BRAINS MATTER CHARITY

Registered charity 1062884 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as HEADWAY IN WEST KENT, HEADWAY TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND DISTRICT

Brains Matter works throughout West Kent. It supports people who have sustained an acquired brain injury and their families and carers. It offers a day service and community support providing social rehabilitation and respite for people aged 18 years and over, who have moderate to severe brain injury.

Objects

[A] TO ADVANCE , PROMOTE, AND ASSIST IN THE REHABILITATION OF PERSONS WHO SUFFERED HEAD INJURIES RESULTING IN BRAIN DAMAGE AND WHO RESIDE IN THE AREA AT WHICH THE COMPANY'S ACTIVITIES ARE TARGETED (AS DETERMINED BY THE COMPANY FROM TIME TO TIME) BY THE PROVISION OF SUCH SERVICES AND FACILITIES AS MAY FROM TIME TO TIME BE DETERMINED BY IT. [B] TO SUPPORT INFORM AND GUIDE CARERS AND FAMILIES OF PERSONS WHO HAVE SUFFERED HEAD INJURIES. [C] TO MAINTAIN , DEVELOP AND MANAGE A CENTRE TO ASSIST WITH THE REHABILITATION OF HEAD - INJURED PERSONS AND CO-OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER BODIES IN THE MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT OF SUCH A CENTRE FOR THE CARRYING ON ALL SUCH ACTIVITIES AS MAY BR PROMOTED BY THE COMPANY

Area of benefit: KENT

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

Causes: Disability · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £3,851 for the year, with total unrestricted reserves standing at £167,438. However, core charitable activities generated a deficit of £116,938, which was primarily funded from reserves, and the trustees note that reserves have not increased as hoped. To address funding issues and secure finances for the charity to survive, the trustees have decided to place the main premises, Munro House, on the market.

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

What the accounts disclose

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.

• 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
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• 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
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 03380601

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

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.

• GOLDSWORTHY, Ian — director, appointed 10/11/2025on trustee list
• LESTER, Paul Francis — director, appointed 07/03/2024on trustee list
• KENNEDY, John Joseph — director, appointed 15/11/2021on trustee list
• FARDELL, Edward — director, appointed 16/11/2020on trustee list
• FARDELL, Edward — secretary, appointed 23/06/2020

Official officers record.

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 £420k. 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

Trustees · trustee networks

• John Kennedychair
• Edward Fardell
• Ian Goldsworthy
• Paul Francis Lester
• Susan Pearce

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

Operates in: East Sussex · Kent

Income and spending

Common questions

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 Headway London - Brain Injury Services.

• Headway London - Brain Injury Services income £2.5m
• HEADWAY PORTSMOUTH AND SOUTH-EAST HAMPSHIRE income £311k
• THE BRAIN CHARITY income £1.8m
• THE DISABILITIES TRUST income £74.9m
• Headway Kent income £252k
• HEADWAY BRISTOL BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION LIMITED income £497k

Side by side with its peers

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