THE FRIENDS OF DOLPHIN

Registered charity 284692 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

We operate a powerful catamaran boat - safe and comfortable - in and around Poole Harbour, and up the River Frome to Wareham. We exist to provide boat trips - totally free - to disabled persons of all ages and disabilities, a maximum of 12 on each trip (including carers) due to regulations. From 1st May to 30th September, trips of 2-4 hours and 1 to 2 trips every day.

Objects

TO PROVIDE OR ASSIST IN THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES FOR RECREATION OR OTHER LEISURE-TIME OCCUPATION FOR THE DISABLED IN PARTICULAR BY THE PROVISION OF A BOAT AND OTHER ANCILLARY TRANSPORT WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THE CONDITIONS OF LIFE OF THOSE PERSONS WHO HAVE NEED OF SUCH FACILITIES.

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: Disability · website · Get email alerts

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

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves increased to £307,027, with £150,000 designated for a new boat and £157,027 undesignated. The trustees consider the level of reserves sufficient to ensure the future of the charity, noting a strong year of support and an overall surplus of £88,289.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). 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
• 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
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses 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.

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

Trustees · trustee networks

• ANTHONY ELGAR
• Andrew Preston
• Carol Helen Cox Chair
• Duncan Oliver Ovens
• Elizabeth Crew · trustee of 1 other charity
• Howard Gordon Richings
• Martin Stanley
• NORMAN FRANK HOLLAMBY
• Philip John Edgar Cox
• ROBERT HENRY IRWIN
• William Emile Lauste

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

Operates in: Dorset · Poole

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

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

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.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE STOCKPORT CANAL BOAT TRUST FOR DISABLED PEOPLE.

• THE STOCKPORT CANAL BOAT TRUST FOR DISABLED PEOPLE income £64k
• THE SOLENT DOLPHIN income £65k
• HEULWEN TRUST income £62k
• COTSWOLD BOATMOBILITY income £32k
• FRIENDS OF M.V. FREEDOM income £45k
• DOLPHIN SOCIETY income £317k

Side by side with its peers

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