Trustees of the Charity of the Bernardine Sisters

Analysis

Trustees of the Charity of the Bernardine Sisters is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Carnforth. It was registered in April 1965, 61 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training and religious activities, which this site groups under religion. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and acts as an umbrella or resource body.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Trustees of the Charity of the Bernardine Sisters reported income of £573k and spending of £698k, spending 122% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £442k to £573k (+30%), an average of +6.7% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 34%. Over the whole period it spent 132% of the income it received.

Among 20,496 England and Wales charities whose main cause is religion and that reported income, Trustees of the Charity of the Bernardine Sisters sits at the 94th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 91st percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Paul Dorking (£573k), The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Michael and All Angels, Southwick (£573k) and The Charity of the Regular Canonesses of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Our Lord (£572k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 62%, investments 29% and donations and legacies 9.7%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £10k. Charitable activities took 87% of spending and raising funds 11%. Reserves of £4.4m would cover about 75 months of spending at that rate. It employed 4 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.