BROWNSEA OPEN AIR THEATRE LIMITED

Registered charity 278003 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as B O A T

Performance of open-air dramas

Objects

TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE ARTS PARTICULARLY IN THE ART OF DRAMA AND TO FURTHER THE CHARITABLE WORK OF THE NATIONAL TRUST AND THE DORSET TRUST FOR NATURE CONSERVATION.

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: Arts/culture/heritage/science · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, South West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£76k

Latest spending

£78k

Registered

1979

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity made a small loss of £2,487 during the year ended 31 December 2025, resulting in total funds carried forward of £78,323. The charity is principally dependent on income from its annual production, which was unable to take place on its usual site due to external factors, leading to a significant drop in fundraising income compared to the previous year. The trustees have adopted a reserves policy to maintain sufficient funding for future productions in case of unexpected losses.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: We keep a Reserve sufficient to provide initial funding for the next production should the current production unexpectedly incur a loss. (reserves figure: £78k)

“We keep a Reserve sufficient to provide initial funding for the next production should the current production unexpectedly incur a loss.” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Discloses 5 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.

Complaints handling
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 160

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 150

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 100

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 01375316

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Brownsea Open Air Theatre (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).

Dorset Software — “We are delighted for the continued sponsorship of Dorset Software , providers for more than thirty years of IT systems to meet business need…” (source page)

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.

OWEN, Joanne — director, appointed 08/05/2026on trustee list
LINFORD, Gillian Margaret — director, appointed 12/09/2024on trustee list
BURTON, Dorothy Mary — director, appointed 12/09/2024on trustee list
BURSEY, Maureen Linda — director, appointed 12/09/2024on trustee list
WOOLTON, Brian David — director, appointed 14/09/2017on trustee list
DAVENPORT, Charles Robert — director, appointed 26/01/2016on trustee list
SACH, Royston Paul — director, appointed 10/03/2014on trustee list
HAYTON, Gary David — director, appointed 17/04/2013on trustee list
DAVENPORT, Elizabeth Morarg — director, appointed 27/03/2001on trustee list
MALLENDER, Denise Angela — director, appointed 30/03/2000on trustee list
CHERRETT, Donald Martin — directoron trustee list

Official officers record.

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Brian Woolton
CHARLES DAVENPORT
DENISE ANGELA MALLENDER
Donald Cherrett
Dorothy Mary Burton
ELIZABETH MORARG DAVENPORT
Gary Hayton
Gillian Margaret Linford
Joanne Owen
Maureen Linda Bursey
Robert William Nother
Royston Paul Sach

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

Operates in: Dorset

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£76k	£78k
31/12/2024	£118k	£108k
31/12/2023	£123k	£116k
31/12/2022	£117k	£99k
31/12/2021	£364	£7k

Common questions

Is BROWNSEA OPEN AIR THEATRE LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity made a small loss of £2,487 during the year ended 31 December 2025, resulting in total funds carried forward of £78,323. The charity is principally dependent on income from its annual production, which was unable to take place on its usual site due to external factors, leading to a significant drop in fundraising income compared to the previous year. The trustees have adopted a reserves policy to maintain sufficient funding for future productions in case of unexpected losses.

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 BLAGRAVE TRUST	1	£90k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	1	£7k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with BOUNDLESS THEATRE.

BOUNDLESS THEATRE income £234k
BRIDGWATER OPERATIC SOCIETY income £91k
BROS THEATRE COMPANY income £55k
FARNWORTH LITTLE THEATRE income £42k
BLACKWOOD LITTLE THEATRE income £33k
BEESTON MUSICAL THEATRE GROUP income £41k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
BROWNSEA OPEN AIR THEATRE LIMITED	£76k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
BOUNDLESS THEATRE FY2025	£234k	—	below	—	no doubt
BRIDGWATER OPERATIC SOCIETY FY2025	£91k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
BROS THEATRE COMPANY FY2025	£55k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
FARNWORTH LITTLE THEATRE FY2025	£42k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
BLACKWOOD LITTLE THEATRE FY2025	£33k	—	unclear	—	noted

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