BRITISH DRAGONFLY SOCIETY

Registered charity 1168300 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q4969892 · Wikipedia · also registered in Scotland as SC049416 (OSCR)

TO PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE THE STUDY AND CONSERVATION OF ODONATA AND THEIR NATURAL HABITATS, ESPECIALLY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF DRAGONFLIES.

Objects

(1) TO PROMOTE AND ENCOURAGE THE STUDY AND CONSERVATION OF ODONATA AND THEIR NATURAL HABITATS, ESPECIALLY IN THE UNITED KINGDOM; AND(2) TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF DRAGONFLIES AND DAMSELFLIES.

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

Causes: Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Huntingdonshire, East of England, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£183k

Latest spending

£284k

Registered

2016

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that gross income fell significantly to £182,797 from £394,433 in the prior year, while expenditure rose to £284,177, resulting in a net deficit for the period. Despite this, the trustees report considerable unrestricted reserves of £295,672 and confirm adequate resources for going concern purposes.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: two year period (reserves figure: £296k)

“The policy of the charity is to hold sufficient funds to allow for the maintenance of existing activities for a two year period, to cover any significant shortfall in income and to allow for future investment.” — page 13

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 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
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Serious incident reporting 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 31/03/2025

Volunteers: 100
Government income: £115,108 — grants £115,108 (4); 63% of the £182,797 total gross income on the same return

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

Volunteers: 100
Government income: £13,033 — contracts £4,935 (1), grants £8,098 (1); 3% of the £394,433 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2023

Volunteers: 100
Government income: £5,833 — grants £5,833 (1); 4% of the £164,646 total gross income on the same return

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

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — British Dragonfly Society (matched by registered charity number).

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Carolyn Ann Cooksey
Dr PAMELA TAYLOR
Jonathan Willet
Katherine Cecilia Cavanagh
Maria Giulia Checchi

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

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£183k	£284k
31/03/2024	£394k	£184k
31/03/2023	£165k	£168k
31/03/2022	£163k	£147k
31/03/2021	£74k	£122k

Common questions

Is BRITISH DRAGONFLY SOCIETY financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that gross income fell significantly to £182,797 from £394,433 in the prior year, while expenditure rose to £284,177, resulting in a net deficit for the period. Despite this, the trustees report considerable unrestricted reserves of £295,672 and confirm adequate resources for going concern purposes. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds BRITISH DRAGONFLY SOCIETY?

Funders whose own accounts filings name BRITISH DRAGONFLY SOCIETY as a grant recipient include JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION	FY2022	£75k	Towards the core costs of conserving and awareness raising of the environmental importance of dragonflies and their wetland habitats.

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 HDH WILLS 1965 CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£30k
THE JACK PATSTON CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£4k
THE PETS AT HOME FOUNDATION	1	£70k
KATHLEEN BERYL SLEIGH CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£65k
THE PRIMROSE TRUST	1	£60k
THE LINDER FOUNDATION	1	£39k
THE HISCOX FOUNDATION	1	£39k
THE DULVERTON TRUST	1	£35k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY.

THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY income £8.7m
THE REGIMENTAL CHARITY OF THE ROYAL DRAGOON GUARDS income £84k
BRITISH GOAT SOCIETY income £64k
BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION income £6.1m
THE DRONFIELD HERITAGE TRUST income £316k
BRITISH HEN WELFARE TRUST income £1.1m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
BRITISH DRAGONFLY SOCIETY	£183k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY FY2025	£8.7m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE REGIMENTAL CHARITY OF THE ROYAL DRAGOON GUARDS FY2025	£84k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
BRITISH GOAT SOCIETY FY2025	£64k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION FY2025	£6.1m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE DRONFIELD HERITAGE TRUST FY2025	£316k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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