BABBACOMBE CLIFF RAILWAY CIO

Registered charity 1182292 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BABBACOMBE CLIFF RAILWAY COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY

The day to day running of a funicular railway built in 1926

Objects

THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO ARE TO PRESERVE, MAINTAIN, AND OPERATE THE HISTORIC BABBACOMBE CLIFF RAILWAY ("THE RAILWAY") AND ITS ASSOCIATED ROLLING STOCK, BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT, TO ENSURE THAT THE RAILWAY CONTINUES TO OPERATE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE LOCAL COMMUNITY AND VISITORS TO TORBAY.

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 · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£335k

Latest spending

£322k

Registered

2019

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that free reserves were in excess of £130,000, which is above the stated policy target of approximately £100,000. The charity reported a net incoming resource of £13,468 for the year, resulting in total unrestricted funds carried forward of £161,256.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: approximately £100,000 (held: £161k)

“The reserves policy is to hold approximately £100,000 in reserves” — page 4

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.

Complaints handling
Financial reserves policy and procedures
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

Trustees · trustee networks

Lindsay John Yellandchair
Andrew Gibbs Ripley
David Alan Cooper MBE · trustee of 3 other charities
Judith Norma Ayres
Robert David Newman

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

Operates in: Devon · Torbay

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£335k	£322k
31/03/2024	£143k	£468k
31/03/2023	£308k	£221k
31/03/2022	£369k	£229k
31/03/2021	£196k	£203k

Common questions

Is BABBACOMBE CLIFF RAILWAY CIO financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that free reserves were in excess of £130,000, which is above the stated policy target of approximately £100,000. The charity reported a net incoming resource of £13,468 for the year, resulting in total unrestricted funds carried forward of £161,256. 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
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	01/09/2010	£31k	"Continued refurbishment of the Babbacombe Cliff Railway"

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
JOHN SWIRE 1989 CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£1.3m
THE WARDENS AND ASSISTANTS OF ROCHESTER BRIDGE IN THE COUNTY OF KENT	1	£26k
THE HEADLEY TRUST	1	£25k
THE ROGER DE HAAN CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£21k
THE DERBYSHIRE ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST LIMITED	1	£10k
THE IAN ASKEW CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£2k
FOLKESTONE MUNICIPAL CHARITY	1	£1k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE FOLKESTONE LEAS LIFT COMPANY CIO.

THE FOLKESTONE LEAS LIFT COMPANY CIO income £534k
CONSTITUTION HILL LTD income £588k
WELSHPOOL AND LLANFAIR LIGHT RAILWAY PRESERVATION CO. LIMITED income £1.2m
ECCLESBOURNE VALLEY RAILWAY ASSOCIATION income £112k
THE PONTYPOOL AND BLAENAVON RAILWAY COMPANY (1983) LIMITED income £234k
SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY income £297k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
BABBACOMBE CLIFF RAILWAY CIO	£335k	—	above	—	no doubt
THE FOLKESTONE LEAS LIFT COMPANY CIO FY2025	£534k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CONSTITUTION HILL LTD FY2025	£588k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
WELSHPOOL AND LLANFAIR LIGHT RAILWAY PRESERVATION CO. LIMITED FY2025	£1.2m	—	above	—	no doubt
ECCLESBOURNE VALLEY RAILWAY ASSOCIATION FY2025	£112k	—	above	—	no doubt
THE PONTYPOOL AND BLAENAVON RAILWAY COMPANY (1983) LIMITED FY2024	£234k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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