Charity Accounts Intelreading the accounts so you don’t have to

TRESTLE THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED

Registered charity 293201 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Trestle is a mask and physical theatre company: our mission is to inspire creativity through participation and dialogue and we do this by approaching opportunities with an open mind, playful approach and our ever surprising and engaging masks. Trestle operates Trestle Arts Base as a centre of creative opportunity for diverse communities and delivers education programmes in the UK and abroad.

Objects

TO PROMOTE MAINTAIN IMPROVE AND ADVANCE EDUCATION, PARTICULARLY BY THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE ARTS INCLUDING THE ARTS OF DRAMA BALLET MUSIC SINING LITERATURE SCULPTURE AND PAINTING.

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

Registered contact address: St Albans, East of England, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income
£314k
Latest spending
£346k
Registered
1985
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity recorded a deficit of £31,559, reducing unrestricted reserves to £39,819. The trustees identified material uncertainty regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern in its standalone form due to depleted reserves and operational pressures. However, this uncertainty was mitigated by a merger with Communities 1st completed on 1 July 2025, which assumed responsibility for all employees and operational functions.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: unclear (held: £40k)
“The Running costs reserve and Building repairs reserves are funds designated to cover the criteria laid down in the Reserves Policy detailed within the Trustees’ Report.” — page 22
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Going concern: material uncertainty disclosed
“These results, combined with continued pressure on core funding, leadership capacity and operational functions, indicated that material uncertainty existed as to the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern in its previous standalone form.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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.

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.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025

  • Volunteers: 6
  • Government income: £5,499 — contracts £5,499 (2); 2% of the £314,498 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024

  • Volunteers: 40
  • Government income: £7,960 — grants £7,960 (1); 2% of the £360,694 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2023

  • Volunteers: 8
  • Government income: £8,746 — grants £8,746 (2); 2% of the £372,396 total gross income on the same return

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

Corporate structure

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)

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

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£314k£346k
31/03/2024£361k£364k
31/03/2023£372k£405k
31/03/2022£336k£388k
31/03/2021£279k£337k

Common questions

Is TRESTLE THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity recorded a deficit of £31,559, reducing unrestricted reserves to £39,819. The trustees identified material uncertainty regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern in its standalone form due to depleted reserves and operational pressures. However, this uncertainty was mitigated by a merger with Communities 1st completed on 1 July 2025, which assumed responsibility for all employees and operational functions. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds TRESTLE THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED?

Funders whose own accounts filings name TRESTLE THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED as a grant recipient include BEDFORDSHIRE AND LUTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
BEDFORDSHIRE AND LUTON COMMUNITY FOUNDATIONFY2022£5kLuton Rising Small Grants Fund

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Community Fund20/01/2023£4kTrestle Arts Base
The National Lottery Community Fund17/08/2018£9kSing Out & Act Up Inclusive Groups
The National Lottery Heritage Fund23/09/2015£45k"Herts Hidden Heroines: Female Warriors, Leaders and Pioneers from Boudicca to the present day"
The National Lottery Community Fund16/11/2005£5kBig Spring Project 2006

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
THE AUSTIN AND HOPE PILKINGTON TRUST3£15k
THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND2£25k
SIR ROBERT GEFFERY'S ALMSHOUSE TRUST2£19k
THE RANDAL CHARITABLE FOUNDATION1£300k
THE LIZ AND TERRY BRAMALL FOUNDATION1£200k
THE FOYLE FOUNDATION1£100k
THE HEADLEY TRUST1£33k
THE TOTTENHAM GRAMMAR SCHOOL FOUNDATION1£29k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with LEICESTER THEATRE TRUST LIMITED.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
TRESTLE THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED£314k—0unclear—material uncertainty
LEICESTER THEATRE TRUST LIMITED FY2025£18.5m——unclear—no doubt
TRAM SHED THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED FY2026£146k—0below—no doubt
TRINITY THEATRE AND ARTS CENTRE LIMITED FY2025£1.2mUnder £60,0000unclear—material uncertainty
LEEDS THEATRE TRUST LIMITED FY2025£9.7m——unclear—no doubt
BARNSLEY THEATRE TRUST (1998) LIMITED FY2025£491k—0unclear—no doubt

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