THE BRONTE SOCIETY

Charity overview
Activities - how the charity spends its money
One of the oldest literary societies in the English speaking world, with an international membership, the Bronte Society owns and runs the iconic Grade I Parsonage Museum celebrating the lives of the Brontes. Our accredited world class collections are displayed throughout the museum and library. We run education and learning activities, artistic events, residencies and exhibitions.
Income and expenditure
Data for financial year ending 31 March 2024
Total income:
£1,646,356
Donations and legacies | £366.69k | |
Charitable activities | £931.56k | |
Other trading activities | £333.06k | |
Investments | £15.04k | |
Other | £0 |
Total expenditure:
£1,243,372
Raising funds | £244.14k | |
Charitable activities | £999.23k | |
Other | £0 |
£7,807 investments gains (losses)
Total income includes £249,688 from 4 government grant(s)
Charitable expenditure
Charitable expenditure with investment gains
Charitable expenditure
Some charities generate all, or a substantial part, of their income from investments which may have been donated to the charity as endowment or set aside by the charity from its own resources in the past. Such investments usually take the form of stocks and shares but may include other assets, such as property, that are capable of generating income and/or capital growth.
In managing their spending and investments charities need to strike a balance between the needs of future and current beneficiaries. They also need to take account of spending commitments that may stretch over a number of future years. To do this, charities will normally adopt an investment strategy designed to generate both income and capital growth. To maximise returns trustees may commit to investment strategies for several years.
Investments can experience large swings in value so trustees may, in a particular year, decide to realise and spend part of their charity’s capital or to invest part of its income.
By clicking the investment gains checkbox the charitable spending bar is adjusted to take account of capital growth as well as income. This shows the balance the charity is striking, between spending on current beneficiaries and retaining resources for future beneficiaries.
Raising funds and other expenditure | £244.14k | |
Charitable expenditure | £999.23k | |
Retained for future use | £402.98k |
Raising funds and other expenditure | £244.14k | |
Charitable expenditure | £999.23k | |
Retained for future use | £410.79k |
People

33 Employee(s)
11 Trustee(s)
23 Volunteer(s)
Employees with total benefits over £60,000
No employees have total benefits over £60k for this charityFundraising
Trading
Trustee payments
What, who, how, where
- Education/training
- Arts/culture/heritage/science
- Environment/conservation/heritage
- Children/young People
- Other Defined Groups
- The General Public/mankind
- Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Throughout England And Wales
Governance
- 21 August 1964: Standard registration
- THE INCORPORATED BRONTE SOCIETY (Previous name)
- Bullying and harassment 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
- Investment
- Paying staff
- Risk management
- Safeguarding policy and procedures
- Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
- Social media policy and procedures
- Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
- Trustee expenses policy and procedures
- Volunteer management
Trustees
Trustees are the people responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries. Generally trustees are treasurer, chair, board member etc. The trustees are responsible for keeping this list up to date and can do this by updating their details as they happen through the online service
11 Trustee(s)
Name | Role | Date of appointment | Other trusteeships | Reporting status of other trusteeships | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eleanor Clare Keel | Trustee | 05 October 2024 |
|
|||||
Lauren Margaret Watson | Trustee | 05 October 2024 |
|
|
||||
Thomas James Hendry | Trustee | 05 October 2024 |
|
|
||||
Lucy Georgina Powrie | Trustee | 18 May 2023 |
|
|
||||
Penelope Anna Jenkins | Trustee | 05 September 2021 |
|
|
||||
Ciara Martina Gallagher | Trustee | 05 September 2021 |
|
|
||||
Julian Mark Sladdin | Trustee | 05 September 2021 |
|
|
||||
Laura Joanne Beare | Trustee | 05 September 2021 |
|
|
||||
ANDREW MIDGLEY | Trustee | 23 June 2021 |
|
|||||
Shahidha Kazi Bari | Trustee | 07 November 2020 |
|
|
||||
Helen Clare Meller | Trustee | 09 June 2018 |
|
|
Financial history
Financial period end date
Income / Expenditure | 31/12/2019 | 31/12/2020 | 31/12/2021 | 31/03/2023 | 31/03/2024 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Total gross income | £1.89m | £1.07m | £990.17k | £5.93m | £1.65m | |
|
Total expenditure | £1.34m | £1.04m | £876.81k | £1.37m | £1.24m | |
|
Income from government contracts | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
|
Income from government grants | £232.50k | £448.42k | £396.87k | £310.10k | £249.69k | |
|
Income - Donations and legacies | £696.75k | £156.66k | £84.98k | £4.62m | £366.69k | |
|
Income - Other trading activities | £327.38k | £107.52k | £201.34k | £327.22k | £333.06k | |
|
Income - Charitable activities | £860.25k | £799.91k | £701.75k | £974.21k | £931.56k | |
|
Income - Endowments | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
|
Income - Investment | £7.21k | £3.82k | £2.10k | £5.02k | £15.04k | |
|
Income - Other | £0 | £3.04k | £0 | £500 | £0 | |
|
Income - Legacies | £2.23k | £0 | £1.00k | £31.22k | £339.69k | |
|
Expenditure - Charitable activities | £1.08m | £886.20k | £732.89k | £1.13m | £999.23k | |
|
Expenditure - Raising funds | £258.41k | £157.24k | £143.92k | £237.22k | £244.14k | |
|
Expenditure - Governance | £74.72k | £80.69k | £61.99k | £57.19k | £53.18k | |
|
Expenditure - Grants institution | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
|
Expenditure - Investment management | £5.37k | £2.31k | £2.17k | £2.29k | £2.03k | |
|
Expenditure - Other | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
Assets and liabilities
Definitions for assets and liabilities
These are assets, other than investments, which are held for more than 12 months and used to run and administer the charity such as buildings, offices, exhibits and fixtures and fittings.
