THE MAYFLOWER THEATRE TRUST
The primary objectives of the trust as defined by the memorandum and articles of association are the encouragement of the arts, the promotion and advancement of education, and the cultivation and improvement of public education in drama, mime, opera, singing, music, dance, painting, and sculpture, cinema, literature and other arts.
Objects
THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE ARTS, THE PROMOTION AND ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION AND THE CULTIVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN DRAMA, MIME, OPERA, SINGING, MUSIC, DANCE, PAINTING AND SCULPTURE, CINEMA, LITERATURE AND OTHER ARTS.
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £3,003,157 after depreciation for the year ended 30 March 2025, supported by strong box office income of £23,962,169. Per the trustees' report, free reserves stood at £2,019,241, which the Board considers in line with their expectation of a minimum of six months of overheads, while total unrestricted funds remain substantial at £7,612,636. The charity confirmed it is a going concern with significant advance ticket sales and cash reserves protecting its ability to continue operations through planned capital works.
What the accounts disclose
“£190,001 - £200,000 1” — page 36
“MTT manages its day-to-day operations through the effective management of cash and considers that its current levels of reserves and cash holdings are in line with expectation, which is a minimum of 6 months of overhead”
“Mrs J Ockwell, spouse of Mr M Ockwell, Chief Executive of MTT, provided creative services for the participation programme and received remuneration of £4,900 (2024: £1,500).” — page 40
“MTT has two wholly owned subsidiaries, Mayflower Enterprises Limited (MEL), whose principal activity is the operation of facilities on behalf of the parent, and Mayflower Productions (Southampton) Ltd (MPL), whose principal activity is theatre productions.” — page 5
Year-over-year changes
- Top pay band moved from £170,001 - £210,000 (FY2024) to £190,001 - £200,000 (FY2025).
Policies the charity declares
- 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)
Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 30/03/2025
- Volunteers: 19
- Government income: £5,633 — grants £5,633 (1); under 1% of the £28,804,714 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 8 (£60,001–£70,000: 3; £70,001–£80,000: 2; £100,001–£110,000: 1; £140,001–£150,000: 1; £150,001–£200,000: 1)
- Has a trading subsidiary
Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024
- Volunteers: 10
- Government income: £10,737 — grants £10,737 (1); under 1% of the £20,113,488 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 8 (£60,001–£70,000: 3; £70,001–£80,000: 1; £80,001–£90,000: 1; £90,001–£100,000: 1; £140,001–£150,000: 1; £200,001–£250,000: 1)
- Has a trading subsidiary
Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 02/04/2023
- Volunteers: 10
- Government income: £7,161 — grants £7,161 (1); under 1% of the £25,566,092 total gross income on the same return
- Employees paid over £60,000: 5 (£60,001–£70,000: 2; £70,001–£80,000: 1; £130,001–£140,000: 1; £200,001–£250,000: 1)
- Has a trading subsidiary
In the news
Corporate structure
- Registered company of the charity Companies House 02026445
Leadership, per the charity’s website
- Michael Ockwell — Chief Executive
Funders the charity credits
- Arts Council England
- Paris Smith
Company officers (Companies House)
- MCBOYLE, Harriett Rose on trustee list
- MITCHELL, Lisa on trustee list
- WILSON, Shevani on trustee list
- BALLINGER, Angela Dawn on trustee list
- TOMICIC, Louise Elizabeth on trustee list
- HALL, Rachel Joanne on trustee list
- SARGANT, Samuel James Andrew on trustee list
- ALLISON, Guy John on trustee list
- FOWLER-STEVENS, Dawn Marie on trustee list
- ROMERO, Kimberly on trustee list
- PANTLING, Shaun William on trustee list
- VAUGHAN, Nicholas John not on trustee list
- DOWNEY, Helen Elizabeth
Property (HM Land Registry)
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 30/03/2025)
Trustees
- Nick VAUGHANchair
- Angela Ballinger
- Dawn Marie Fowler-Stevens
- Guy John Allison
- Harriett Rose McBoyle
- Kimberly Romero
- Lisa Mitchell
- Louise Tomicic
- Rachel Joanne Hall
- Samuel James Andrew Sargant
- Shaun William Pantling
- Shevani Wilson
Income and spending
| Financial year end | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 30/03/2025 | £28.8m | £25.8m |
| 31/03/2024 | £20.1m | £19.1m |
| 02/04/2023 | £25.6m | £23.4m |
| 27/03/2022 | £16.7m | £16.2m |
| 28/03/2021 | £4.3m | £5.2m |
Common questions
Is THE MAYFLOWER THEATRE TRUST financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £3,003,157 after depreciation for the year ended 30 March 2025, supported by strong box office income of £23,962,169. Per the trustees' report, free reserves stood at £2,019,241, which the Board considers in line with their expectation of a minimum of six months of overheads, while total unrestricted funds remain substantial at £7,612,636. The charity confirmed it is a going concern with significant advance ticket sales and cash reserves protecting its ability to continue operations through planned capital works. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by HaysMac LLP.
What does the highest-paid employee of THE MAYFLOWER THEATRE TRUST earn?
Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £190,001 - £200,000 band.
Who funds THE MAYFLOWER THEATRE TRUST?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE MAYFLOWER THEATRE TRUST as a grant recipient include THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND, ENERGISE ME.
Known funders
| Funder | Year | Amount | Purpose (as stated by the funder) |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND | FY2025 | £16k | |
| ENERGISE ME | FY2022 | £3k |
Government & lottery funding
| Funder | Date | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| The National Lottery Heritage Fund | 18/02/2016 | £50k | "Mayflower Theatre - Heritage: ENGAGE" |
Funders of similar charities
| Funder | Similar charities funded | Amount to them |
|---|---|---|
| BACKSTAGE TRUST | 1 | £1.6m |
| THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | 1 | £1.3m |
| MOONDANCE FOUNDATION | 1 | £750k |
| HUO FAMILY FOUNDATION (UK) LIMITED | 1 | £204k |
| SCARBOROUGH THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST | 1 | £54k |
| THE BARBARA WARD CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION | 1 | £18k |
| THE JOHN COATES CHARITABLE TRUST | 1 | £10k |
| THE ALAN EDWARD HIGGS CHARITY | 1 | £9k |
Charities like this
- SCARBOROUGH THEATRE TRUST LIMITED
- THE OPEN THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED
- THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST
- GLADSTONE THEATRE TRUST
- MANOR MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY
- THE EMPIRE THEATRE (MERSEYSIDE) TRUST LIMITED
Side by side with its peers
| Charity | Income | Top pay band | Staff >£60k | Reserves vs policy | Fundraising cost | Going concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE MAYFLOWER THEATRE TRUST | £28.8m | £190,001 - £200,000 | — | above | — | no doubt |
| SCARBOROUGH THEATRE TRUST LIMITED | £3.1m | — | — | below | — | noted |
| THE OPEN THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED | £903k | — | 0 | unclear | — | no doubt |
| THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST | £434k | — | 0 | above | — | no doubt |
| GLADSTONE THEATRE TRUST | £386k | — | 0 | unclear | — | no doubt |
| MANOR MUSICAL THEATRE COMPANY | £49k | — | 0 | unclear | — | no doubt |