ORCHARD VALE TRUST LIMITED

Registered charity 326940 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The founding and running of homes and services for people with learning disabilities

Causes: The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£3.2m

Latest spending

£2.9m

Registered

1985

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net income surplus of £337,102 for the year ended 31 January 2025, increasing its total funds to £3,032,111. The trustees confirm that assets are adequate to fulfill obligations and that there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Reserves held amount to £461,528, which the trustees maintain as equivalent to three calendar months of operational costs.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £60,001 - £70,000 — below the median for charities its size (£70k)

“One employee earned between £60,000 and £70,000 during the year.” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 1

“One employee earned between £60,000 and £70,000 during the year.” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Orchard Vale Social Enterprises CIC

“The Charity has a subsidiary company, Orchard Vale Social Enterprises CIC, which is a community interest company owned entirely by Orchard Vale Trust.” — page 3

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Knight Goodhead Limited. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Employees paid over £60,000: 0 (FY2024) → 1 (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 01946592

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Orchard Vale Trust (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.

LAWSON, James, Reverend — director, appointed 27/01/2024on trustee list
FOX, John Stephen, Dr — director, appointed 19/01/2019on trustee list
VENNER, Martha Dorcas — director, appointed 27/01/2018on trustee list
STEELE, Catherine Roberta — director, appointed 04/10/2014on trustee list
SUDELL, Joanna, Dr — director, appointed 11/03/2009on trustee list
ALLAN, Hannah Victoria — director, appointed 08/03/2008on trustee list
MULLIN, Anthony Robert — director, appointed 08/03/2008not on trustee list
ABSOLON, Christopher John, Rev Dr — director, appointed 01/10/2003on trustee list
STRATTON, Kenneth — secretary, appointed 27/01/2018

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

6 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (6 freehold); recorded price paid £93k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

CQC provider record: Orchard Vale Trust Limited — Registered, 4 registered locations, 1 regulated activity, last inspected 31/05/2023.charity number confirmed by CQC CQC record

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/01/2025)

Total income

£3.2m

Total spending

£2.9m

Cost of raising funds

£4k

Reserves (reported)

£3.0m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~12.5 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.1% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Care Quality Commission ratings

CQC inspection ratings for services run by a provider matching this charity’s name (matched by name; verify provider identity on CQC’s site).

East Court: Good (06/07/2023) · CQC record
Northcroft: Good (28/10/2020) · CQC record
Ferndale: Good (09/02/2024) · CQC record
St Chads House: Good (21/06/2023) · CQC record

Register events

Received assets from another charity (19/11/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Dr CHRISTOPHER JOHN ABSOLONchair
CATHERINE STEELE
Dr JOANNA SUDELL · trustee of 1 other charity
Dr John Stephen Fox
HANNAH ALLAN
Martha Dorcas Venner
Rev James Lawson · trustee of 1 other charity
TONY MULLIN

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

Operates in: Bath And North East Somerset · Somerset

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/01/2025	£3.2m	£2.9m
31/01/2024	£2.9m	£2.7m
31/01/2023	£2.5m	£2.4m
31/01/2022	£2.3m	£2.2m
31/01/2021	£2.2m	£2.1m

Common questions

Is ORCHARD VALE TRUST LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net income surplus of £337,102 for the year ended 31 January 2025, increasing its total funds to £3,032,111. The trustees confirm that assets are adequate to fulfill obligations and that there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Reserves held amount to £461,528, which the trustees maintain as equivalent to three calendar months of operational costs. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Knight Goodhead Limited.

What does the highest-paid employee of ORCHARD VALE TRUST LIMITED earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £60,001 - £70,000 band, and 1 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds ORCHARD VALE TRUST LIMITED?

Funders whose own accounts filings name ORCHARD VALE TRUST LIMITED as a grant recipient include THE CLOVER TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE CLOVER TRUST	FY2022	£3k

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	14/05/2021	£9k	Connectivity for OVT
Somerset Community Foundation	08/05/2019	£16k	Your It Now
The National Lottery Community Fund	21/03/2019	£90k	Community Gardening Project
The National Lottery Community Fund	21/09/2018	£10k	Orchard Cafe

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED	2	£10k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF SAINT JOHN AND ST LUKE, BILTON, HARROGATE	1	£68k
THE FORBES CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	1	£50k
THE JOSEPH RANK TRUST	1	£45k
Bird Song Trust	1	£38k
LANGLEY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k
THE MILK AND HONEY TRUST	1	£10k
HINCHLEY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ORCHARD TRUST.

THE ORCHARD TRUST income £5.4m
THE ORCHARD income £106k
THEATRE ORCHARD PROJECTS LIMITED income £560k
ORCHARDS income £326k
HORTICAP income £1.3m
THE OAKLEA TRUST income £10.7m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ORCHARD VALE TRUST LIMITED	£3.2m	£60,001 - £70,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
THE ORCHARD TRUST FY2025	£5.4m	£60,001 - £70,000	2	below	—	no doubt
THE ORCHARD FY2025	£106k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THEATRE ORCHARD PROJECTS LIMITED FY2025	£560k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ORCHARDS FY2025	£326k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
HORTICAP FY2025	£1.3m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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