RURAL MEDIA CHARITY

Registered charity 1041335 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE RURAL MEDIA COMPANY

RURAL MEDIA CHARITY COMBINES COMMUNITY AND INFORMAL EDUCATION WITH ARTS AND MEDIA PRODUCTION EXPERTISE TO EMPOWER RURAL COMMUNITIES,PARTICULARLY THOSE MOST DISADVANTAGED. THE RESULTS ARE HIGH-QUALITY PROJECTS AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES THAT GIVE RURAL COMMUNITIES A 'VOICE' AND INFORM POLICY DEVELOPMENT.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£1.7m

Latest spending

£1.5m

Registered

1994

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income decreased to £1,686,440 from £2,325,060 in the prior year, resulting in a net surplus of £142,575. The charity holds unrestricted general reserves of £83,131, which is below its stated policy target of £120,000 (four months' core cost cover). However, the trustees consider the charity a going concern, citing secured funding from Arts Council England until 2027 and significant cash balances.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £70,001 - £80,000 — above the median for charities its size (£70k)

“Two employees earned between £70,000 and £80,000 during the year” — page 27

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 2

“Two employees earned between £70,000 and £80,000 during the year” — page 27

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £83k)

“At 31 March 2025 the charity's unrestricted general fund target was £120,000 (4 months’ core cost cover) and the actual unrestricted general fund was £83,131 (2.9 month’s cover).”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: CEO Nic Millington's directorship at HCP resulted in income

“Nic Millington, Chief Executive Officer of Rural Media Charity, is a director of Herefordshire Cultural Partnership (HCP). During the year, Rural Media Charity recognised £3,787 of income from HCP” — page 35

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Rural Studios Ltd

“Rural Media Charity wholly owns a subsidiary company, Rural Studios Ltd that commenced trading on 13 May 2016.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Godfrey Wilson Limited. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Top pay band moved from £60,001 - £70,000 (FY2024) to £70,001 - £80,000 (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Grant Black — CEO & Creative Director (source)
David Holdsworth — Chair (source)
Rich Matthews — Development Director (source)

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Funders the charity credits

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

Paul Hamlyn Foundation — “We’re proud to be supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation” (source page)

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (1 freehold); recorded price paid £1.1m. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income

£1.7m

Total spending

£1.5m

Cost of raising funds

£35k

Reserves (reported)

£83k

Employees

14

Reported reserves equal ~0.6 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (43% 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: 2.1% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

David Michael Holdsworthchair
Georgia Helme
Hannah Jones
Joanna Elizabeth Davidson
Judith Vickress
MATTHEW CHRISTIAN HAYES
Martin John Hitchin
Owen Ross Whelan · trustee of 1 other charity
Rachel Carter · trustee of 1 other charity
Ussad Ali

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£1.7m	£1.5m
31/03/2024	£2.3m	£1.5m
31/03/2023	£1.3m	£1.2m
31/03/2022	£1.0m	£993k
31/03/2021	£1.1m	£1.0m

Common questions

Is RURAL MEDIA CHARITY financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that total income decreased to £1,686,440 from £2,325,060 in the prior year, resulting in a net surplus of £142,575. The charity holds unrestricted general reserves of £83,131, which is below its stated policy target of £120,000 (four months' core cost cover). However, the trustees consider the charity a going concern, citing secured funding from Arts Council England until 2027 and significant cash balances. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Godfrey Wilson Limited.

What does the highest-paid employee of RURAL MEDIA CHARITY earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £70,001 - £80,000 band, and 2 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds RURAL MEDIA CHARITY?

Funders whose own accounts filings name RURAL MEDIA CHARITY as a grant recipient include THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	FY2025	£30k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	FY2024	£12k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	FY2023	£12k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	FY2022	£12k

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	04/06/2021	£1.3m	TT Vision
The National Lottery Community Fund	15/05/2020	£40k	TT Connect GRT Covid-19 Activity
The National Lottery Community Fund	20/01/2020	£135k	TT Connect
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	25/04/2019	£60k	"Big Wig"
The National Lottery Community Fund	14/12/2018	£44k	"It's Kushti To Rokker": Mental Health & Education Among Gyspy, Roma an
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	08/03/2017	£374k	"GREAT PLACE SCHEME: Herefordshire's a Great Place"
The National Lottery Community Fund	16/11/2016	£499k	Travellers' Times 2017-20
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	25/07/2016	£48k	"The Ballad of the Travelling People: the Century that changed Gypsy & traveller lives forever"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	27/05/2015	£63k	"Golden Fire Â– The story of cider in Herefordshire through the people who made it"
The National Lottery Community Fund	11/02/2010	£317k	Travelling Voices
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	02/02/2010	£29k	"Royalists and Roundheads"
The National Lottery Community Fund	02/07/2009	£418k	Shoot Out
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	06/11/2007	£50k	"Fieldwork - The Bygone Days of Herefordshire Farming"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	08/08/2006	£33k	"CRAFTA WEBB"
The National Lottery Community Fund	21/02/2006	£98k	Multi-Media Testimony on Rural Poverty and Social Exclusion
The National Lottery Community Fund	14/02/2006	£148k	Making participation a daily reality
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	10/01/2006	£25k	"Magic, Movies and Myths"
The National Lottery Community Fund	08/09/2005	£230k	Travellers Times
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	24/01/2005	£50k	"Travellers' Heritage Project"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	21/10/2003	£25k	"Pugilists"

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
SANTANDER UK FOUNDATION LIMITED	1	£264k
THE MERCERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	1	£197k
THE CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF MARKETING CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£112k
Q CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£107k
SCREENSKILLS LIMITED	1	£103k
THE JOSEPH ROWNTREE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£100k
THE HOPE KEITH VILLAGERS TRUST	1	£61k
KUSUMA TRUST UK	1	£50k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with SIGNAL FILM & MEDIA LIMITED.

SIGNAL FILM & MEDIA LIMITED income £1.5m
SUSSEX RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL income £554k
RAW MATERIAL MUSIC AND MEDIA EDUCATION LIMITED income £1.0m
NATIONAL RURAL TOURING FORUM income £274k
GLOUCESTERSHIRE RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL income £1.3m
APPLAUSE RURAL TOURING income £594k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
RURAL MEDIA CHARITY	£1.7m	£70,001 - £80,000	2	below	—	no doubt
SIGNAL FILM & MEDIA LIMITED FY2025	£1.5m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SUSSEX RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL FY2025	£554k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
RAW MATERIAL MUSIC AND MEDIA EDUCATION LIMITED FY2025	£1.0m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
NATIONAL RURAL TOURING FORUM FY2024	£274k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
GLOUCESTERSHIRE RURAL COMMUNITY COUNCIL FY2025	£1.3m	—	—	above	—	no doubt

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