THE READER ORGANISATION
Registered charity 1126806 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also registered in Scotland as SC043054 (OSCR)
We aim to bring about a Reading Revolution making it possible for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to enjoy and engage with books on a deep and personal level. We aim to improve well-being and build communities through shared reading. Our work is driven by the heartfelt belief that literacy is not just the ability to read, but the state of being a reader.
Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £296,422 for the year ended 31 March 2025, an improvement on the previous year's deficit of £627,238. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted, undesignated reserves stood at £306,226, which the charity notes equates to three months of core running costs against a policy target of three to six months.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Largest income source: Trading income (42% of income)
“42% trading income, principally from our subsidiary, Calderstones Mansion House Community Interest Company” — page 21
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: three to six months (held: £306k)
“The charity’s reserves policy is to build up unrestricted reserves sufficient to enable the charity’s core running costs to be continued for a period of three months, but where possible six months, should regular funding becoming unobtainable.” — page 21
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Xeinadin Audit Limited. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.
Year-over-year changes
- Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (FY2024) → 0 (FY2025).
Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.
Corporate structure
What the charity says about itself (2024-2025)
From its own voluntary annual review / impact report — the charity’s account of its work, distinct from the statutory accounts analysed above.
The report states '24,372 UK Shared Reading participants +17%'.
“24,372 UK Shared Reading participants +17%”
The report states '96% of Shared Reading group members said they had ‘conversations that matter’ in their groups this year.'
“96% of Shared Reading group members said they had ‘conversations that matter’ in their groups this year.”
The report states '100% of participants reported significant improvements in wellbeing' regarding the Reading Heroes programme.
“100% of participants reported significant improvements in wellbeing”
The report states '440,000+ visits to Calderstones' and notes this is an '11% increase on the year before'.
“440,000+ visits to Calderstones”
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Reader (matched by registered charity number).
Leadership, per the charity’s website
- Jemma Guerrier — Managing Director (source)
- Jane Davis — Founder (source)
- Anita Marsland — Chair of the Board of Trustees (source)
- Katie Clark — Director of Literature (source)
- Tamzin Golding — Director of Development and Communications (source)
- Anton Clarke — Director of Social Enterprise (source)
- Ginny Hopton — Director of Finance, Governance and Commercial Planning (source)
- Kara Orford — Director of Delivery (source)
Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.
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.
- ANDERSON, Jamie John — director, appointed 20/11/2025not on trustee list
- HUGHES, Pauline Olivia — director, appointed 21/11/2024on trustee list
- WILLOWS, Helen, Dr — director, appointed 17/05/2021on trustee list
- ATKINSON, Neil Edward — director, appointed 17/05/2021on trustee list
- FLETCHER, Sarah Louise — director, appointed 14/09/2020on trustee list
- MARSLAND, Anita Susan — director, appointed 09/09/2019on trustee list
- HUSSEY, Ruth Mary, Dr — director, appointed 12/11/2018on trustee list
- MARTIN, Jennifer Anne — secretary, appointed 16/05/2018
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 31/03/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£1.8m
Reported reserves equal ~0.8 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Other trading activities (41% 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: 39.2% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).
- Anita Marslandchair
- Dr Helen Willows
- Dr Ruth Hussey · trustee of 1 other charity
- Jamiejohn Anderson
- Neil Atkinson
- Pauline Hughes
- Sarah Fletcher
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE READER ORGANISATION financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £296,422 for the year ended 31 March 2025, an improvement on the previous year's deficit of £627,238. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted, undesignated reserves stood at £306,226, which the charity notes equates to three months of core running costs against a policy target of three to six months. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Xeinadin Audit Limited.
Who funds THE READER ORGANISATION?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE READER ORGANISATION as a grant recipient include THE STEVE MORGAN FOUNDATION, THE RAYNE FOUNDATION, CHARITY OF SIR RICHARD WHITTINGTON, HIGHWAY ONE TRUST, THE AUSTIN AND HOPE PILKINGTON TRUST.
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 WORLDREADER.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.