THE DRINKS TRUST

Registered charity 1023376 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE BENEVOLENT, THE WINE AND SPIRIT TRADES BENELOVENT SOCIETY, THE WINE AND SPIRIT TRADES BENEVOLENT SOCIETY

The Drinks Trust is the trade charity for people who are currently working, or have worked, in the UK drinks industry in any role and in any sector, and our mission is to help colleagues who are facing a variety of difficult circumstances, including illness, disability, issues with stress or depression, and more.

Objects

ASSISTING MEMBERS OF THE WINE AND SPIRIT TRADES AND ANCILLARY TRADES ORGANISATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND IRELAND WHO ARE IN NEED AND IN PARTICULAR AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING TO ASSIST SUCH MEMBERS BY ALL OR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING MEANS:(A)BY GRANTING REGULAR BENEFIT PAYMENTS;(B)BY MAKING GRANTS OR GIFTS OR GIVING OTHER ASSISTANCE FOR THE TEMPORARY RELIEF OF HARDSHIP.

Area of benefit: UNITED KINGDOM

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

Causes: The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The charity reported a surplus of £186,687 for the year ended 31 December 2025, supported by total income of £1,018,906 and total expenditure of £1,199,663. Free unrestricted reserves stood at £5,466,177, which the trustees consider appropriate to cover potential shortfalls between income and charitable giving. The accounts were prepared on a going concern basis with no material uncertainties identified by the auditors.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by UHY Hacker Young. 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
• Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
• 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
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures

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.

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 02783340

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Drinks Trust (matched by registered charity number).

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• Club Soda — “We would like to express our gratitude to Club Soda , Encirc 360 , Everleaf , Hatch Mansfield , and Vagabond for participating in the projec…” (source page)
• Encirc 360 — “We would like to express our gratitude to Club Soda , Encirc 360 , Everleaf , Hatch Mansfield , and Vagabond for participating in the projec…” (source page)
• Everleaf — “We would like to express our gratitude to Club Soda , Encirc 360 , Everleaf , Hatch Mansfield , and Vagabond for participating in the projec…” (source page)
• Hatch Mansfield — “We would like to express our gratitude to Club Soda , Encirc 360 , Everleaf , Hatch Mansfield , and Vagabond for participating in the projec…” (source page)
• Vagabond — “We would like to express our gratitude to Club Soda , Encirc 360 , Everleaf , Hatch Mansfield , and Vagabond for participating in the projec…” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

• KNOLLYS, Benedict Anthony — director, appointed 23/04/2026on trustee list
• MARTINDALE, Susan Katrina — director, appointed 23/10/2025on trustee list
• DIBBEN, Martin Stuart Remington — director, appointed 23/10/2025on trustee list
• CAVILLA, Ryan John Norris — director, appointed 20/07/2025not on trustee list
• HAUGHTON, Georgina — director, appointed 17/12/2024on trustee list
• EASTON, Hayley — director, appointed 17/12/2024on trustee list
• BRAY, Ian David — director, appointed 16/07/2024on trustee list
• CLAY, Timothy James — director, appointed 16/07/2024on trustee list
• BAERNREUTHER, Jennie — director, appointed 16/07/2024on trustee list
• WATSON, Antony David — director, appointed 16/07/2024on trustee list
• BURRELL, Ian Anthony — director, appointed 07/08/2023on trustee list
• WILLOUGHBY, Laura — director, appointed 13/07/2021on trustee list
• BEART, Nicola — director, appointed 13/07/2021not on trustee list
• BARKER, Neil Peter — director, appointed 13/11/2018on trustee list
• HALDANE, Nicola Jane — secretary, appointed 28/11/2024

Official officers record.

CQC provider record: The Wine and Spirit Trades' Benevolent Society — Deregistered, 1 registered location, last inspected 06/06/2013.charity number confirmed by CQC CQC record

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~55.1 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (64% 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: 17.1% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.3%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Antony David Watson
• Benedict Anthony Knollys
• Georgina Haughton
• Hayley Easton
• Ian Anthony Burrell
• Ian Bray
• Jennie Baernreuther
• Laura Willoughby
• Martin Dibben
• Neil Peter Barker
• Nicola Forrest
• Susan Martindale · trustee of 1 other charity
• Timothy James Clay

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

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Throughout England And Wales

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).

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.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE DRINKAWARE TRUST.

• THE DRINKAWARE TRUST income £6.2m
• THE LICENSED TRADE CHARITY income £29.4m
• THE DENTISTS HEALTH SUPPORT TRUST income £113k
• RETAIL TRUST income £12.3m
• THE BREWERS' COMPANY GENERAL CHARITABLE TRUST income £203k
• PINCHES TRUST income £639k

Side by side with its peers

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