CREATIVE FOLKESTONE
Registered charity 1105174 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE CREATIVE FOUNDATION
Creative Folkestone is an arts organisation committed to making great art, and through this we will make Folkestone a great place. The charity promotes creativity through the Creative Quarter, Folkestone Triennial, a festivals programme including the Folkestone Book Festival, Quarterhouse performing arts centre, the Folkestone Artworks collection and a programme of learning and engagement.
Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit of £266,706 for the year ended 31 March 2025, compared to a surplus in the prior year. Per the trustees' report, the charity holds significant property assets valued at £15.1 million and maintains unrestricted free reserves of £1,789,353, which fall within its stated policy target range of £250,000 to £400,000.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: between £250,000 and £400,000 (held: £1.8m)
“the Creative Folkestone Board of Trustees has set a target range of between £250,000 and £400,000 for its free reserves.” — page 16
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: RDHCT payment for Folkestone Artworks
“The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust (RDHCT), a charity of which Sir Roger De Haan is a Trustee, made a payment of £105,723 (2024: £85,800) to the Folkestone Artworks.” — page 36
“At the year end, the Charity owed £647 (2024: £647) to its subsidiary, The Creative Foundation (Trading) Limited.” — page 36
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Amount owed to subsidiary
“The Roger De Haan Charitable Trust (RDHCT), a charity of which Sir Roger De Haan is a Trustee, made a payment of £105,723 (2024: £85,800) to the Folkestone Artworks.” — page 36
“At the year end, the Charity owed £647 (2024: £647) to its subsidiary, The Creative Foundation (Trading) Limited.” — page 36
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by RSM UK Audit LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
THE CREATIVE FOUNDATION (TRADING) LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
- No intra-group transactions disclosed as the company has not traded, received no income, and incurred no expenditure.
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.
- WATKINS, Mark — director, appointed 23/09/2024not on trustee list
- SHRIVER, David Mark Owings — director, appointed 26/06/2024on trustee list
- NESBITT, Judith Elizabeth May — director, appointed 27/06/2022on trustee list
- STONE, Vanessa Ann — director, appointed 08/03/2021on trustee list
- DE HAAN, Alison Paula, Lady — director, appointed 25/02/2016not on trustee list
- IRONSIDE, Andrew Thomson — director, appointed 15/11/2013on trustee list
- UPTON, Alastair David — director, appointed 16/04/2013on trustee list
- HUDSON, Paul David — director, appointed 22/09/2009on trustee list
- RADNOR, William 9th Earl Of, Earl — director, appointed 12/02/2009on trustee list
- DEUCHAR, Stephen, Dr — director, appointed 12/02/2009not on trustee list
- DE HAAN, Roger Michael, Sir — director, appointed 08/01/2003not on trustee list
- ANSELL, Stephen Edward — secretary, appointed 28/04/2025
Official officers record.
Property (HM Land Registry)
55 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (3 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
£78k
Reported reserves equal ~2.2 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 (90% 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: 2.6% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Kent
Income and spending
Common questions
Is CREATIVE FOLKESTONE financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit of £266,706 for the year ended 31 March 2025, compared to a surplus in the prior year. Per the trustees' report, the charity holds significant property assets valued at £15.1 million and maintains unrestricted free reserves of £1,789,353, which fall within its stated policy target range of £250,000 to £400,000. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by RSM UK Audit LLP.
Who funds CREATIVE FOLKESTONE?
Funders whose own accounts filings name CREATIVE FOLKESTONE as a grant recipient include THE ROGER DE HAAN CHARITABLE TRUST, THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION.
Shared trustees with funders
Register facts shown side by side: a person serves as trustee of both this charity and a funder whose accounts record grants to it. Shared trusteeship is lawful and common; well-run charities manage it through declared-interest procedures.
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 FOLKESTONE - HYTHE OPERATIC AND DRAMATIC SOCIETY.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.