ACORN VENTURE ASSOCIATION

Registered charity 516925 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as ACORN FARM

Wide range on animals to stroke and feed, animal petting pavilion, shop-selling home produce free range meat,eggs,ice cream, Cafe, plant sales, woodland walk, play area, horse rides/RDA, birthday party room hire, day care service for people with special needs, special events throughout the year i.e halloween night, xmas grotto.

Causes: Education/training · Disability · Animals · Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£1.2m

Latest spending

£764k

Registered

1986

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £429k for the year ended 31 December 2024, with total incoming resources increasing to £1,192k. The trustees maintain a reserves policy target of six months of resources expended, and the unrestricted funds held were £2,684,624 at year-end. The auditor confirmed that the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate with no material uncertainties identified.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: six months of resources expended (held: £2.7m)

“the trustees believe that Acorn Venture Association needs to hold in reserves 6 months of resources expended” — page 10

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Acorn Venture Trading Co. Ltd

“The consolidated financial statements comprise Acorn Venture Association and its trading subsidiary, Acorn Venture Trading Co. Ltd.” — page 22

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by JS. Audit Limited. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 01934024
Trading subsidiary: ACORN VENTURE TRADING CO. LTD Companies House 05381159

ACORN VENTURE TRADING CO. LTD — per its own Companies House accounts

Amounts owed to group undertakings 4,541

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — ACORN FARM (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.

PRAYLE, Pauline Ellen — director, appointed 16/01/2025not on trustee list
HARTSHORNE, Fiona Clare — director, appointed 12/01/2023on trustee list
MUSPRATT, Ray Terence — director, appointed 04/04/2019on trustee list
WARE, Andrew Peter — director, appointed 17/01/2019on trustee list
BURKE, Aiden Daniel — director, appointed 17/01/2019on trustee list
RISHWORTH, Robert Vivian — director, appointed 14/12/2014on trustee list
RODERICK, Christopher John — director, appointed 13/01/2011on trustee list
TRUMBLE, Tracy — secretary, appointed 18/11/2011

Official officers record.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)

Total income

£1.2m

Total spending

£764k

Cost of raising funds

£316k

Reserves (reported)

£2.7m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~42.2 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other trading activities (51% 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: 26.5% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

CHRISTOPHER JOHN RODERICKchair
Aiden Daniel Burke
Andrew Peter Ware
Fiona Hartshorne
Raymond Terence Muspratt
Robert Vivian Rishworth

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

Operates in: Knowsley

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2024	£1.2m	£764k
31/12/2023	£653k	£472k
31/12/2022	£706k	£440k
31/12/2021	£485k	£339k
31/12/2020	£382k	£364k

Common questions

Is ACORN VENTURE ASSOCIATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £429k for the year ended 31 December 2024, with total incoming resources increasing to £1,192k. The trustees maintain a reserves policy target of six months of resources expended, and the unrestricted funds held were £2,684,624 at year-end. The auditor confirmed that the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate with no material uncertainties identified. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by JS. Audit Limited.

Who funds ACORN VENTURE ASSOCIATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name ACORN VENTURE ASSOCIATION as a grant recipient include ESHARELIFE FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
ESHARELIFE FOUNDATION	FY2025	£1k

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	27/06/2011	£53k	Acorn Farm Play Area

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS BURY OLDHAM AND DISTRICT BRANCH.

ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS BURY OLDHAM AND DISTRICT BRANCH income £1.0m
VENTURE FARM CAT RESCUE income £186k
ACORN PRE-SCHOOL CIO income £127k
ACORN2OAK PRESCHOOL income £225k
LABORATORY ANIMALS LIMITED income £250k
ACORN COMMUNITY CARE income £2.4m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ACORN VENTURE ASSOCIATION	£1.2m	—	above	—	no doubt
ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS BURY OLDHAM AND DISTRICT BRANCH FY2024	£1.0m	—	below	—	noted
VENTURE FARM CAT RESCUE FY2025	£186k	—	above	—	noted
ACORN PRE-SCHOOL CIO FY2025	£127k	—	above	—	no doubt
ACORN2OAK PRESCHOOL FY2026	£225k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
LABORATORY ANIMALS LIMITED FY2024	£250k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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