THE ERIC WRIGHT CHARITABLE TRUST

Registered charity 1002966 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as ERIC WRIGHT TRUST

The Trust is a general purpose charity with a particular interest in supporting young people and the elderly in the North West of England

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Disability · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£308.9m

Latest spending

£303.0m

Registered

1991

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £113,472,000 at the year end, which the Trustees consider adequate to meet committed expenditure and maintain charitable giving. The Trustees report no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: two years' committed expenditure (held: £113.5m)

“The reserves include a minimum of two years' committed expenditure at any one time”

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Director loan to settlor

“Included within directors’ loan accounts due within one year are loans due to R E Wright (Director). Amounts due to R E Wright are £6,498,000” — page 40

“During the financial year under review the Trust provided funding of £1,180,000 to Water Park Limited.” — page 6

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trust funding to subsidiary

“Included within directors’ loan accounts due within one year are loans due to R E Wright (Director). Amounts due to R E Wright are £6,498,000” — page 40

“During the financial year under review the Trust provided funding of £1,180,000 to Water Park Limited.” — page 6

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Fairhurst Audit Services Ltd. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)

Total income

£308.9m

Total spending

£303.0m

Cost of raising funds

£48k

Reserves (reported)

£5.6m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~0.2 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 2.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other trading activities (100% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (2.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Alison Wright
Catherine Jane Wilson
HUGH MACDONALD
Janette Michele Collier
MICHAEL EDWARD COLLIER
Martin Newsholme
Peter Martin

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2024	£308.9m	£303.0m
31/12/2023	£246.8m	£243.4m
31/12/2022	£187.0m	£179.7m
31/12/2021	£176.8m	£173.6m
31/12/2020	£219.5m	£213.4m

Common questions

Is THE ERIC WRIGHT CHARITABLE TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £113,472,000 at the year end, which the Trustees consider adequate to meet committed expenditure and maintain charitable giving. The Trustees report no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Fairhurst Audit Services Ltd.

Who funds THE ERIC WRIGHT CHARITABLE TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE ERIC WRIGHT CHARITABLE TRUST as a grant recipient include GREATER MANCHESTER YOUTH NETWORK.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
GREATER MANCHESTER YOUTH NETWORK	FY2023	£20k	Sector support and capacity building

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
SWIRE 2765	1	£737k
MANCHESTER CITY GALLERIES TRUST	1	£135k
BACON FOUNDATION LTD	1	£60k
THE ORP FOUNDATION	1	£10k
THE ROTHERMERE FOUNDATION	1	£10k
THE HINDUJA FOUNDATION	1	£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with NORTH WEST YOUNG PEOPLES DEVELOPMENT TRUST.

NORTH WEST YOUNG PEOPLES DEVELOPMENT TRUST income £228k
G F EYRE CHARITABLE TRUST income £124k
MANCHESTER CHARITABLE TRUST LTD income £154k
THE ECOLOGY TRUST income £2.0m
The Grocott Family Foundation income £926k
THE SAVITRI WANEY CHARITABLE TRUST income £489k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE ERIC WRIGHT CHARITABLE TRUST	£308.9m	—	unclear	—	no doubt
NORTH WEST YOUNG PEOPLES DEVELOPMENT TRUST FY2025	£228k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
G F EYRE CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£124k	—	above	—	no doubt
MANCHESTER CHARITABLE TRUST LTD FY2025	£154k	—	above	—	no doubt
THE ECOLOGY TRUST FY2025	£2.0m	—	below	—	no doubt
The Grocott Family Foundation FY2025	£926k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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