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Fields in Trust

Registered charity 306070 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q6974937 · Wikipedia · also known as FIELDS IN TRUST (FIT), NATIONAL PLAYING FIELDS ASSOCIATION, NPFA · also registered in Scotland as SC040357 (OSCR)

Fields in Trust protects and improves UK outdoor recreation spaces for future generations. From sports pitches to children's playgrounds, nature reserves and country parks we safeguard green spaces forever and encourage community use and enjoyment. Our work helps improve health and quality of life by securing access to green space for sport, play and informal recreation both now and in the future.

Objects

TO PROVIDE AND MAINTAIN AND TO PROMOTE AND ASSIST IN THE PROVISION AND MAINTENANCE OF PLAYING FIELDS, RECREATION GROUNDS, PLAYGROUNDS, OPEN SPACES AND OTHER FACILITIES FOR PLAY AND RECREATION FOR THE BENEFIT BOTH OF THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE AND OF PERSONS WHO BY REASON OF THEIR YOUTH, AGE INFIRMITY, DISABLEMENT, POVERTY OR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE SPECIAL NEED OF SUCH FACILITIES, WITH A VIEW TO IMPROVING THEIR CONDITIONS OF LIFE

Area of benefit: GREAT BRITAIN AND NORTHERN IRELAND

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

Causes: Amateur Sport · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Islington, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income
£1.8m
Latest spending
£1.3m
Registered
1979
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity delivered a small operating surplus for the first time in several years, with total income rising to £1.79m and expenditure at £1.35m. Free reserves increased to £2.10m, which the Trustees consider prudent given their policy of retaining around six months of forward expenditure. The Trustees and auditors confirm there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £110,001 - £120,000 — in the top quarter for charities its size (median £70k)
“The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) during the year between: £110,001 - £120,000” — page 59
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Employees paid over £60,000: 4
“The following number of employees received employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) during the year between: £110,001 - £120,000 £90,001 - £100,000 £70,001 - £80,000 £60,001 -£70,000” — page 59
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Fundraising cost ratio: 15.0% of fundraised income, as disclosed
“The cost of raising funds in year was £0.20m (2024: £0.17m), equivalent to 15% of income (excluding the property sale) (2024: 25%).” — page 43
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: around six months forward expenditure (held: £740k)
“Trustees consider it prudent to retain these reserves at a level representing around six months forward expenditure and wind up or transfer costs.” — page 44
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: FIT purchased furniture at a cost of £3,000 from a company whose director is the spouse of the CEO.
“During the year, FIT purchased furniture at a cost of £3,000 from a company whose director is the spouse of the CEO.” — page 60
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: NPFA Services Limited, King George's Field Foundation
“These financial statements consolidate the results of the charity and its wholly-owned subsidiaries NPFA Services Limited and King George's Field Foundation on a line by line basis.” — page 53
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Sayer Vincent LLP. Discloses 6 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 31/12/2025

  • Employees paid over £60,000: 2 (£70,001–£80,000: 1; £110,001–£120,000: 1)

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

  • Volunteers: 90
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 3 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £70,001–£80,000: 1; £100,001–£110,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

  • Employees paid over £60,000: 4 (£60,001–£70,000: 3; £90,001–£100,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary

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

Corporate structure

NPFA SERVICES LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts

    Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Fields in Trust (matched by registered charity number).

    Leadership, per the charity’s website

    Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

    Funders the charity credits

    Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

    Property (HM Land Registry)

    141 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (139 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)

    Total income
    £1.8m
    Total spending
    £1.3m
    Cost of raising funds
    £208k
    Reserves (reported)
    £741k
    Employees
    9

    Reported reserves equal ~6.6 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.7 months; benchmarks).

    Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (64% 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: 11.6% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.3%) (benchmarks).

    Register events

    Trustees · trustee networks

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

    Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

    Income and spending

    Financial year endIncomeSpending
    31/12/2025£1.8m£1.3m
    31/12/2024£764k£1.3m
    31/12/2023£532k£1.3m
    31/12/2022£550k£1.3m
    31/12/2021£744k£1.2m

    Common questions

    Is Fields in Trust financially healthy?

    Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity delivered a small operating surplus for the first time in several years, with total income rising to £1.79m and expenditure at £1.35m. Free reserves increased to £2.10m, which the Trustees consider prudent given their policy of retaining around six months of forward expenditure. The Trustees and auditors confirm there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Sayer Vincent LLP.

    What does the highest-paid employee of Fields in Trust earn?

    Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £110,001 - £120,000 band, and 4 employees earned over £60,000.

