THE SOMERSET AND DORSET FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

Registered charity 1010351 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q109330154

To advance the education of the public in the study of family history, genealogy and heraldry with particular reference to Somerset and Dorset.To promote the preservation, security, accessibility and publication of archival material

Objects

(1)TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE STUDY OF FAMILY HISTORY, GENEALOGY AND HERALDRY WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO SOMERSET AND DORSET. (2)TO PROMOTE THE PRESERVATION, SECURITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND PUBLICATION OF ARCHIVAL MATERIAL.

Area of benefit: SOMERSET, DORSET

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 · Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Somerset, South West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£46k

Latest spending

£59k

Registered

1992

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity incurred a net decrease in funds of £12,645 for the year, with total expenditure of £58,851 exceeding income of £46,206. Despite this deficit, the trustees report that general funds of £53,850 are held, which covers in excess of one year’s operating activities at current levels. The charity is run entirely by volunteers and has no paid employees.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: six months operating activity (reserves figure: £54k)

“The trustees aim to hold sufficient reserves to meet six months operating activity of the charity.” — page 7

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.

Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media 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.

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

Volunteers: 38

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

Volunteers: 40

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

Volunteers: 35

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

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Allan Bicknell
Christopher Allen Hall
EDWARD ALAN UDALL
Heather Jane Brannon
Ivan Trevor Gould
Jane Mary Sharp
Jennifer McGowan
John Dennis Brooking
John Sydney Burt
John Tanner
Laura Lyon
Paul David Radford
Steven Ernest Wilkinson
Susan Claire Wilson

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

Operates in: Dorset · Somerset

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£46k	£59k
31/12/2024	£48k	£55k
31/12/2023	£45k	£57k
31/12/2022	£66k	£45k
31/12/2021	£67k	£44k

Common questions

Is THE SOMERSET AND DORSET FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity incurred a net decrease in funds of £12,645 for the year, with total expenditure of £58,851 exceeding income of £46,206. Despite this deficit, the trustees report that general funds of £53,850 are held, which covers in excess of one year’s operating activities at current levels. The charity is run entirely by volunteers and has no paid employees. 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 Heritage Fund	25/01/2006	£5k	"The Group Will Purchase And Network 6 Computers To Support I.T. Classes For People With Little Or No Experience Of Computing. More Than 70 U"
The National Lottery Community Fund	19/01/2006	£5k	Computer classes

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 FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION	1	£20k
THE J P MARLAND CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£12k
THE VALENTINE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k
THE ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£1k
THE FINNIS SCOTT FOUNDATION	1	£1k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with GLOUCESTERSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY.

GLOUCESTERSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY income £32k
OXFORDSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY income £49k
THE DORSET NATURAL HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY income £1.0m
THE FEDERATION OF FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETIES income £65k
THE MANCHESTER AND LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY income £45k
WILTSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY income £92k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE SOMERSET AND DORSET FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY	£46k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
GLOUCESTERSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY FY2026	£32k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
OXFORDSHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY FY2025	£49k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE DORSET NATURAL HISTORY AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY FY2026	£1.0m	—	1	unclear	—	no doubt
THE FEDERATION OF FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETIES FY2025	£65k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE MANCHESTER AND LANCASHIRE FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY FY2025	£45k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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