BANKSIDE OPEN SPACES TRUST
Registered charity 1085454 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q4856769 · Wikipedia
Bankside Open Spaces Trust aims to bring people together to create inspiring urban green places. It does this by running consultations, bringing together steering groups, holding events, managing major works, looking after gardens, working in partnerships, holding gardening sessions, commenting on plans and strategies, enabling volunteers and providing resources to support balcony gardeners.
Objects
To promote for the public benefit the conservation, protection and improvement of the built and natural environment, and in so doing to also advance physical and mental health, education opportunities and community development, in areas of high urban density throughout England and Wales.
Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED
The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.
Causes: Amateur Sport · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts
Registered contact address: Southwark, London, England (from the postcode on the register)
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit of £147,716 for the year ended 31 March 2025, resulting in a decrease in total funds. The trustees' report notes that free reserves are below the stated policy target of £225,400, with actual free reserves at £16,419, and the trustees are considering options to address this gap. Despite the deficit, the auditors confirmed that the use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate with no material uncertainties identified.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: £225,400 (held: £16k)
“The trustees’ target is to hold sufficient reserves to cover wind-down costs. This target amounts to £225,400.” — page 5
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustee Karen Atkinson was employed by City Bridge Foundation, which owed the charity £255,618 at year end.
“Karen Atkinson, trustee, was employed as a director at the City Bridge Foundation until September 2024. A balance of £255,618 (2024: £321,930) was owed by City Bridge Foundation at the year end.” — page 34
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Bankside Open Spaces Trading Limited
“Bankside Open Spaces Trading Limited, company number 08096770, was set up in order to carry out commercial improvements to parks and gardens.” — page 5
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by MHA. 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
- 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
- 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: 834
- Government income: £146,072 — contracts £33,556 (3), grants £112,516 (12); 11% of the £1,320,859 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£80,001–£90,000: 1)
- Has a trading subsidiary
Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024
- Volunteers: 913
- Government income: £151,943 — contracts £33,923 (2), grants £118,020 (5); 10% of the £1,553,685 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£70,001–£80,000: 1)
- Has a trading subsidiary
Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2023
- Volunteers: 873
- Government income: £133,165 — contracts £24,437 (2), grants £108,728 (13); 8% of the £1,654,197 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£60,001–£70,000: 1)
- Has a trading subsidiary
Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.
Corporate structure
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Bankside Open Spaces Trust (matched by registered charity number).
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.
- MILLER, Luke Martin Pattison — director, appointed 22/07/2026on trustee list
- KALMAR, Sebastian — director, appointed 11/06/2024on trustee list
- GASMENA, Alexander — director, appointed 24/01/2022on trustee list
- ATKINSON, Karen — director, appointed 24/01/2022on trustee list
- BUCHANAN BLACK, Pauline — director, appointed 24/01/2022not on trustee list
- NAGAN, Deborah Louise — director, appointed 15/03/2018on trustee list
- BEATTIE, Jessica Frances — director, appointed 21/11/2013on trustee list
- EVERS, Marilyn — director, appointed 13/11/2008on trustee list
- WOOD, Timothy Jake — director, appointed 21/02/2001on trustee list
Official officers record.
Public-sector contracts awarded
From the official Contracts Finder and Find a Tender notices (supplier matched by exact registered name). Contract income is distinct from grants.
Property (HM Land Registry)
7 registered titles 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)
Cost of raising funds
£28k
Reported reserves equal ~0.1 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.7 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (47% 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: 2.1% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.3%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (21/04/2015) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (03/02/2015) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- TIMOTHY JAKE WOODchair
- Alexander Gasmena
- Deborah Nagan
- Jessica Frances Beattie
- KAREN ATKINSON
- Luke Miller
- MARILYN EVERS · trustee of 2 other charities
- Pauline Buchanan Black
- Sebastian Kalmar
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Lambeth · Southwark
Income and spending
Common questions
Is BANKSIDE OPEN SPACES TRUST financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit of £147,716 for the year ended 31 March 2025, resulting in a decrease in total funds. The trustees' report notes that free reserves are below the stated policy target of £225,400, with actual free reserves at £16,419, and the trustees are considering options to address this gap. Despite the deficit, the auditors confirmed that the use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate with no material uncertainties identified. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by MHA.
Who funds BANKSIDE OPEN SPACES TRUST?
Funders whose own accounts filings name BANKSIDE OPEN SPACES TRUST as a grant recipient include GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION, KUSUMA TRUST UK, THE LONDON MARATHON CHARITABLE TRUST LIMITED, SOUTHBANK AND WATERLOO NEIGHBOURS, THE NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME.
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 LAND RESTORATION TRUST.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.