MERRY-GO-ROUND UNDER 5'S

Registered charity 1010031 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To enhance the development and education of children under school age by encouraging parents to understand and provide for the needs of their children.

Objects

TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN BELOW COMPULSORY SCHOOL AGE BY (A)PROVIDING SAFE AND SATISFYING GROUP PLAY IN WHICH PARENTS HAVE THE RIGHT TO TAKE PART. (B)ENCOURAGING OTHER CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES THROUGH WHICH PARENTS MAY HELP THE CHILDREN. (C)FURTHERING THE AIM OF THE PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUPS ASSOCIATION.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED

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

Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£130k

Latest spending

£122k

Registered

1992

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity achieved a surplus of nearly £8k, resulting in unrestricted reserves of £95k. The trustees describe these cash reserves as 'healthy' and note that the charity remains protected in the short term by this large reserve position despite falling child numbers.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: Operating shortfalls, and Investing in the setting (held: £95k)

“Reserves are set aside to 1. Operating shortfalls, and 2. Investing in the setting”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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

In its annual return the charity told the Commission it is also regulated by: Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education). This is the charity’s own declaration; it is not a rating and has not been verified by the Commission or by this site.

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.

Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Volunteer management

Trustees · trustee networks

Alison Rose Gentle
Gary Carey

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

Operates in: Hertfordshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£130k	£122k
31/08/2024	£124k	£116k
31/08/2023	£98k	£138k
31/08/2022	£87k	£85k
31/08/2021	£114k	£95k

Common questions

Is MERRY-GO-ROUND UNDER 5'S financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity achieved a surplus of nearly £8k, resulting in unrestricted reserves of £95k. The trustees describe these cash reserves as 'healthy' and note that the charity remains protected in the short term by this large reserve position despite falling child numbers. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	01/10/2009	£10k	Enhancement of Merry-Go-Round Mobile

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
THE STEVE MORGAN FOUNDATION	1	£185k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with MERRY GO ROUND PRE SCHOOL SANDWICH.

MERRY GO ROUND PRE SCHOOL SANDWICH income £128k
SUTTON CENTRE UNDER 5S PLAYGROUP income £104k
ST MARYS PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP income £238k
FUN 4 KIDZ income £1.2m
RAINBOW COMMUNITY NURSERY income £807k
CRESCENT UNDER FIVES income £172k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
MERRY-GO-ROUND UNDER 5'S	£130k	—	above	—	no doubt
MERRY GO ROUND PRE SCHOOL SANDWICH FY2025	£128k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SUTTON CENTRE UNDER 5S PLAYGROUP FY2025	£104k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
ST MARYS PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP FY2026	£238k	—	above	—	no doubt
FUN 4 KIDZ FY2025	£1.2m	—	unclear	—	no doubt
RAINBOW COMMUNITY NURSERY FY2025	£807k	—	below	—	no doubt

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