    Who funds Fields in Trust?

    Funders whose own accounts filings name Fields in Trust as a grant recipient include THE BANISTER CHARITABLE TRUST, THE LINDER FOUNDATION, THE DULVERTON TRUST, THE OCTOPUS FOUNDATION, THE INMAN CHARITY.

    Known funders

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

    FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
    THE BANISTER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£150kGrants - to institutions to promote the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment
    THE LINDER FOUNDATIONFY2025£100kGeneral Charitable Causes
    THE DULVERTON TRUSTFY2026£50kCore Costs
    THE OCTOPUS FOUNDATIONFY2025£45kUnrestricted grant for charity partnership
    THE DULVERTON TRUSTFY2024£30kFields in Trust Core Costs 2024
    THE INMAN CHARITYFY2022£25kGeneral
    THE LINDER FOUNDATIONFY2023£20kGeneral Charitable Causes
    PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024Unverified read£20k
    PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£16k
    THE LINDER FOUNDATIONFY2026£15kGeneral Charitable Causes
    THE LINDER FOUNDATIONFY2021£15kGeneral Charitable Cause
    THE JOHN COATES CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£12k
    THE LENNOX HANNAY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£10kThe advancement of amateur sports
    THE LINDER FOUNDATIONFY2022£10kGeneral Charitable Causes
    THE BANISTER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2021Unverified read£10kYr1 2021
    PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£6k
    THE BANISTER CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022Unverified read£5k
    THE DAVID FAMILY FOUNDATIONFY2024£5k
    THE SIMON GIBSON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£5k
    THE GRAHAM KIRKHAM FOUNDATIONFY2025£5kWelfare
    THE LAWSON TRUST CIOFY2025£5k
    THE LAWSON TRUST CIOFY2024£5kOther grants
    PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£5k
    THE SIMON GIBSON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£5k
    THE LAWSON TRUST CIOFY2021£5k
    THE SIMON GIBSON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2021£5k
    DUKES FOUNDATIONFY2024£4k
    SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£4k
    CECIL PILKINGTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£3k
    THE LAWSON TRUST CIOFY2022£3k
    CECIL PILKINGTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£3k
    SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£3kGrant paid or payable
    CECIL PILKINGTON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£3k
    PILKINGTON CHARITIES FUNDFY2023£3k
    THE HEMBY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£2k
    CHAPMAN CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£2k
    THE HEMBY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£2k
    THE OAKDALE TRUSTFY2024£1k
    THE ASTOR FOUNDATIONFY2025£1kArts, Conservation and Heritage
    SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£1k
    THE JOHN COATES CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022amount not stated

    Grants marked “Unverified read” were flagged by automated checks as possibly misread from the funder’s filed accounts. They are listed, but left out of the totals, counts and funder relationships this site computes.

    Government & lottery funding

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

    FunderDateAmountPurpose
    The National Lottery Community Fund06/08/2026£20kShared Spaces Lasting Places
    City Bridge Foundation14/04/2022£2kEco audit to Fields in Trust
    The National Lottery Heritage Fund31/01/2003£39k"The Preservation of Historical Recreational Land Documents"
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£600LS
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£750LS
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£600LS
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£7990
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£7990
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£79Safer Cleaner Greener
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£79Safer Cleaner Greener
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£79Subsciptions - Membership Outside Bodies Grants And Subscriptions Supplies And Services Technical Support Safer Cleaner Greener
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£79Subsciptions - Membership Outside Bodies Grants And Subscriptions Supplies And Services Technical Support Safer Cleaner Greener
    Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council—£750LS

    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 REED FOUNDATION2£184k
    ASPEN TRUST1£2.2m
    DENISE COATES FOUNDATION1£853k
    THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION1£390k
    ROYAL SOCIETY OF WILDLIFE TRUSTS1£307k
    THE J J CHARITABLE TRUST1£112k
    THE MARK LEONARD TRUST1£112k
    JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION1£110k

    Charities like this

    Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with PARKS FOR PLAY.

    Side by side with its peers

    CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
    Fields in Trust£1.8m£110,001 - £120,0004within15.0%no doubt
    PARKS FOR PLAY FY2025£285k—0unclear15050.0%noted
    THE LAND RESTORATION TRUST FY2025£10.3m——unclear—no doubt
    The Parks Foundation FY2025£535k—0unclear—no doubt
    THE FORTESCUE GARDEN TRUST FY2026£401k—0unclear—no doubt
    FRIENDS OF THE EARTH CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025£15.3m——above15.3%no doubt

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