STRATFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL

Registered charity 1164662 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To advance education by promoting and providing opportunities for the appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of literature and the arts, in particular through promoting and running a literary festival and educational outreach activities primarily in Stratford-upon-Avon. To provide relief to those at a social disadvantage through literary related activities to encourage a sense of self-worth.

Objects

(1) TO ADVANCE EDUCATION BY PROMOTING AND PROVIDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE APPRECIATION, UNDERSTANDING AND ENJOYMENT OF LITERATURE AND THE ARTS, IN PARTICULAR THROUGH PROMOTING AND RUNNING A LITERARY FESTIVAL AND EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH ACTIVITIES PRIMARILY IN STRATFORD-UPON-AVON.(2) TO PROVIDE RELIEF TO THOSE AT A SOCIAL DISADVANTAGE BECAUSE OF AGE OR ILL HEALTH THROUGH LITERARY RELATED ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE DESIGNED TO RELIEVE LONELINESS OR ISOLATION AND ENCOURAGE A SENSE OF PURPOSE AND SELF-WORTH.

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 · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Stratford-on-Avon, West Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£307k

Latest spending

£283k

Registered

2015

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The charity reported a surplus of £23,920 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with unrestricted reserves standing at £137,858. This reserve level exceeds the trustees' stated policy target of holding not less than six months of expenses. The accounts were subject to an independent examination by Cooper Adams Chartered Accountants, which reported no material concerns.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: not less than 6 months expenses (reserves figure: £138k)

“it is prudent to hold reserves of not less than 6 months expenses to provide a contingency against unexpected shortfalls in income” — page 4

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Julia Wheeler received £4,056 for services as an interviewer, not for trustee duties.

“Remuneration to Julia Wheeler is given for her services as an interviewer, not for her duties as a trustee.” — page 5

Per its FY2025 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.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
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
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
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: 30
Government income: £10,000 — grants £10,000 (1); 3% of the £307,228 total gross income on the same return
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity

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

Volunteers: 30
Government income: £9,685 — grants £9,685 (1); 3% of the £281,168 total gross income on the same return
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity

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

Volunteers: 25
Government income: £25,115 — grants £25,115 (2); 10% of the £257,616 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.

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Dr Diana Jane Owenchair · trustee of 1 other charity
Bennet Carr · trustee of 1 other charity
Emma Smith · trustee of 1 other charity
Fiona Scott Murphy
Julia Ellen Wheeler
Madeleine Margaret Parker
Neil Anthony Davis

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

Operates in: Warwickshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£307k	£283k
31/12/2024	£281k	£234k
31/12/2023	£258k	£208k
31/12/2022	£170k	£173k
31/12/2021	£109k	£108k

Common questions

Is STRATFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The charity reported a surplus of £23,920 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with unrestricted reserves standing at £137,858. This reserve level exceeds the trustees' stated policy target of holding not less than six months of expenses. The accounts were subject to an independent examination by Cooper Adams Chartered Accountants, which reported no material concerns. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds STRATFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL?

Funders whose own accounts filings name STRATFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL as a grant recipient include THE SAINTBURY TRUST, THE ALLEN LANE FOUNDATION, GOWLING WLG (UK) CHARITABLE TRUST, THE SIR PETER RIGBY CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE SAINTBURY TRUST	FY2025	£4k	Advancement of Education
THE ALLEN LANE FOUNDATION	FY2025	£3k
GOWLING WLG (UK) CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£1k
THE SIR PETER RIGBY CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£500

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
CHAPMAN CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£3k
THE JOHN BROWNE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£130k
THE T. S. ELIOT FOUNDATION	1	£10k
THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUST	1	£10k
THE JOHN COATES CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	1	£4k
LORD MAYOR OF MANCHESTER'S CHARITY APPEAL TRUST	1	£4k
THE ARNOLD BURTON 1998 CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£2k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE OXFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL.

THE OXFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL income £849k
CAMBRIDGE LITERARY FESTIVAL income £485k
MARLBOROUGH LITERATURE FESTIVAL income £90k
ESSEX BOOK FESTIVAL income £109k
BEWDLEY FESTIVAL LIMITED income £86k
HAY FESTIVAL FOUNDATION LTD income £6.9m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
STRATFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL	£307k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE OXFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL FY2025	£849k	—	0	below	—	no doubt
CAMBRIDGE LITERARY FESTIVAL FY2025	£485k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
MARLBOROUGH LITERATURE FESTIVAL FY2025	£90k	—	—	above	—	no doubt
ESSEX BOOK FESTIVAL FY2025	£109k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
BEWDLEY FESTIVAL LIMITED FY2025	£86k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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