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EUREKA THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

Registered charity 292758 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE CHILDREN'S MUSEUM

To promote, maintain and advance public education by the promotion, establishment and maintenance of a museum or museums for children. It operates as a children's museum providing interactive educational exhibits and programmed workshops designed to increase child awareness, curiosity, understanding and enjoyment of the world in which we live.

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

Latest income
£5.2m
Latest spending
£6.9m
Registered
1985
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £1,617,413 for the year ended 31 December 2025, driven by lower-than-anticipated visitor numbers and rising operational costs. Despite this deficit, the trustees confirm the charity has adequate reserves to continue as a going concern, with free unrestricted reserves of £556,597 at year-end. The organization is actively pursuing a transition to a more diversified business model to ensure long-term financial sustainability.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £134,666 — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median £70k)
“Ms L-A Stradeski, a Trustee, received remuneration of £134,666 in the year (2024: £131,622) in her capacity as Chief Executive.” — page 32
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Employees paid over £60,000: 4
“Four other employees received remuneration amounting to more than £60,000 in the current accounting year. Three employees received remuneration between £60,001 and £70,000 and two employees received between £70,001 and £80,000 and they all receive pension contributions of 5% of salary.” — page 32
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: 3 to 6 months of variable core operating expenditure (held: £557k)
“Having considered the risks above the trustees have agreed that the charity should aim to hold free reserves sufficient to cover the variable core operating expenditure for 3 to 6 months.” — page 10
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Payments to trustees: Ms L-A Stradeski, a Trustee, received remuneration of £134,666 in the year (2024: £131,622) in her capacity as Chief Executive.
“Ms L-A Stradeski, a Trustee, received remuneration of £134,666 in the year (2024: £131,622) in her capacity as Chief Executive. Pension contributions of 10% of salary were paid (2024: 10%). None of the other Trustees received remuneration during the year.” — page 32
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Management recharges from parent charity to subsidiary.
“There were management recharges from the parent charity of £337,626 to 1855 Station Building Limited in the year ended 31 December 2025.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Armstrong Watson Audit Limited. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Corporate structure

1855 STATION BUILDING LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • The company discloses a debtor balance of £237,017 owed by group undertakings (Note 7). Additionally, the Going Concern note states: 'At 31 December 2025 the parent company owes £237,017 to this company.'

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.

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

8 registered titles 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.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Total income
£5.2m
Total spending
£6.9m
Reserves (reported)
£557k
Employees
157

Reported reserves equal ~1.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (49% 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: Calderdale · Wirral

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025£5.2m£6.9m
31/12/2024£5.1m£6.8m
31/12/2023£5.4m£6.5m
31/12/2022£7.9m£3.9m
31/12/2021£8.8m£2.6m

Common questions

Is EUREKA THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £1,617,413 for the year ended 31 December 2025, driven by lower-than-anticipated visitor numbers and rising operational costs. Despite this deficit, the trustees confirm the charity has adequate reserves to continue as a going concern, with free unrestricted reserves of £556,597 at year-end. The organization is actively pursuing a transition to a more diversified business model to ensure long-term financial sustainability. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Armstrong Watson Audit Limited.

What does the highest-paid employee of EUREKA THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £134,666 band, and 4 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds EUREKA THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM?

Funders whose own accounts filings name EUREKA THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM as a grant recipient include THE HEADLEY TRUST.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
THE HEADLEY TRUSTFY2022£25kTowards the new interactive gallery ‘Getting Around Town’.

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Community Fund17/03/2026£20kThe best start in life: early years support for children impacted by deprivation
The National Lottery Heritage Fund17/08/2016£98k"Safeguarding HalifaxÂ’s railway heritage"
The National Lottery Community Fund17/09/2009£7kScurvy Sam on the High Seas
The National Lottery Heritage Fund23/03/1998£2.4m"1855 Building, Halifax - Restoration"

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
KUSUMA TRUST UK1£1.0m
THE JULIA RAUSING TRUST1£761k
THE MASTER CHARITABLE TRUST1£733k
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION1£343k
ST. JAMES'S PLACE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION1£341k
GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION1£300k
THE STEVE MORGAN FOUNDATION1£185k
THE BEAVERBROOKS CHARITABLE TRUST1£185k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
EUREKA THE NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MUSEUM£5.2m£134,6664unclear—no doubt
THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION FY2025£2.2m——above—no doubt
THE HORNIMAN PUBLIC MUSEUM AND PUBLIC PARK TRUST FY2025£10.4m£120,001 - £130,0004unclear—no doubt
ERMINE EDUCATION TRUST FY2024£3.1m—0unclear—no doubt
SCIENCE PROJECTS FY2024£1.2m——unclear—no doubt
NATIONAL EMERGENCY SERVICES MUSEUM FY2025£287k—0unclear—no doubt

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