PONTEFRACT CIVIC SOCIETY

Registered charity 513509 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as PONTEFRACT AND DISTRICT CIVIC TRUST

A non-political independent organisation monitoring planning, land use, regeneration, tourism, civic pride, heritage, and business, raising awareness to the people of Pontefract and district. Raising the profile of Pontefract as a place to live, work, do business and visit, by protecting and enhancing the environment.

Objects

(1) TO PROMOTE HIGH STANDARDS OF PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE IN OR AFFECTING THE AREA OF BENEFIT. (2) TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC IN THE GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, NATURAL HISTORY AND ARCHITECTURE OF THE AREA OF BENEFIT. (3) TO SECURE THE PRESERVATION, PROTECTION, DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVEMENT OF FEATURES OF HISTORIC OR PUBLIC INTEREST IN THE AREA OF BENEFIT.

Area of benefit: PONTEFRACT AND DISTRICT

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 · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Wakefield, Yorkshire and The Humber, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£16k

Latest spending

£26k

Registered

1983

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state a net surplus of £8,371 for the year, with total income of £31,455 against total expenditure of £23,084. Cash reserves stood at £28,758 at year-end, with the Treasurer noting that 89% of this amount has been ring-fenced for future projects. The charity describes itself as viable through self-generated income and grants, with no stated material uncertainties regarding its continuation.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: approximately 12 months of budgeted unrestricted expenditure (reserves figure: £29k)

“the charity aims to hold unrestricted reserves at levels of approximately 12 months of budgeted unrestricted expenditure”

Per its FY2024 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.

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
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

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

Volunteers: 40

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

Volunteers: 40

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

Volunteers: 27

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

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Register events

Received assets from another charity (19/10/2016) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Kelvin John Wilkinschair
Dr COLIN WHITE
Evelyn Westwood
Ian Frederick Wood · trustee of 1 other charity
Melanie Jones
Michael James Farrell
Philip Cook
Rev Ian Bullock BA Hons · trustee of 4 other charities

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

Operates in: City Of Wakefield

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£16k	£26k
31/12/2024	£28k	£23k
31/12/2023	£25k	£19k
31/12/2022	£26k	£36k
31/12/2021	£12k	£16k

Common questions

Is PONTEFRACT CIVIC SOCIETY financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state a net surplus of £8,371 for the year, with total income of £31,455 against total expenditure of £23,084. Cash reserves stood at £28,758 at year-end, with the Treasurer noting that 89% of this amount has been ring-fenced for future projects. The charity describes itself as viable through self-generated income and grants, with no stated material uncertainties regarding its continuation. Its FY2024 accounts were independently examined.

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	18/02/2022	£9k	Queens Platinum Jubilee Celebrations Pontefract

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
LOCAL TRUST	1	£187k
TALBOT VILLAGE TRUST	1	£20k
THE ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE FUND	1	£15k
Alex Ferry Foundation	1	£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE RETFORD CIVIC SOCIETY.

THE RETFORD CIVIC SOCIETY income £28k
PONTEFRACT COMMUNITY KITCHEN income £16k
WEYMOUTH CIVIC SOCIETY income £811k
DORSET COMMUNITY ACTION income £666k
PONTEFRACT FAMILY CENTRE income £192k
PETERSFIELD COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION income £79k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
PONTEFRACT CIVIC SOCIETY	£16k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE RETFORD CIVIC SOCIETY FY2026	£28k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
PONTEFRACT COMMUNITY KITCHEN FY2024	£16k	—	—	unclear	—	noted
WEYMOUTH CIVIC SOCIETY FY2025	£811k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
DORSET COMMUNITY ACTION FY2025	£666k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
PONTEFRACT FAMILY CENTRE FY2025	£192k	—	0	below	—	no doubt

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