THE MERRY OPERA COMPANY

Registered charity 1127392 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as MERRY OPERA, UNEXPECTED OPERA LIMITED

To advance the education and to promote the appreciation and enjoyment of the public in music, theatre and the performing arts with particular but not exclusive reference to opera.

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

Latest income

£178k

Latest spending

£193k

Registered

2009

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £14,404 for the year ended 31 December 2025, resulting in unrestricted funds carried forward of £967. The trustees maintain that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. The charity's reserves policy targets maintaining unrestricted funds equivalent to three to six months of expenditure, a level the trustees consider has been maintained.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: three and six month’s expenditure (held: £967)

“It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure.” — page 4

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 06770652

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.

BRUXNER RANDALL, Simon Richard — director, appointed 14/05/2026on trustee list
GLOVER, Josephine Mary, Dr — director, appointed 20/06/2025on trustee list
BOOTY, Laura Ruth — director, appointed 04/07/2022on trustee list
HILL, Angela Florence — director, appointed 31/03/2016on trustee list
QUIRK, Matthew — secretary, appointed 11/12/2008

Official officers record.

Trustees · trustee networks

ANGELA FLORENCE HILL
Dr Josephine Mary Glover
Laura Booty
Simon Bruxner-Randall

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£178k	£193k
31/12/2024	£169k	£144k
31/12/2023	£132k	£140k
31/12/2022	£70k	£82k
31/12/2021	£65k	£67k

Common questions

Is THE MERRY OPERA COMPANY financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £14,404 for the year ended 31 December 2025, resulting in unrestricted funds carried forward of £967. The trustees maintain that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. The charity's reserves policy targets maintaining unrestricted funds equivalent to three to six months of expenditure, a level the trustees consider has been maintained. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds THE MERRY OPERA COMPANY?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE MERRY OPERA COMPANY as a grant recipient include THE FENTON ARTS TRUST, THE BEHRENS FOUNDATION, DAVID LAING FOUNDATION, DORIS FIELD CHARITABLE TRUST, THE GOLSONCOTT FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE FENTON ARTS TRUST	FY2024	£5k
THE BEHRENS FOUNDATION	FY2022	£5k
DAVID LAING FOUNDATION	FY2022	£4k	Arts & Culture
DORIS FIELD CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£1k	Single payment
DORIS FIELD CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£1k	Single payment
THE GOLSONCOTT FOUNDATION	FY2024	£500
THE FENTON ARTS TRUST	FY2023	£0

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
Laidlaw Opera Trust	3	£220k
THE IDLEWILD TRUST	3	£22k
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£950k
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED	2	£9k
OPERA NORTH FUTURE FUND	1	£816k
THE LIZ AND TERRY BRAMALL FOUNDATION	1	£600k
The Keith Howard Foundation	1	£307k
PETTMAN (CLASSICAL MUSIC) FOUNDATION	1	£279k

Charities like this

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

OPERA NORTH LIMITED income £18.8m
LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA income £3.0m
FRIENDS OF DIVA OPERA LIMITED income £255k
WATERPERRY OPERA FESTIVAL income £748k
PIONEER THEATRES LIMITED income £4.3m
THE STOCK EXCHANGE DRAMATIC AND OPERATIC SOCIETY income £157k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE MERRY OPERA COMPANY	£178k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
OPERA NORTH LIMITED FY2025	£18.8m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
LONGBOROUGH FESTIVAL OPERA FY2025	£3.0m	£60,001 - £70,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
FRIENDS OF DIVA OPERA LIMITED FY2025	£255k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
WATERPERRY OPERA FESTIVAL FY2025	£748k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
PIONEER THEATRES LIMITED FY2025	£4.3m	—	—	unclear	27.0%	no doubt

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