THE WILKES ALMS CHARITY

Registered charity 1200027 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Alleviating of hardship through the provision of almshouse accommodationThe advancement of the Christian religionGrant-giving

Objects

THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO (“THE OBJECTS”) ARE:3.1. THE RELIEF OF THOSE IN NEED BY REASON OF AGE AND/OR FINANCIAL OR OTHER HARDSHIP BY THE PROVISION AND MAINTENANCE OF ALMSHOUSE ACCOMMODATION, WITH A PREFERENCE BEING GIVEN TO PERSONS WHO ARE RESIDENT WITHIN THE AREA OF BENEFIT; AND3.2 SUCH CHARITABLE PURPOSES FOR THE RESIDENTS OF THE ALMSHOUSES OF THE CIO AS THE CHARITY TRUSTEES SHALL IN THEIR ABSOLUTE DISCRETION THINK FIT; AND3.3 THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION IN PARTICULAR BY:3.3.1 THE REPAIR, MAINTENANCE AND INSURANCE OF THE STAINED GLASS WINDOW ERECTED AT THE WEST END OF ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH LEIGHTON BUZZARD; AND3.3.2 A YEARLY PAYMENT OF £50 (OR SUCH OTHER REASONABLE SUM AS THE CHARITY TRUSTEES DECIDE) TO THE VICAR OF ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH IN THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF LEIGHTON BUZZARD FOR PREACHING AN ANNUAL SERMON, NOTWITHSTANDING THAT HE OR SHE MAY BE A TRUSTEE OF THE CIO; AND3.4 IN SO FAR AS THE INCOME CANNOT BE APPLIED FOR THE OBJECTS IN 3.1–3.3, SUCH CHARITABLE PURPOSES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE INHABITANTS OF THE AREA OF BENEFIT AS THE CHARITY TRUSTEES SEE FIT.IN THIS CONSTITUTION THE EXPRESSION “AREA OF BENEFIT” SHALL MEAN THE CIVIL PARISH OF LEIGHTON BUZZARD AND ITS IMMEDIATE SURROUNDING AREA.

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

Causes: The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · Religious Activities · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity holds total unrestricted and restricted funds of £3,348,470, largely derived from asset transfers from Leighton Buzzard United and Almshouse Charities. The trustees report that they are satisfied with the financial position and have retained significant reserves, noting that a separate reserves policy was not considered necessary due to the size of the investment funds held. The independent auditors confirmed that the financial statements give a true and fair view and identified no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Ad Valorem Audit Services Limited. 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 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
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• Risk management
• 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

Property (HM Land Registry)

3 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (3 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (99% 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: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (25/06/2025) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Benjamin George Jowitt
• John Edward Sykes
• Mark Saccoccio
• Rev David John MacGeoch
• Ruth Hall
• Wendy Geraldine Gibbons

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

Operates in: Central Bedfordshire

Income and spending

Common questions

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with WILLIAM LOVETT'S ALMSHOUSE CHARITY.

• WILLIAM LOVETT'S ALMSHOUSE CHARITY income £491k
• THOMAS PHILIPOT'S ALMSHOUSE CHARITY income £379k
• THE FLOOD CHARITY income £117k
• THE FINCH ALMSHOUSES, RAVENSTONE income £260k
• THE HARTLEY TRUST income £2.6m
• HAWLEY ALMSHOUSE AND RELIEF IN NEED CHARITY income £206k

Side by side with its peers

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