THE COLLEGE OF MATRONS

Registered charity 201720 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE COLLEGE OF MATRONS FOUNDED BY SETH, LORD BISHOP OF SARUM

The College provides almshouse accommodation for eligible women, preferably widows or daughters of Ministers of the Church of England, in The Close, Salisbury and at St John's Priory, Wilton. Applicants must be resident within the dioceses of Salisbury, Winchester, Portsmouth, Bath & Wells, Exeter or Truro.

Objects

FOR THE BENEFIT OF MATRONS IN THE ALMSHOUSES OF THE CHARITY AND FOR THE RELIEF OF PERSONS IN NEED

Area of benefit: DIOCESES OF BATH, WELLS, EXETER, PORTSMOUTH, SALISBURY, TRURO, WINCHESTER, BATH, WELLS,EXETER, PORTSMOUTH

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

Causes: Accommodation/housing · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£239k

Latest spending

£296k

Registered

1962

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity's free reserves totalled £148,536, which falls within the trustees' stated policy target of keeping free reserves between £100,000 and £200,000. Per the trustees' report, the overall financial position is considered satisfactory, with net assets increasing by £7,576 during the year to £3,630,863.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Investments

“The Charity's total income for the year was £238,531 (2023: £230,771) including investment income of £74,407 (2023: £72,892).” — page 5

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: between £100,000 and £200,000 (6 to 12 months' worth of expenditure) (held: £149k)

“The trustees aim to keep free reserves between £100,000 and £200,000 (6 to 12 months' worth of expenditure) to cover unforeseen costs, to help provide further income by investing surplus accumulated profits and to be able to pay the almshouse running costs when voids occur.”

Per its FY2024 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.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
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
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

Trustees · trustee networks

ALASTAIR RICHARD MALCOLM
CELIA JANE LAX
Elizabeth Anne Ogilvie · trustee of 1 other charity
Niki Cartwright
ROY BEXON

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

Operates in: Bath And North East Somerset · Cornwall · Devon · Dorset · Hampshire · Portsmouth City · Somerset · Southampton City · Torbay · Wiltshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2024	£239k	£296k
31/12/2023	£231k	£235k
31/12/2022	£215k	£276k
31/12/2021	£212k	£327k
31/12/2020	£206k	£277k

Common questions

Is THE COLLEGE OF MATRONS financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity's free reserves totalled £148,536, which falls within the trustees' stated policy target of keeping free reserves between £100,000 and £200,000. Per the trustees' report, the overall financial position is considered satisfactory, with net assets increasing by £7,576 during the year to £3,630,863. Its FY2024 accounts were independently examined.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with PARTIS COLLEGE.

PARTIS COLLEGE income £364k
SALISBURY CITY ALMSHOUSE AND WELFARE CHARITIES income £2.5m
HUGGENS'S COLLEGE income £345k
MORDEN COLLEGE income £16.1m
THE PRINCIPAL AND FELLOWS OF THE COLLEGE OF THE LADY MARGARET IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD income £16.7m
LADY HEWLEY'S CHARITY income £858k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE COLLEGE OF MATRONS	£239k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
PARTIS COLLEGE FY2025	£364k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
SALISBURY CITY ALMSHOUSE AND WELFARE CHARITIES FY2024	£2.5m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
HUGGENS'S COLLEGE FY2026	£345k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
MORDEN COLLEGE FY2025	£16.1m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE PRINCIPAL AND FELLOWS OF THE COLLEGE OF THE LADY MARGARET IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD FY2025	£16.7m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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