BEWDLEY FESTIVAL LIMITED

Registered charity 701629 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC PARTICULARLY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BEWDLEY BY THE PROMOTION OF PLAYS AND OTHER FORMS OF ART. ACTIVITIES CARRIED OUT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR BUT PARTICULARLY THROUGH THE ORGANISATION OF THE ANNUAL FESTIVAL FOR NINE DAYS EACH OCTOBER.

Objects

(A) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC PARTICULARLY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BEWDLEY BY THE PRODUCTION AND PROMOTION OF EDUCATIONAL PLAYS AND OTHER FORMS OF ART INCLUDING THE ART OF DRAMA AND DANCING, SINGING AND MUSIC. (B) TO PROVIDE FACILITIES IN THE INTEREST OF SOCIAL WELFARE FOR RECREATION AND OTHER LEISURE TIME OCCUPATIONS PARTICULARLY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BEWDLEY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY.

Area of benefit: PARTICULARY IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BEWDLEY

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 · Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Wyre Forest, West Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£86k

Latest spending

£77k

Registered

1989

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity achieved a surplus of £8,851 for the year ended 31 December 2025, resulting in total unrestricted funds of £60,163. This exceeds the trustees' stated prudent reserves policy of approximately £50,000 or 50% of turnover. The trustees confirm that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: approximately £50,000 or 50% of turnover whichever is the greater (reserves figure: £60k)

“The trustees consider it prudent to maintain reserves of approximately £50,000 or 50% of turnover whichever is the greater.” — page 5

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Committee members Mrs S Pennington and Mr N Shaw are members of The Bewdley School Foundation.

“Membership of this company includes two Bewdley Festival Society Committee members Mrs S Pennington and Mr N Shaw.” — page 20

Per its FY2025 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.

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
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

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: 70

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

Volunteers: 70
Government income: £1,000 — grants £1,000 (2); 1% of the £94,475 total gross income on the same return

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

Volunteers: 70
Government income: £300 — grants £300 (1); under 1% of the £91,820 total gross income on the same return

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Rachel Claire Tuckerchair
Alastair Stuart Elliott Mr
Graham John La-Borde
Graham Michael Corner
Gregory Mark Williams
John Howard Frost
Nyree Joy Applegarth
PHILL POTTER
Richard John Mander · trustee of 1 other charity
Sonia Lloyd · trustee of 1 other charity
Susan Jennifer Humphries

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

Operates in: Worcestershire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£86k	£77k
31/12/2024	£94k	£111k
31/12/2023	£92k	£86k
31/12/2022	£75k	£72k
31/12/2021	£85k	£77k

Common questions

Is BEWDLEY FESTIVAL LIMITED financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity achieved a surplus of £8,851 for the year ended 31 December 2025, resulting in total unrestricted funds of £60,163. This exceeds the trustees' stated prudent reserves policy of approximately £50,000 or 50% of turnover. The trustees confirm that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds BEWDLEY FESTIVAL LIMITED?

Funders whose own accounts filings name BEWDLEY FESTIVAL LIMITED as a grant recipient include THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	FY2025	£3k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	FY2024	£2k

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
MARIA BJORNSON MEMORIAL FUND	2	£21k
FRIENDS OF BUXTON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL	1	£753k
COLWINSTON CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£100k
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	1	£16k
THE CLARE MILNE TRUST	1	£13k
G F EYRE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£13k
THE JOHN COATES CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£10k
THE KIRBY LAING FOUNDATION	1	£5k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with SWALEDALE FESTIVAL.

SWALEDALE FESTIVAL income £247k
WOODLEY FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND ARTS income £29k
BUDLEIGH MUSIC FESTIVAL income £159k
BEDFORDSHIRE FESTIVAL OF MUSIC, SPEECH AND DRAMA income £51k
BUXTON ARTS FESTIVAL LIMITED income £2.0m
STRATFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL income £307k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
BEWDLEY FESTIVAL LIMITED	£86k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SWALEDALE FESTIVAL FY2025	£247k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
WOODLEY FESTIVAL OF MUSIC AND ARTS FY2025	£29k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
BUDLEIGH MUSIC FESTIVAL FY2025	£159k	—	0	below	4.3%	no doubt
BEDFORDSHIRE FESTIVAL OF MUSIC, SPEECH AND DRAMA FY2025	£51k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
BUXTON ARTS FESTIVAL LIMITED FY2025	£2.0m	—	—	above	—	no doubt

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