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Three Choirs Festival Limited

Registered charity 204609 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL ASSOCIATION LTD, THREE CHOIRS FESTIVAL

To produce a music festival to the highest standards, on a rotational basis in the cities and surrounding area of Gloucester, Hereford and Worcester, augmented by outreach and participation activity in the local community.

Causes: Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£1.1m
Latest spending
£1.2m
Registered
1962
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity incurred an operating loss of £21,659 for the year ended 30 September 2025, noting that while less than anticipated, the scale of the operational loss is not sustainable in the long-term. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted free reserves stood at £204,000, which the trustees consider to be at the level required by their reserves policy of holding a minimum of three months' operating costs (approximately £100,000).

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: three months of operating costs (approximately £100k) (held: £204k)
“The board regard a prudent strategy is to hold a minimum of three months operating costs as reserves, which currently equates to approximately £100k.” — page 7
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Ballards LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

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.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 30/09/2025)

Total income
£1.1m
Total spending
£1.2m
Reserves (reported)
£203k
Employees
8

Reported reserves equal ~2.1 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (49% 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

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Gloucestershire · Herefordshire · Worcestershire

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
30/09/2025£1.1m£1.2m
30/09/2024£846k£1.1m
30/09/2023£1.1m£1.1m
30/09/2022£2.0m£986k
30/09/2021£869k£917k

Common questions

Is Three Choirs Festival Limited financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity incurred an operating loss of £21,659 for the year ended 30 September 2025, noting that while less than anticipated, the scale of the operational loss is not sustainable in the long-term. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted free reserves stood at £204,000, which the trustees consider to be at the level required by their reserves policy of holding a minimum of three months' operating costs (approximately £100,000). Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Ballards LLP.

Who funds Three Choirs Festival Limited?

Funders whose own accounts filings name Three Choirs Festival Limited as a grant recipient include L G HARRIS TRUST, THE MUMFORD MEMORIAL TRUST, THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION, THE REED FOUNDATION, VAUGHAN WILLIAMS FOUNDATION.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
L G HARRIS TRUSTFY2025£241kmusical performances/education
L G HARRIS TRUSTFY2024£223kmusical performances/education
L G HARRIS TRUSTFY2023£213kmusical performances/education
THE MUMFORD MEMORIAL TRUSTFY2022£55k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATIONFY2025£29k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATIONFY2023£27k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATIONFY2022£21k
THE REED FOUNDATIONFY2022£17kChristmas Challenge
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS FOUNDATIONFY2024£12kPublic Performance
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£10kSupport commissions by Welsh composers and contribute to core costs for the Festival in 2024.
THE BRANSFORD TRUSTFY2025£10k
DR RADCLIFFE'S TRUSTFY2022£5kGaspard's Foxtrot
DR RADCLIFFE'S TRUSTFY2023£5kMusic Therapy: Supporting People With Tourette Syndrome
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£4kA grant of £4,000 was offered to support a performance by the National Youth Orchestra of Wales as part of their 2022 festival to be held in Hereford.
THE HAWTHORNE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£4kGrants to other charitable institutions
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS FOUNDATIONFY2023£4kPublic Performance
The Patricia Routledge FoundationFY2022£3k
THE HAWTHORNE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£3kGrants to other charitable institutions
THE JOHN S COHEN FOUNDATIONFY2022£2kArts
THE HAWTHORNE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£2kGrants to other charitable institutions
THE HAWTHORNE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£2kGrants to other charitable institutions
THE PARIVAR TRUSTFY2022£2k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATIONFY2024£1k
DUMBRECK CHARITYFY2025£1kCulture and the Arts
THE OAKDALE TRUSTFY2023£1k
THE PARIVAR TRUSTFY2023£500
L G HARRIS TRUSTFY2022—Grants to institutions/organisations

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.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE MARCHUS TRUST3£13k
THE GOLSONCOTT FOUNDATION2£5k
THE DISCWORLD FOUNDATION1£180k
THE ADRIAN SWIRE CHARITABLE TRUST1£23k
THE LORD FARINGDON CHARITABLE TRUST1£16k
THE HAROLD HYAM WINGATE FOUNDATION1£15k
MARIA BJORNSON MEMORIAL FUND1£15k
WILFRID AND CONSTANCE CAVE FOUNDATION1£14k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with BRIGHTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
Three Choirs Festival Limited£1.1m—0unclear—no doubt
BRIGHTON EARLY MUSIC FESTIVAL LIMITED FY2025£217k—0unclear—no doubt
LONDON CONTEMPORARY MUSIC FESTIVAL FY2025£156k—0unclear—no doubt
TWO MOORS FESTIVAL LIMITED FY2025£229k—0unclear—no doubt
HERTFORDSHIRE CHORUS FY2025£123k—0no_policy—noted
THE HUDDERSFIELD CHORAL SOCIETY FY2025£302k—0unclear—no doubt

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