The Isle of Wight Railway Company Limited

Analysis

The Isle of Wight Railway Company Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Ryde. It was registered in November 1981, 45 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, which this site groups under education and training. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 01068690). It says it acts as an umbrella or resource body.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Isle of Wight Railway Company Limited reported income of £3.2m and spending of £3.1m, spending 98% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £2.6m to £3.2m (+25%), an average of +5.7% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2023, when income rose by 18%. Over the whole period it spent 90% of the income it received.

Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, The Isle of Wight Railway Company Limited sits at the 96th percentile: it is larger than about 96% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Hollygirt School (£3.2m), The Abdo College of Education (£3.2m) and The University of Haifa UK (£3.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from trading 44%, charitable activities 39% and donations and legacies 15%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £234k. Charitable activities took 49% of spending and raising funds 50%. Reserves of £752k would cover about 3 months of spending at that rate. It employed 54 people.