READ - THE READING AGENCY
Registered charity 1085443 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE READING AGENCY, THE READING AGENCY FOR LIBRARIES, TRA
The Reading Agency works every day towards a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life - from toddlers to children to young adults, prisoners and older people - irrespective of age or economic background. It advocates that reading can tackle life's big challenges, from social mobility to mental health.
Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net outgoing resource of £355,843 for the year, resulting in a decrease in total reserves from £1,168,178 to £812,335. Unrestricted reserves stood at £554,334, which the trustees consider adequate to maintain a positive cash balance and cover at least three months of working capital. The trustees confirmed that adequate resources continue to be available to fund the charity's activities for the foreseeable future.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Largest income source: Grants and donations (49% of income)
“a further 49% came from grants and donations from other organisations”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: three months of working capital (held: £554k)
“Our stated policy is to maintain reserves to cover at least 3 months of working capital. This constitutes at least £345,000 of unrestricted reserves.” — page 16
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by M J Bushell Audit LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Reading Agency (matched by registered charity number).
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£38k
Reported reserves equal ~2.1 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (78% 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: 1.3% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).
- Aimee Jane Felone · trustee of 1 other charity
- DEREK O'GARA
- David Richard Shelley
- Davinia-Louise Green
- Mandy Teresa de Waal
- Maureen Carmel Corish
- Michael Edwin Lewis · trustee of 2 other charities
- Mohammed Zoinul Abidin · trustee of 3 other charities
- Paul Nicholas Kelly
- Sue Lesley Williamson
- Susan Claire Hall
- THOMAS MOODY-STUART
- Teresa Mary Cremin
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is READ - THE READING AGENCY financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net outgoing resource of £355,843 for the year, resulting in a decrease in total reserves from £1,168,178 to £812,335. Unrestricted reserves stood at £554,334, which the trustees consider adequate to maintain a positive cash balance and cover at least three months of working capital. The trustees confirmed that adequate resources continue to be available to fund the charity's activities for the foreseeable future. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by M J Bushell Audit LLP.
Who funds READ - THE READING AGENCY?
Funders whose own accounts filings name READ - THE READING AGENCY as a grant recipient include THE JULIA RAUSING TRUST, THE MASTER CHARITABLE TRUST, CHARITY OF SIR RICHARD WHITTINGTON, STRATTON CHASE FOUNDATION, THE ULVERSCROFT FOUNDATION.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
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.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE READER ORGANISATION.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.