–4, 13).[2][1] | High |
Support for the IDF: No IDF or military funding is stated.[2]
Controversies and regulatory action
- No Charity Commission inquiry, Official Warning or Gazette insolvency notice naming this charity was found, and its register entry shows no regulatory alert;[3] it is not among the charities named in the Commission's cheque-cashing class-inquiry announcements (May, September and December 2025) or in the September 2026 statement of results.[4][5][6][7] The charities in the Commission's settlements class inquiry (opened August 2026) have not been named, so it is not known whether this charity is among them.[8]
- Payments to a trustee. Note 7 says "consulting fees totalling £6,000 and rent and rates totalling £2,248 were paid to a trustee, Anne Plested. Bethlehem Bible College covered the costs of the consulting fees", while the same accounts state that none of the trustees "received any remuneration" (PDF p.12).[2]
- Undated approval and wrong statute. The dates of the trustees' approval of the report and balance sheet are left blank, and the independent examiner, P. G. Browne FCA CTA of Chanter Browne & Curry, refers to the "Charities Act 2014" (PDF p.6–8).[2]
Other registers and records
Scotland and Northern Ireland
No entry was found on the Scottish Charity Register for this charity (register export dated 14 October 2026, searched by name).[9] No entry was found on the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland register (API name searches returned zero results).[10]
The Gazette
Searches of The Gazette notice feeds (all notices, insolvency and company) for the charity's name found no insolvency, winding-up or strike-off notice.[11]
Grants recorded by 360Giving
No grants received or made by this charity are recorded in 360Giving data.[12]
Sanctions screening
The charity's name, its current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, trustees and officers named in the accounts read for this profile and (for charitable companies) its Companies House officers were screened against the UK Sanctions List and the OFSI Consolidated List. No match was found. Viatcheslav Moshe Kantor (UK sanctions ID RUS1127) does not appear among this charity's trustees or officers.[13]
Land and property
The register records that the charity does not own or lease land or property.[1] No title registers were purchased; the HM Land Registry interactive search blocked automated access.[14]
Parliament
Hansard exact-phrase searches for "Bethlehem Development Trust" returned 0 contributions in total.[15]
Web archive
The UK Government Web Archive holds 0 archived Charity Commission register pages used in this profile; none were found for this charity number.
External links
- No current official website.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Charity Commission for England and Wales, Register of Charities public extract (tables charity, charity_trustee, charity_annual_return_history, charity_area_of_operation, charity_classification, charity_other_names), extract dated 14 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 Charity Commission, Bethlehem Development Trust (1200065): accounts and annual returns Register of Charities; latest accounts downloaded 16 October 2026 ("PDF p." = page of the PDF file).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Register of Charities, charity overview page (register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/ followed by the organisation number) for each of the 25 batch-20 charities, all retrieved successfully on 16 October 2026 and checked for a "Regulatory alerts" section; none was shown for any of them. Seventeen registered charities showed "Charity reporting is up to date (on time)"; the other eight (Friends of Milbat, British Friends of Atid, River Progress Foundation, Morris Family Israel Trust, Afikim, the Cohen Charitable Trust, the Adrienne and Leslie Sussman Charitable Trust and Encompass) showed "Removed charity".
- ↑ Charity Commission, Serious concerns over use of £22 million triggers investigation by charity regulator GOV.UK, 14 May 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator opens next phase of investigation into 105 charities connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 1 September 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator announces next charities to be investigated as part of inquiry connected to company cashing cheques GOV.UK, 4 December 2025.
- ↑ Charity Commission, Regulator concludes investigation into 4 charities as class inquiry continues GOV.UK, 9 September 2026, with Statement of the results of a class inquiry (same date).
- ↑ Charity Commission, Charity regulator opens inquiry into charities working in illegal Israeli settlements GOV.UK, 5 August 2026 (a fact-finding statutory class inquiry initially involving 8 charities which "are not being publicly named at this time").
- ↑ Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, Scottish Charity Register download OSCR, export dated 14 October 2026; keyword search of the 25 batch-20 charity names found no matching Scottish registration (a name-only hit for "Sheila & Denis Cohen Charitable Trust" was not established to be connected with the Cohen Charitable Trust and is disregarded).
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Register of charities search API CCNI, searched 16 October 2026 (keyword searches for each of the 25 batch-20 charity names returned zero results).
- ↑ The Gazette: notices matching 'Bethlehem Development Trust' The Gazette, searched 16 October 2026.
- ↑ 360Giving API: grants received by GB-CHC-1200065 360Giving, queried 16 October 2026.
- ↑ Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK Sanctions List (CSV); Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation, Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets (ConList.csv). Batch-20 screening covered 272 name strings: the 25 charity names, current register trustees, trustees named on archived register pages, Companies House officers of the five charitable companies, and trustees, examiners and other people and bodies named in the accounts and sources read for this batch; matching on surname plus forename tokens, reviewed manually. No forename-and-surname match for any person was found; token matches were surname-only coincidences (for example Weiss, Sara, Masri, Cohen) or generic words in organisation names (Limited, Company, Trust).
- ↑ HM Land Registry, Search for land and property information GOV.UK – the service returned HTTP 403 (bot protection) to automated access in October 2026; no titles were looked up or purchased. Candidate title numbers below come from the free CCOD / OCOD datasets (October 2026 release), not from paid title registers.
- ↑ UK Parliament, Hansard search API: contributions matching the exact phrase "Bethlehem Development Trust" Hansard, queried 16 October 2026 (Spoken and Written endpoints; quoted-phrase search).