Friends of the Lake District

Analysis

Friends of the Lake District is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Kendal. It was registered in November 2003, 23 years ago. Its declared purposes cover environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under environment and conservation. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 04878364). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides human resources.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Friends of the Lake District reported income of £1.7m and spending of £1.2m, leaving 30% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2020 to March 2025, income grew from £1.0m to £1.7m (+64%), an average of +13% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2021, when income rose by 56%. Over the whole period it spent 78% of the income it received.

Among 4,574 England and Wales charities whose main cause is environment and conservation and that reported income, Friends of the Lake District sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Woodland Heritage Limited (£1.7m), The Gaia Foundation (£1.7m) and The Wheler Foundation (£1.6m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 92%, investments 6.3% and trading 1.4%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £1.2m. Charitable activities took 75% of spending and raising funds 19%. Reserves of £651k would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 21 people.