THE HELEN HAMLYN TRUST

Registered charity 1084839 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Trust's core aim is to initiate and support innovative medium to long term projects which will effect lasting change and improve quality of life.

Objects

THE GENERAL PURPOSES OF SUCH CHARITABLE BODIES OR FOR SUCH CHARITABLE PURPOSES AS THE TRUSTEES SHALL THINK FIT WHETHER IN ENGLAND AND WALES OR ELSEWHERE

Area of benefit: WORLDWIDE

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

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · Other Charitable Purposes · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · Get email alerts

Latest income

£6.5m

Latest spending

£6.3m

Registered

2001

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that free reserves of £3,841,462 exceed the trustees' stated minimum policy target of £2 million. The trustees confirm that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, supported by confirmed funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and a £5 million deed of guarantee from Lady Hamlyn.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Donations from individuals (60% of income)

“From individuals 4,168,174” — page 20

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: £2 million (held: £3.8m)

“The Trustees have determined that in future years the minimum level of reserves should not be less than £2 million.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Lucy O'Rorke, daughter of a trustee, received salary

“Lucy O’Rorke (Director of Projects and Co-ordination), the daughter of one of the Trustees, was paid a salary (including benefits) of £94,202 during the year (2024: £90,254). This amount was consistent with the role for which she was employed.” — page 31

“Lady Hamlyn’s personal assistant was engaged in Trust matters and a proportional amount of her salary was recognised as a donation in kind. The amount recognised as a donation in kind during this period totals £35,380” — page 31

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Lady Hamlyn's PA salary recognized as donation in kind

“Lucy O’Rorke (Director of Projects and Co-ordination), the daughter of one of the Trustees, was paid a salary (including benefits) of £94,202 during the year (2024: £90,254). This amount was consistent with the role for which she was employed.” — page 31

“Lady Hamlyn’s personal assistant was engaged in Trust matters and a proportional amount of her salary was recognised as a donation in kind. The amount recognised as a donation in kind during this period totals £35,380” — page 31

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Lady Hamlyn charged for phone use

“Lucy O’Rorke (Director of Projects and Co-ordination), the daughter of one of the Trustees, was paid a salary (including benefits) of £94,202 during the year (2024: £90,254). This amount was consistent with the role for which she was employed.” — page 31

“Lady Hamlyn’s personal assistant was engaged in Trust matters and a proportional amount of her salary was recognised as a donation in kind. The amount recognised as a donation in kind during this period totals £35,380” — page 31

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustees Alison Peacock and Brendan Cahill employed by grant recipients

“Lucy O’Rorke (Director of Projects and Co-ordination), the daughter of one of the Trustees, was paid a salary (including benefits) of £94,202 during the year (2024: £90,254). This amount was consistent with the role for which she was employed.” — page 31

“Lady Hamlyn’s personal assistant was engaged in Trust matters and a proportional amount of her salary was recognised as a donation in kind. The amount recognised as a donation in kind during this period totals £35,380” — page 31

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Azets. Discloses 3 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
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

£1 million donation from the Helen Hamlyn Trust marks a new chapter for the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design and its new home in Battersea rca.ac.uk · 20/06/2022

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

£6.5m

Total spending

£6.3m

Cost of raising funds

£26k

Reserves (reported)

£3.8m

Employees

3

Reported reserves equal ~7.3 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (96% 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: 0.4% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

LADY HAMLYNchair
BRENDAN HURLEY CAHILL
Baroness Gail Rebuck
DR KATE GAVRON
Dr Sarah Elizabeth Thomas
Lord Ara Warkais Darzi
MARGARET ROICE O'RORKE
Professor Dame Alison Margaret Peacock · trustee of 2 other charities
Professor Deborah Anne Swallow
STEPHEN RICHARD LEWIN

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

Operates in: India · Italy · Portugal · Throughout England · United States

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£6.5m	£6.3m
31/03/2024	£5.2m	£6.8m
31/03/2023	£2.3m	£2.5m
31/03/2022	£7.4m	£7.6m
31/03/2021	£2.2m	£2.7m

Common questions

Is THE HELEN HAMLYN TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that free reserves of £3,841,462 exceed the trustees' stated minimum policy target of £2 million. The trustees confirm that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, supported by confirmed funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and a £5 million deed of guarantee from Lady Hamlyn. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Azets.

Who funds THE HELEN HAMLYN TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE HELEN HAMLYN TRUST as a grant recipient include PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION	FY2023	£2.0m	Other Grants and support

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 BMTA TRUST	1	£50k
ESSEX COMMUNITY FOUNDATION	1	£48k
MENPHYS LIMITED	1	£45k
THE CHRISTOPHER LAING FOUNDATION	1	£20k
THE CHRIS BANTON FOUNDATION	1	£15k
THE VARRIER-JONES FOUNDATION	1	£8k
CHARLES S FRENCH CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£5k
ROSCA TRUST	1	£2k

Charities like this

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

HAMELIN TRUST income £3.9m
THE HARAMEAD TRUST income £4.8m
SIR HALLEY STEWART TRUST income £847k
THE HADLEY PROJECTS FUND income £558k
THE ALMOND TRUST income £847k
THE HENLEY FESTIVAL TRUST income £4.6m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE HELEN HAMLYN TRUST	£6.5m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
HAMELIN TRUST FY2025	£3.9m	over £80,000	—	above	3.8%	no doubt
THE HARAMEAD TRUST FY2025	£4.8m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SIR HALLEY STEWART TRUST FY2026	£847k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE HADLEY PROJECTS FUND FY2024	£558k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE ALMOND TRUST FY2025	£847k	—	0	unclear	0.0%	no doubt

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