Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust Limited

Analysis

Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in St Ives. It was registered in September 2005, 21 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 05372378). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust Limited reported income of £8.4m and spending of £848k, leaving 90% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £724k to £8.4m (+1055%), an average of +84% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 392%. Over the whole period it spent 31% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Bernard Leach (St Ives) Trust Limited sits at the 99th percentile: it is one of the largest 1% in its cause. 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 The Cheltenham Trust (£8.3m), The National Gallery Trust (£8.4m) and The Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art (£8.3m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 91%, trading 4.4% and charitable activities 1.9%. Charitable activities took 46% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Reserves of £407k would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 25 people.