DERWEN COLLEGE

Registered charity 1153280 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q5263313 · Wikipedia

- to provide education, training and work experience to people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities - to obtain or provide employment for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities - to provide accommodation for people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, with or without their immediate family or dependents

Objects

- TO PROVIDE EDUCATION, TRAINING AND WORK EXPERIENCE TO PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND/OR DISABILITIES;- TO OBTAIN OR PROVIDE EMPLOYMENT FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND/OR DISABILITIES; AND - TO PROVIDE ACCOMMODATION FOR PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND/OR DISABILITIES (WITH OR WITHOUT THEIR IMMEDIATE FAMILY OR DEPENDENTS) AND WHO ARE IN NEED OF SUCH SERVICES BECAUSE OF THEIR LEARNING DIFFICULTIES AND/OR DISABILITIES.

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

Causes: Education/training · Disability · Accommodation/housing · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Shropshire, West Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£17.9m

Latest spending

£17.2m

Registered

2013

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £685,078 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with unrestricted funds increasing to £3,573,264. The trustees confirm that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, with cash at bank standing at £1,980,000. The charity maintains a reserves policy target of up to 50 days of expenditure, and the current free reserves figure is 39 days.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £90,001 - £100,000 — below the median for charities its size (£130k)

“In the band £90,001 - £100,000 1”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Largest income source: Student and client fees (88% of income)

“The main source of income is generated from student and client fees paid for by local and central Government and amounts to 88% of the total income.” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: up to a maximum of 50 days of expenditure (reserves figure: £3.6m)

“The current reserves policy followed by the trustees is to have a total reserves figure of up to a maximum of 50 days of expenditure.” — page 19

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: P Crosby, a Trustee of the Charity, is the owner of Southgate Management Services which was engaged by Derwen College as a Corparate Fundraiser and invoiced the college £3,375 during the year (2024: £26,040). There were no outstanding balances at year end.

“P Crosby, a Trustee of the Charity, is the owner of Southgate Management Services which was engaged by Derwen College as a Corparate Fundraiser and invoiced the college £3,375 during the year (2024: £26,040). There were no outstanding balances at year end.” — page 56

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Derwen College Consulting Limited

“The subsidiary company, Derwen College Consulting Ltd carried out consultancy work during 2025, totalling £8,995. The deficit of £11,458 generated in 2025 is included in the consolidated accounts.” — page 19

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by WR Partners. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

In its annual return the charity told the Commission it is also regulated by: Care Quality Commission; Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education). This is the charity’s own declaration; it is not a rating and has not been verified by the Commission or by this site.

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 handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses 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.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 24
Government income: £15,996,373 — contracts £15,855,750 (34), grants £140,623 (9); 89% of the £17,909,486 total gross income on the same return
Employees paid over £60,000: 6 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £70,001–£80,000: 4; £80,001–£90,000: 1)
Has a trading subsidiary

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

Volunteers: 11
Government income: £12,809,417 — contracts £12,634,798 (50), grants £174,619 (2); 88% of the £14,510,221 total gross income on the same return
Employees paid over £60,000: 6 (£60,001–£70,000: 5; £80,001–£90,000: 1)
Has a trading subsidiary

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

Volunteers: 9
Government income: £11,654,580 — contracts £11,480,858 (50), grants £173,722 (4); 86% of the £13,511,473 total gross income on the same return
Employees paid over £60,000: 4 (£60,001–£70,000: 3; £80,001–£90,000: 1)
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity
Has a trading subsidiary

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

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 08615826 · Financial health read from its filings
Trading subsidiary: DERWEN COLLEGE CONSULTING LIMITED Companies House 14503923

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Meryl Green — Principal and CEO (source)
Jamie Ward — Chair of Governors (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.

Funders the charity credits

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

Oswestry Freemasons — “Oswestry Freemasons donate £2,500 to Derwen Charity Students are set to benefit from a generous £2,500 donation from members of Combined Ser…” (source page)

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.

LEAH, Tracy — director, appointed 03/02/2026on trustee list
COURT, Ruth Louise — director, appointed 20/03/2025on trustee list
OWEN, Daniel Jack — director, appointed 20/03/2025on trustee list
PLOWDEN, Abigail Louise — director, appointed 20/03/2024on trustee list
GROVE, Andrew John — director, appointed 23/03/2023on trustee list
LEIGH, Elizabeth Mary — director, appointed 25/03/2021on trustee list
COX, Helen Victoria — director, appointed 11/10/2018on trustee list
WARD, James Edward — director, appointed 26/03/2015not on trustee list
COWAN, Michael Reilly — director, appointed 25/07/2013on trustee list
KIMBER, Kathleen — director, appointed 18/07/2013not on trustee list
THOMPSON, Carol Denise Novello — secretary, appointed 12/03/2019

Official officers record.

