THE MERTON AND MORDEN GUILD OF SOCIAL SERVICE

Registered charity 206143 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE MERTON & MORDEN GUILD, THE MERTON AND MORDEN GUILD

We provide group activities for older people (55 years of age upwards). These range from lunch clubs, tap dance, line dance and exercise classes through to shopping trips and outings

Objects

TO PROMOTE THE GENERAL GOOD OF THE COMMUNITY IN THE LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON (BUT IN PARTICULAR IN THE MERTON AND MORDEN AREAS) BY PURSUING ANY OBJECTS WHICH ARE DEEMED TO BE FOR THE SOCIAL WELFARE OF THE COMMUNITY

Area of benefit: LONDON BOROUGH OF MERTON

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

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Amateur Sport · Recreation · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Merton, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£61k

Latest spending

£59k

Registered

1962

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £62,184, which the trustees describe as a record high built over the last five years. However, the trustees anticipate these reserves will be used over the next two years to cover a loss in funding for activities they intend to continue. The charity maintains a cash reserve policy of six months' running costs to deal with contingencies.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: 6 months running costs (reserves figure: £62k)

“It maintains a cash reserve sufficient to deal with contingencies, usually 6 months running costs.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Going concern: noted by the trustees or auditor

“In financial terms the Guild aims for a broadly balanced budget. It maintains a cash reserve sufficient to deal with contingencies, usually 6 months running costs. After building cash reserves to a record high over the last five years we anticipate that these will be used over the next two years to cover a loss in funding for activities we intend to continue.” — page 5

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). 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
Paying staff
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
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025

Volunteers: 34

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024

Volunteers: 32
Government income: £45,650 — grants £45,650 (1); 65% of the £70,626 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2023

Volunteers: 31
Government income: £56,150 — grants £56,150 (1); 65% of the £85,736 total gross income on the same return

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Annual return filing dates (Charity Commission record)

Of its last 5 annual returns with a recorded received date, 4 were received after the due date: year ending 31/03/2024 (received 07/03/2025, 35 days after the 31/01/2025 due date); year ending 31/03/2023 (received 07/03/2025, 401 days after the 31/01/2024 due date); year ending 31/03/2022 (received 07/03/2025, 766 days after the 31/01/2023 due date); year ending 31/03/2021 (received 25/02/2022, 25 days after the 31/01/2022 due date).

Due and received dates as recorded in the Commission’s annual-return data; the data does not say whether an extension was agreed. Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Merton And Morden Guild (matched by registered charity number).

Trustees · trustee networks

Andrew Raymond Butcherchair
Gillian Lewis-Lavender
JOLANTA NOWAK
MALCOLM NEALE
PETER WILLIAM SOUTHGATE
PHILIP JONES
Susan Eleanor Hedges

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

Operates in: Merton

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£61k	£59k
31/03/2024	£71k	£58k
31/03/2023	£86k	£76k
31/03/2022	£102k	£85k
31/03/2021	£95k	£80k

Common questions

Is THE MERTON AND MORDEN GUILD OF SOCIAL SERVICE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £62,184, which the trustees describe as a record high built over the last five years. However, the trustees anticipate these reserves will be used over the next two years to cover a loss in funding for activities they intend to continue. The charity maintains a cash reserve policy of six months' running costs to deal with contingencies. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds THE MERTON AND MORDEN GUILD OF SOCIAL SERVICE?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE MERTON AND MORDEN GUILD OF SOCIAL SERVICE as a grant recipient include MERTON VOLUNTARY SERVICE COUNCIL.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
MERTON VOLUNTARY SERVICE COUNCIL	FY2022	£17k
MERTON VOLUNTARY SERVICE COUNCIL	FY2021	£9k

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
CHARITY OF RICHARD CLOUDESLEY	1	£76k
CRIPPLEGATE FOUNDATION	1	£15k
COUNTY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION	1	£10k
THE DAVID BROWNLOW CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	1	£10k
JOHNNIE JOHNSON TRUST	1	£8k
THE MONTAL CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£5k
COMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR WAKEFIELD	1	£5k
SIR JULES THORN CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with HORDEN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE.

HORDEN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE income £124k
NORTH EAST MITCHAM COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION income £105k
MORLEY ELDERLY ACTION income £173k
AGE CONCERN TWYFORD & DISTRICT income £253k
Caring for Communities and People income £13.0m
AGE CONCERN ISLINGTON income £2.2m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE MERTON AND MORDEN GUILD OF SOCIAL SERVICE	£61k	—	0	above	—	noted
HORDEN YOUTH AND COMMUNITY CENTRE FY2024	£124k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
NORTH EAST MITCHAM COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION FY2025	£105k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
MORLEY ELDERLY ACTION FY2025	£173k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
AGE CONCERN TWYFORD & DISTRICT FY2025	£253k	Under £60,000	0	unclear	—	no doubt
Caring for Communities and People FY2026	£13.0m	—	—	above	—	no doubt

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