KEIGHLEY & WORTH VALLEY RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY LIMITED
Registered charity 1136853 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as KWVR
The core activities of the railway is operating public train services on all weekends during the year and on weekdays during school holidays and a shoulder summer season. In addition the railway offers supporting activities to both generate additional funds and offer the public opportunities to experience different aspects of the railway.
Causes: Education/training · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts
The accounts state that unrestricted cash reserves decreased during the year due to heavy investment in civil, property, and mechanical engineering projects, specifically the rebuilding of Bridge 27. Despite this, the charity maintained total unrestricted funds of £5,012,062 and held cash and investments above £1 million throughout the year, with the trustees confirming adequate resources to continue in operational existence.
Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Related-party transaction: The Friends of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a related party charity. The subsidiary received grants from this related party.
“During the year, the Keighley and Worth Valley Light Railway Limited received grants amounting to £228,860 (2023 - £67,938) from The Friends of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway” — page 46
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Keighley and Worth Valley Light Railway Limited
“The Keighley and Worth Valley Light Railway Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Charity, whose function is to operate the Railway and undertake commercial activities.” — page 4
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Streets Audit LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
KEIGHLEY AND WORTH VALLEY LIGHT RAILWAY LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
- Profit before tax: £-105k
- Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £1.0m
- Creditors include £1,651,404 (2023: £818,513) owed to group undertakings.
“The Company received a grant amounting to £1,000,000 (2023 - £nil) from Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society Limited all of which has been recognised in the profit and loss account.”
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.
- PILSWORTH, Kieran — director, appointed 25/03/2026on trustee list
- DALY, Steve — director, appointed 01/08/2025on trustee list
- WILSON, Ruth — director, appointed 20/07/2024on trustee list
- HARRISON, Oliver — director, appointed 22/07/2022on trustee list
- HINCHCLIFFE, John — director, appointed 10/03/2021on trustee list
- BROWN, Andrew Robert — director, appointed 21/11/2020on trustee list
- RUDDOCK, Tom — director, appointed 06/10/2018not on trustee list
- BENNETT, William Nicholas — director, appointed 30/11/2017on trustee list
- TARRAN, Michael — director, appointed 19/11/2011on trustee list
- STROH, Matthew John, Dr — director, appointed 26/01/2010on trustee list
- BATTY, Robert — secretary, appointed 07/09/2019
Official officers record.
Property (HM Land Registry)
12 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (11 freehold); recorded price paid £342k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 30/12/2024)
Cost of raising funds
£647k
Reported reserves equal ~19.6 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (45% 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: 15.3% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).
- Dr Matthew John Strohchair · trustee of 1 other charity
- Andrew Brown
- David Pearson
- John Hinchcliffe · trustee of 1 other charity
- Kieran Pilsworth
- MICHAEL TARRAN
- Nicholas Bennett
- Oliver Harrison
- Ruth Wilson
- Steve Daly
- Thomas Ruddock
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Bradford City
Income and spending
Common questions
Is KEIGHLEY & WORTH VALLEY RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY LIMITED financially healthy?
Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted cash reserves decreased during the year due to heavy investment in civil, property, and mechanical engineering projects, specifically the rebuilding of Bridge 27. Despite this, the charity maintained total unrestricted funds of £5,012,062 and held cash and investments above £1 million throughout the year, with the trustees confirming adequate resources to continue in operational existence. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Streets Audit LLP.
Who funds KEIGHLEY & WORTH VALLEY RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY LIMITED?
Funders whose own accounts filings name KEIGHLEY & WORTH VALLEY RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY LIMITED as a grant recipient include THE LIZ AND TERRY BRAMALL 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 CHINNOR AND PRINCES RISBOROUGH RAILWAY ASSOCIATION LIMITED.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.