Octagon Theatre Trust Limited

Analysis

Octagon Theatre Trust Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bolton. It was registered in August 1966, 60 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and amateur sport, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00882226). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Octagon Theatre Trust Limited reported income of £4.2m and spending of £4.4m, spending 104% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £2.6m to £4.2m (+62%), an average of +13% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 54%. Over the whole period it spent 102% 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, Octagon Theatre Trust Limited sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Sheffield Media and Exhibition Centre Limited (£4.2m), The Photographers' Gallery Ltd (£4.3m) and The Hepworth Wakefield (£4.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 62%, donations and legacies 23%, trading 13% and investments 1.4%. Charitable activities took 87% of spending and raising funds 11%. Reserves of £1.3m would cover about 4 months of spending at that rate. It employed 78 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.