THE ABSOLUTE MUSIC TRUST

Registered charity 1174528 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Objects

THE ADVANCEMENT OF MUSIC EDUCATION FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC IN THE DORSET/HAMPSHIRE AREA, IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE BENEFIT OF DISADVANTAGED PERSONS AND IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY THE PROVISION OF:(I) MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS;(II) TUITION OR INSTRUCTION.FOR THIS PURPOSE ‘DISADVANTAGED PERSONS’ SHALL INCLUDE ANY INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO (I) SUFFER FROM A PHYSICAL, MENTAL OR OTHER IMPAIRMENT; OR (II) WHO, FOR WHATEVER REASON WHETHER FINANCIAL OR OTHERWISE, HAVE RESTRICTED ACCESS TO MUSIC AND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; OR (III) WHOM THE CHARITY TRUSTEES BELIEVE WOULD BENEFIT FROM BEING GIVEN GREATER ACCESS TO MUSIC.

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

Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, South West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£129k

Latest spending

£154k

Registered

2017

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves fell to £1,737, which is below the trustees' stated policy target of £5,000, though the adjusted figure of £4,622 is deemed sufficient. The charity reports operating on a limited budget with no direct employees and relies on a mix of private donations, grants, and teaching income to sustain its activities.

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 policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
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

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 31/08/2025

Volunteers: 1
Government income: £6,273 — contracts £6,273 (10); 5% of the £128,670 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2024

Volunteers: 1
Government income: £7,651 — contracts £3,486 (3), grants £4,165 (2); 6% of the £130,247 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2023

Volunteers: 1
Government income: £13,364 — contracts £7,165 (11), grants £6,199 (6); 15% of the £88,142 total gross income on the same return

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

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Absolute Music Trust (matched by registered charity number).

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Alexander Dowding · trustee of 1 other charity
Joe Musker
Jonathon Denton · trustee of 1 other charity
LISA COLEY
Mark David Wilton-Patrick
Matthew John Payne
Richard Gerard Gosler

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

Operates in: Dorset · Hampshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/08/2025	£129k	£154k
31/08/2024	£130k	£107k
31/08/2023	£88k	£89k
31/08/2022	£69k	£68k
31/08/2021	£27k	£23k

Common questions

Is THE ABSOLUTE MUSIC TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves fell to £1,737, which is below the trustees' stated policy target of £5,000, though the adjusted figure of £4,622 is deemed sufficient. The charity reports operating on a limited budget with no direct employees and relies on a mix of private donations, grants, and teaching income to sustain its activities. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds THE ABSOLUTE MUSIC TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE ABSOLUTE MUSIC TRUST as a grant recipient include TALBOT VILLAGE TRUST, THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount
TALBOT VILLAGE TRUST	FY2023	£10k
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2025	£5k
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2021	£5k

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	27/11/2025	£20k	Resonate
The National Lottery Community Fund	16/02/2024	£19k	Sound Times
The National Lottery Community Fund	22/06/2018	£10k	Enrich and Inspire Communities through Music

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 SCOPS ARTS TRUST	2	£26k
THE RAYNE TRUST	1	£30k
THE CHILDHOOD TRUST	1	£18k
THE VANNECK CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£5k
BIRKDALE TRUST FOR HEARING IMPAIRED LTD	1	£4k
SIR ROBERT GEFFERY'S ALMSHOUSE TRUST	1	£4k
ST GILES-IN-THE-FIELDS AND WILLIAM SHELTON EDUCATIONAL CHARITY	1	£3k
THE ORGANISATION FOR NEW MUSIC AND SOUND	1	£2k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with SHROPSHIRE MUSIC TRUST.

SHROPSHIRE MUSIC TRUST income £64k
EYE MUSIC TRUST income £385k
COMMUNITY MUSIC LIMITED income £194k
MUSIC AND THE DEAF income £41k
MUSICAL BOROUGHS TRUST income £35k
ADDERBURY MUSIC TRUST income £25k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE ABSOLUTE MUSIC TRUST	£129k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SHROPSHIRE MUSIC TRUST FY2025	£64k	—	above	—	no doubt
EYE MUSIC TRUST FY2025	£385k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
COMMUNITY MUSIC LIMITED FY2025	£194k	—	below	—	noted
MUSIC AND THE DEAF FY2025	£41k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
MUSICAL BOROUGHS TRUST FY2025	£35k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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