ACTION WITH COMMUNITIES IN RURAL ENGLAND (ACRE)

Registered charity 1061568 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as ACRE

Strategic influencing role on behalf of rural communities.Performance improvement work with members.Improving the visibility of rural needs through policy development and research.Continuing to support the ACRE Network and rural practitioners through networking, best practice sharing and learning.

Causes: Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£5.0m

Latest spending

£5.1m

Registered

1997

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves of £511,794 exceed the charity's stated policy target of £171,081, with trustees confirming compliance with this reserves policy. The charity reported a net decrease in total resources of £38,813 for the year, driven by a deficit in restricted funds which reflects cashflow timing rather than operational loss. Trustees and auditors confirm the charity is a going concern with no material uncertainties regarding its ability to continue operations.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: more than £60,000 — below the median for charities its size (£70k)

“1 employee earned more than £60,000 during the year, (2024: none).” — page 33

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 1

“1 employee earned more than £60,000 during the year, (2024: none).” — page 33

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Largest income source: Charitable activities (87% of income)

“Total income 4,364,759 668,891 5,033,650 4,657,150” — page 22

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: three months of the charity's general expenditure budget plus an allocation to allow for longer-term liabilities and contingencies and an additional element to support ACRE’s research and development objectives and transformational change (held: £512k)

“Our current policy states that the target level for unrestricted reserves is £171,081 which is the equivalent of three months of the charity's general expenditure budget plus an allocation to allow for longer-term liabilities and contingencies and an additional element to support ACRE’s research and development objectives and transformational change.” — page 11

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Payments to trustees: Ivan Annibal's company received £5,100; Louise Beaton received £Nil.

“During the year, Louise Beaton, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, received £Nil for consultancy services prior to her resignation as a trustee (2024: £2,700). Ivan Annibal, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, is the managing director of Rose Regeneration, the company completing the quarterly surveys of the DEFRA network grant, the company received £5,100 prior to his resignation as a trustee (2024: £17,000).” — page 49

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee Louise Beaton received £Nil for consultancy services prior to resignation (2024: £2,700).

“During the year, Louise Beaton, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, received £Nil for consultancy services prior to her resignation as a trustee (2024: £2,700). Ivan Annibal, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, is the managing director of Rose Regeneration, the company completing the quarterly surveys of the DEFRA network grant, the company received £5,100 prior to his resignation as a trustee (2024: £17,000). No amounts were due at the year end.” — page 49

“During the year, Louise Beaton, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, received £Nil for consultancy services prior to her resignation as a trustee (2024: £2,700). Ivan Annibal, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, is the managing director of Rose Regeneration, the company completing the quarterly surveys of the DEFRA network grant, the company received £5,100 prior to his resignation as a trustee (2024: £17,000). No amounts were due at the year end.” — page 49

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee Ivan Annibal's company, Rose Regeneration, received £5,100 for services.

“During the year, Louise Beaton, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, received £Nil for consultancy services prior to her resignation as a trustee (2024: £2,700). Ivan Annibal, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, is the managing director of Rose Regeneration, the company completing the quarterly surveys of the DEFRA network grant, the company received £5,100 prior to his resignation as a trustee (2024: £17,000). No amounts were due at the year end.” — page 49

“During the year, Louise Beaton, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, received £Nil for consultancy services prior to her resignation as a trustee (2024: £2,700). Ivan Annibal, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, is the managing director of Rose Regeneration, the company completing the quarterly surveys of the DEFRA network grant, the company received £5,100 prior to his resignation as a trustee (2024: £17,000). No amounts were due at the year end.” — page 49

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Grants distributed to member organisations (related parties) totaling £1,633,000.

