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

Latest income
£3.0m
Latest spending
£2.6m
Registered
1985
Accounts read
FY2025

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.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Godfrey Wilson Limited.

Corporate structure

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.

The report states the charity awarded £545.5k in grants and paid £818.6k for Arboretum Access Rights, totaling £1.4m in direct support.
During the year, the Charity awarded the arboretum £545.5k in grants and paid £818.6k for Arboretum Access Rights. This combined funding of £1.4m directly supports the site and enriches the experience of visitors.
The charity ended the year with 39,488 members, representing a 4.2% increase year-on-year.
We ended the year with 39,488 members; an increase of 4.2% year-on-year. This resulted in membership income of £1,713k (including Gift Aid).
The retail subsidiary generated a profit of £44.7k, exceeding its annual target.
The Westonbirt Shop exceeded its annual profit target, returning £44.7k to the Charity and offering a retail experience that reflects the character and quality of the arboretum.
The charity supported specific community organizations through its Community Grant Giving Fund to help them access the site.
During 2025 we supported The Churn Project, Imayla CiC and Bristol Carers to access the site through funded transport and catering.

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

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

Total income
£3.0m
Total spending
£2.6m
Cost of raising funds
£713k
Reserves (reported)
£431k
Employees
13

Reported reserves equal ~2.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Trustees

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

Operates in: Gloucestershire

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025£3.0m£2.6m
31/12/2024£2.4m£2.2m
31/12/2023£2.2m£2.1m
31/12/2022£2.0m£2.0m
31/12/2021£1.9m£1.7m

Common questions

Is FRIENDS OF WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM financially healthy?

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. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Godfrey Wilson Limited.

Who funds FRIENDS OF WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM?

Funders whose own accounts filings name FRIENDS OF WESTONBIRT ARBORETUM as a grant recipient include THE HDH WILLS 1965 CHARITABLE TRUST, THE MEDLOCK CHARITABLE TRUST.

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 FRIENDS OF OXFORD BOTANIC GARDEN & ARBORETUM.