Arts, Culture & Heritage Environment & Climate 2025
Oxford Preservation Trust

Oxford Preservation Trust Annual Report 2024

Oxford Preservation Trust has preserved and enhanced Oxford's built heritage and green setting since 1927, owning 850 acres of land and managing historic buildings including Oxford Castle & Prison, The Painted Room and the Rewley Road Swing Bridge. In 2024 Oxford Castle welcomed 67,315 visitors (a new high), the Open Doors weekend opened 140 venues to 30,000 people with 111 volunteers, and 73 volunteer work parties delivered nature conservation across the charity's green spaces. Formal planning comments were submitted on 61 cases. Total income was £838,712 and net assets £8.05 million. Key 2024 milestones include the Oxford Open Doors expanding to its widest-ever range of partners and the completion of the Wood Farm Community Project.

View Report
Report snapshot
3 Views

📋About

Green Spaces (850 acres including Heyford Meadow, Boars Hill, Kennington, Hinksey Meadow, Wolvercote, Marston, Rewley Road Swing Bridge, Larkins Lane — nature conservation, grazing, habitat management, volunteer work parties); Heritage Buildings (Oxford Castle & Prison, 3 Cornmarket/Painted Room, Victoria Arms, Rewley Road Swing Bridge, Turn Again Lane, East St Helen's Street Abingdon, Conduit House North Hinksey); Planning Advocacy (250+ applications reviewed, 61 formal comments submitted, consultation responses on NPPF, Oxford City Local Plan, South Oxfordshire Local Plan, Oxford to Cambridge rail link); Oxford Open Doors weekend (140 venues, 30,000 visitors, 111 volunteers); Public Programme (43 events including lectures, walks, site visits, special Painted Room experiences); Heritage Awards (annual scheme since 1977 — 2024 winners include Jackson Library Exeter College, Frewin Garden Building Brasenose, Lemond and Fignon Bridges, Holywell Cemetery); Wood Farm Community Project (history walk, school resources, OCC Community Insight Profile collaboration); Slade Army Camp Community Project partnership; Walton Well Drinking Fountain restoration fundraising; Membership scheme (300+ members) Custom geography from upload: Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK

📊Key Metrics

850 acres of land managed in and around Oxford; 67,315 visitors to Oxford Castle & Prison (up from 61,376 in 2023); 4,146 school visits to Oxford Castle (up from 3,762); 30,000 visitors to Oxford Open Doors weekend Key Metric 1
73 volunteer work parties carried out nature conservation tasks; 244 people on volunteer green spaces mailing list (89 joined in 2024); 111 volunteers supported Open Doors weekend; 140 buildings, green spaces and monuments opened Key Metric 2
£838,712 total income (2023: £790,741); total assets £8,045,138; investments £4,004,767; net surplus of £240,546 (including £246,830 investment gains); net deficit on ordinary activities £6,284 Key Metric 3

✅Key Outcomes

  • Covered Market units restored and let to Hamblin Bread; new boardwalk at Larkins Lane Field funded by Oxfordshire County Council improving accessibility; shallow pond created at Wolvercote Lakes with £2,833 grant from Grundon Waste Management
  • Oxford Open Doors 2024 celebrated as largest Heritage Open Days event outside London — 140 venues including Slade Camp, Florence Park Community Centre, North Parade Market, Reuben College opening for first time; Farming Recovery Payment £8,125 received due to flooding at Kennington
  • Secretarial of State CPO decision awaited on Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme (OPT objected to destruction of rare MG4 grassland); planning permission granted by Oxfordshire County Council for scheme in July 2024; freeholder covenants on 250 acres of South Park protected against major events damage

📍Geography

Other

Related reports

All Arts, Culture & Heritage reports →
2025 Enhanced
National Youth Jazz Orchestra

National Youth Jazz Orchestra Annual Report 2024–25

3,943 young people reached across 279 learning sessions in 16 programmes; 46 public performances reaching 8,517 audience members
Key Metric 1
100+ Emerging Professionals supported with 159 paid performance opportunities; 32% from regions beyond London; 32% from African, Asian, Caribbean or Mixed Heritage backgrounds
Key Metric 2
46% of Under-18 participants receive bursaries; 46% benefit from free access (Pupil Premium, free school meals or low-income families)
Key Metric 3
Largest single concert audience of 1,500 for British Standard Time at Berlin's Konzerthaus; NYJO Under 18s alumni have gone on to Birmingham Conservatoire, Leeds Conservatoire and Cambridge University
Arts, Culture & Heritage London
View
2025
Federation of British Artists (Mall Galleries)

Federation of British Artists Impact Report 2024

60,000+ gallery visitors in 2024; 1,032,264 online visits; 11,739 artists submitted to 8 open calls; 3,164 works exhibited by 1,309 artists across 8 Society Shows
Key Metric 1
Nearly £1 million in artwork sales across all exhibitions; over £600,000 through 8 Society Shows alone; over £100,000 in prizes and awards to artists; £28,769 raised through Art for All fundraising auction (1,301 bids)
Key Metric 2
24 exhibitions held; over 120 events; 500+ member artists; 1,500+ Friends network; 40 new members elected; 35 artworks placed for 12 young artists through Art Consultancy; 20 portrait and 11 fine art commissions secured
Key Metric 3
46,000+ visitors to Society shows; 23,729 visitors to additional exhibitions; open exhibitions enable artists of any background to exhibit alongside established names — 50/50 member/selected artist balance increasingly achieved
Arts, Culture & Heritage London
View
2025
Bethlem Museum of the Mind

Bethlem Museum of the Mind Impact Report 2024–25

13,666 visitors in 2024/25 — the highest annual figure in the Museum's 55-year history; 3,324 school, university and other learning group participants
Key Metric 1
151,940 people reached through loans of collection works to exhibitions at Scottish National Portrait Gallery (27,684), Museum Dr Guislain Gent (58,263), Charité Berlin (48,717), Towner Eastbourne (14,000) and Royal College of Nursing (3,276)
Key Metric 2
£532K total income; £533K expenditure; 58% of individual visitors disclosed experience of mental health difficulties; 84.5% motivated to understand and support others with mental health issues
Key Metric 3
For the second consecutive year, ethnic profile of individual visitors mirrors that of the London Borough of Bromley; ethnic profile of learning group visitors approaches that of Greater London — demonstrating equitable reach
Arts, Culture & Heritage Mental Health
View