THE THORESBY SOCIETY

Registered charity 1126086 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q53952646 · Wikipedia

The Leeds Historical Society, founded 1889, covering Leeds and its neighbourhood. The Society seeks to promote public interest in the history of Leeds and its neighbourhood by means of lectures, visits, publications, a library and archive, and other ventures.Prior to incorporation as a company limited by guarantee, the Thoresby Society was registered under charity No. 227526.

Objects

I TO BE THE PREMIER HISTORY SOCIETY OF LEEDS AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD AND ACCORDINGLY TO CULTIVATE AN INTEREST IN THE HISTORY OF LEEDS AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD THROUGH THE COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF BOOKS AND OTHER MATTER THAT MAY ASSIST THIS PURPOSE;II TO PROMOTE THE DISSEMINATION OF KNOWLEDGE BY ALL APPROPRIATE MEANS OF THE HISTORY OF LEEDS AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD AND TO PROMOTE A WIDE PUBLIC INTEREST THEREIN;III TO OVERSEE THE PUBLICATION OF DOCUMENTS, MONOGRAPHS AND PAPERS RELATING TO THE HISTORY OF LEEDS AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD.

Area of benefit: LEEDS AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD

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

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

Registered contact address: Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£43k

Latest spending

£38k

Registered

2008

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported an operating surplus of approximately £4,700 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with total income rising to over £43,000. Total unrestricted funds increased to £419,073, supported by investment gains of £34,849. The trustees confirm there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's 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

Reserves policy: to hold sufficient unrestricted reserves to support the charity through difficult financial periods (reserves figure: £419k)

“These are to hold sufficient unrestricted reserves to support the charity through difficult financial periods; to at least maintain the real value of these investments over time after adjusting for inflation; and to generate annual income to help to fund the cost of the Society's charitable activities.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 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.

Complaints policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Investment
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures

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 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 3

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 10

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

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 06649783

The charity’s company — latest Companies House iXBRL filing (balance sheet 31 December 2025)

Equity: £419k

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.

STORR, Emma, Dr — director, appointed 01/06/2026on trustee list
JOHNSON, Benjamin — director, appointed 01/01/2026on trustee list
JONES-TINSLEY, James — director, appointed 15/04/2025on trustee list
WAKEFIELD, Barbara — director, appointed 11/07/2024on trustee list
STANIFORTH, Martin John, Dr — director, appointed 01/01/2024on trustee list
RAMM, Antony Graeme — director, appointed 20/04/2020on trustee list
GILLETT, Patrick — director, appointed 24/04/2017on trustee list
GRADY, Kevin, Dr — director, appointed 31/12/2008on trustee list
BURT, Steven, Professor — director, appointed 31/12/2008not on trustee list
HOWARTH, Peter Andrew, Dr — secretary, appointed 20/04/2020

Official officers record.

Trustees · trustee networks

Antony Ramm
Barbara Wakefield
Benjamin Johnson
Christopher Hindle
Dr Emma Storr
Dr MARTIN JOHN STANIFORTH · trustee of 2 other charities
Dr Peter Howarth
James Jones-Tinsley
Kevin Grady · trustee of 1 other charity
MARGARET JOSEPHINE PULLAN · trustee of 3 other charities
Patrick Gillett
STEVE BURT · trustee of 1 other charity

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

Operates in: Leeds City

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£43k	£38k
31/12/2024	£30k	£33k
31/12/2023	£31k	£19k
31/12/2022	£23k	£23k
31/12/2021	£21k	£19k

Common questions

Is THE THORESBY SOCIETY financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported an operating surplus of approximately £4,700 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with total income rising to over £43,000. Total unrestricted funds increased to £419,073, supported by investment gains of £34,849. The trustees confirm there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
SCOULOUDI FOUNDATION	2	£60k
THE VIRGIN MONEY FOUNDATION	1	£8k
MARC FITCH FUND	1	£2k
THE ARNOLD BURTON 1998 CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£850

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with HORNSEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY.

HORNSEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY income £580k
ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY income £684k
LEEDS COMMUNITY SPACES income £199k
LONDON TOPOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY income £34k
THE HERALDRY SOCIETY income £50k
LEEDS CIVIC TRUST income £407k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE THORESBY SOCIETY	£43k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
HORNSEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY FY2026	£580k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY FY2025	£684k	£60,001 - £70,000	2	above	—	no doubt
LEEDS COMMUNITY SPACES FY2025	£199k	—	0	below	—	no doubt
LONDON TOPOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY FY2025	£34k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE HERALDRY SOCIETY FY2026	£50k	—	—	above	—	no doubt

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