Public-sector contracts awarded

From the official Contracts Finder and Find a Tender notices (supplier matched by exact registered name). Contract income is distinct from grants.

Buyer	Contract	Awarded	Value
NHS CHESHIRE AND MERSEYSIDE INTEGRATED CARE BOARD	Continuing Health Service in Cheshire & Merseyside	—	—

Property (HM Land Registry)

4 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (1 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

CQC provider record: Derwen College — Registered, 1 registered location, 3 regulated activities, last inspected 17/11/2022.charity number confirmed by CQC CQC record

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook (6,750 followers) · instagram (2,102 followers)

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Total income

£17.9m

Total spending

£17.2m

Cost of raising funds

£817k

Reserves (reported)

£3.6m

Employees

446

Reported reserves equal ~2.5 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (93% 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: 4.6% of total income — above the median for charities its size (3.7%) (benchmarks).

Care Quality Commission ratings

CQC inspection ratings for services run by a provider matching this charity’s name (matched by name; verify provider identity on CQC’s site).

Derwen College: Good (25/01/2023) · CQC record

Register events

Received assets from another charity (19/10/2023) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Received assets from another charity (20/01/2021) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

JAMIE WARDchair
Abigail Louise Plowden
Andrew Grove
Daniel Jack Owen
Elizabeth Mary Leigh
Helen Victoria Cox · trustee of 2 other charities
Joshua Burbidge
KATHLEEN KIMBER BA
MICHAEL COWAN
Ruth Court
Tracy Leah

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

Operates in: Shropshire · Telford & Wrekin

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£17.9m	£17.2m
31/12/2024	£14.5m	£14.5m
31/12/2023	£13.5m	£12.7m
31/12/2022	£11.9m	£11.4m
31/12/2021	£9.5m	£10.3m

Common questions

Is DERWEN COLLEGE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £685,078 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with unrestricted funds increasing to £3,573,264. The trustees confirm that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, with cash at bank standing at £1,980,000. The charity maintains a reserves policy target of up to 50 days of expenditure, and the current free reserves figure is 39 days. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by WR Partners.

What does the highest-paid employee of DERWEN COLLEGE earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £90,001 - £100,000 band.

Who funds DERWEN COLLEGE?

Funders whose own accounts filings name DERWEN COLLEGE as a grant recipient include THE STEVE MORGAN FOUNDATION, THE BEATRICE LAING TRUST, CHARITY OF CHARLES CLEMENT WALKER (COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE WALKER TRUST), THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED, THE MILLICHOPE FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE STEVE MORGAN FOUNDATION	FY2023	£95k	UBS Covid Recovery
THE STEVE MORGAN FOUNDATION	FY2022	Unverified read£50k	Discretionary Grant > £50k
THE BEATRICE LAING TRUST	FY2024	£50k	The Agnes Hunt Village Project
CHARITY OF CHARLES CLEMENT WALKER (COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE WALKER TRUST)	FY2025	£30k	Education
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED	FY2025	£15k	Disability
THE MILLICHOPE FOUNDATION	FY2022	£8k
CHARITY OF CHARLES CLEMENT WALKER (COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE WALKER TRUST)	FY2023	£5k	Health & Disability Grants
CHARITY OF CHARLES CLEMENT WALKER (COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE WALKER TRUST)	FY2022	£4k	Health/Disability/Education
CHARITY OF CHARLES CLEMENT WALKER (COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE WALKER TRUST)	FY2024	£4k	Health & Disability
THE MILLICHOPE FOUNDATION	FY2023	£3k

Grants marked “Unverified read” were flagged by automated checks as possibly misread from the funder’s filed accounts. They are listed, but left out of the totals, counts and funder relationships this site computes.

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 BLYTH CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£125k
MOONDANCE FOUNDATION	1	£50k
LILIAN FRANCES HIND BEQUEST (TRUSTEES OF LADY HIND)	1	£41k
THE WILL CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£40k
THE VIRGIN FOUNDATION	1	£40k
THE JONES 1986 CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£15k
THE THOMAS FARR CHARITY	1	£14k
MILLES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION LIMITED	1	£10k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with REACH LEARNING DISABILITY.

REACH LEARNING DISABILITY income £3.9m
BODENS COLLEGE LIMITED income £611k
CAMPHILL DEVON COMMUNITY LIMITED income £3.3m
LD:NORTHEAST income £1.4m
DRIVE income £25.2m
PERTHYN income £20.7m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
DERWEN COLLEGE	£17.9m	£90,001 - £100,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
REACH LEARNING DISABILITY FY2025	£3.9m	—	—	above	—	no doubt
BODENS COLLEGE LIMITED FY2025	£611k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
CAMPHILL DEVON COMMUNITY LIMITED FY2026	£3.3m	£80,001 - £90,000	—	above	—	no doubt
LD:NORTHEAST FY2025	£1.4m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
DRIVE FY2025	£25.2m	—	—	above	—	no doubt

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