THE GLOUCESTER DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE
Registered charity 251234 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE GLOUCESTER DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE LIMITED
The DBF undertakes three principle activities:i. It funds cost associated with the vast majority of Church of England clergy in the diocese,ii. It is responsible for the custody and management of the synod's fundsiii. It provides services to other councils and committees within the diocese, primarily PCCs and schools.
Causes: Religious Activities · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported an operating deficit of £5.481 million for the year ended 31 December 2024, driven by parish ministry costs outpacing parish share income. However, the total net assets increased to £115.857 million, primarily due to significant realised gains from the sale of property and investments. The trustees confirm the charity is well-placed to manage risks and continue as a going concern, supported by substantial aggregate reserves and cash balances.
Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £1.6m; policy: between £4.5m and £6.7m)
“Although the free reserves are below the target level, funds are held in investments which can be liquidated to ensure the GDBF holds sufficient funds to follow the requirements of the policy.” — page 14
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Mrs K Stacey, wife of trustee Reverend Graham Stacey, is an employee who received £14k.
“Mrs K Stacey, the wife of trustee, Reverend Graham Stacey, is an employee of Gloucester Diocesan Board of Finance. From the date of his appointment, she received £14k by virtue of her employment.” — page 55
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by HaysMac LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
JUMPING FISH LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
- Turnover: £19k
- Profit before tax: £7k
SPORTILY LTD. — per its own Companies House accounts
- Turnover: £1.2m
- Profit before tax: £-13k
- Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £3k
- 8506
“Income tax recoverable in relation to donations recewed under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant ts recognised at the time of the donation”
Leadership, per the charity’s website
- Bishop Rachel Treweek — Bishop (source)
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.
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.
- SHEATHER, Margaret Eleanor, Canon — director, appointed 09/02/2025on trustee list
- BRYANT-PEARSON, Robert Ian Allen — director, appointed 09/02/2025on trustee list
- ZIHNI, Andrew Stephen, Very Reverend — director, appointed 05/10/2024on trustee list
- COOMBS, Richard Murray, Reverend — director, appointed 05/10/2024on trustee list
- JAGO, Rachel Hannah — director, appointed 05/10/2024on trustee list
- ROBERTS, David Wyn — director, appointed 05/10/2024on trustee list
- STACEY, Graham John — director, appointed 05/10/2024on trustee list
- COLLINS, George Sidney — director, appointed 06/11/2021on trustee list
- PESTELL, Josephine Frances, Reverend — director, appointed 06/11/2021not on trustee list
- O'DONNELL, Carole Ann — director, appointed 01/11/2021on trustee list
- SAUVEN, Edward Paul, The Reverend — director, appointed 01/11/2021on trustee list
- TAYLOR, Alastair James Mugisha — director, appointed 01/11/2021on trustee list
- MCNEILL-WILSON, Robert Michael — director, appointed 01/11/2021on trustee list
- TAYLOR, Kevan — director, appointed 11/04/2019on trustee list
- HILL, Christopher John — director, appointed 02/02/2019on trustee list
- TREWEEK, Rachel, The Right Reverend — director, appointed 01/11/2015on trustee list
- SPRINGETT, Robert Wilfred, The Right Reverend — director, appointed 30/04/2010on trustee list
- PREECE SMITH, Benjamin Tudur Llywelyn — secretary, appointed 01/04/2013
Official officers record.
Property (HM Land Registry)
122 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (121 freehold); recorded price paid £15.1m. 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 31/12/2024)
Cost of raising funds
£179k
Reported reserves equal ~3.3 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Other (61% 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: 0.7% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (04/10/2022) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (06/07/2021) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Bath And North East Somerset · Bristol City · Gloucestershire · Herefordshire · North Somerset · South Gloucestershire · Worcestershire
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE GLOUCESTER DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE financially healthy?
Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported an operating deficit of £5.481 million for the year ended 31 December 2024, driven by parish ministry costs outpacing parish share income. However, the total net assets increased to £115.857 million, primarily due to significant realised gains from the sale of property and investments. The trustees confirm the charity is well-placed to manage risks and continue as a going concern, supported by substantial aggregate reserves and cash balances. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by HaysMac LLP.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
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.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with GUILDFORD DIOCESAN BOARD OF FINANCE.
Side by side with its peers
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