EAST SOMERSET RAILWAY CO LTD

Registered charity 271589 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Preservation and operation of a heritage steam railway.

Objects

TO PRESERVE, OPERATE AND EXHIBIT FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT FOR EDUCATIONAL AND INSTRUCTIONAL PURPOSES AND TO STIMULATE AND ENCOURAGE INTEREST IN STEAM AND OTHER RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVES AND ROLLING STOCK MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT OF HISTORICAL INTEREST. (FOR DETAILS, SEE CLAUSE 3 OF MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION).

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £151,771, a decrease from £184,436 in the prior year, while total net assets increased to £760,337. The trustees report that sufficient funds have been generated from operations to support improvements and confirm the charity is a going concern with adequate resources for the foreseeable future.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
• Complaints handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Investment
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

Funders the charity credits

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

• The National Lottery — “In 2018 The East Somerset Railway won funding by The National Lottery to support projects” (source page)

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)

Reported reserves equal ~4.0 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (57% 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: 4.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• COLIN ROGER COOKE
• Christopher Hopkins
• Daemon Marcus John Marston-Grimley
• Elaine Lavender
• Gordon William Fry
• Keith Richard Marshall
• Nicholas John Dixon

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

Operates in: Somerset

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

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