THE ROYAL CORNWALL POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY LIMITED

Registered charity 1081199 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as FALMOUTH ARTS CENTRE, THE POLY

The principal activities of the charity are to educate and encourage the public in all aspects of the Arts Sciences Crafts and History with particular reference to the County of Cornwall.

Objects

THE COMPANY IS ESTABLISHED TO EDUCATE AND ENCOURAGE THE PUBLIC IN ALL ASPECTS OF THE ARTS SCIENCES CRAFTS AND HISTORY WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE COUNTY OF CORNWALL AND GENERALLY TO CARRY ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ROYAL CORNWALL POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY AND FALMOUTH ARTS IN SUCCESSION TO THE ROYAL CORNWALL POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY AND FALMOUTH ARTS.

Area of benefit: CORNWALL.

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

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

Registered contact address: Cornwall, South West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£544k

Latest spending

£623k

Registered

2000

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The charity reported a net expenditure of £71,678 for the period, resulting in a decrease in total funds from £611,807 to £540,128. Unrestricted reserves stood at £447,833, which exceeds the trustees' stated policy target of £150,000 (representing six months of operating costs). The accounts state there are 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

Reserves policy: six months' worth /50% of operating costs (£150k) is available in the case of serious financial difficulty (reserves figure: £448k)

“In line with best practice, we will in any case ensure that six months' worth /50% of operating costs (£150k) is available in the case of serious financial difficulty, which may require drawing on designated fund investments.” — page 19

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Payments to trustees: C Midson, trustee, was paid £9,773 in respect of services provided during the year.

“C Midson, trustee, was paid £9,773 (2023: £8,039) in respect of services provided during the year.” — page 40

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: C Midson, trustee, was paid £9,773 (2023: £8,039) in respect of services provided during the year.

“C Midson, trustee, was paid £9,773 (2023: £8,039) in respect of services provided during the year.” — page 40

“L Harry, partner of Trustee T Parnell, paid the Chairity £335 (2023: nil) for services provided during the year.” — page 40

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: L Harry, partner of Trustee T Parnell, paid the Charity £335 (2023: nil) for services provided during the year.

“C Midson, trustee, was paid £9,773 (2023: £8,039) in respect of services provided during the year.” — page 40

“L Harry, partner of Trustee T Parnell, paid the Chairity £335 (2023: nil) for services provided during the year.” — page 40

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 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
Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
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

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025

Volunteers: 43

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 58
Government income: £10,400 — grants £10,400 (1); 3% of the £386,546 total gross income on the same return
Has a trading subsidiary

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2022

Volunteers: 65
Government income: £13,062 — grants £13,062 (4); 4% of the £308,523 total gross income on the same return
Has a trading subsidiary

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

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

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

Total income

£544k

Total spending

£623k

Reserves (reported)

£14k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~0.3 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (81% 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: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

VIRGINIA BUTTONchair
Amanda Jane Ward
Amanda Kim Rundle
Aoife Louise Fannin
Henrietta Mary Boex · trustee of 1 other charity
LOUIS MARK TURNER
Mark Julian Woodbridge
Roderick Clarke
Shaquira Samantha Lue
Susan Philippa Radmore
TOM INGATE
Tim Parnell

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

Operates in: Cornwall

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£544k	£623k
31/12/2023	£387k	£486k
31/12/2022	£309k	£382k
31/12/2021	£228k	£306k
31/12/2020	£374k	£230k

Common questions

Is THE ROYAL CORNWALL POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The charity reported a net expenditure of £71,678 for the period, resulting in a decrease in total funds from £611,807 to £540,128. Unrestricted reserves stood at £447,833, which exceeds the trustees' stated policy target of £150,000 (representing six months of operating costs). The accounts state there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

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	06/12/2017	£10k	"Discovering Falmouth in World War One"
The National Lottery Community Fund	13/10/2016	£6k	Who lived in a place like this? History week at The Poly,Falmouth
The National Lottery Community Fund	25/06/2014	£10k	Installation of Digital Cinema Package for community cinema.
The National Lottery Community Fund	17/09/2007	£3k	Drawing the Decades- A Journey through Time

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 BANISTER CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£308k
THE FRANCIS WINHAM FOUNDATION	1	£15k
FISHMONGERS' COMPANY'S CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k
THE CLARE MILNE TRUST	1	£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with CORNWALL CRAFTS ASSOCIATION.

CORNWALL CRAFTS ASSOCIATION income £101k
THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF CORNWALL income £3.1m
ROYAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH ARTISTS LIMITED income £45k
THE CORNWALL HERITAGE TRUST LIMITED income £1.2m
ROYAL SOCIETY OF PAINTER-PRINTMAKERS income £126k
CORNWALL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT LIMITED income £4.9m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE ROYAL CORNWALL POLYTECHNIC SOCIETY LIMITED	£544k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CORNWALL CRAFTS ASSOCIATION FY2025	£101k	£31,041	0	below	—	no doubt
THE ROYAL INSTITUTION OF CORNWALL FY2025	£3.1m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
ROYAL SOCIETY OF BRITISH ARTISTS LIMITED FY2025	£45k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE CORNWALL HERITAGE TRUST LIMITED FY2025	£1.2m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ROYAL SOCIETY OF PAINTER-PRINTMAKERS FY2025	£126k	—	0	below	—	no doubt

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