Play to the Crowd

Registered charity 1077139 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE LIVE THEATRE WINCHESTER TRUST, THEATRE ROYAL WINCHESTER

Play to the Crowd Ltd (trading as Theatre Royal Winchester) is a 400 seat regional theatre situated in Winchester City providing a professional programme of mixed genre performances, and is the base for Hat Fair, street arts festival. The theatre also includes a Participation and Learning Department and facilities for hire.

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

Latest income

£2.7m

Latest spending

£2.7m

Registered

1999

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity ended the year with a net deficit of £19,552 but maintained strong cash reserves of £1,109,472. Per the trustees' report, the organization managed to complete the year close to budget despite cost-of-living pressures and staffing challenges. The trustees confirmed sufficient resources to continue operational existence for the foreseeable future.

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

What the accounts disclose

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

“Only one employee had annual emoluments of more than £60,000 per annum this year” — page 26

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 1

“Only one employee had annual emoluments of more than £60,000 per annum this year” — page 26

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Largest income source: Ticket sales (50% of income)

“Ticket sales 1,330,666” — page 23

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: £365,000 - £495,000 (held: £517k)

“For the year 2024-25 it was set at a target reserve range of £365,000 - £495,000” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Trade to the Crowd

“It also includes our trading subsidiary, Trade to the Crowd which operates our bars and associated catering and small hires.” — page 3

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by MC Audit 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.

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 03696681
Trading subsidiary: TRADE TO THE CROWD LTD Companies House 12131447

TRADE TO THE CROWD LTD — per its own Companies House accounts

Turnover: £284k
Profit before tax: £84k
Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £84k
Trade to the Crowd is the wholly owned subsidiary of the arts and education charity Play to the Crowd

“100% of Trade to the Crowd's profits are donated to Play to the Crowd to support the charitable initiatives of the organisation.”

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.

LUCAS, William Robert, Professor — director, appointed 31/07/2026on trustee list
LOCKYER, Lynne Carol — director, appointed 23/01/2026on trustee list
SHIBATA, Sho — director, appointed 23/01/2026on trustee list
CHESHIRE, Lorraine — director, appointed 23/01/2026on trustee list
RISBRIDGER, Madeleine — director, appointed 01/10/2025on trustee list
GRIME, Helen, Dr — director, appointed 01/10/2025on trustee list
WALL, Noemi — director, appointed 12/06/2024on trustee list
DHANA, Majid Salim — director, appointed 10/05/2021on trustee list
STACEY, Shaun Raymond — director, appointed 29/04/2019on trustee list
BYFORD, Mark — director, appointed 12/02/2019on trustee list
CROSS, Steven Gordon — director, appointed 28/01/2019on trustee list
PARRY, Amy — director, appointed 28/01/2019not on trustee list
SPENCER, Paul James, Dr — director, appointed 24/07/2017on trustee list
ANGUS, Daniel James — secretary, appointed 01/08/2023

Official officers record.

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

Total income

£2.7m

Total spending

£2.7m

Cost of raising funds

£196k

Reserves (reported)

£517k

Employees

24

Reported reserves equal ~2.3 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (63% 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: 7.3% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Mark Byfordchair
Amy Eastwood
Dr Helen Grime
Dr Paul James Spencer · trustee of 1 other charity
Lorraine Cheshire
Lynne Lockyer
Madeleine Risbridger
Majid Salim Dhana
Noemi Wall
Professor William Robert Lucas · trustee of 3 other charities
Shaun Stacey
Sho Shibata
Steven Cross

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

Operates in: Hampshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£2.7m	£2.7m
31/03/2024	£2.6m	£2.6m
31/03/2023	£2.3m	£2.4m
31/03/2022	£1.9m	£1.9m
31/03/2021	£1.7m	£1.1m

Common questions

Is Play to the Crowd financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity ended the year with a net deficit of £19,552 but maintained strong cash reserves of £1,109,472. Per the trustees' report, the organization managed to complete the year close to budget despite cost-of-living pressures and staffing challenges. The trustees confirmed sufficient resources to continue operational existence for the foreseeable future. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by MC Audit Limited.

What does the highest-paid employee of Play to the Crowd earn?

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

Who funds Play to the Crowd?

Funders whose own accounts filings name Play to the Crowd as a grant recipient include THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND, SIR JEREMIAH COLMAN GIFT TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND	FY2023	£20k	Small Grants Programme
THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND	FY2022	£5k
THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND	FY2022	£5k
SIR JEREMIAH COLMAN GIFT TRUST	FY2022	£2k

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	18/01/2021	£29k	ACE Loneliness Fund
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	25/04/2019	£10k	"Home Fires- The stories of women and children during WW2"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	17/01/2014	£10k	"Theatre Royal Winchester centenary project"

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
BACKSTAGE TRUST	2	£450k
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£440k
THE TOLKIEN TRUST	1	£229k
THE MACKINTOSH FOUNDATION	1	£171k
THE EMMANUEL KAYE FOUNDATION	1	£110k
THE FOYLE FOUNDATION	1	£100k
ST EDMUNDS TRUST	1	£27k
THE ANGLO-AMERICAN CHARITY LIMITED	1	£27k

Charities like this

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

THE OXFORD PLAYHOUSE TRUST income £5.3m
CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE income £20.2m
SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE THEATRE COMPANY income £1.7m
THE CROWN WHARF THEATRE income £94k
THE JOSEPH ROWNTREE THEATRE LIMITED income £332k
THE NEW THEATRE ROYAL-TRUSTEES (PORTSMOUTH) LIMITED income £1.4m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
Play to the Crowd	£2.7m	above £60,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
THE OXFORD PLAYHOUSE TRUST FY2025	£5.3m	—	—	above	—	no doubt
CHICHESTER FESTIVAL THEATRE FY2026	£20.2m	—	—	unclear	11.0%	no doubt
SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE THEATRE COMPANY FY2024	£1.7m	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE CROWN WHARF THEATRE FY2025	£94k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE JOSEPH ROWNTREE THEATRE LIMITED FY2025	£332k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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