WIDCOMBE ACORNS PLAYGROUP

Registered charity 1029494 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as WIDCOMBE PLAYGROUP, Widcombe Acorns Pre-school

Widcombe Acorns Pre-School is Bath's only City Centre Forest School and provides daycare for pre-schoolers. Our children love being outside in all weathers exploring our fantastic outdoor space, building dens, gardening & cooking on the camp fire. Graded "outstanding" by Ofsted for the past 4 inspections, we have a safe, happy & creative environment with well thought-out indoor and outdoor space.

Objects

TO ENHANCE THE DEVELOPMENT AND EDUCATION OF CHILDREN UNDER STATUTORY SCHOOL AGE BY ENCOURAGING PARENTS TO UNDERSTAND AND PROVIDE FOR THE NEEDS OF THEIR CHILDREN THROUGH COMMUNITY GROUPS

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

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

Latest income

£305k

Latest spending

£251k

Registered

1993

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £140,838, which is in excess of the trustees' policy target of 4-6 months of operating expenditure. The charity reported a net income increase from £42,738 to £54,580, driven by higher charitable activity income, while maintaining adequate resources for the foreseeable future.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: 4-6 months of operating expenditure (reserves figure: £141k)

“The trustees aim to maintain unrestricted reserves equivalent to approximately 4-6 months of operating expenditure which is currently estimated at £75,000 to £100,000.” — page 4

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.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Paying staff
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

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 31/07/2025

Government income: £113,212 — contracts £113,212 (1); 37% of the £305,245 total gross income on the same return
Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/07/2024

Volunteers: 5
Government income: £176,142 — contracts £88,071 (1), grants £88,071 (1); 72% of the £244,402 total gross income on the same return
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; other trustee benefit

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/07/2023

Volunteers: 10
Government income: £105,026 — contracts £105,026 (1); 45% of the £232,838 total gross income on the same return

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Christopher John Henry · trustee of 1 other charity
Helen Lucy Harvey
Jane Elizabeth Lang
Richard Heath
Sarah Letitia James

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

Operates in: Bath And North East Somerset

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/07/2025	£305k	£251k
31/07/2024	£244k	£215k
31/07/2023	£233k	£236k
01/08/2022	£203k	£213k
01/08/2021	£217k	£207k

Common questions

Is WIDCOMBE ACORNS PLAYGROUP financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £140,838, which is in excess of the trustees' policy target of 4-6 months of operating expenditure. The charity reported a net income increase from £42,738 to £54,580, driven by higher charitable activity income, while maintaining adequate resources for the foreseeable future. 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	20/09/2006	£3k	A healthy beginning for 64 acorns children & our diverse city community

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with LITTLE ACORNS PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP (INGHAM).

LITTLE ACORNS PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP (INGHAM) income £113k
Little Acorns @ Ysgol Y Graig income £96k
LITTLE THETFORD ACORNS income £113k
WOOD GREEN PRE SCHOOL PLAYGROUP income £648k
WOODFORD COMMUNITY PRE-SCHOOL income £276k
WINSLEY ACORNS PRE-SCHOOL income £126k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
WIDCOMBE ACORNS PLAYGROUP	£305k	—	above	—	no doubt
LITTLE ACORNS PRE-SCHOOL PLAYGROUP (INGHAM) FY2025	£113k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
Little Acorns @ Ysgol Y Graig FY2026	£96k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
LITTLE THETFORD ACORNS FY2025	£113k	—	above	—	no doubt
WOOD GREEN PRE SCHOOL PLAYGROUP FY2025	£648k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
WOODFORD COMMUNITY PRE-SCHOOL FY2025	£276k	—	above	—	no doubt

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