THE NATIONAL CHURCHES TRUST

Registered charity 1119845 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Charity's objects are to promote the conservation, repair, maintenance, improvement, upkeep, beautification and reconstruction of churches in the United Kingdom and of monuments, fittings, fixtures, stained glass, furniture, ornaments, organs, bells in such churches; and to promote the building, enlargement and development of churches in the United Kingdom.

Objects

4.1 TO PROMOTE THE CONSERVATION, REPAIR, MAINTENANCE, IMPROVEMENT, UPKEEP, BEAUTIFICATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF CHURCHES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND OF MONUMENTS, FITTINGS, FIXTURES, STAINED GLASS, FURNITURE, ORNAMENTS, ORGANS, BELLS AND CHATTELS IN SUCH CHURCHES, AND OF THE CHURCHYARD BELONGING TO ANY OF SUCH CHURCHES; 4.2 TO PROMOTE THE BUILDING, ENLARGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHURCHES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM; 4.3 TO PROMOTE THE CAPACITY OF CHURCHES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM TO PROVIDE PUBLIC BENEFIT, INCLUDING THROUGH THE PROVISION OF ADVICE, ASSISTANCE, EDUCATION, TRAINING AND OTHER SUPPORT; AND 4.4 TO PROMOTE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT THE KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING AND ENJOYMENT OF CHURCHES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM, INCLUDING THROUGH THE PROVISION OF INFORMATION AND OTHER SERVICES AND FACILITIES FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE 4, “UNITED KINGDOM” SHALL INCLUDE THE CHANNEL ISLANDS AND THE ISLE OF MAN.

Area of benefit: NATIONAL

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

Causes: Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Westminster, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity achieved a surplus of £757,193 for the year, with total income rising to £5.2 million. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted reserves stood at £3.71 million, which is above the stated policy range of £2.1 million to £3.4 million. The charity reports no material uncertainties regarding its ability to continue as a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Buzzacott Audit LLP. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

• Top pay band moved from £70,000 - £79,999 (FY2024) to £70,001 - £80,000 (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

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
• 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.

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

In the news

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

• National Churches Trust reports total income of £5.2 million churchtimes.co.uk · 17/09/2026
• Conwy church is Wales’ only finalist for the National Churches Trust Award herald.wales · 10/08/2026
• Conwy church is Wales’s only finalist for the National Churches Trust Award churchinwales.org.uk · 07/08/2026
• National Churches Trust: End 'unfair' VAT on historic church repairs christiantoday.com · 23/05/2026
• National Churches Trust Medium Grants for Churches (UK) www2.fundsforngos.org · 17/03/2026
• National Churches Trust launches Small Grant Program (UK) www2.fundsforngos.org · 15/10/2025
• National Churches Trust announces Large Grant (UK) www2.fundsforngos.org · 15/10/2025
• Open Call for National Churches Trust Medium Grants (UK) www2.fundsforngos.org · 15/10/2025

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 06265201

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• Wolfson Foundation — “We also partner with other Trusts and Foundations, such as the Wolfson Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Jane Hodge Founda…” (source page)
• The National Lottery Heritage Fund — “We also partner with other Trusts and Foundations, such as the Wolfson Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Jane Hodge Founda…” (source page)
• Jane Hodge Foundation — “We also partner with other Trusts and Foundations, such as the Wolfson Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Jane Hodge Founda…” (source page)
• Department for Communities — “We also partner with other Trusts and Foundations, such as the Wolfson Foundation, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Jane Hodge Founda…” (source page)

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.

• FAULL, Vivienne Frances, The Rt Revd — director, appointed 26/03/2026on trustee list
• DANCE, Deborah Jane — director, appointed 25/09/2025on trustee list
• RENNIE, Scott Martin, The Revd Dr — director, appointed 25/09/2025on trustee list
• KWAKU-ODOI, Charles — director, appointed 12/06/2025on trustee list
• RUTNAM, Philip Mcdougall, Sir — director, appointed 22/09/2022on trustee list
• WALTER, Nigel Hugh, Dr — director, appointed 16/12/2021on trustee list
• STEWART, Sarah Lesley — director, appointed 16/12/2021on trustee list
• STANFORD, Henry Julian Aglionby — director, appointed 12/03/2019on trustee list
• PEPINSTER, Catherine Mary — director, appointed 12/12/2018on trustee list
• MCDONALD, Catherine Donna — director, appointed 12/12/2018on trustee list
• WALKER, Claire — secretary, appointed 20/09/2011

Official officers record.

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.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~9.5 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 9.1% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.3%) (benchmarks).

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (15/07/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
• Received assets from another charity (11/12/2023) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• CATHERINE DONNA MCDONALD
• Catherine Marie Pepinster · trustee of 1 other charity
• Christopher Paul Jones Mr
• Deborah Jane Dance · trustee of 1 other charity
• Dr Nigel Hugh Walter · trustee of 1 other charity
• GERALD MICHAEL NOLAN CORBETT · trustee of 1 other charity
• Henry Julian Aglionby Stanford
• Rev Canon Charles Kwaku-Odoi
• Rev Scott Rennie
• Rev Vivienne Frances Faull
• Sarah Lesley Stewart · trustee of 1 other charity
• Sir Philip McDougall Rutnam · trustee of 2 other charities

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

Operates in: Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

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

Grants marked “Unverified read” were flagged by automated checks as possibly misread from the funder’s filed accounts. They are listed, but left out of the totals, counts and funder relationships this site computes.

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 NATIONAL SOCIETY (CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND CHURCH IN WALES) FOR THE PROMOTION OF EDUCATION.

• THE NATIONAL SOCIETY (CHURCH OF ENGLAND AND CHURCH IN WALES) FOR THE PROMOTION OF EDUCATION income £6.4m
• THE DIOCESE OF NORWICH CHURCHES TRUST income £55k
• CHURCH OF ENGLAND CENTRAL SERVICES income £140.1m
• CHURCHES CONSERVATION income £408k
• THE CLERGY REST FUND income £27k
• CHAWN HILL CHURCH income £267k

Side by side with its peers

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