FRIENDS OF WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM

Registered charity 293190 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as FOWA, THE FRIENDS OF WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM, THE FRIENDS OF WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM TRUST

The Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum operates the membership scheme for Westonbirt, the National Arboretum in Gloucestershire. It aims to further public enjoyment and knowledge of this world renowned tree collection and to secure its sustainable future through engaging and informing visitors and members and by giving financial and practical support for the management and development of the site.

Objects

THE FRIENDS OF WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM AIMS TO FURTHER PUBLIC ENJOYMENT AND KNOWLEDGE OF THIS WORLD RENOWNED TREE COLLECTION AND TO SECURE ITS SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. IT DOES THIS BY ENGAGING, INFORMING AND INCREASING ITS MEMBERSHIP AND ALSO BY GIVING FINANCIAL AND PRACTICAL SUPPORT TO THE MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF WESTONBIRT, THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM AND, IN PARTICULAR, BY: 1. PROVIDING SUPPORT TO THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM AT WESTONBIRT IN PROMOTING PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF THE CRITICAL ROLE OF TREES TO THE ENVIRONMENT AND SOCIETY; 2. PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR THE ARBORETUM’S RESEARCH AND EDUCATION IN ALL FIELDS RELATING TO TREES; 3. PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR THE CONSERVATION, MAINTENANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE UNIQUE TREE AND COLLECTION AND HISTORIC LANDSCAPE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS; 4. PROVIDING FUNDS TO ENHANCE THE PUBLIC’S EXPERIENCE AT THE ARBORETUM; 5. ACTING AS AN ADVOCATE FOR THE ARBORETUM, PROMOTING ITS VALUES AND THE NEED FOR CONTINUING FUNDING; 6. PROVIDING SUPPORT TO THE ARBORETUM BY CULTIVATING THE CHARITY’S RELATIONSHIP WITH ITS MEMBERS SO AS TO ENCOURAGE LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS AND FUNDRAISING OPPORTUNITIES; 7. PROMOTING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACCESS AND PARTICIPATION TO A DIVERSE RANGE OF PUBLIC INDIVIDUALS AND GROUPS; 8. PROVIDING FUNDS FOR SUCH OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSES AS WILL FURTHER THE WORK OF THE ARBORETUM

Area of benefit: TETBURY IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Environment/conservation/heritage · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Cotswold, South West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Charity held free reserves of £430,957 at the year end, meeting its stated policy target of three months' running costs (£450,000). The filing reports a consolidated surplus of £310,208 and notes that the Charity is in a strong financial position with healthy reserves.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Godfrey Wilson Limited. Discloses 3 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.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• 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
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media 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.

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 04965522

What the charity says about itself (2024)

From its own voluntary annual review / impact report — the charity’s account of its work, distinct from the statutory accounts analysed above.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Friends of Westonbirt Arboretum (matched by registered charity number).

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.

• ALLMAN, Martin Robert — director, appointed 14/05/2025on trustee list
• SKUSE, Emma Victoria — director, appointed 14/05/2025on trustee list
• HARE, Katherine Elizabeth — director, appointed 14/05/2025on trustee list
• BRYARS, Sarah Anne — director, appointed 01/05/2024on trustee list
• ISHERWOOD, Paul David — director, appointed 07/07/2022on trustee list
• FORSTER, Owen — director, appointed 07/07/2022on trustee list
• TROUPE, Sian — director, appointed 07/07/2022on trustee list
• WALKER, Rachel — director, appointed 18/04/2019on trustee list
• SMITH, Martyn Douglas — director, appointed 01/01/2018on trustee list

Official officers record.

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 31/12/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~2.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 24.1% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.3%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Bethan Whiteley
• Elkan Allen
• Emma Victoria Skuse
• Jonny Loose
• Katherine Elizabeth Hare
• Martin Robert Allman
• Martyn Douglas Smith · trustee of 2 other charities
• Owen Forster
• Paul Isherwood
• Rachel Walker
• Sarah Bryars
• Sian Troupe

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

Operates in: Gloucestershire

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

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

Government & lottery funding

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

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 FRIENDS OF GUNNERSBURY PARK AND MUSEUM.

• FRIENDS OF GUNNERSBURY PARK AND MUSEUM income £9k
• WHITE HOUSE FARM ARBORETUM FOUNDATION income £23k
• THE FRIENDS OF WARNHAM LOCAL NATURE RESERVE income £92k
• MORE TREES FOR BATH AND NORTH EAST SOMERSET income £166k
• THE FRIENDS OF TREBORTH BOTANIC GARDEN income £33k
• FRIENDS OF THE EARTH CHARITABLE TRUST income £15.3m

Side by side with its peers

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