ELY CATHEDRAL TRUST

Registered charity 264803 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as ORDER OF SAINT ETHELDREDA, THE ELY CATHEDRAL APPEAL FUND

The objects of Ely Cathedral Trust are to apply income for the repair and maintenance of the Cathedral and its surrounding buildings and to support the Cathedral Choir.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Religious Activities · Environment/conservation/heritage · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£640k

Latest spending

£723k

Registered

1972

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the financial statements have been prepared on a basis other than going concern because the trustees intend to transfer operations to a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation within a year. All assets and liabilities are to be transferred to the new entity at their carrying amounts, with no material adjustments arising from this change in basis.

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

What the accounts disclose

Going concern: accounts NOT prepared on a going-concern basis (closing, merging or winding up)

“For this reason, the financial statements have been prepared on a basis other than going concern. No material adjustments arose as a result of ceasing to apply the going concern basis.” — page 14

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Governance: The charity is transferring operations to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) and the current trust will cease.

“In order to formalise the governance structure of the charity and create a separate legal identity, the Trustees have decided to transfer the operations to a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO).” — page 14

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Going concern: no going-concern doubt (FY2024) → not a going concern (FY2025).

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

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Ely Cathedral Trust (matched by registered charity number).

Funders the charity credits

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

Church Commissioners' Cathedral Sustainability Fund — “Website generously supported by Church Commissioners' Cathedral Sustainability Fund” (source page)

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

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

Total income

£640k

Total spending

£723k

Cost of raising funds

£3k

Reserves (reported)

£3.2m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~53.1 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Canon Paul Evans · trustee of 1 other charity
David Green · trustee of 2 other charities
Ian Pattinson · trustee of 1 other charity
Isobel Philippa Newport-Mangell · trustee of 2 other charities
Jane Lewin-Smith · trustee of 1 other charity
Peter Garside · trustee of 1 other charity
Rev James Reveley · trustee of 1 other charity
Revd Dr Sir Ralph Waller · trustee of 3 other charities

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

Operates in: Cambridgeshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£640k	£723k
31/12/2024	£745k	£756k
31/12/2023	£673k	£809k
31/12/2022	£1.9m	£710k
31/12/2021	£397k	£458k

Common questions

Is ELY CATHEDRAL TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the financial statements have been prepared on a basis other than going concern because the trustees intend to transfer operations to a new Charitable Incorporated Organisation within a year. All assets and liabilities are to be transferred to the new entity at their carrying amounts, with no material adjustments arising from this change in basis.

Who funds ELY CATHEDRAL TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name ELY CATHEDRAL TRUST as a grant recipient include THE SIMON GIBSON CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE SIMON GIBSON CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£5k
THE SIMON GIBSON CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£3k

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
THE HEADLEY TRUST	2	£90k
THE MCCORQUODALE CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£15k
THE OUSELEY CHURCH MUSIC TRUST	2	£8k
THE ANNIE TRANMER CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£4k
THE MASTER CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£1.7m
ROYAL SOCIETY OF WILDLIFE TRUSTS	1	£775k
THE JULIA RAUSING TRUST	1	£649k
THE FRIENDS OF GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL CIO	1	£455k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL.

GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL income £4.8m
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST income £166k
St Edmundsbury Cathedral Trust income £270k
CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL RESTORATION AND DEVELOPMENT TRUST CIO income £1.4m
THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF THE HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF ELY income £4.3m
CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN, ST PETER AND ST CEDD, CHELMSFORD income £1.3m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ELY CATHEDRAL TRUST	£640k	—	0	unclear	—	not going concern
GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL FY2024	£4.8m	£70,001 - £80,000	1	below	—	material uncertainty
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST FY2025	£166k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
St Edmundsbury Cathedral Trust FY2025	£270k	—	0	below	—	no doubt
CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL RESTORATION AND DEVELOPMENT TRUST CIO FY2025	£1.4m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE CATHEDRAL CHURCH OF THE HOLY AND UNDIVIDED TRINITY OF ELY FY2025	£4.3m	£70,001 - £80,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt

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