HIGHGATE WOOD AND QUEENS PARK KILBURN

Registered charity 232986 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The purpose of the charity is the preservation in perpetuity by the City of London Corporation of the open spaces know as Highgate Wood, Highgate and Queens Park Kilburn for the use by the public for exercise and recreation.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Amateur Sport · Environment/conservation/heritage · Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£2.9m

Latest spending

£2.8m

Registered

1962

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income increased to £2,850,184, largely due to a larger grant from the City of London Corporation to fund a deficit on running costs. The charity held free reserves of £200,134, but the trustees consider a reserves policy inappropriate because the City Corporation is committed to contributing as necessary to meet deficits from its City’s Estate Funds.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: City of London Corporation (91% of income)

“An amount of £2,600,842 (2023/24: £1,533,369) was received from the City of London Corporation’s City’s Estate as a contribution towards the running costs of the charity.” — page 12

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: The City Corporation is the sole Trustee of the charity... The City Corporation provides various services to the charity, the costs of which are recharged to the charity. This includes the provision of banking services, charging all transactions to the charity at cost and crediting or charging interest at a commercial rate. The cost of these services is included within expenditure, as set out in note 7.

“The City Corporation provides various services to the charity, the costs of which are recharged to the charity. This includes the provision of banking services, charging all transactions to the charity at cost and crediting or charging interest at a commercial rate. The cost of these services is included within expenditure, as set out in note 7.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Pension scheme deficit: £2.7m

“The Fund’s estimated net liability has been determined by independent actuaries in accordance with FRS102 as £2.7m at 31 March 2025 (£49.9m as at 31 March 2024).” — page 26

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Crowe U.K. LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Highgate Wood & Queen's Park Charity (matched by registered charity number).

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

Total income

£2.9m

Total spending

£2.8m

Reserves (reported)

£497k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~2.2 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (100% 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

Received assets from another charity (11/08/2011) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

The Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London · trustee of 2 other charities

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

Operates in: Brent · Haringey

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£2.9m	£2.8m
31/03/2024	£1.8m	£1.8m
31/03/2023	£1.5m	£1.5m
31/03/2022	£1.4m	£1.4m
31/03/2021	£1.5m	£1.5m

Common questions

Is HIGHGATE WOOD AND QUEENS PARK KILBURN financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that total income increased to £2,850,184, largely due to a larger grant from the City of London Corporation to fund a deficit on running costs. The charity held free reserves of £200,134, but the trustees consider a reserves policy inappropriate because the City Corporation is committed to contributing as necessary to meet deficits from its City’s Estate Funds. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Crowe U.K. LLP.

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
KUSUMA TRUST UK	1	£370k
THE MOHN WESTLAKE FOUNDATION	1	£200k
THE LONDON MARATHON CHARITABLE TRUST LIMITED	1	£128k
CHAPMAN CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£2k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with WEST WICKHAM COMMON AND SPRING PARK WOOD.

WEST WICKHAM COMMON AND SPRING PARK WOOD income £2.0m
EPPING FOREST income £12.4m
BEDFORD PARK income £107k
BURNHAM BEECHES AND STOKE COMMON income £2.1m
THE ROYAL PARKS [LIMITED] income £109.9m
HAMPSTEAD HEATH income £11.5m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
HIGHGATE WOOD AND QUEENS PARK KILBURN	£2.9m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
WEST WICKHAM COMMON AND SPRING PARK WOOD FY2025	£2.0m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
EPPING FOREST FY2025	£12.4m	—	4	unclear	—	no doubt
BEDFORD PARK FY2025	£107k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
BURNHAM BEECHES AND STOKE COMMON FY2025	£2.1m	over £60,000	1	below	—	no doubt
THE ROYAL PARKS [LIMITED] FY2025	£109.9m	£180,001 - £190,000	—	within	—	no doubt

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