RIVER CHURCH

Registered charity 1146525 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The charitable aims of River Church are to: advance the Christian faith in the Thames valley, the United Kingdom and the wider world; bring relief to persons who are in need, financial hardship or suffering from illness or deprivation; further Christian or secular education in the Thames valley, the United Kingdom and wider world as appropriate; benefit the lives of people in local communities.

Causes: Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Overseas Aid/famine Relief · Religious Activities · Economic/community Development/employment · Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£499k
Latest spending
£457k
Registered
2012
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves of £848,334 significantly exceed the trustees' stated policy target of £75,000, which is defined as three months of staff salaries and building leases. Although the charity reported a net expenditure deficit for the year, it maintains substantial cash and investment balances sufficient to meet foreseeable risks.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: three months of such expenditure (£75K) (held: £848k)
“The trustees’ policy is to maintain sufficient reserves to cover three months of such expenditure (£75K).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Employment benefits to related party
“Bethani Chisnall, who is closely related to Adam Chisnall, who is a member of key management, received employment benefits totalling £23,055 (2024: £22,385) for her work as Head of Childrens & Families work.” — page 23
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)

Total income
£540k
Total spending
£460k
Reserves (reported)
£909k
Employees
10

Reported reserves equal ~23.7 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 7.0 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (2.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Buckinghamshire · China · Hong Kong · Mozambique · Nepal · Slough · Surrey · Thailand · West Berkshire · Windsor And Maidenhead

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025£499k£457k
31/12/2024£540k£460k
31/12/2023£1.1m£440k
31/12/2022£438k£358k
31/12/2021£441k£481k

Common questions

Is RIVER CHURCH financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves of £848,334 significantly exceed the trustees' stated policy target of £75,000, which is defined as three months of staff salaries and building leases. Although the charity reported a net expenditure deficit for the year, it maintains substantial cash and investment balances sufficient to meet foreseeable risks. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Community Fund05/12/2024£20kDebt Support for the Least Last Lost
The National Lottery Community Fund30/09/2021£9kCommunity Youth and Children's Provision

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.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE CO-MISSION INITIATIVE TRUST1£173k
BARCHESTER HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION1£1k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with River Church Wales.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
RIVER CHURCH£499k—0above—no doubt
River Church Wales FY2024£213k—0above—no doubt
RIVER CHURCH SUTTON FY2025£256k—0unclear—no doubt
RIVER CHURCH (ORPINGTON) FY2024£173k—0above—no doubt
THAMES VALLEY CHURCHES OF CHRIST FY2025£394k—0unclear—no doubt
LONDON RIVERSIDE CHURCH FY2024£1.0m—0unclear—no doubt

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