SYDENHAM ARTS LTD

Registered charity 1161590 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as SYDENHAM ARTS (OR SA), SYDENHAM ARTS FESTIVAL LIMITED

To promote, maintain and advance education, by encouragement of the arts and to develop new and existing opportunities for local residents and visitors to the area in order that they may experience the arts through active and passive participation, for the general public benefit.

Objects

TO PROVIDE, PROMOTE AND ADVANCE THE ARTS FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, IN PARTICULAR PEOPLE WHO LIVE, WORK AND ARE EDUCATED IN SYDENHAM AND SURROUNDING AREAS.

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

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Lewisham, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£34k

Latest spending

£29k

Registered

2015

Accounts read

FY2026

Financial health, per its FY2026 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £15,046, which the trustees consider prudent for covering core costs for six months. The charity reported a net excess of income over expenses of £4,866, supported by secured grant funding for the coming year. However, the filing notes that long-term funding is still to be secured, indicating a dependency on future grant awards.

Automated summary of the FY2026 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: six months (reserves figure: £15k)

“The Directors consider it prudent that unrestricted reserves are kept at a level sufficient to cover core costs for six months.” — page 8

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Going concern: noted by the trustees or auditor

“The income that the Company needs to continue its operations for 12 months had been fully secured at the balance sheet date, but long-term funding is still to be secured, as is common in smaller charities.” — page 10

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: N Patel exhibited in the Artists Trail, paying the standard entry fee £60.

“N Patel exhibited in the Artists Trail, paying the standard entry fee £60.” — page 10

Per its FY2026 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.

Complaints handling
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
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 31/03/2026

Volunteers: 20
Government income: £1,800 — grants £1,800 (1); 5% of the £33,988 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025

Volunteers: 20
Government income: £4,450 — grants £4,450 (2); 11% of the £40,800 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024

Volunteers: 20
Government income: £8,371 — grants £8,371 (3); 19% of the £43,095 total gross income on the same return
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity

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

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 06835122

The charity’s company — latest Companies House iXBRL filing (balance sheet 31 March 2026)

Equity: £18k
Average employees: 2

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.

SERESHKI, Soraya — director, appointed 23/03/2026on trustee list
CROAN, Vanessa — director, appointed 03/09/2024on trustee list
LAUNAY, Jacques, Dr — director, appointed 03/09/2024on trustee list
RATHBONE, William James — director, appointed 20/05/2024on trustee list
BATSON, Colleen — director, appointed 20/05/2024on trustee list
CLARK, Felicity — director, appointed 20/05/2024on trustee list
WILSON, Stephanie — director, appointed 21/02/2023on trustee list
PATEL, Nitesh — director, appointed 21/02/2023on trustee list
OLUFEKO, Jemilla Katherine — director, appointed 23/02/2021on trustee list
SCOTT, Rachel Hannah — director, appointed 07/12/2020on trustee list
PAPAGEORGIOU, Ioanna — director, appointed 28/09/2020on trustee list
COATES, Michael Timothy — secretary, appointed 10/02/2025

Official officers record.

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Colleen Batson
Dr Jacques Launay
Felicity Clark
Ioanna Papageorgiou
Jemilla Katherine Olufeko
Rachel Hannah Scott
Soraya Sereshki
Stephanie Wilson
Vanessa Croan
William James Rathbone

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

Operates in: Kent · Surrey · Throughout London

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2026	£34k	£29k
31/03/2025	£41k	£45k
31/03/2024	£43k	£49k
31/03/2023	£58k	£49k
31/03/2022	£40k	£42k

Common questions

Is SYDENHAM ARTS LTD financially healthy?

Per its FY2026 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £15,046, which the trustees consider prudent for covering core costs for six months. The charity reported a net excess of income over expenses of £4,866, supported by secured grant funding for the coming year. However, the filing notes that long-term funding is still to be secured, indicating a dependency on future grant awards. Its FY2026 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds SYDENHAM ARTS LTD?

Funders whose own accounts filings name SYDENHAM ARTS LTD as a grant recipient include THE GROCERS' CHARITY, LONDON CATALYST, THE HABERDASHERS' FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE GROCERS' CHARITY	FY2023	£5k	Arts & Heritage
LONDON CATALYST	FY2025	£5k	Inter-generational arts programme to empower women through arts, crafts & dance.
THE HABERDASHERS' FOUNDATION	FY2022	£3k	Moviing with Parkinson’s-dance therapy sessions

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	23/09/2015	£10k	Happening Project - Sydenham raising its game
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	08/04/2015	£6k	"The WW1 Classroom: an opportunity to experience schooling in SE London during the Great War"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	05/03/2014	£10k	"Till the Boys Come Home - intergenerational community project to mark centenary of WW1"
The National Lottery Community Fund	13/02/2014	£9k	Events Management Mentoring Scheme - for NEETs and the Disadvantaged

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 CARLTON HAYES MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY	1	£37k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with HODDESDON (COMMUNITY) SOCIETY OF PERFORMING ARTS LTD..

HODDESDON (COMMUNITY) SOCIETY OF PERFORMING ARTS LTD. income £319k
ARTS AND CRAFTS COMMUNITY CENTRE income £40k
CHISENHALE ART PLACE LIMITED income £324k
CHARNWOOD ARTS income £191k
CHELTENHAM ARTS COUNCIL income £31k
DARTFORD ARTS CENTRE income £645k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
SYDENHAM ARTS LTD	£34k	—	0	unclear	—	noted
HODDESDON (COMMUNITY) SOCIETY OF PERFORMING ARTS LTD. FY2025	£319k	Under £60,000	0	above	—	no doubt
ARTS AND CRAFTS COMMUNITY CENTRE FY2025	£40k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
CHISENHALE ART PLACE LIMITED FY2025	£324k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
CHARNWOOD ARTS FY2026	£191k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
CHELTENHAM ARTS COUNCIL FY2026	£31k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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