Friends of Winchester Cathedral

Analysis

Friends of Winchester Cathedral is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Hampshire. It was registered in August 1964, 62 years ago. Its declared purposes cover religious activities and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under religion. It says it makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Friends of Winchester Cathedral reported income of £1.2m and spending of £324k, leaving 74% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £182k to £1.2m (+580%), an average of +62% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 214%. Over the whole period it spent 52% of the income it received.

Among 20,496 England and Wales charities whose main cause is religion and that reported income, Friends of Winchester Cathedral 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 95th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Christ Church with All Saints Spitalfields (£1.2m), The Methodist Church - Chester and Stoke-On-Trent District (£1.2m) and The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Bride Fleet Street (£1.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 94%, charitable activities 4.5% and investments 1.4%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £1.2m. Charitable activities took 84% of spending and raising funds 16%. Grants to other organisations totalled £215k. Reserves of £1.9m would cover about 69 months of spending at that rate. It employed 3 people.