The Chicken Shed Theatre Trust

Analysis

The Chicken Shed Theatre Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in June 1992, 34 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, disability and arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under disability. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 02705172). It says it other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending March 2025, The Chicken Shed Theatre Trust reported income of £4.5m and spending of £4.3m, spending 94% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £3.4m to £4.5m (+35%), an average of +7.9% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 19%. Over the whole period it spent 90% of the income it received.

Among 12,871 England and Wales charities whose main cause is disability and that reported income, The Chicken Shed Theatre Trust sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Chelsea FC Foundation (£4.5m), Broughton House - Veteran Care Village (£4.5m) and The Royal Society for Blind Children (£4.5m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 70%, trading 19% and donations and legacies 9.8%. Charitable activities took 73% of spending and raising funds 24%. Reserves of £2.0m would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 115 people.