The London Playing Fields Society

Analysis

The London Playing Fields Society is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in October 1965, 61 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and amateur sport, which this site groups under health and saving lives. It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space and other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending September 2025, The London Playing Fields Society reported income of £1.8m and spending of £2.1m, spending 115% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from September 2021 to September 2025, income grew from £1.4m to £1.8m (+28%), an average of +6.4% a year. Over the whole period it spent 118% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, The London Playing Fields Society sits at the 93rd percentile: it is larger than about 93% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Care for Children (£1.8m), JCD Foundation (£1.8m) and European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (£1.8m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 76%, trading 11%, donations and legacies 9.3% and investments 1.8%. Charitable activities took 90% of spending and raising funds 9.0%. Reserves of £2.5m would cover about 14 months of spending at that rate. It employed 33 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.