THE COURTYARD TRUST

Registered charity 1067869 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To promote the improvement and development of artistic taste and the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of arts and cultural and educational value (including the arts of dance, drama, literature, music and singing) of the public and in particular the residents of the County of Herefordshire.

Causes: Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£3.7m

Latest spending

£3.6m

Registered

1998

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net incoming resource of £140,759 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total income of £3,735,935. The trustees confirm the organization is a going concern and has adequate resources to continue trading, supported by confirmed Arts Council England funding until March 2026.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: three months of contracted staff salaries and lease obligations (held: £576k)

“The basis of this policy was to build up unrestricted reserves to a level sufficient to cover the salaries of contracted staff for three months, and the remaining obligations under a lease.” — page 8

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee Steve Liddle is a member of the band. Purchases £3,080 (2024: £800).

“During the year the Trust made purchases totalling £3,080 (2024: £800) and sales of £747 (2024: £622) to The Hey Yahs. Trustee Steve Liddle is a member of the band.” — page 33

“During the year the Trust made sales totalling ENil (2024: £1,680) to The Hereford Academy in relation to drama classes Trustee Bruce Freeman is Chair of Governors at The Hereford Academy.” — page 33

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee Bruce Freeman is Chair of Governors at The Hereford Academy. Sales £Nil (2024: £1,680).

“During the year the Trust made purchases totalling £3,080 (2024: £800) and sales of £747 (2024: £622) to The Hey Yahs. Trustee Steve Liddle is a member of the band.” — page 33

“During the year the Trust made sales totalling ENil (2024: £1,680) to The Hereford Academy in relation to drama classes Trustee Bruce Freeman is Chair of Governors at The Hereford Academy.” — page 33

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee S Liddle is Head of Sales at Cotswold Hereford. Sales £Nil (2024: £1,500).

“During the year the Trust made purchases totalling £3,080 (2024: £800) and sales of £747 (2024: £622) to The Hey Yahs. Trustee Steve Liddle is a member of the band.” — page 33

“During the year the Trust made sales totalling ENil (2024: £1,680) to The Hereford Academy in relation to drama classes Trustee Bruce Freeman is Chair of Governors at The Hereford Academy.” — page 33

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: The Courtyard Trading Co. Limited

“The Courtyard Trust owns 100% of the issued share capital of its subsidiary undertaking, The Courtyard Trading Co. Limited” — page 9

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Thorne Widgery Accountancy Ltd. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Property (HM Land Registry)

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

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

Total income

£3.7m

Total spending

£3.6m

Cost of raising funds

£54k

Reserves (reported)

£712k

Employees

85

Reported reserves equal ~2.4 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (51% 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: 1.4% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Anna Louise Millward
Emma Lucy Forrest
Ian John Baker-Hedges
Julia Hayes
Laura Gale
Laura Jayne Richardson
Matthew Baker
Paul Nicholas Stevens · trustee of 1 other charity

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

Operates in: Herefordshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£3.7m	£3.6m
31/03/2024	£3.6m	£3.6m
31/03/2023	£3.0m	£3.1m
31/03/2022	£2.5m	£2.7m
31/03/2021	£2.6m	£1.4m

Common questions

Is THE COURTYARD TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net incoming resource of £140,759 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total income of £3,735,935. The trustees confirm the organization is a going concern and has adequate resources to continue trading, supported by confirmed Arts Council England funding until March 2026. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Thorne Widgery Accountancy Ltd.

Who funds THE COURTYARD TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE COURTYARD TRUST as a grant recipient include HEREFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
HEREFORDSHIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION	FY2024	£2k	Becket Bulmer

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	13/12/2021	£217k	National Portfolio Organisations
The National Lottery Community Fund	12/03/2021	£4k	#TalkAwayDontWalkAway digital delivery
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	27/08/2019	£10k	"Who Lived in a House Like This?"
The National Lottery Community Fund	23/03/2016	£344k	The Courtyard/Creative Ageing
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	18/12/2014	£10k	"Herefordshire Heroes"
The National Lottery Community Fund	14/03/2012	£103k	Arts and Older People
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	12/05/2010	£23k	"David Garrick and the Theatres of Hereford"
The National Lottery Community Fund	09/10/2009	£10k	Reflections - Stories and Memories of Older people from The Golden Valley
The National Lottery Community Fund	31/03/2006	£5k	Feasibility Study for extension of Courtyard

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
GOFUNDME.ORG.UK	1	£67k
COMMUNITY & VOLUNTARY SUPPORT CONWY	1	£10k
THE THOMAS HOWELL'S EDUCATION FUND FOR NORTH WALES	1	£10k
THE HULL AND EAST RIDING CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£3k

Charities like this

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

THE CONWY ARTS TRUST income £149k
WYCOMBE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE income £198k
FREEDOM FESTIVAL ARTS TRUST income £747k
COUNTY HALL ARTS income £8.8m
NEWCASTLE ARTS CENTRE TRUST LTD income £175k
DARBAR ARTS CULTURE AND HERITAGE TRUST income £1.3m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE COURTYARD TRUST	£3.7m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE CONWY ARTS TRUST FY2025	£149k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
WYCOMBE COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE FY2025	£198k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
FREEDOM FESTIVAL ARTS TRUST FY2025	£747k	—	0	below	—	no doubt
COUNTY HALL ARTS FY2024	£8.8m	—	0	above	—	no doubt
NEWCASTLE ARTS CENTRE TRUST LTD FY2025	£175k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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