“During the year, Louise Beaton, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, received £Nil for consultancy services prior to her resignation as a trustee (2024: £2,700). Ivan Annibal, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, is the managing director of Rose Regeneration, the company completing the quarterly surveys of the DEFRA network grant, the company received £5,100 prior to his resignation as a trustee (2024: £17,000). No amounts were due at the year end.” — page 49

“During the year, Louise Beaton, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, received £Nil for consultancy services prior to her resignation as a trustee (2024: £2,700). Ivan Annibal, a charity trustee until 27 November 2024, is the managing director of Rose Regeneration, the company completing the quarterly surveys of the DEFRA network grant, the company received £5,100 prior to his resignation as a trustee (2024: £17,000). No amounts were due at the year end.” — page 49

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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

Year-over-year changes

Employees paid over £60,000: 0 (FY2024) → 1 (FY2025).

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

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — ACRE (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Corinne Pluchino — Chief Executive (source)
Katherine Armstrong — 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).

Defra — “We have a long-term, strategic relationship with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) who subsidise ACRE Network m…” (source page)

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

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

Total income

£5.0m

Total spending

£5.1m

Cost of raising funds

£9k

Reserves (reported)

£537k

Employees

5

Reported reserves equal ~1.3 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (100% 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: 0.2% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Andrea Caroline Graham
Caroline Jane Cotterell · trustee of 1 other charity
Dr James Murray Blake · trustee of 1 other charity
Francis James Park Webster · trustee of 2 other charities
Garry Jones · trustee of 1 other charity
Gavin Parker
Nora Theresa Corkery
Rita Lawson · trustee of 1 other charity
Sally Jane Dominique Colthup
Sharon Afran Davis

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

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£5.0m	£5.1m
31/03/2024	£4.7m	£4.5m
31/03/2023	£2.0m	£2.4m
31/03/2022	£2.1m	£2.9m
31/03/2021	£2.1m	£3.3m

Common questions

Is ACTION WITH COMMUNITIES IN RURAL ENGLAND (ACRE) financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves of £511,794 exceed the charity's stated policy target of £171,081, with trustees confirming compliance with this reserves policy. The charity reported a net decrease in total resources of £38,813 for the year, driven by a deficit in restricted funds which reflects cashflow timing rather than operational loss. Trustees and auditors confirm the charity is a going concern with no material uncertainties regarding its ability to continue operations. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Godfrey Wilson Limited.

What does the highest-paid employee of ACTION WITH COMMUNITIES IN RURAL ENGLAND (ACRE) earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the more than £60,000 band, and 1 employees earned over £60,000.

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	26/08/2020	£70k	Safeguarding Support for Rural Communities and the ACRE Network during Covid-19
The National Lottery Community Fund	15/10/2019	£105k	Action with Communities
The National Lottery Community Fund	12/08/2014	£1.4m	Village SOS Learning, Outreach and Engagement Campaign
The National Lottery Community Fund	26/03/2007	£1.1m	21st Century Halls for England - (Abbots Bromley Village Hall )

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 GRAND LODGE OF MARK MASTER MASONS' FUND OF BENEVOLENCE	1	£36k
THE ADRIAN SWIRE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£30k
THE FORBES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	1	£27k
THE O'SULLIVAN FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£25k
THE ROWSE FAMILY TRUST	1	£13k
THE WILL CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k
D L M CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£8k
MR AND MRS J A PYE'S CHARITABLE SETTLEMENT	1	£5k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ACRE.

NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ACRE income £363k
CAMBRIDGESHIRE ACRE income £936k
ACRE HOUSING income £1.3m
STYLE ACRE income £12.7m
SURREY COMMUNITY ACTION income £695k
THE CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT RURAL ENGLAND WILTSHIRE income £131k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ACTION WITH COMMUNITIES IN RURAL ENGLAND (ACRE)	£5.0m	more than £60,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE ACRE FY2025	£363k	Under £60,000	0	unclear	—	no doubt
CAMBRIDGESHIRE ACRE FY2025	£936k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
ACRE HOUSING FY2025	£1.3m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
STYLE ACRE FY2025	£12.7m	£120,001 - £130,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SURREY COMMUNITY ACTION FY2025	£695k	more than £60,000	1	above	—	no doubt

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