Dorchester Agricultural Society

Analysis

Dorchester Agricultural Society is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Dorchester. It was registered in November 1997, 29 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 03473496). It says it makes grants to organisations and other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending November 2025, Dorchester Agricultural Society reported income of £908k and spending of £919k, spending 101% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from November 2021 to November 2025, income grew from £138k to £908k (+557%), an average of +60% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to November 2022, when income rose by 340%. Over the whole period it spent 109% of the income it received.

Among 5,976 England and Wales charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, Dorchester Agricultural Society sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 93rd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Coventry Building Society Charitable Foundation (£908k), Medrwn Mon (£908k) and Dr. Martens Foundation (£904k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 94%. Charitable activities took 99% of spending and raising funds 0.5%. Reserves of £437k would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 2 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.