Riverside Church

Analysis

Riverside Church is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Whitstable. It was registered in September 2009, 17 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under health and saving lives. It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides other finance.

In the financial year ending December 2025, Riverside Church reported income of £547k and spending of £621k, spending 113% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £537k to £547k (+1.9%), an average of +0.5% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2023, when income dropped by 32%. Over the whole period it spent 110% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Riverside Church sits at the 84th percentile: it is larger than about 84% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 90th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Kate & Justin Rose Foundation (UK) (£547k), New Covenant Church Bermondsey (£547k) and The Torbay Hospital League of Friends (£547k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 52%, trading 31% and investments 17%. Charitable activities took 91% of spending and raising funds 8.7%. Reserves of £239k would cover about 5 months of spending at that rate. It employed 17 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.