DUDLEY CANAL AND TUNNEL TRUST

Registered charity 1166460 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The principle activity of the charity is the advancement of public education in the history, economy, geology and other features of the Dudley Canal Tunnel and the Inland Waterways. In furtherance of the objectives the charity operates passenger vessels through the Dudley Canal Tunnel and on other canals in the region.

Objects

THE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY ARE:-(1) THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT, IN PARTICULAR, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, ON THE HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, HERITAGE, ECONOMY, GEOLOGY, GEOGRAPHY, ARCHAEOLOGY, ARCHITECTURE AND OTHER FEATURES OF THE DUDLEY CANAL TUNNELS, INLAND WATERWAYS, MINES AND ITS WORKING BOATS;(2) THE PROTECTION, PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION, MAINTENANCE, REPAIR, IMPROVEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, TO A NAVIGABLE STANDARD, OF THE DUDLEY CANAL TUNNELS, INLAND WATERWAYS, MINES AND ITS WORKING BOATS FOR THE USE AND BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, AND IN PARTICULAR, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, BY PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL, HISTORICAL AND RECREATIONAL FACILITIES.

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 · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £42,067 for the year ended 31 December 2025, a reduction from the previous year's deficit. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted reserves of £304,150 remain above the stated policy target of £155,000, and the trustees confirm adequate resources for the foreseeable future.

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 4 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 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
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• 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

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Dudley Canal & Tunnel Trust (matched by registered charity number).

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

Reported reserves equal ~3.8 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (81% 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: 0.2% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (03/05/2023) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Andrew Truslove
• Cathryn Ann Bennett · trustee of 1 other charity
• Dr Michael Colin Clark
• Ian Watson · trustee of 1 other charity
• James Deacon
• Kerri Jayne Williams
• Laura Bratt · trustee of 1 other charity
• Leslie Bradshaw · trustee of 1 other charity
• Lyn Head
• Paul Thomas Smith
• Richard Ian Langford

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

Operates in: Dudley · Sandwell

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

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