CENTRE FOR ALTERNATIVE TECHNOLOGY CHARITY LIMITED

Charity overview
Activities - how the charity spends its money
CAT seeks to inspire, inform and enable people to adopt sustainable technologies and practices. The Charity achieves its objectives by: promoting scenarios for a Zero Carbon Britian; providing education through school visits, short courses and postgraduate teaching; publishing a members' magazine; providing a free information service; operating a visitor centre; hosting external events.
Income and expenditure
Data for financial year ending 31 March 2024
Total income:
£4,065,203
Donations and legacies | £979.30k | |
Charitable activities | £2.41m | |
Other trading activities | £0 | |
Investments | £0 | |
Other | £675.87k |
Total expenditure:
£4,272,827
Raising funds | £376.35k | |
Charitable activities | £3.90m | |
Other | £0 |
£0 investments gains (losses)
Total income includes £54,253 from 2 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 | £376.35k | |
Charitable expenditure | £3.90m |
People

98 Employee(s)
15 Trustee(s)
50 Volunteer(s)
Employees with total benefits over £60,000
Number of employees | |
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£60k to £70k | 3 |
Fundraising
Trading
Trustee payments
What, who, how, where
- Education/training
- Environment/conservation/heritage
- Children/young People
- The General Public/mankind
- Provides Services
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Sponsors Or Undertakes Research
- Powys
Governance
- 02 March 1973: Standard registration
- SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT LIMITED (Previous name)
- Financial Conduct Authority
- 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
- Investing charity funds policy and procedures
- Investment
- 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
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
15 Trustee(s)
Name | Role | Date of appointment | Other trusteeships | Reporting status of other trusteeships | ||||
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Benjamin Duncan Summers | Chair | 23 October 2023 |
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SONIA NABILA KLEIN | Trustee | 14 March 2025 |
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DAVID SIMON JONES | Trustee | 03 March 2025 |
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MEGAN MCGRATTAN | Trustee | 03 March 2025 |
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MARK KEITH ADAMS | Trustee | 03 March 2025 |
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ANDY DAVID BAYLIS | Trustee | 03 March 2025 |
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STEPHEN BUCKLEY | Trustee | 03 March 2025 |
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Lawrence Chiles | Trustee | 02 January 2025 |
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Professor Damien Christiaan Short | Trustee | 25 November 2024 |
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Eve Jardine-Young | Trustee | 01 January 2024 |
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Dr Rhiannon Rosalind Turner | Trustee | 09 February 2022 |
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Sonya Bedford | Trustee | 25 June 2020 |
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KALYANI RHODES | Trustee | 21 March 2019 |
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Anthony Reginald Gross | Trustee | 21 March 2019 |
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Roger Denis Thomas | Trustee | 05 March 2018 |
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Financial history
Financial period end date
Income / Expenditure | 31/03/2020 | 31/03/2021 | 31/03/2022 | 31/03/2023 | 31/03/2024 | ||
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Total gross income | £4.31m | £2.87m | £3.80m | £4.51m | £4.07m | |
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Total expenditure | £3.57m | £3.18m | £3.85m | £4.73m | £4.27m | |
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Income from government contracts | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
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Income from government grants | £17.09k | £348.05k | £256.84k | £256.84k | £54.25k | |
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Income - Donations and legacies | £1.70m | £869.07k | £911.83k | £977.79k | £979.30k | |
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Income - Other trading activities | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
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Income - Charitable activities | £2.32m | £1.48m | £2.84m | £3.53m | £2.41m | |
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Income - Endowments | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
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Income - Investment | £159 | £534 | £14.47k | £0 | £0 | |
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Income - Other | £291.65k | £522.75k | £31.04k | £5.82k | £675.87k | |
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Income - Legacies | £137.70k | £172.56k | £356.10k | £124.32k | £251.25k | |
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Expenditure - Charitable activities | £3.28m | £2.80m | £3.43m | £4.19m | £3.90m | |
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Expenditure - Raising funds | £292.84k | £364.08k | £363.30k | £539.16k | £376.35k | |
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Expenditure - Governance | £61.99k | £388.44k | £484.86k | £442.10k | £613.91k | |
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Expenditure - Grants institution | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
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Expenditure - Investment management | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
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Expenditure - Other | £0 | £10.08k | £55.75k | £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 | 31/03/2020 | 31/03/2021 | 31/03/2022 | 31/03/2023 | 31/03/2024 | ||
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Own use assets | £2.90m | £2.83m | £2.77m | £2.89m | £2.84m | |
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Long-term investments | £100 | £100 | £100 | £100 | £100 | |
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Other assets | £1.70m | £1.36m | £1.66m | £1.31m | £1.05m | |
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Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liability | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | £0 | |
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Total liabilities | £2.49m | £2.38m | £2.67m | £2.65m | £2.55m |
Accounts and annual returns
Title | Reporting year | Date received | Received | Download |
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Annual return | 31 March 2024 | 31 January 2025 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2024 | 31 January 2025 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2023 | 19 January 2024 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2023 | 19 January 2024 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2022 | 03 January 2023 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2022 | 03 January 2023 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2021 | 21 December 2021 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2021 | 21 December 2021 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Annual return | 31 March 2020 | 26 January 2021 | On Time | |
Accounts and TAR | 31 March 2020 | 26 January 2021 | On Time | Download Open in new window |
Governing document
It is not the full text of the charity's governing document.
MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED 5TH JANUARY 1973 AS AMENDED 13 DECEMBER 1979, 21 MAY 1990, 4 DECEMBER 2008 AND BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 13 SEPT 2010.NOW ARTICLES ADOPTED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 13 SEPT 2010. AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION REGISTERED AT COMPANIES HOUSE ON 24 FEB 2021 as amended on 10 Jun 2024
Charitable objects
1. TO PROMOTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC THE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT BY VARIOUS EXCLUSIVELY CHARITABLE MEANS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, THE CONSERVATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES, THE REDUCTION OF CARBON EMISSIONS, THE PROMOTION OF RE-CYCLING, ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND THE REDUCTION OF HARMFUL POLLUTION AND ANY OTHER EXCLUSIVELY CHARITABLE MEANS OF PROTECTING AND CONSERVING THE ENVIRONMENT. 2. TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN SUBJECTS RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE PROTECTION, ENHANCEMENT AND REHABILITATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT, THE USE OF NATURAL RESOURCES AND SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AND TO PROMOTE STUDY AND RESEARCH IN SUCH SUBJECTS PROVIDED THAT THE USEFUL RESULTS OF SUCH STUDY ARE DISSEMINATED TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MEANS 'DEVELOPMENT THAT MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE PRESENT WITHOUT COMPROMISING THE ABILITY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS TO MEET THEIR OWN NEEDS'. AND FOR THE FURTHERANCE OF THOSE OBJECTS BUT NOT OTHERWISE
Area of benefit
NOT DEFINED
Contact information
- Address:
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Centre for Alternative Technology
Llwyngwern Quarry
Pantperthog
Machynlleth
SY20 9AZ
- Phone:
- 01654 704955
- Email:
- paul.booth@cat.org.uk
- Website:
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