The Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited

Analysis

The Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bristol. It was registered in July 2004, 22 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, animals and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under animals. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 05154176). It says it makes grants to organisations, provides other finance and provides human resources.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited reported income of £9.7m and spending of £9.9m, spending 103% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income fell from £9.8m to £9.7m (-1.5%), an average of -0.4% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2023, when income dropped by 29%. Over the whole period it spent 122% of the income it received.

Among 2,161 England and Wales charities whose main cause is animals and that reported income, The Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited sits at the 99th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Norfolk Wildlife Trust (£9.4m), World Land Trust (£9.7m) and The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire (£8.7m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 72%, trading 8.9% and donations and legacies 3.2%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £30k. Charitable activities took 92% of spending and raising funds 7.3%. Reserves of £1.8m would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 128 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.