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THE HEREFORD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE

Registered charity 249685 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as HDBF

Promotion of Christianity

Causes: Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Religious Activities · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£6.0m
Latest spending
£7.7m
Registered
1966
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported an operating deficit of £1.72m for the year ended 31 December 2025, driven by rising costs and flatlining Parish Offer contributions. While unrestricted reserves of £1.0m are below the stated policy target of four months' operating expenditure, the trustees consider the charity well-placed to continue operations due to significant restricted and endowment assets and expected asset realizations. The charity is audited by Crowe UK LLP, which issued an unqualified opinion.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Parish Offer contributions (55% of income)
“Parish Offer contributions generated 55% of income (2024: 56% restated).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: four months' operating expenditure (held: £1.0m)
“the Directors’ policy is to maintain free reserves equivalent to at least four months’ operating expenditure in cash and readily liquid assets in the general unrestricted fund.” — page 19
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: HDBF received a grant from the Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust, where a trustee is Vice Chair.
“During 2025, HDBF received a grant from the Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust amounting to £5,000 (2024: £5,000).” — page 55
“During 2025 HDBF received a grant from the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust of £4,000 (2024: £4,000).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: HDBF received a grant from the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust, where a trustee was a member.
“During 2025, HDBF received a grant from the Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust amounting to £5,000 (2024: £5,000).” — page 55
“During 2025 HDBF received a grant from the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust of £4,000 (2024: £4,000).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: HDBF raised invoices for partnership costs to DHMAT, a related party.
“During 2025, HDBF received a grant from the Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust amounting to £5,000 (2024: £5,000).” — page 55
“During 2025 HDBF received a grant from the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust of £4,000 (2024: £4,000).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: HDBF raised invoices for safeguarding costs to Hereford Cathedral, a related party.
“During 2025, HDBF received a grant from the Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust amounting to £5,000 (2024: £5,000).” — page 55
“During 2025 HDBF received a grant from the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust of £4,000 (2024: £4,000).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: HDBF raised invoices for education costs from Hereford Cathedral, a related party.
“During 2025, HDBF received a grant from the Herefordshire Historic Churches Trust amounting to £5,000 (2024: £5,000).” — page 55
“During 2025 HDBF received a grant from the Shropshire Historic Churches Trust of £4,000 (2024: £4,000).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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

Corporate structure

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

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.

Property (HM Land Registry)

257 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (246 freehold); recorded price paid £4.1m. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Total income
£6.0m
Total spending
£7.7m
Cost of raising funds
£260k
Reserves (reported)
£1.0m
Employees
50

Reported reserves equal ~1.6 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 (74% 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: 4.3% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Herefordshire · Shropshire

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025£6.0m£7.7m
31/12/2024£6.2m£7.4m
31/12/2023£5.9m£7.2m
31/12/2022£6.1m£6.9m
31/12/2021£5.6m£6.7m

Common questions

Is THE HEREFORD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported an operating deficit of £1.72m for the year ended 31 December 2025, driven by rising costs and flatlining Parish Offer contributions. While unrestricted reserves of £1.0m are below the stated policy target of four months' operating expenditure, the trustees consider the charity well-placed to continue operations due to significant restricted and endowment assets and expected asset realizations. The charity is audited by Crowe UK LLP, which issued an unqualified opinion. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Crowe UK LLP.

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund12/02/2026£217k"Saving St James the Great, Ocle Pychard"
UK government01/04/2024£12kHereford Diocese POWSO
UK government01/04/2023£14kHereford Diocese POWSO (3rd Term)
The National Lottery Community Fund16/09/2022£8kHereford Diocese: Support for Ukraine
UK government01/04/2022£17kHereford Diocese POWSO
UK government01/04/2021£7kHereford Diocese POWSO (3rd Term)
The National Lottery Heritage Fund25/02/2020£100k"Eastnor Church Restoration and New Facilities Project"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund10/07/2018£38k"The Encounter Project"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund07/06/2016£236k"Repair and regeneration of St Michael's Church, Brampton Abbotts"
The National Lottery Community Fund03/07/2009£10kRealising the Potential: Community use of Churches DVD and Toolkit
The National Lottery Community Fund22/09/2006£10kBredwardine Church Bells Appeal
The National Lottery Heritage Fund20/05/2004£40k"Save the Church Barn"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund04/08/2003£23k"Conservation of the Nicholson Organ in the Church"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund11/02/1997£90k"Holy Trinity Church, Minsterley - Restoration"

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
CHARITY OF SIR RICHARD WHITTINGTON1£92k
SIR JOHN PRIESTMAN CHARITY TRUST1£44k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF CHANDLER'S FORD1£0

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE DERBY DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE LIMITED.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
THE HEREFORD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE£6.0m——unclear—no doubt
THE DERBY DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE LIMITED FY2025£11.0m——unclear—no doubt
THE PETERBOROUGH DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE FY2024£10.0m——below—no doubt
ST EDMUNDSBURY AND IPSWICH DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE FY2024£10.1m——below—no doubt
THE DURHAM DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE FY2025£12.5m£90,001 - £100,000—within—no doubt
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF MILL END & HERONSGATE WITH WEST HYDE FY2024£138k—0unclear—no doubt

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