Design West
Design West inspire the public, politicians & professionals to design better, healthier places to live work & relax. Placemaking brings people together across sector & society to co-design & vision great places. We convene independent Design & Policy Review services. Our Public Programmes inform & involve people in our built environment. We develop diverse talent through Education & Skills work.
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity ended the year in a sound financial position with a consolidated surplus of £9,850 and total funds of £1,264,762. The trustees report a responsible reserves position, with unrestricted free cash reserves of £314,656, which is below their stated policy target of six months' expenditure (£330,000). The charity operates a trading subsidiary that broke even for the first time, contributing to the overall financial stability.
What the accounts disclose
“No employee earned more than £60,000 during the current or prior year.” — page 31
“the Trustees agree that in order to weather variations in cash flow our free reserves should reach six months expenditure (£330,000) as a general reserve.” — page 15
“During the year, C Kwiatkowski, trustee, was paid for design services by the charity totalling £2,350 (2024: £2,009). No amounts were outstanding at year end.” — page 39
“At 31 March 2025, Design West Trading Limited owed Design West £45,282 (2024: £48,762).” — page 39
“During the year, C Kwiatkowski, trustee, was paid for design services by the charity totalling £2,350 (2024: £2,009). No amounts were outstanding at year end.” — page 39
“At 31 March 2025, Design West Trading Limited owed Design West £45,282 (2024: £48,762).” — page 39
“The charity has one wholly owned subsidiary, Design West Trading Ltd, (registered company number 14049103). The subsidiary is used for non-primary purpose trading activities.” — page 24
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Trustees
- Nicholas Stuart Fairhamchair
- Cora Kwiatkowski
- Coralie Mckeivor
- David Waterhouse
- Gavin Rhys Eddy
- Stephen James Hilton
Income and spending
| Financial year end | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 31/03/2025 | £998k | £988k |
| 31/03/2024 | £1.1m | £1.0m |
| 31/03/2023 | £1.1m | £983k |
| 31/03/2022 | £825k | £831k |
| 31/03/2021 | £588k | £440k |
Common questions
Is Design West financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity ended the year in a sound financial position with a consolidated surplus of £9,850 and total funds of £1,264,762. The trustees report a responsible reserves position, with unrestricted free cash reserves of £314,656, which is below their stated policy target of six months' expenditure (£330,000). The charity operates a trading subsidiary that broke even for the first time, contributing to the overall financial stability. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.
What does the highest-paid employee of Design West earn?
Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the Under £60,000 band.
Government & lottery funding
| Funder | Date | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| The National Lottery Heritage Fund | 23/02/2021 | £50k | "NL20: Unlocking Resilience" |
| The National Lottery Heritage Fund | 04/11/2015 | £56k | "Opening Doors to Heritage: Expanding and developing BristolÂ’s ‘Doors OpenÂ’ offer to maximise impact" |
| The National Lottery Heritage Fund | 10/05/2011 | £33k | "Bristol: Opening Doors" |
| The National Lottery Heritage Fund | 22/06/2007 | £10k | "Sweet History?" |
Funders of similar charities
| Funder | Similar charities funded | Amount to them |
|---|---|---|
| GUY'S AND ST THOMAS' FOUNDATION | 1 | £630k |
| THE EDWARD GOSTLING FOUNDATION | 1 | £420k |
| TRUST FOR LONDON | 1 | £249k |
| THE CALLEVA FOUNDATION | 1 | £222k |
| BERNARD LEWIS FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST | 1 | £140k |
| THE MEDLOCK CHARITABLE TRUST | 1 | £110k |
| THE CATHERINE COOKSON CHARITABLE TRUST | 1 | £100k |
| THE ROPER FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST | 1 | £85k |
Charities like this
- DESIGN MIDLANDS LIMITED
- DESIGN COUNCIL
- TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ASSOCIATION
- DESIGNABILITY CHARITY LIMITED
- THEATRE DESIGN COURSE LIMITED
- Open City
Side by side with its peers
| Charity | Income | Top pay band | Staff >£60k | Reserves vs policy | Fundraising cost | Going concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design West | £998k | Under £60,000 | 0 | unclear | — | no doubt |
| DESIGN MIDLANDS LIMITED | £300k | — | 0 | above | — | no doubt |
| DESIGN COUNCIL | £3.7m | — | — | above | — | no doubt |
| TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ASSOCIATION | £2.2m | £80,001 - £90,000 | 1 | above | — | no doubt |
| DESIGNABILITY CHARITY LIMITED | £1.9m | — | — | above | — | no doubt |
| THEATRE DESIGN COURSE LIMITED | £100k | — | 0 | below | — | no doubt |