CAVE RESCUE ORGANISATION

Registered charity 1201338 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as CRO

The Cave Rescue Organisation is based in Clapham in North Yorkshire and provides the cave and mountain rescue service in the Three Peaks area of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and also extending westwards into Lancashire and Cumbria and eastwards as far as Malham and Gordale.The CRO is a charity run by volunteers, and depends on public donations for its finances

Objects

THE OBJECTS OF THE CIO ARE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT:3.1 TO ASSIST IN THE RELIEF OF SUFFERING AND DISTRESS AMONG PERSONS ENDANGERED BY ACCIDENT, ILLNESS, OR NATURAL HAZARDS UNDERGROUND, ON THE FELL, ON MOUNTAINS, OR IN SIMILAR ENVIRONMENTS, IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY IN YORKSHIRE, CUMBRIA AND LANCASHIRE BY WAYS OF:3.1.1 PROVIDING A DEDICATED AND TRAINED EMERGENCY RESCUE SERVICE;3.1.2 ASSISTING THE POLICE, AMBULANCE, FIRE AUTHORITIES AND OTHER EMERGENCY SERVICES IN THEIR ROLES; AND3.1.3 RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF SAFETY IN THOSE ENVIRONMENTS.3.2 TO RELIEVE THE UNNECESSARY SUFFERING OR DISTRESS OF ANIMALS UNDERGROUND, ON THE FELL, ON MOUNTAINS OR IN OTHER SIMILAR ENVIRONMENTS BY PROVIDING RESCUE SERVICES FOR SUCH ANIMALS.

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

Causes: The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity holds unrestricted reserves of £635,043, which significantly exceed its stated operational reserve target of £100,000. The trustees report that the charity remains in a sound financial position with a strong flow of donations and no material uncertainties regarding its ability to continue as a going concern.

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 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.

• 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
• 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
• Volunteer management

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Cave Rescue Organisation (matched by registered charity number).

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/10/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~22.5 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

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: 0.3% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Martin John Colledgechair · trustee of 1 other charity
• Alison Haigh · trustee of 3 other charities
• Avelina Wright
• Brian Cowie · trustee of 1 other charity
• Christopher Mark Edmondson · trustee of 1 other charity
• Graham Hughes · trustee of 1 other charity
• Iain Andrew Plimmer · trustee of 1 other charity
• Joanne Marie Wulf · trustee of 1 other charity
• Jonathan Mark Rhodes · trustee of 1 other charity
• Julian Charles Leader · trustee of 1 other charity
• MARTIN HOLROYD · trustee of 1 other charity
• Michael Gerrard McGeown Evans
• Mike Bottomley · trustee of 1 other charity
• PHILIP ROBERT JAMES · trustee of 1 other charity
• Paul Colin Lethebee
• Paul Moore · trustee of 1 other charity
• Robert Adrian Scurr · trustee of 1 other charity
• Simon David Johnson
• Stephen Richard Holcroft · trustee of 1 other charity

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Common questions