WESSEX RIVERS TRUST

Registered charity 1130991 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as WCSRT, WESSEX CHALK STREAM AND RIVERS TRUST, WESSEX CHALKSTREAM AND RIVERS TRUST

We are continuing to work to establish the charity with the objectives as set out below: environmental, educational and scientific.

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

Latest income

£1.8m

Latest spending

£1.2m

Registered

2009

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income exceeded expenditure by £591,713, resulting in a net asset position of £1,220,918. Unrestricted reserves stood at £498,117, which the trustees consider adequate to cover salary costs and overheads for at least three months. The auditors confirmed that the use of the going concern basis of accounting was appropriate with no material uncertainties identified.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: Under £60,000 — below the median for charities its size (£70k)

“No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000.” — page 17

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Fundraising cost ratio: 0.0% of fundraised income, as disclosed

“The trustees carry out fundraising on behalf of the charity free of charge.” — page 14

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: three months of unrestricted expenditure (held: £498k)

“The trustees' reserves policy is to maintain reserves at a level that would permit the Trust to cover its salary costs and overheads for a period of at least three months in the case of unforeseen events.” — page 5

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The charitable company is controlled by the trustees who are all directors of the company.

“£350,000 was received from the trading subsidiary Wessex River Services Limited during the year (2024: £1,997). G.E.S Seligman is also a Trustee of the Wild Trout Trust a charity with whom Wessex Rivers Trust collaborates on various activities and projects” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Wessex Rivers Services Limited

“£350,000 was received from the trading subsidiary Wessex River Services Limited during the year” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Fawcetts LLP. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

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

Wessex Rivers Trust's Walkover Assessment storymaps.arcgis.com · 24/06/2022

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Wessex Rivers Trust (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Joanna Baldwin — Chair of Trustees (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.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 30/06/2025)

Total income

£1.8m

Total spending

£1.2m

Reserves (reported)

£498k

Employees

20

Reported reserves equal ~5.0 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (96% 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: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Joanna Baldwinchair · trustee of 1 other charity
ALEXANDER NICHOLAS JOHN BARING
FIONA BOWLES
GEORGE EDWARD SPENCER SELIGMAN · trustee of 5 other charities
Giles Marshall Hallam Mills
Jeremy Dunn
Jessica Brown
Joanna Lewis · trustee of 1 other charity
Jonathan Durrant
Philip Sidney Leonard
RAYMOND DUNCAN BORRAS
Timothy John Sykes

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

Operates in: Dorset · Hampshire · Isle Of Wight · Wiltshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
30/06/2025	£1.8m	£1.2m
30/06/2024	£1.3m	£1.1m
30/06/2023	£1.5m	£1.4m
30/06/2022	£1.2m	£1.2m
30/06/2021	£752k	£630k

Common questions

Is WESSEX RIVERS TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that total income exceeded expenditure by £591,713, resulting in a net asset position of £1,220,918. Unrestricted reserves stood at £498,117, which the trustees consider adequate to cover salary costs and overheads for at least three months. The auditors confirmed that the use of the going concern basis of accounting was appropriate with no material uncertainties identified. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Fawcetts LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of WESSEX RIVERS TRUST earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the Under £60,000 band.

Who funds WESSEX RIVERS TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name WESSEX RIVERS TRUST as a grant recipient include JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION, JOHN SWIRE 1989 CHARITABLE TRUST, THE HDH WILLS 1965 CHARITABLE TRUST, THE NINEVEH CHARITABLE TRUST, SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION	FY2023	£120k	Core costs to continue to deliver their catchment-scale conservation work and educational activities for the benefit of vulnerable chalk streams
JOHN SWIRE 1989 CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£50k
THE HDH WILLS 1965 CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£20k
THE NINEVEH CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£5k
SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£3k
SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£3k	Grant paid or payable

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	01/04/2024	£18k	PGW 0849-CF2413
UK government	01/04/2024	£15k	CHF_WEIF4301-2425
UK government	26/02/2024	£1k	Wild Figheldean
UK government	07/09/2023	£75k	Conservation and Enhancement Scheme
UK government	01/04/2023	£9k	PGW 0849-CF2303
UK government	01/04/2023	£13k	PGW 0849-CF2021
UK government	01/04/2023	£15k	WEIF2701a-CF2044
UK government	01/04/2023	£40k	PGW 1024-CF2305
UK government	01/04/2023	£17k	PGW 0849-CF2304
UK government	01/04/2022	£15k	WEIF2701 22/23-Avon Hampshire
UK government	01/04/2022	£20k	PGW 0916-CF1910-Tarrant barriers 2223
UK government	01/04/2022	£13k	PGW 0849-CF1743-Test & Itchen Project 2223 (2223 50k, 2324 50k, 2425 47250) *Adv 25% to be checked*
UK government	01/04/2022	£14k	PGW 0849-CF1774-Test & Itchen Project 2223 (2223 50k, 2324 50k, 2425 47250)
UK government	01/04/2019	£15k	WEIF2701-19/20 HAMPSHIRE AVON WFD CRF GRANT PAYMENTS TO CHARITIES
UK government	01/04/2018	£15k	ALB - Environment Agency - AMPSHIRE AVON WFD CRF GRANT PAYMENTS TO CHARITIES
UK government	01/04/2018	£10k	ALB - Environment Agency - Ripley Brook - Hampshire Avon 18/19
UK government	—	£2k	Ripley Brook Restoration
UK government	—	£15k	Hampshire Avon

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
THE BANISTER CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£1.0m
The Neath Port Talbot Community Voluntary Service Limited	1	£35k
LANCASHIRE ENVIRONMENTAL FUND LIMITED	1	£30k
The Ashley Family Foundation	1	£10k
THE LINDER FOUNDATION	1	£3k
THE YORKSHIRE DALES MILLENNIUM TRUST	1	£2k
THE HADFIELD CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£2k
SKELTON BOUNTY	1	£2k

Charities like this

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

WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY LIMITED income £27.7m
SEVERN RIVERS TRUST income £2.9m
WEST CUMBRIA RIVERS TRUST LIMITED income £2.5m
WEST WALES RIVERS TRUST income £884k
RIBBLE RIVERS TRUST LIMITED income £3.8m
EAST MERCIA RIVERS TRUST income £966k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
WESSEX RIVERS TRUST	£1.8m	Under £60,000	0	above	0.0%	no doubt
WESSEX ARCHAEOLOGY LIMITED FY2025	£27.7m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SEVERN RIVERS TRUST FY2025	£2.9m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
WEST CUMBRIA RIVERS TRUST LIMITED FY2025	£2.5m	—	0	within	—	no doubt
WEST WALES RIVERS TRUST FY2025	£884k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
RIBBLE RIVERS TRUST LIMITED FY2025	£3.8m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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