Finance Score: -3
Governance Score: -3
Support Score: 6
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Volatile income & significant deficit in latest year: -5
  • No PartB
  • Narrow trustee age band: -2
  • Mainly female board: -1
  • Overall weighted support: +6
Overall GiG Score: 0 ?

ACUMEN COMMUNITY BUILDINGS

Acumen Community Buildings provides office accommodation, co-working space and support for social enterprises, community businesses, community groups and individuals who are creating social impact in the local community. It is runs a grade II* listed building, The Old Rectory, as a hub for place based social action in Houghton-le-Spring and the surrounding coalfields area of Sunderland.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • The Board is predominantly female
  • The Board has little diversity in terms of age

Financial issues to consider:

  • Income has been volatile recently and was significantly lower than spending in the latest year
  • A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
30/06/23£143£183£-40n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/06/22£198£164£33n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/06/21£187£175£12n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/06/20£82£67£15n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/06/19*£61£58£2n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/06/18£32£23£9n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Highest pay bracket: less than £60,000
Established: 7 years

www.theoldrectory.co.uk

info@acumencommunitybuildings.co.uk

0191 5634401

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
  • Disability
  • Economic/Community Development/Employment
  • Education/Training
  • Environment/Conservation/Heritage
  • General Charitable Purposes
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
GiG Classification
  • Other facilities management and maintenance
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides buildings/facilities/open space
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Sunderland,
Who it helps
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Architectural Heritage Fund£31,560
National Lottery Community Fund£20,000
Power to Change£12,000
Co-Op Foundation£10,000
National Lottery Heritage Fund£9,950
Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland£5,000
Cheshire Community Foundation£4,600
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
National Lottery Community Fund - Houghton's Coronation Celebrations
£10,000 28/03/2023
The funding will be used to hold a ‘Coronation Big Lunch’. This will include picnic lunches Coronation themed children’s sports and craft activities workshops and a range of fun activities delivered by charities community groups and social ....more
Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland - Grant to Acumen Community Buildings Ltd
£5,000 19/05/2022
Cost towards youth provision in houghton-le-spring
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to Acumen Community Buildings Ltd
£9,950 30/03/2022
Tales from The Old Rectory
Cheshire Community Foundation - Be Best at Building Back
£4,600 18/10/2021
Acumen Community Buildings is an aspirational, visionary charitable company with 3 main strategic aims of (i) acting as a catalyst for space based social action, (ii) Creating co-working environments for social and community entrepreneurs (iii) the ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Light up the Nights
£10,000 05/03/2021
5
The funding will be used to deliver workshops for children/young people so they can create a light trail throughout Rectory Park in Houghton-le-Spring. This will help improve the facilities and safety of the park which will help to encourage more ....more
Co-Op Foundation - Acumen Community Buildings Ltd STC Expand application
£10,000 18/12/2020
To help you build on the work and impact from Space to Connect Explore funding, aimed at providing communities with a space to connect
Architectural Heritage Fund - Grant to Acumen Community Buildings
£31,560 08/12/2020
The Old Rectory
Power to Change - C-19 TISS - Acumen Community Buildings
£12,000 09/07/2020
Grant to C-19 TISS - Acumen Community Buildings
Co-Op Foundation - STC Explore
£9,781 03/10/2019
Plan to consult more than 100 people through workshops and engagement days to discuss how best to use the Old Rectory and Rectory Park, in Houghton-le-Spring, as community spaces.
National Lottery Community Fund - The Old Rectory as a Community Hub
£9,908 10/01/2018
12
The organisation will hire a part-time worker to develop the community and learning activities, room hire and events of their community hub. This will transform ‘The Old Rectory’ building into a resource for local people and groups where they ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (5)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 56-66
  • ANNE TOMS Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Head Of Public Affairs
  • DR RONALD LAWSON Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Senior Lecturer
  • KATHERINE MARGARET WELCH OBE DL (Chair) Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Chief Executive
  • PROFESSOR JOANNA SAMANTHA BERRY PHD Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Academic
  • STACEY ANNE PRICE FRICS Appointed: 2014
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 06/04/2018, number: 1177852
  • Registered at Companies House on 20/05/2017, number: 10780847
Gift Aid
  • NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
6 returns made; AR19: 57 days late,
Recent reorganisation events:
  • Asset transfer in from LEAP IN TEESDALE on 30/10/2024
Main office

Acumen Community Buildings Ltd
The Old Rectory
The Broadway
HOUGHTON LE SPRING
Tyne And Wear
DH4 4BB

Objectives

THE CHARITY’S OBJECT (OBJECT) IS THE PROMOTION FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC OF URBAN OR RURAL REGENERATION IN AREAS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEPRIVATION (AND IN PARTICULAR IN SUNDERLAND COALFIELDS AND SURROUNDING AREA) BY ALL OR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING MEANS:(A) THE RELIEF OF FINANCIAL HARDSHIP:(B) THE RELIEF OF UNEMPLOYMENT:(C) THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION, TRAINING OR RETRAINING, PARTICULARLY AMONG UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE, AND PROVIDING UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE WITH WORK EXPERIENCE:(D) THE PROVISION OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE OR BUSINESS ADVICE OR CONSULTANCY IN ORDER TO PROVIDE TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE IN CASES OF FINANCIAL OR OTHER CHARITABLE NEED THROUGH HELP: (I) IN SETTING UP THEIR OWN BUSINESS, OR (II) TO EXISTING BUSINESSES:(E) THE CREATION OF TRAINING AND EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES BY THE PROVISION OF WORKSPACE, BUILDINGS, AND/OR LAND FOR USE ON FAVOURABLE TERMS:(F) THE PROVISION OF HOUSING FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CONDITIONS OF NEED AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF HOUSING IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR OR IN CHARITABLE OWNERSHIP PROVIDED THAT SUCH POWER SHALL NOT EXTEND TO RELIEVING ANY LOCAL AUTHORITIES OR OTHER BODIES OF A STATUTORY DUTY TO PROVIDE OR IMPROVE HOUSING:(G) THE MAINTENANCE, IMPROVEMENT OR PROVISION OF PUBLIC AMENITIES:(H) THE PRESERVATION OF BUILDINGS OR SITES OF HISTORIC OR ARCHITECTURAL IMPORTANCE:(I) THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES FOR THE PUBLIC AT LARGE OR THOSE WHO BY REASON OF THEIR YOUTH, AGE, INFIRMITY OR DISABLEMENT, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES, HAVE NEED OF SUCH FACILITIES:(J) THE PROTECTION OR CONSERVATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT:(K) THE PROVISION OF PUBLIC HEALTH FACILITIES AND CHILDCARE:(L) THE PROMOTION OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND PREVENTION OF CRIME:(M) SUCH OTHER MEANS AS MAY FROM TIME TO TIME BE DETERMINED SUBJECT TO THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE CHARITY COMMISSIONERS FOR ENGLAND AND WALES.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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