ASPENS CHARITIES
Registered charity 1171446 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register
To relieve the needs of people with learning, physical and other disabilities, including those who are considered to be on the autistic spectrum, by enhancing their independence , potential and quality of life through the provision of stimulating, safe and supportive environments, accommodation, care and programmes of training, education and personal development.
Causes: Disability · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity achieved a net operating surplus of £77k and holds free reserves of £3.5m, which the trustees aim to maintain between £3.5m and £4.5m to cover at least two months of operating expenditure. Per the trustees' report, the charity faces financial pressures from inflation and funding shortfalls but remains solvent with adequate resources to continue operations.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: two months of operating expenditure (held: £3.5m)
“the aim is to hold between £3.5m and £4.5m of free reserves which will cover at least two months of operating expenditure.” — page 13
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Consultancy services provided by Greengoals Consultancy, owned by the husband of the Finance Director.
“Greengoals Consultancy provided pro-bono consultancy in developing an ESG strategy and paid consultancy in the year £1,650 for an ESOS report. Greengoals is owned by John Mackintosh, the husband of the Charity’s Finance Director.”
“Donations of £1,005, (2024: £695) were received from 6 Trustees (2024: 2)” — page 46
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Donations received from Trustees.
“Greengoals Consultancy provided pro-bono consultancy in developing an ESG strategy and paid consultancy in the year £1,650 for an ESOS report. Greengoals is owned by John Mackintosh, the husband of the Charity’s Finance Director.”
“Donations of £1,005, (2024: £695) were received from 6 Trustees (2024: 2)” — page 46
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Aspens Enterprises Ltd
“Aspens Enterprises Ltd was formed as a commercial entity. This is a wholly owned subsidiary of Aspens Charities Ltd and the results of this company are consolidated into these group accounts.” — page 6
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by MHA Audit Services LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
Leadership, per the charity’s website
- Robert Shanahan — Chief Executive Officer (source)
- Lynne Mackintosh — Chief Finance Officer (source)
- Stevie Rice — Chief Operating Officer (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.
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.
- INGLE, Brian — director, appointed 06/11/2025on trustee list
- DUFFY, Damien Peter — director, appointed 06/11/2025on trustee list
- NJIE, Seedy — director, appointed 06/11/2025on trustee list
- MCGINLEY, Shannon — director, appointed 01/07/2025on trustee list
- SMITH, Harriet Frances — director, appointed 19/03/2025on trustee list
- FORD, Joanna Felicity — director, appointed 19/03/2025on trustee list
- RIDDIFORD, Simon — director, appointed 19/03/2025on trustee list
- JOSIAH, Miriam Anuoluwapo — director, appointed 21/03/2024on trustee list
- ROBERTS, Karen Mary — director, appointed 21/03/2024not on trustee list
- BATCHELOR, Adrian Harold — director, appointed 04/12/2019on trustee list
- GREEN, Peter Geoffrey, Dr — director, appointed 03/10/2016on trustee list
Official officers record.
Property (HM Land Registry)
8 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (8 freehold); recorded price paid £7.7m. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
CQC provider record: Aspens Charities — Registered, 15 registered locations, 2 regulated activities, last inspected 17/06/2021.charity number confirmed by CQC CQC record
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram · linkedin
Advertised salaries (public job ads)
Roles this charity has advertised on CharityJob, matched on the exact employer name. A different source from the statutory pay bands above: these are asking salaries for vacancies, not what anyone was paid.
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£908k
Reported reserves equal ~3.4 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (97% 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: 4.5% of total income — above the median for charities its size (3.8%) (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).
- Aspens Cornford Lane: Requires improvement (30/06/2025) · CQC record
- Wentworth Close: Good (05/08/2025) · CQC record
- Falconer's Court: Good (16/10/2018) · CQC record
- St Saviours Road: Good (22/07/2026) · CQC record
- Ellasdale Road: Good (08/11/2018) · CQC record
- Aspens Supported Living & Outreach (Kent): Not Rated · CQC record
- St Matthew Road: Good (17/06/2024) · CQC record
- Aspens Supported Living & Outreach (West Sussex & Surrey): Good (25/04/2019) · CQC record
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (07/06/2019) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (04/06/2019) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (29/04/2019) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is ASPENS CHARITIES financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity achieved a net operating surplus of £77k and holds free reserves of £3.5m, which the trustees aim to maintain between £3.5m and £4.5m to cover at least two months of operating expenditure. Per the trustees' report, the charity faces financial pressures from inflation and funding shortfalls but remains solvent with adequate resources to continue operations. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by MHA Audit Services LLP.
Who funds ASPENS CHARITIES?
Funders whose own accounts filings name ASPENS CHARITIES as a grant recipient include THE EDWARD GOSTLING FOUNDATION, PROJECT GIVING BACK, THE PENNIES FOUNDATION, CANTIACORUM FOUNDATION, THE LAWSON TRUST CIO.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
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.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with APASEN.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.