Brathay Trust

Analysis

Brathay Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Ambleside. It was registered in May 1993, 33 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training and economic/community development/employment, which this site groups under community and economic development. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 02814206). It says it provides services.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Brathay Trust reported income of £5.4m and spending of £5.3m, spending 98% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £3.7m to £5.4m (+45%), an average of +9.8% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 36%. Over the whole period it spent 102% of the income it received.

Among 1,869 England and Wales charities whose main cause is community and economic development and that reported income, Brathay 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 United World Schools (£5.2m), Young Enterprise (£5.4m) and New Economics Foundation (£5.0m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 65%, donations and legacies 20% and trading 15%. Charitable activities took 91% of spending and raising funds 7.6%. Reserves of £1.6m would cover about 4 months of spending at that rate. It employed 92 people.