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OCTAGON THEATRE TRUST LIMITED

Registered charity 248833 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as OCTAGON THEATRE BOLTON

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Latest income
£4.2m
Latest spending
£4.4m
Registered
1966
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity completed the year with a financial surplus on unrestricted funds of £100,038. Free reserves stood at £1,104,088, which is above the trustees' stated policy target of retaining at least £650,000. The trustees confirmed that the accounts are properly prepared on a going concern basis.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: at least £650,000 (held: £1.1m)
“The Trustees have a reserves policy of retaining unrestricted reserves of at least £650,000.” — page 11
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Bolton Council is a landlord and funder; GMCA is a funder; Arts Council England is a funder. Directors are nominated by Bolton Council and GMCA.
“Both the Arts Council and Bolton Council committed significant funds to support the re-development of the Theatre. Bolton Council are the landlords of the theatre.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Octagon Catering Services Limited, Octagon Theatre Productions Ltd
“The Charity has two trading subsidiaries named Octagon Catering Services Limited and Octagon Theatre Productions Ltd.” — page 22
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Sumer Auditco Limited. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

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

Total income
£4.2m
Total spending
£4.4m
Cost of raising funds
£509k
Reserves (reported)
£1.3m
Employees
78

Reported reserves equal ~3.6 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Trustees

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

Operates in: Bolton · Lancashire · Manchester City · Oldham · Salford City · Trafford

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£4.2m£4.4m
31/03/2024£3.5m£3.9m
31/03/2023£3.3m£3.7m
31/03/2022£2.2m£2.7m
31/03/2021£2.6m£1.7m

Common questions

Is OCTAGON THEATRE TRUST LIMITED financially healthy?

The accounts state that the charity completed the year with a financial surplus on unrestricted funds of £100,038. Free reserves stood at £1,104,088, which is above the trustees' stated policy target of retaining at least £650,000. The trustees confirmed that the accounts are properly prepared on a going concern basis. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Sumer Auditco Limited.

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund31/07/2018£10k"Outcaste: Women, Recruitment & Censorship in British Colonial India during the First World War"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund07/10/2014£10k"The Lancashire Boys"