ROYAL AIR FORCE SAILING ASSOCIATION

Registered charity 1132197 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as RAFSA

Assisting in the provision of sailing

Objects

THE OBJECTS FOR WHICH THE CHARITY IS TO BE ESTABLISHED (THE "OBJECTS") ARE TO PROMOTE THE EFFICIENCY OF HER MAJESTY'S ARMED FORCES BY INCREASING PHYSICAL FITNESS, FOSTERING THE ESPIRIT DE CORPS AND RAISING MORALE OF MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AND OTHER SERVICES, IN PARTICULAR (BUT NOT BY WAY OF LIMITATION), THROUGH PROMOTING, ENCOURAGING PARTICIPATION IN AND PROVIDING OR ASSISTING IN THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR SAILING.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED

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

Causes: Amateur Sport · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Buckinghamshire, South East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£170k

Latest spending

£199k

Registered

2009

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity's financial position remained solid at the end of 2025, with total free reserves of £785,975. The trustees confirmed that the level of reserves is sufficient to support the charity going forward on a going concern basis, despite high maintenance costs for its aging fleet. The charity operates under the small companies regime and underwent an independent examination rather than a full audit.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: The directors aim to ensure the charity will be able to continue to fulfil its charitable objectives even if there is a temporary shortfall in income or unexpected expenditure. The directors will endeavour not to set aside funds unnecessarily. (reserves figure: £786k)

“The directors aim to ensure the charity will be able to continue to fulfil its charitable objectives even if there is a temporary shortfall in income or unexpected expenditure. The directors will endeavour not to set aside funds unnecessarily.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Payments to trustees: One director received a payment for mileage totalling £41.35 incurred whilst towing charity assets to an event.

“One director received a payment for mileage totalling £41.35 incurred whilst towing charity assets to an event. No other payments were made to directors or any persons connected with them during this financial period, apart from the reimbursement of charitable expenditure paid personally. No material transaction took place between the organisation and a director or any person connected with them.” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: One director received a payment for mileage totalling £41.35 incurred whilst towing charity assets to an event. No other payments were made to directors or any persons connected with them during this financial period, apart from the reimbursement of charitable expenditure paid personally. No material transaction took place between the organisation and a director or any person connected with them.

“One director received a payment for mileage totalling £41.35 incurred whilst towing charity assets to an event. No other payments were made to directors or any persons connected with them during this financial period, apart from the reimbursement of charitable expenditure paid personally. No material transaction took place between the organisation and a director or any person connected with them.” — page 21

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.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest 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 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 30

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 30

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

Volunteers: 30

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

Annual return filing dates (Charity Commission record)

Of its last 5 annual returns with a recorded received date, 1 was received after the due date: year ending 31/12/2022 (received 14/12/2023, 44 days after the 31/10/2023 due date).

Due and received dates as recorded in the Commission’s annual-return data; the data does not say whether an extension was agreed. Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Andrew Johnson
EDWARD DODWELL
Gillian Anne Burgess
John Deniol Williams
Jorg Lobbedey
Robert South
Simon Kent
Tom Walker
Tristan Cook

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	£170k	£199k
31/12/2024	£135k	£162k
31/12/2023	£135k	£218k
31/12/2022	£134k	£175k
31/12/2021	£145k	£184k

Common questions

Is ROYAL AIR FORCE SAILING ASSOCIATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity's financial position remained solid at the end of 2025, with total free reserves of £785,975. The trustees confirmed that the level of reserves is sufficient to support the charity going forward on a going concern basis, despite high maintenance costs for its aging fleet. The charity operates under the small companies regime and underwent an independent examination rather than a full audit. 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
THE CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE OF DEPTFORD STROND	1	£397k
THE I T F SEAFARERS TRUST	1	£75k
THE ROYAL NAVY AND ROYAL MARINES CHARITY	1	£65k
MERCHANT NAVY WELFARE BOARD	1	£46k
QUEEN MARY'S ROEHAMPTON TRUST	1	£25k
THE CATHERINE AND ANGUS WOOD CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£5k
THE JORON CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£5k
THE HARRY & MARY FOUNDATION	1	£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY ASSOCIATION.

ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY ASSOCIATION income £24k
ROYAL AIR FORCE SPORT AIRCRAFT income £49k
ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION FORMBY BRANCH income £30k
THE ROYAL AIR FORCE BENEVOLENT FUND income £2.4m
ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY income £5.3m
ROYAL AIR FORCE MOUNTAINEERING ASSOCIATION income £50k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ROYAL AIR FORCE SAILING ASSOCIATION	£170k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ROYAL FLEET AUXILIARY ASSOCIATION FY2024	£24k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
ROYAL AIR FORCE SPORT AIRCRAFT FY2024	£49k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION FORMBY BRANCH FY2025	£30k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE ROYAL AIR FORCE BENEVOLENT FUND FY2025	£2.4m	—	19	unclear	17.9%	no doubt
ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY FY2025	£5.3m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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