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LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA

Registered charity 1087303 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To promote, maintain, improve and advance education of the public through support and encouragement of the art of music. To promote, maintain, improve and advance education of the local community by organising and conducting performances of opera and collaborating with local schools, music students to providing opportunities to attend workshops, rehearsals, performances

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

Latest income
£3.0m
Latest spending
£3.3m
Registered
2001
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported an overall deficit of £380,964 for the year ended 31 August 2025, resulting in total reserves falling to £1,047,430 from £1,428,394 the previous year. Per the trustees' report, this deficit was the result of deliberate artistic risk-taking supported by designated reserves, rather than unexpected operational pressures. The trustees confirm the charity has adequate resources to continue as a going concern 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: £60,001 - £70,000 — below the median for charities its size (£70k)
“In the band £60,001 - £70,000” — page 41
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: one year (held: £1.0m)
“Longborough’s reserves policy states that the Charity seeks to maintain an operational reserve sufficient to operate for a minimum of one year in the event of a significant drop in income”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by WR Partners. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)

Total income
£3.0m
Total spending
£3.3m
Cost of raising funds
£104k
Reserves (reported)
£865k
Employees
11

Reported reserves equal ~3.1 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (37% 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: 3.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Gloucestershire

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/08/2025£3.0m£3.3m
31/08/2024£3.6m£3.5m
31/08/2023£2.8m£2.5m
31/08/2022£2.4m£2.4m
31/08/2021£1.7m£2.0m

Common questions

Is LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported an overall deficit of £380,964 for the year ended 31 August 2025, resulting in total reserves falling to £1,047,430 from £1,428,394 the previous year. Per the trustees' report, this deficit was the result of deliberate artistic risk-taking supported by designated reserves, rather than unexpected operational pressures. The trustees confirm the charity has adequate resources to continue as a going concern for the foreseeable future. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by WR Partners.

What does the highest-paid employee of LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £60,001 - £70,000 band.

Who funds LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA?

Funders whose own accounts filings name LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA as a grant recipient include THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST, CHK Foundation, COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUST, PETER STORMONTH DARLING CHARITABLE TRUST, THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£300k
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£250k
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£200k
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£100k
CHK FoundationFY2023£40k
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£40kProduction of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas, featuring the Emerging Artists
PETER STORMONTH DARLING CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£30kCharitable donations
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£30kSupport the new production of La Bohéme.
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATIONFY2024£20kTowards the filming of the summer production.
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATIONFY2024£20k
THE OFENHEIM CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£12k
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATIONFY2025£10kOther
Laidlaw Opera TrustFY2025£10kUnrestricted grant
CHK FoundationFY2024£10k
CHK FoundationFY2023£10k
THE OFENHEIM CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£9k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATIONFY2023£7k
THE IDLEWILD TRUSTFY2023£5k
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£5kA grant of £5,000 was offered to support the 'Emerging Artists' programme in 2023.
THE OFENHEIM CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£5k
THE PELL CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£5k
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£5kSupport the 'Emerging Artists' programme in 2022
THE CRESCENT TRUSTFY2022£4k
THE CHARLOTTE HEBER-PERCY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£3k
GAMLEN CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£3k
MISSES BARRIE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£3k
DR RADCLIFFE'S TRUSTFY2025£3kMusical play-based non-verbal intensive interactions
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATIONFY2022£2k
GAMLEN CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£2k
THE SAINTBURY TRUSTFY2024£2kAdvancement of Arts, Culture, Heritage or Science
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATIONFY2025£2k
THE SAINTBURY TRUSTFY2022£2kThe Advancement of Arts, Culture, Heritage or Science
THE SAINTBURY TRUSTFY2025£2kAdvancement of Arts, Culture, Heritage or Science
GAMLEN CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£2k
GAMLEN CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£2k
THE CHARLOTTE HEBER-PERCY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£2k
MISSES BARRIE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£2k
THE SERTH AND GATES CHARITYFY2023£2kDonations paid during the year
THE SERTH AND GATES CHARITYFY2022£2k
MISSES BARRIE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2026£2k
MISSES BARRIE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£1k
ROCKCLIFFE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£1k

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.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE FENTON ARTS TRUST3£10k
THE GOLSONCOTT FOUNDATION3£3k
THE SCOPS ARTS TRUST2£30k
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED2£9k
DORIS FIELD CHARITABLE TRUST2£3k
OPERA NORTH FUTURE FUND1£816k
THE LIZ AND TERRY BRAMALL FOUNDATION1£600k
The Keith Howard Foundation1£307k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with OPERA NORTH LIMITED.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA£3.0m£60,001 - £70,000—unclear—no doubt
OPERA NORTH LIMITED FY2025£18.8m——below—no doubt
THE MERRY OPERA COMPANY FY2025£178k—0unclear—no doubt
THE STOCK EXCHANGE DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC SOCIETY FY2024£157k—0above—no doubt
THE MOZARTISTS FY2025£689k£80,001 - £90,0001below—no doubt
BRIGHTON AND HOVE PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY LIMITED FY2025£505k—0unclear—no doubt

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