Long term InvestmentsInvestments are assets held by the charity with the sole aim of generating income which will be used for their charitable purposes such as deposit accounts, shares, rental property and unit trusts.
Investment assets are re-valued every year and included in the balance sheet at their current market value.
Long term investments are held for more than 12 months.
These are assets held generally for less than 12 months such as cash and bank balances, debtors, investments to be sold within the coming year and trading stock.
Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liabilityThis is a surplus or deficit in any defined benefit pension scheme operated and represents a potential long-term asset or liability.
Total liabilitiesThese are all the amounts owed by the charity at the balance sheet date to third parties such as bills due but not yet paid, bank overdrafts and loans and mortgages.
Asset / Liability | 31/12/2019 | 31/12/2020 | 31/12/2021 | 31/03/2023 | 31/03/2024 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Own use assets | £2.40m | £2.36m | £2.36m | £6.90m | £6.90m | |
|
Long-term investments | £278.90k | £160.32k | £173.54k | £153.91k | £162.82k | |
|
Other assets | £194.34k | £408.24k | £461.53k | £532.67k | £924.81k | |
|
Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liability | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
|
Total liabilities | £101.06k | £133.49k | £66.14k | £109.84k | £96.81k |
Accounts and annual returns
Title | Reporting year | Date received | Received | Download |
---|---|---|---|---|
Annual return | 31 March 2024 | 15 January 2025 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2024 | 15 January 2025 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2023 | 25 January 2024 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2023 | 25 January 2024 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 December 2021 | 31 October 2022 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 December 2021 | 31 October 2022 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 December 2020 | 30 September 2021 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 December 2020 | 30 September 2021 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 December 2019 | 31 October 2020 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 December 2019 | 31 October 2020 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Governing document
It is not the full text of the charity's governing document.
MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES INCORPORATED 28/05/1902 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 14/04/1964 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 31/10/1970 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 06/06/1992 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 06/06/1998 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 06/06/2000 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 05/06/2004 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 14/10/2006 NOW ARTICLES ADOPTED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 04/06/2011 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 06/06/2015 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION REGISTERED AT COMPANIES HOUSE ON 11 JUN 2016 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 10 JUN 2017 AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION REGISTERED AT COMPANIES HOUSE ON 27 JUN 2018
Charitable objects
THE OBJECTS OF THE SOCIETY ARE; TO PROMOTE INTEREST IN THE LIFE AND WORKS OF THE BRONTE FAMILY IN PARTICULAR, BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, BY ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING PERMANENT MUSEUMS, GALLERIES AND LIBRARIES FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT; TO ACQUIRE BY DONATION, PURCHASE, OR OTHERWISE, AND TO RENOVATE AND PRESERVE ARTEFACTS, BOOKS, PAMPHLETS, MANUSCRIPTS, ENGRAVINGS, PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, PHOTOGRAPHS, CLOTHING, FURNITURE AND OTHER OBJECTS OF OR RELATING TO THE BRONTE FAMILY, AND IF THOUGHT FIT, OF OTHER AUTHORS, FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT; TO PROVIDE FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE LITERARY REMAINS FOR FURTHER SCHOLARSHIP AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE LIVES AND WORKS OF THE BRONTES AND THEIR WRITING AND IF THOUGHT FIT, OF OTHER AUTHORS, AND PUBLICATION OF THE MEMOIRS OF THE BRONTE FAMILY AND OTHER AUTHORS FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT; TO PROMOTE THE ADVANCEMENT OF LITERATURE AND THE ARTS AND TO INITIATE PROJECTS THAT DEEPEN LITERARY ENGAGEMENT LOCALLY, NATIONALLY AND THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND WHICH ARE RENDERED INTERESTING BY THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH THE BRONTE FAMILY FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT; TO DO ALL SUCH THINGS AS ARE INCIDENTAL OR CONDUCTIVE TO THE ATTAINMENT OF THE ABOVE OBJECTS
Area of benefit
NOT DEFINED
Contact information
- Address:
-
BRONTE PARSONAGE MUSEUM
CHURCH STREET
HAWORTH
KEIGHLEY
BD22 8DR
- Phone:
- 01535 642323
- Email:
- bronte@bronte.org.uk
- Website:
Tell us whether you accept cookies
We use cookies to collect information about how you use your Charity Commission Account, such as pages you visit.
We use this information to better understand how you use our website so that we can improve your user experience and present more relevant content.
Thank you for your feedback. Do you have 5 minutes to tell us what you think of this service?Open in new window