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BUXTON ARTS FESTIVAL LIMITED

Registered charity 276957 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BUXTON FESTIVAL

To educate the public by promoting a summer festival of the arts and to involve young people in artistic activity.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£2.0m
Latest spending
£2.0m
Registered
1978
Accounts read
FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity ended the financial year with a cash surplus of £403,000 and total unrestricted reserves of £958,205. The trustees and auditors confirm the group is a going concern with adequate resources to continue operational existence for the foreseeable future.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: one year's operational costs contractual commitments, and development costs i.e. circa £500,000 (held: £958k)
“Following a risk-based assessment of income and expenditure, and recognition of the increasing scale and ambition of the Festival, the Board resolved that a target reserve be set at the equivalent to one year's operational costs contractual commitments, and development costs i.e. circa £500,000, by 2028.” — page 5
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: The charity was owed £350,912 (2023: £258,353) from Buxton Festival Productions Limited, a subsidiary undertaking, at the end of the period. In the period, the charity paid the subsidiary £1,443,541 (2023: £1,380,237) commission for the production expenses. The charity also received £322,997 (2023: £248,127) in donations from the subsidiary.
“The charity was owed £350,912 (2023: £258,353) from Buxton Festival Productions Limited, a subsidiary undertaking, at the end of the period. In the period, the charity paid the subsidiary £1,443,541 (2023: £1,380,237) commission for the production expenses. The charity also received £322,997 (2023: £248,127) in donations from the subsidiary.” — page 31
“The charity is associated with Friends of Buxton International Festival (registered charity number 513970), which was founded in 1980 to provide support for the Buxton Internationa! Festival through subscriptions, donations and fundraising events as well as practical assistance. Contributions received from the Friends of Buxton International Festival during the year amounted to £200,000 (2023: £215,000).” — page 31
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Contributions received from the Friends of Buxton International Festival during the year amounted to £200,000 (2023: £215,000).
“The charity was owed £350,912 (2023: £258,353) from Buxton Festival Productions Limited, a subsidiary undertaking, at the end of the period. In the period, the charity paid the subsidiary £1,443,541 (2023: £1,380,237) commission for the production expenses. The charity also received £322,997 (2023: £248,127) in donations from the subsidiary.” — page 31
“The charity is associated with Friends of Buxton International Festival (registered charity number 513970), which was founded in 1980 to provide support for the Buxton Internationa! Festival through subscriptions, donations and fundraising events as well as practical assistance. Contributions received from the Friends of Buxton International Festival during the year amounted to £200,000 (2023: £215,000).” — page 31
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: The Foundation donated £50,000 representing a grant of £25,000 in 2024 and payment of the deferred grant of £25,000 from 2023 (2023: Enil) to the charity during the year.
“The charity was owed £350,912 (2023: £258,353) from Buxton Festival Productions Limited, a subsidiary undertaking, at the end of the period. In the period, the charity paid the subsidiary £1,443,541 (2023: £1,380,237) commission for the production expenses. The charity also received £322,997 (2023: £248,127) in donations from the subsidiary.” — page 31
“The charity is associated with Friends of Buxton International Festival (registered charity number 513970), which was founded in 1980 to provide support for the Buxton Internationa! Festival through subscriptions, donations and fundraising events as well as practical assistance. Contributions received from the Friends of Buxton International Festival during the year amounted to £200,000 (2023: £215,000).” — page 31
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: During the year the charity incurred expenses totalling £6,146 (2023: £8,944) with donations received totalling £2,000 (2023: £4,000).
“The charity was owed £350,912 (2023: £258,353) from Buxton Festival Productions Limited, a subsidiary undertaking, at the end of the period. In the period, the charity paid the subsidiary £1,443,541 (2023: £1,380,237) commission for the production expenses. The charity also received £322,997 (2023: £248,127) in donations from the subsidiary.” — page 31
“The charity is associated with Friends of Buxton International Festival (registered charity number 513970), which was founded in 1980 to provide support for the Buxton Internationa! Festival through subscriptions, donations and fundraising events as well as practical assistance. Contributions received from the Friends of Buxton International Festival during the year amounted to £200,000 (2023: £215,000).” — page 31
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: The charity received donations of £20,800 (2023:£1,500) from Richard Eastwood who is also a trustee of the charity.
“The charity was owed £350,912 (2023: £258,353) from Buxton Festival Productions Limited, a subsidiary undertaking, at the end of the period. In the period, the charity paid the subsidiary £1,443,541 (2023: £1,380,237) commission for the production expenses. The charity also received £322,997 (2023: £248,127) in donations from the subsidiary.” — page 31
“The charity is associated with Friends of Buxton International Festival (registered charity number 513970), which was founded in 1980 to provide support for the Buxton Internationa! Festival through subscriptions, donations and fundraising events as well as practical assistance. Contributions received from the Friends of Buxton International Festival during the year amounted to £200,000 (2023: £215,000).” — page 31
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Buxton Festival Productions Limited
“Buxton Festival Productions Limited (BFPL} was incorporated on 19 March 2015 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Buxton Arts Festival Limited (BAFL). BAFL commissions BFPL to produce Operas which form part of the annual Buxton Arts Festival. 8FPL is eligible to claim under the Theatre Tax Relief (TTR) Scheme and all amounts it receives from the government under this scheme will be donated to BAFL” — page 32
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Sutton McGrath Hartley. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

