The Tramway Museum Society

Analysis

The Tramway Museum Society is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Matlock. It was registered in April 1963, 63 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00744229). It says it other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Tramway Museum Society reported income of £2.3m and spending of £2.2m, spending 97% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2022 to December 2025, income grew from £1.9m to £2.3m (+21%), an average of +5.0% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income rose by 22%. Over the whole period it spent 106% 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, The Tramway Museum Society 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 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Roses Theatre Trust (£2.3m), Walk the Plank (£2.3m) and Rifco Arts (£2.3m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 55%, trading 26%, donations and legacies 18% and investments 1.8%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £355k. Charitable activities took 71% of spending and raising funds 29%. Reserves of £1.9m would cover about 10 months of spending at that rate. It employed 55 people.