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EAST LANCASHIRE LIGHT RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED

Registered charity 1186648 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To preserve, restore and operate the railway lines, together with such lands and buildings adjacent thereto in Greater Manchester and Lancashire and in particular the East Lancashire Railway line, for the advancement of technical, historical and general education and for the permanent preservation, of steam and other railway locomotives, rolling stock, road vehicles, equipment and relics.

Causes: Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£5.2m
Latest spending
£5.6m
Registered
2019
Accounts read
FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity returned a net deficit of £400,010 for the year ended 31 December 2024, resulting in a reduction of total unrestricted funds from £870,268 to £469,113. The trustees report that the charity has drawn on its reserves to continue planned maintenance and restoration projects due to the deficit. While the directors acknowledge inherent risks in their forecasts, they believe sufficient financial reserves are secured to continue as a going concern.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Other income (94% of income)
“Other income 6 - 4,910,522 - 4,910,522” — page 15
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Fundraising cost ratio: 88.5% of fundraised income, as disclosed
“Raising funds 7 - (4,612,986) - (4,612,986)” — page 15
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £469k; policy: reinvest surpluses in projects)
“This has not been possible in 2024 and the charity has needed to draw on its reserves to continue its planned maintenance and restoration projects.” — page 7
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Going concern: noted by the trustees or auditor
“The Directors recognise that, in preparing the forecasts, there is an inherent risk that the plans may not be achieved. Despite this risk, the Directors believe that the Railway has secured sufficient financial reserves to enable it to continue as a going concern.” — page 21
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: East Lancashire Railway Limited
“The subsidiary East Lancashire Railway Limited (company number 12381729) is a wholly owned trading company.” — page 21
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Horsfield & Smith. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY LIMITED — latest Companies House iXBRL filing (balance sheet 2025-12-31)
  • Average employees: 94
EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Debtors include £804,363 owed by related parties (Note 6).

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — East Lancashire Railway (matched by registered charity number).

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.

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

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

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)

Total income
£5.2m
Total spending
£5.6m
Cost of raising funds
£4.6m
Reserves (reported)
£0
Employees
62

Reported reserves equal ~0.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other (94% 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: 88.3% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Bury · Lancashire · Rochdale

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2024£5.2m£5.6m
31/12/2023£5.5m£5.9m
31/12/2022£5.1m£5.2m
31/12/2021£4.6m£4.0m
31/12/2020£3.3m£2.9m

Common questions

Is EAST LANCASHIRE LIGHT RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity returned a net deficit of £400,010 for the year ended 31 December 2024, resulting in a reduction of total unrestricted funds from £870,268 to £469,113. The trustees report that the charity has drawn on its reserves to continue planned maintenance and restoration projects due to the deficit. While the directors acknowledge inherent risks in their forecasts, they believe sufficient financial reserves are secured to continue as a going concern. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Horsfield & Smith.

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund30/11/2006£1.9m"Bury Transport Museum"

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with WEST LANCASHIRE LIGHT RAILWAY TRUST.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
EAST LANCASHIRE LIGHT RAILWAY COMPANY LIMITED£5.2m—0below88.5%noted
WEST LANCASHIRE LIGHT RAILWAY TRUST FY2024£99k—0above—no doubt
CHINNOR AND PRINCES RISBOROUGH RAILWAY ASSOCIATION LIMITED FY2025£200k—0above—no doubt
CYMDEITHAS RHEILFFORDD ERYRI FY2024£147k—0above—no doubt
WESTERN LOCOMOTIVE ASSOCIATION LIMITED FY2025£191k—0unclear—no doubt
NORTH EASTERN LOCOMOTIVE PRESERVATION GROUP FY2025£226k—0unclear—no doubt

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