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.

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). 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 31/10/2025)

Total income
£2.0m
Total spending
£2.0m
Reserves (reported)
£750k
Employees
8

Reported reserves equal ~4.4 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (56% 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: 0.0% 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: Derbyshire

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/10/2025£2.0m£2.0m
31/10/2024£2.1m£1.9m
31/10/2023£2.0m£1.7m
31/10/2022£2.1m£1.8m
31/10/2021£1.1m£1.0m

Common questions

Is BUXTON ARTS FESTIVAL LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity ended the financial year with a cash surplus of £403,000 and total unrestricted reserves of £958,205. The trustees and auditors confirm the group is a going concern with adequate resources to continue operational existence for the foreseeable future. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Sutton McGrath Hartley.

Who funds BUXTON ARTS FESTIVAL LIMITED?

Funders whose own accounts filings name BUXTON ARTS FESTIVAL LIMITED as a grant recipient include FRIENDS OF BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL, COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUST, MARIA BJORNSON MEMORIAL FUND, THE KIRBY LAING FOUNDATION, THE SCOPS ARTS TRUST.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
FRIENDS OF BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALFY2022£243kPayments in support of Buxton Arts Festival Ltd
FRIENDS OF BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALFY2023£215kPayments in support of Buxton Arts Festival Ltd
FRIENDS OF BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALFY2024£200kPayments in support of Buxton Arts Festival Ltd
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£50kCore costs for the 2025 opera season
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£50kSupport of core costs for the 2024 opera season.
MARIA BJORNSON MEMORIAL FUNDFY2022£23k
MARIA BJORNSON MEMORIAL FUNDFY2023£5k
THE KIRBY LAING FOUNDATIONFY2023£5kThe Arts
THE SCOPS ARTS TRUSTFY2022£3kGrants awarded and paid during the period
THE SCOPS ARTS TRUSTFY2023£500Regional Arts Festivals

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 JOHN R. MURRAY CHARITABLE TRUST1£205k
THE ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST1£72k
The Portal Trust1£39k
THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSIC1£27k
THE BOWERMAN CHARITABLE TRUST1£27k
THE GEOFFREY AND PAULINE MARTIN TRUST1£10k
SHORESH CHARITABLE TRUST (DR RUTH BORCHARD GIFT)1£10k
THE CENTRE FOR INNOVATION IN VOLUNTARY ACTION1£9k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with FRIENDS OF BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
BUXTON ARTS FESTIVAL LIMITED£2.0m——above—no doubt
FRIENDS OF BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL FY2025£203k—0unclear—no doubt
THAXTED FESTIVAL FOUNDATION FY2024£168k—0unclear—no doubt
PETWORTH FESTIVAL FY2024£560k—0above—no doubt
FREEDOM FESTIVAL ARTS TRUST FY2025£747k—0below—no doubt
NEWCASTLE ARTS CENTRE TRUST LTD FY2025£175k—0unclear—no doubt

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