Finance Score: 4

Governance Score: 3

Support Score: 5

Liabilities <10%: +3
Large legacies income: +1
Strong growth: +2
Deficit latest year: -2

Good trustee age range: +3

Overall weighted support: +5

Overall GiG Score: 12

GREAT WESTERN SOCIETY LIMITED

1) To preserve, restore and operate as a permanent public exhibition and museum, steam and other railway locomotives, rolling stock and equipment, both for historical and educational purposes, and2) To make available for public reference the history, equipment and operation all with reference to both the former Great Western Railway and its successors since nationalisation on 1 January 1948

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
This charity has a robust balance sheet
This charity has received considerable income from legacies in recent years
There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age

Financial issues to consider:

Income was significantly lower than spending in the latest year

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
31/01/23	£1,697	£2,355	£-658	£215	£2,502	£1,896	9.7	26	300
31/01/22	£1,465	£1,456	£10	£171	£3,161	£2,474	20.4	17	300
31/01/21	£1,317	£1,391	£-74	£137	£3,153	£2,459	21.2	15	300
31/01/20	£2,742	£1,409	£1,333	£195	£3,267	£2,393	20.4	17	300
31/01/19	£1,129	£1,043	£86	£162	£1,932	£1,212	13.9	15	300
31/01/18	£1,338	£1,228	£111	£181	£1,846	£1,100	10.7	16	0
31/01/17	£1,315	£1,148	£166	£172	£1,735	£1,052	11	16	0
31/01/16	£1,104	£1,180	£-76	£180	£1,569	£1,172	11.9	16	0
31/01/15	£1,463	£1,234	£229	£232	£1,645	£1,267	12.3	16	0
31/01/14	£1,421	£1,328	£94	£252	£1,415	£967	8.7	16	0
31/01/13	£1,590	£1,257	£333	£386	£1,322	£838	8	16	0
31/01/12	£1,562	£1,539	£23	£470	£989	£807	6.3	16	0
31/01/11	£1,378	£1,315	£64	£378	£966	£728	6.6	16	0
31/01/10	£1,272	£1,229	£43	£358	£903	£446	4.4	15	0
31/01/09	£1,317	£1,022	£295	£309	£860	£525	6.2	15	0
31/01/08	£806	£766	£40	£174	£565	£256	4	17	0
31/01/07	£735	£721	£13	£180	£525	£264	4.4	17	0
31/01/06	£835	£730	£105	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/01/05	£635	£661	£-26	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/01/04	£560	£695	£-135	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 16.9%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 9.1%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 10%
Liabilities/Income: 16%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 76%
Reserves/Spending: 9.7 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 8 months
Quick Ratio: 3.9

Asset Split ?

Balance Sheet History

Established: 48 years
(57 years as a company)

www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk

info@didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk

01235 817200

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Listed activities

Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
Education/Training
Environment/Conservation/Heritage

GiG Classification

Museums, parks, historical sites

How it operates

Other charitable activities

Where it operates

Bristol City, Devon, Oxfordshire, Slough, Somerset, West Berkshire, Wiltshire, Windsor And Maidenhead,

Who it helps

The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

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

Major supporters in last 5 years

DCMS	£298,954
National Lottery Heritage Fund	£23,033
Oxfordshire Community Foundation	£5,500

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to Great Western Society Limited
£6,133	08/06/2022	An Introduction to Engineering - Reading Girls’ School STEM Project
Oxfordshire Community Foundation - Recovering from the pandemic 1922 style
£5,500	12/04/2022	Didcot Railway Centre has previously worked with Didcot Grub Hub to give local disadvantaged families a day out and hot meal during school holidays. We plan to build on this to support local young ....more Didcot Railway Centre has previously worked with Didcot Grub Hub to give local disadvantaged families a day out and hot meal during school holidays. We plan to build on this to support local young families in August by providing four free special days out with activities and meals. To make the day more interesting and relevant in this post-pandemic year we propose to develop a range of activities to illustrate how the Great Western Railway and the local community recovered from the post First World War flu pandemic 100-ish years ago. This will build on our Lottery funded First Word War display. If we are successful in our Expression of Interest we will seek local partners to work with us on the event.
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to Great Western Society Ltd
£16,900	01/06/2020	COVID19 Great Western Society
DCMS - Railway Heritage for future generations
£184,939	01/04/2020	To support Arts and Culture throughout England
DCMS - Railway Heritage: Engaging new audiences
£114,015	01/04/2020	To support Arts and Culture throughout England
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to Great Western Society Ltd
£8,700	17/07/2017	Rails on the Western Front

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (8)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Based on 7/8 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 32-83

ANTHONY JAMES KEYS Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Retired, But Ned Of Rocksbackpages.Com

DR JOHN BERNARD O'HAGAN

JOHN BERTRAM CROUCH Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Career Break

LAURA SUZANNE DONALDSON Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Dispenser

MOKBUL KHAN Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Chartered Marketer

RICHARD ALAN PRESTON (Chair) Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Director Of Preston Business Development Ltd.

RICHARD JOHN VARLEY Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Retired Police Officer

ROSEMARY ANNE WALKER-JONES Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Digital Creative Designer

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 01/02/1977, number: 272616
Registered at Companies House on 27/02/1967, number: 00899248

Gift Aid

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
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

Filing Record

20 returns made; all on time

Main office

Didcot Railway Centre
Didcot
Oxon
OX11 7NJ

Objectives

(A) TO PRESERVE, RESTORE AND OPERATE AS A PERMANENT PUBLIC EXHIBITION AND MUSEUM FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF TECHNICAL HISTORICAL AND GENERAL EDUCATION AND FOR PERMANENT PRESERVATION DISPLAY AND DEMONSTRATION STEAM AND OTHER RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVES ROLLING STOCK EQUIPMENT MACHINERY AND RELICS OF HISTORICAL OPERATIONAL AND GENERAL INTEREST AND EDUCATIONAL VALUE WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE FORMER GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.(B) TO COLLECT, COLLATE, EXCHANGE, MAKE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC REFERENCE AND PUBLISH INFORMATION CONCERNING THE HISTORY, EQUIPMENT AND OPERATION OF THE FORMER GREAT WESTERN AND OTHER RAILWAYS.(C) TO UNDERTAKE SUCH OTHER ACTIVITIES OF AN EXCLUSIVELY CHARITABLE NATURE AS MAY IN THE OPINION OF THE ASSOCIATION BE CONVENIENTLY OR ADVANTAGEOUSLY UNDERTAKEN IN CONNECTION WITH THE FOREGOING OBJECTS OF THE ASSOCIATION.(D)(I) TO UNDERTAKE THE PURCHASE OF AND TO PRESERVE AND OPERATE ITEMS OF EQUIPMENT LOCOMOTIVES ( OF ANY POWER SOURCE) AND ROLLING STOCK PRODUCED AND USED BY BRITISH RAILWAYS WESTERN REGION AND ITS SUCCESSORS SINCE THE NATIONALISATION OF THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY ON THE 1ST JANUARY 1948.(D)(II) THE ASSOCIATION IS AUTHORISED TO PRESERVE, RESTORE, AND OPERATE ANY SUCH EQUIPMENT ACQUIRED BY THE ASSOCIATION UNDER 3(D)(I) OR BY AGREEMENT WITH ANY OTHER ASSOCIATION OR SOCIETY OWNING AND WISHING TO RESTORE PRESERVE OR OPERATE THE SAID EQUIPMENT ON THE PREMISES OF THE GREAT WESTERN SOCIETY LTD. WITH THE COMPANY'S PRIOR AGREEMENT.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED