Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity

Analysis

Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bedford. It was registered in March 1997, 29 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, disability and the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under disability. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 03327628). It says it makes grants to organisations, provides services and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity reported income of £2.3m and spending of £2.4m, spending 104% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £2.3m to £2.3m (-1.1%), an average of -0.3% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income dropped by 33%. Over the whole period it spent 95% of the income it received.

Among 12,871 England and Wales charities whose main cause is disability and that reported income, Bedfordshire Rural Communities Charity sits at the 96th percentile: it is larger than about 96% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Vision 21 (Cyfle Cymru) (£2.3m), Releasing Potential Ltd (£2.3m) and Social Life Opportunities (Solo) (£2.3m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 92%, trading 6.9% and donations and legacies 1.2%. Charitable activities took 98% of spending and raising funds 1.7%. Reserves of £1.1m would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 86 people.