THE OUTWARD BOUND TRUST
Registered charity 1128090 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as OUTWARD BOUND GLOBAL
The Outward Bound Trust unlocks the potential of young people through discovery and adventure in the wild. It runs courses at residential centres in the Lake District, North Wales and the Highlands, translating experiences in the mountains, sea, lakes and rivers into lessons for life. A bursary programme ensures courses are open to all young people regardless of their financial circumstances.
Causes: Education/training · Economic/community Development/employment · 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 headline deficit of £2.4m for the year ended 30 September 2025, driven by increased operating costs and course cancellations, though unrestricted reserves remained robust at £3.7m. Per the trustees' report, the organisation maintains a sound financial position with total reserves of £11.6m and cash resources of £9.4m, providing confidence in its ability to continue operations while implementing cost-saving measures.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: £2.5m cash or cash equivalents (held: £3.8m)
“Trustees have concluded that the General Fund reserve should continue to have cash or cash equivalents of at least £2.5m.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by HaysMac LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
OUTWARD BOUND CORPORATE LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
- Turnover: £4.7m
- Profit before tax: £497k
- Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £497k
- Management charge from parent charity included in cost of sales
“Payment under Deed of Covenant to The Outward Bound Trust”
OUTWARD BOUND TRADING LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
- No intra-group transactions or balances are disclosed in the provided micro-entity accounts.
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Outward Bound Trust (matched by registered charity number).
Funders the charity credits
Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).
- The Barratt Foundation — “£1m boost thanks to The Barratt Foundation” (source page)
- The Barratt Redrow Foundation — “In 2024, the Barratt Redrow Foundation committed a further £1 million over the next three years to support Outward Bound.” (source page)
- Burberry — “Burberry partners with Outward Bound” (source page)
- Equip UK — “Our partnership with Equip is rooted in shared values and a belief in the power of the outdoors to transform lives.” (source page)
- ESRI UK — “ESRI have supported a number of schools close to our business locations in Buckinghamshire and Scotland for over 10 years.” (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.
- HEADLEY, Andrew Nicholas — director, appointed 22/06/2026on trustee list
- RAHMAN, Ashfaq Ahmed — director, appointed 22/06/2026not on trustee list
- JOSEPH, Richard Michael — director, appointed 16/03/2026on trustee list
- MCKENNA, Maureen, Dr — director, appointed 09/12/2024on trustee list
- BAKER, Mark William — director, appointed 20/09/2024on trustee list
- RATTIGAN, Lynn Stacey — director, appointed 19/03/2024on trustee list
- HALLAS, Jo — director, appointed 19/03/2024not on trustee list
- HEMPLEMAN-ADAMS KCVO OBE KSTJ DL, David Kim, Sir — director, appointed 23/09/2022not on trustee list
- WRIGHT, Helen Mary Turnbull — director, appointed 20/06/2022on trustee list
- VOLLER, Paul Marcus George — director, appointed 12/03/2018on trustee list
- LEWIS, Jonathan Wayne — director, appointed 14/12/2017on trustee list
- HOULDING, Leo — director, appointed 20/03/2017on trustee list
- NORCROSS, Fiona Louise — secretary, appointed 01/01/2025
Official officers record.
Property (HM Land Registry)
15 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (7 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 30/09/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£1.8m
Reported reserves equal ~1.5 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable 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: 10.2% of total income — above the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (21/10/2025) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (24/01/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (22/07/2020) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Scotland · Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE OUTWARD BOUND TRUST financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a headline deficit of £2.4m for the year ended 30 September 2025, driven by increased operating costs and course cancellations, though unrestricted reserves remained robust at £3.7m. Per the trustees' report, the organisation maintains a sound financial position with total reserves of £11.6m and cash resources of £9.4m, providing confidence in its ability to continue operations while implementing cost-saving measures. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by HaysMac LLP.
Who funds THE OUTWARD BOUND TRUST?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE OUTWARD BOUND TRUST as a grant recipient include THE HARRY & MARY FOUNDATION.
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 YOUTH ADVENTURE TRUST.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.