WEST OF ENGLAND RURAL NETWORK

Registered charity 1146165 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as WERN

As a specialist rural organisation we work with communities, businesses, social enterprises, groups and individuals to support and encourage community-led action. We are experienced in areas such as broadband, access to services, transport, affordable housing, fuel poverty, energy generation, village halls & community assets, health & social care, funding advice and community led planning.

Objects

TO PROMOTE ANY CHARITABLE PURPOSES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY IN THE WEST OF ENGLAND (BEING AN AREA SERVED BY THE ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS OF NORTH SOMERSET, BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET, BRISTOL AND SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE, HEREINAFTER REFERRED TO AS THE AREA OF BENEFIT) AND IN PARTICULAR THAT OF THE RELIEF OF THOSE IN NEED, BY REASON OF YOUTH, AGE, ILL-HEALTH, DISABILITY, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR OTHER DISADVANTAGE, THE ADVANCEMENT OF CITIZENSHIP OR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION OR BY PURSUING ANY OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSES.

Area of benefit: THE WEST OF ENGLAND BEING THE ADMINISTRATIVE AREAS OF NORTH SOMERSET, BATH & NORTH EAST SOMERSET, BRISTOL AND SOUTH GLOUCESTERSHIRE

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

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Economic/community Development/employment · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Bristol, City of, South West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure deficit of £50,480 for the year ended 31 March 2025, largely attributed to advance funding recognition rules. Despite this deficit, unrestricted reserves stood at £101,799, which the trustees note is very close to their stated policy target of three months' expenditure. The trustees confirmed the charity remains financially sound and able to continue as a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

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.

• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investment
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

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.

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

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) — “We are also working closely with the following organisations : Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)” (source page)

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~2.1 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (91% 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: 1.4% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Annemieke Miranda Waite
• Edith Whittingham
• Jane Wildblood · trustee of 2 other charities
• Julian Marc Ellacott
• Laura Penny
• Matthew Riddle
• SAMANTHA ROSS

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

Operates in: Bath And North East Somerset · Bristol City · North Somerset · South Gloucestershire

Income and spending

Common questions

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 WEST DEVON COMMUNITY & VOLUNTARY SERVICES.

• WEST DEVON COMMUNITY & VOLUNTARY SERVICES income £309k
• THE WEST END COMMUNITY TRUST income £45k
• COMMUNITIES WELFARE NETWORK income £58k
• EAST - WEST MINISTRIES income £65k
• WEST GRINSTEAD & DISTRICT PLOUGHING & AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY income £104k
• ACTION WITH COMMUNITIES IN RURAL ENGLAND (ACRE) income £5.0m

Side by side with its peers

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