WOKING MUSEUM AND ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTRE

Registered charity 1073543 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE LIGHTBOX, WOKING MUSEUM ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTRE

To provide a heritage and visual arts service for the people of Woking and the wider region.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£948k

Latest spending

£855k

Registered

1999

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a profit of £92,329 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total unrestricted funds increasing to £491,863. The auditor confirmed that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate and identified no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Service income (83% of income)

“Income from charitable activities - Service income - 765,849” — page 58

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The document lists 'Amounts owed by group undertakings' as a debtor, indicating transactions with subsidiaries, but does not explicitly detail specific related-party transaction amounts or terms in a dedicated note.

“Amounts owed by group undertakings - - 204,482 528,853” — page 63

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Governance: The document states the gallery reduced operating days and staff working days 'to mitigate financial risk' and mentions a 'funding crisis triggered by Woking Borough Council's Section 114 financial position', but does not explicitly state a governance failure, regulator engagement, or late filing.

“In February 2025, to mitigate financial risk, we reduced our operating days from six days to five, and as part of a staff restructure reduced working days.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Riches & Company. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.

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

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

Total income

£948k

Total spending

£855k

Cost of raising funds

£117k

Reserves (reported)

£570k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~8.0 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (88% 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: 12.3% of total income — above the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (29/07/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Andrew Bell
Barry Cook
CHRIS LACEY
Cherry-Anne Russell · trustee of 1 other charity
John Siebert
NATHALIE DE POTTER
RICHARD BROWNE
Richard Bolton

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

Operates in: Surrey

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£948k	£855k
31/03/2024	£907k	£866k
31/03/2023	£777k	£957k
31/03/2022	£875k	£1.0m
31/03/2021	£983k	£758k

Common questions

Is WOKING MUSEUM AND ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTRE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a profit of £92,329 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total unrestricted funds increasing to £491,863. The auditor confirmed that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate and identified no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Riches & Company.

Who funds WOKING MUSEUM AND ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTRE?

Funders whose own accounts filings name WOKING MUSEUM AND ARTS AND CRAFTS CENTRE as a grant recipient include THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION, THE AUBREY ORCHARD-LISLE CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION	FY2023	£130k	Arts, culture and heritage
THE AUBREY ORCHARD-LISLE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£5k
THE AUBREY ORCHARD-LISLE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£4k

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	12/11/2025	£149k	"Unlocking Woking's Heritage Collection"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	07/12/2023	£250k	"The Lightbox ? transformation to ensure survival and future sustainability."
The National Lottery Community Fund	11/03/2022	£10k	Supporting young carers to improve their wellbeing
UK government	09/07/2020	£7k	Coronavirus Community Support Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	21/02/2017	£9k	"Celebrating 10 years of community heritage"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	19/08/2014	£10k	"The Horse at War 1914-18"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	23/10/2013	£7k	"New Vision New Perspective"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	09/10/2012	£6k	"Local Heroes and Local Tales"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	17/09/2008	£50k	"Ways of Seeing - A Community Curated Exhibition of Modern British Art"
The National Lottery Community Fund	17/10/2006	£10k	Make Your Mark
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	12/06/2006	£49k	"Woking's History"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	02/12/2003	£1.6m	"Woking Museum Arts & Crafts Centre"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	23/04/2003	£50k	"Woking Living Words"