THE CREMATION SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN

Registered charity 209978 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE CREMATION SOCIETY LIMITED

To promote the practice of cremation for the respectful disposal of the bodies of dead persons.

Causes: Education/training · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£9.5m

Latest spending

£8.5m

Registered

1963

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity holds unrestricted general reserves of £13,310,660, which the trustees consider adequate to sustain its activities. The group reported a net increase in funds of £872,145 for the year, supported by significant trading income from its subsidiary, The London Cremation Company plc. The trustees confirmed that resources are sufficient to continue as a going concern with no material uncertainties identified.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £170,964 — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median £70k)

“The highest paid director received remuneration of £170,964 (2024; £129,188), and pension contributions of £16,083 (2024: £9,563).” — page 28

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: The Trustees aim to keep the income and expenditure of the charity before revaluations broadly in balance (held: £13.3m)

“The Trustees aim to keep the income and expenditure of the charity before revaluations broadly in balance” — page 11

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The charity is the major shareholder in The London Cremation Company plc. Council members who are also directors of the subsidiary received emoluments from it.

“The undermentioned members of the Council were also Directors of the Society's subsidiary, The London Cremation Company plc, from which they received total emoluments of £42,000 during the year ended 31st March 2025 (2024: £42,000). Lord de Mauley Professor H J Viner (also known as Grainger) OBE” — page 12

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Begbies Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Top pay band moved from £129,188 (FY2024) to £170,964 (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (1 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income

£9.5m

Total spending

£8.5m

Cost of raising funds

£7.9m

Reserves (reported)

£13.3m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~18.8 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other trading activities (96% 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: 82.8% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

PROFESSOR HILARY JOYCE VINER OBEchair
Colin Francis Rickman · trustee of 2 other charities
Deborah Ann Kerslake
Ian Michael Rudkin
Lucille Joan Furie
Professor Heather Ann Conway
Richard David Clarke · trustee of 1 other charity
Rt Revd Christopher Richard James Foster · trustee of 1 other charity
The LORD Rupert Charles DE MAULEY TD

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£9.5m	£8.5m
31/03/2024	£8.9m	£7.9m
31/03/2023	£8.9m	£7.9m
31/03/2022	£7.9m	£7.7m
31/03/2021	£8.5m	£7.6m

Common questions

Is THE CREMATION SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity holds unrestricted general reserves of £13,310,660, which the trustees consider adequate to sustain its activities. The group reported a net increase in funds of £872,145 for the year, supported by significant trading income from its subsidiary, The London Cremation Company plc. The trustees confirmed that resources are sufficient to continue as a going concern with no material uncertainties identified. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Begbies Chartered Accountants and Statutory Auditors.

What does the highest-paid employee of THE CREMATION SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £170,964 band.

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	—	£37	LS
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	—	£37	LS
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	—	£37	06
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	—	£37	06
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	—	£36	Recreation & Support
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	—	£36	Recreation & Support
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	—	£36	Subscriptions - General Grants And Subscriptions Supplies And Services Park Wood Crematorium Recreation & Support
Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council	—	£36	Subscriptions - General Grants And Subscriptions Supplies And Services Park Wood Crematorium Recreation & Support

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
THE LORD FARINGDON CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£16k
THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF DERMATOLOGICAL SOCIETIES	1	£5k
The Goldsmiths' Foundation	1	£1k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with JEWISH JOINT BURIAL SOCIETY.

JEWISH JOINT BURIAL SOCIETY income £2.6m
SHANTI DHAM income £149k
BRITISH CACTUS AND SUCCULENT SOCIETY income £138k
BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF DERMATOLOGISTS income £7.5m
CREATED: CHURCH income £315k
Paediatric Critical Care Society income £212k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE CREMATION SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN	£9.5m	£170,964	0	unclear	—	no doubt
JEWISH JOINT BURIAL SOCIETY FY2025	£2.6m	£60,001 - £70,000	2	above	—	no doubt
SHANTI DHAM FY2024	£149k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
BRITISH CACTUS AND SUCCULENT SOCIETY FY2025	£138k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
BRITISH ASSOCIATION OF DERMATOLOGISTS FY2024	£7.5m	£100,001 - £110,000	8	above	—	no doubt
CREATED: CHURCH FY2025	£315k	—	0	above	—	no doubt

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