Wessex Rivers Trust

Analysis

Wessex Rivers Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Wiltshire. It was registered in August 2009, 17 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 06822819). It says it makes grants to organisations, provides advocacy/advice/information and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending June 2025, Wessex Rivers Trust reported income of £1.8m and spending of £1.2m, leaving 33% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from June 2021 to June 2025, income grew from £752k to £1.8m (+138%), an average of +24% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to June 2022, when income rose by 63%. Over the whole period it spent 85% 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, Wessex Rivers Trust sits at the 97th percentile: it is larger than about 97% 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 Richmond Upon Thames Music Trust Company Limited (£1.8m), MK Gallery (£1.8m) and The Bronte Society (£1.8m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 96%, donations and legacies 3.1% and investments 1.2%. Charitable activities took 99% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Reserves of £498k would cover about 5 months of spending at that rate. It employed 20 people.