Charity Accounts Intelreading the accounts so you don’t have to

LISTENING BOOKS

Registered charity 264221 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE LISTENING LIBRARY, THE NATIONAL LISTENING LIBRARY LIMITED

To provide a postal and internet based audiobook service to: Any child or adult who suffers from an illness or disability which makes it hard to hold a book, turn its pages or read in the usual way; including people with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, and people with visual impairments.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Disability · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£1.1m
Latest spending
£1.2m
Registered
1972
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £264,680, which is below the stated policy target of £450,000. The charity reported a net deficit of £113,507 for the year, resulting in a reduction of total net assets from £518,791 to £405,284.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £90,000 - £100,000 — above the median for charities its size (£70k)
“One employee received remuneration in band £90,000 - £100,000 per annum (2024: one).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Employees paid over £60,000: 1
“One employee received remuneration in excess of £60,000 per annum (2024: one).” — page 18
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £265k; policy: £450,000)
“At year-end, the unrestricted reserves balance stood at £264,680, being £185,320 below the target level set out in our reserves policy.” — page 6
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: N D Forster, a trustee of Listening Books, worked at Overdrive Inc. in the year. During the year £22,408 (2024: £22,057) was paid to Overdrive Inc. in respect of purchases.
“N D Forster, a trustee of Listening Books, worked at Overdrive Inc. in the year. During the year £22,408 (2024: £22,057) was paid to Overdrive Inc. in respect of purchases.” — page 21
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Xeinadin Audit Limited. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

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

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.

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

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

Total income
£1.1m
Total spending
£1.2m
Cost of raising funds
£32k
Reserves (reported)
£265k
Employees
10

Reported reserves equal ~2.6 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 2.9% 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: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£1.1m£1.2m
31/03/2024£1.1m£1.1m
31/03/2023£877k£1.0m
31/03/2022£896k£1.0m
31/03/2021£867k£887k

Common questions

Is LISTENING BOOKS financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £264,680, which is below the stated policy target of £450,000. The charity reported a net deficit of £113,507 for the year, resulting in a reduction of total net assets from £518,791 to £405,284. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Xeinadin Audit Limited.

What does the highest-paid employee of LISTENING BOOKS earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £90,000 - £100,000 band, and 1 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds LISTENING BOOKS?

Funders whose own accounts filings name LISTENING BOOKS as a grant recipient include THE W A HANDLEY CHARITY TRUST, THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUST, ALLAN AND NESTA FERGUSON CHARITABLE SETTLEMENT, THE FRANCIS WINHAM FOUNDATION.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
THE W A HANDLEY CHARITY TRUSTFY2023£25kHealth
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONFY2023£20k
PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£15k
ALLAN AND NESTA FERGUSON CHARITABLE SETTLEMENTFY2024£15kEducational projects
THE FRANCIS WINHAM FOUNDATIONFY2024£15k
THE 29TH MAY 1961 CHARITYFY2022£15kcosts of providing audiobooks to people in the West Midlands
PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£14k
PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£14k
THOMAS POCKLINGTON TRUSTFY2022£10kTargeted funding programme
THE ADINT CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£10k
THE ADINT CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£10k
THE ANTHONY AND ELIZABETH MELLOWS CHARITABLE SETTLEMENTFY2025£10kThe advancement of health or saving of lives
THE ADINT CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£10k
THE ADINT CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£10k
THE HAREBELL CENTENARY FUNDFY2021£10k
THE FRANCIS WINHAM FOUNDATIONFY2022£10k
THE VALENTINE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£10k
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITYFY2021£10kSupport for visually impaired
PILKINGTON CHARITIES FUNDFY2022£8k
THE VALENTINE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£8k
THE VALENTINE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£8k
THE DICKINSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£8kOther Charitable Purposes
ST OLAVE'S & ST SAVIOUR'S SCHOOLS FOUNDATION CIOFY2022£7kFoundation Fund grant
HYDE PARK PLACE ESTATE CHARITYFY2024£6k
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITYFY2022£6kCentenary
THE VALENTINE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£6k
THE CLARE MILNE TRUSTFY2023£6k
THE O'SULLIVAN FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£6k
HYDE PARK PLACE ESTATE CHARITYFY2025£6k
THE LAWSON TRUST CIOFY2023£5k
THE EDWARD AND DOROTHY CADBURY TRUSTFY2022£5kCommunity, Inclusion and Engagement
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITYFY2023£5kSocial
THE ROGER & DOUGLAS TURNER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£5k
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITYFY2022£5kSocial
THE GREEN HALL FOUNDATIONFY2024£5k
HYDE PARK PLACE ESTATE CHARITYFY2023£5kProviding relief for those in need or sickness and the advancement of life
G M C TRUSTFY2023£5k
THE FRANCIS WINHAM FOUNDATIONFY2023£5k
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITYFY2024£5kSocial
THE INMAN CHARITYFY2023£5kSocial - Deaf and Blind
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONFY2025£5k
THE LESLIE MARY CARTER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£5k
THE LAWSON TRUST CIOFY2022£5k
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONFY2024£5k
SUSANNA PEAKE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£5k
THE WALTER GUINNESS CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£5kfor lending to people in Wiltshire
GERALD PALMER ELING TRUST COMPANYFY2023£5k
THE WO STREET CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONFY2024£5k
THE EDWARD CADBURY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£5kEducation and Training
THE FRANCIS WINHAM FOUNDATIONFY2025£5k

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Community Fund29/01/2026£15kCommunity Audiobook Request Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund09/04/2008£223kDigital Book

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
THE DULVERTON TRUST2£150k
THE JOHN COATES CHARITABLE TRUST2£37k
DRAPERS CHARITABLE FUND2£22k
THE GEOFF & FIONA SQUIRE FOUNDATION2£20k
THE GORDON GRAY TRUST2£10k
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED2£5k
THE CATHERINE COOKSON CHARITABLE TRUST2£2k
MOONDANCE FOUNDATION1£3.0m

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with Calibre Audio.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
LISTENING BOOKS£1.1m£90,000 - £100,0001below—no doubt
Calibre Audio FY2026£1.1m——unclear—no doubt
BRADFORD TALKING MAGAZINES LTD FY2025£182k—0unclear—noted
THE AUDITORY VERBAL CENTRE FY2025£1.2m——unclear—no doubt
HEARING DOGS FOR DEAF PEOPLE FY2025£16.4m—0below—no doubt
SCHOOLREADERS FY2025£940kmore than £60,0001within—no doubt

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