PLAY@COTHERSTONE

Registered charity 1174041 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To promote for the benefit of inhabitants of Cotherstone and the surrounding area, the provision of recreational and sporting facilities for the entire community in the interests of social welfare with the object of improving the conditions of life for the residents of Cotherstone.

Objects

TO PROMOTE, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE INHABITANTS OF COTHERSTONE AND THE SURROUNDING AREA, THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL AND SPORTING FACILITIES FOR THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY IN THE INTERESTS OF SOCIAL WELFARE WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF COTHERSTONE.

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

Causes: Recreation · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: County Durham, North East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£6k

Latest spending

£7k

Registered

2017

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The charity holds total unrestricted reserves of £12,211.25, comprising a general purpose fund of £9,211.25 and a contingency reserve of £3,000. The trustees have stated a policy to maintain a minimum contingency reserve of £3,000 to cover one year of essential maintenance and insurance costs. The accounts note that securing future funding is increasingly difficult due to economic risks, requiring continued local fundraising to sustain operations.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: one years maintenance, insurance, inspection and critical repair costs currently estimated at £3,000 per year

“The trustees have agreed to hold at minimum one years maintenance, insurance, inpsection and critical repair costs currently estimated at £3,000 per year as a separate unrestricted, but identified reserve.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Going concern: noted by the trustees or auditor

“We will continue to work with funders but understand that the risks surrounding the UK economy will make this increasingly difficult and therefore local fundraising will need to continue in order to keep the Park open.” — page 4

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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.

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
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
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 31/03/2026

Volunteers: 25
Government income: £500 — grants £500 (1); 9% of the £5,619 total gross income on the same return

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

Volunteers: 18
Government income: £20,500 — grants £20,500 (2); 49% of the £41,791 total gross income on the same return

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

Volunteers: 18
Government income: £14,700 — grants £14,700 (3); 75% of the £19,730 total gross income on the same return

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

Property (HM Land Registry)

2 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (2 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Trustees · trustee networks

JOHN MARK WINDLEchair
ANNA URBANOWICZ
DREDA AMELIA RIDER FORSTER
EMMA LOUISE ROWELL
EMMA WILSON
JONATHAN SMITH
SHAUN ROGERS
YVONNE URSULA BUTTERFIELD

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

Operates in: Durham

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2026	£6k	£7k
31/03/2025	£42k	£52k
31/03/2024	£20k	£13k
31/03/2023	£21k	£13k
31/03/2022	£8k	£8k

Common questions

Is PLAY@COTHERSTONE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The charity holds total unrestricted reserves of £12,211.25, comprising a general purpose fund of £9,211.25 and a contingency reserve of £3,000. The trustees have stated a policy to maintain a minimum contingency reserve of £3,000 to cover one year of essential maintenance and insurance costs. The accounts note that securing future funding is increasingly difficult due to economic risks, requiring continued local fundraising to sustain operations. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	24/05/2024	£20k	Community Ownership Fund
UK government	01/04/2023	£4k	Community Ownership Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund	19/03/2021	£2k	Pitch and grounds cutting and strimming
Sport England	01/06/2020	£1k	COVID-19 CEF
The National Lottery Community Fund	13/10/2011	£10k	Cotherstone Park Pump Track
The National Lottery Community Fund	17/03/2006	£5k	Play @ Cotherstone
The National Lottery Community Fund	10/11/2005	£91k	Play equipment

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
GLOUCESTERSHIRE GATEWAY TRUST	1	£38k
MAYVILLE HIGH SCHOOL LIMITED	1	£32k
THE BARBARA WARD CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION	1	£8k
THE ROGER & DOUGLAS TURNER CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£5k
ACTIVE IMPACT CIO	1	£4k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF BIBURY WITH WINSON AND BARNSLEY	1	£500

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with CONISTON SPORTS AND SOCIAL CENTRE.

CONISTON SPORTS AND SOCIAL CENTRE income £196k
PUBLIC PLAYING FIELD AND VILLAGE HALL income £53k
COCKLESHELL COMMUNITY SPORTS CLUB LIMITED income £49k
PLAY GLOUCESTERSHIRE income £449k
WEST WARWICKSHIRE SPORTS COMPLEX LTD income £383k
CUDDINGTON PLAYING FIELDS ASSOCIATION income £43k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
PLAY@COTHERSTONE	£6k	—	unclear	—	noted
CONISTON SPORTS AND SOCIAL CENTRE FY2025	£196k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
PUBLIC PLAYING FIELD AND VILLAGE HALL FY2025	£53k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
COCKLESHELL COMMUNITY SPORTS CLUB LIMITED FY2025	£49k	—	above	—	no doubt
PLAY GLOUCESTERSHIRE FY2026	£449k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
WEST WARWICKSHIRE SPORTS COMPLEX LTD FY2025	£383k	—	above	—	no doubt

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