THE BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL AND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY LIMITED

Registered charity 528981 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS AND GLASSHOUSES

The current activities are to further public education in botany,horticulture and zoology and provide facilities for research. In addition the charity maintains and operates the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and Glasshouses for the above purpose and for the recreation of the public.

Objects

TO FURTHER PUBLIC EDUCATION IN BOTANY, HORTICULTURE AND ZOOLOGY AND TO ENCOURAGE AND PROVIDE FACILITIES FOR SCIENTIFIC STUDY AND RESEARCH THEREIN AND TO INCREASE AND DIFFUSE KNOWLEDGE THEREOF AND INTEREST THEREIN AND TO PROVIDE, MAINTAIN AND PRESERVE GARDENS, GROUNDS, BUILDINGS AND LANDS IN OR ABOUT THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM FOR THE SAID PURPOSES AND FOR THE RECREATION OF THE PUBLIC

Area of benefit: BIRMINGHAM

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

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Animals · Environment/conservation/heritage · Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity ended the financial year with a net outgoing resource of £97,551 and total unrestricted reserves of £1,053,318. The trustees report that the charity is dependent on its own activities and fundraising for income, with no guaranteed public funding, and notes that the future is uncertain pending a decision on a major capital project. The auditor confirmed that the use of the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate.

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

What the accounts disclose

Accounts audited by Forvis Mazars 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.

• 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
• 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

Corporate structure

• Registered company of the charity Companies House 00248827
• Trading subsidiary: BIRMINGHAM BOTANICAL GARDENS (ENTERPRISES) LIMITED Companies House 01846714

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.

• FOWWEATHER, Helen — director, appointed 11/06/2025on trustee list
• CHAPMAN, Philip Richard — director, appointed 03/02/2025on trustee list
• HOLDEN, William Mark — director, appointed 23/09/2024on trustee list
• MURPHY, Daniel — director, appointed 25/03/2024on trustee list
• KING, Carol Anne — director, appointed 25/03/2024on trustee list
• RUTTER, Lynsey Anne — director, appointed 24/03/2024on trustee list
• MCLEAN, Rita Helen — director, appointed 27/03/2023on trustee list
• BEARDSMORE, Susan Rita — director, appointed 28/02/2022on trustee list
• SMITH, Pamela Kaye — director, appointed 27/09/2021on trustee list
• TAYLOR, Fiona — director, appointed 28/06/2021on trustee list
• MACPHERSON, Robert John Felix — director, appointed 28/06/2021not on trustee list
• BROWN, James Michael — director, appointed 28/09/2019on trustee list

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~1.4 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 25.8% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Carol King · trustee of 1 other charity
• Caroline Clutton-Brock
• Daniel Murphy
• Fiona Taylor
• James Michael Brown
• Lynsey Rutter
• Pamela Smith
• Philip Chapman
• Rita McLean
• Rob Macpherson
• Susan Beardsmore
• William Holden

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

Operates in: Birmingham City

Income and spending

Common questions

Government & lottery funding

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