Registered charity 1036354

The National Botanic Garden of Wales

What it does

Botanic Garden

In the charity's own words, from the register.

Its charitable purposes

(THE OBJECTS FOR WHICH THE COMPANY IS ESTABLISHED ARE, TO PROMOTE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT:(I) THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION IN THE SCIENCE OF PLANTS AND RELATED SUBJECTS AND THE CONSERVATION OF PLANT SPECIES OF THE WORLD ESPECIALLY THOSE OF WALES, GREAT BRITAIN AND WESTERN EUROPEAN SEABOARD, IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY:(A) THE ESTABLISHMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF A NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN FOR WALES OPEN TO THE PUBLIC;(B) THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL CONSERVATION ASSET OF LOCAL, NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PLANT SPECIES;(C) THE DEVELOPMENT OF A CENTRE FOR RESEARCH IN PLANT BIODIVERSITY AND THE CREATION OF AN EXEMPLAR OF GOOD HORTICULTURAL PRACTICE;(D) THE PROVISION OF FORMAL AND INFORMAL EDUCATION AND INTERPRETATION EXPERIENCES FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES PARTICULARLY TO ENHANCE UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERACTION OF PEOPLE, PLANTS, LANDSCAPE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE; AND(II) THE ADVANCEMENT OF PUBLIC APPRECIATION OF WELSH CULTURE AND HISTORICAL HERITAGE BY THE RESTORATION OF THE HISTORIC LANDSCAPED ENVIRONMENT AND BUILDING AT THE SITE OF THE NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDEN REFERRED TO IN (I)(A) ABOVE.

From its governing document, as recorded on the register.

Causes

What it works on: Education and training
Arts, culture, heritage and science
Environment, conservation and heritage
Who it helps: The general public
How it works: Provides buildings, facilities or open space
Sponsors or carries out research
Other charitable activities

The charity chose these from the Charity Commission's list.

Where it works

In Wales

Carmarthenshire

Area of benefit in its governing document: Not Defined

The places the charity told the Commission it works in.

Income and spending

In the year ending 31 March 2025, it had income of £5,397,235 and spent £4,871,574.

Income, spending, staff and volunteers by financial year
Year ending	Income	Spending	Paid staff	Volunteers
31 March 2025	£5,397,235	£4,871,574	83	301
31 March 2024	£4,447,064	£5,261,965	79	249
31 March 2023	£5,331,608	£5,208,098	114	214
31 March 2022	£6,141,896	£5,264,356	113	200
31 March 2021	£4,976,109	£4,353,072	86	200

Figures as the charity reported them to the Charity Commission. Staff and volunteer numbers are only asked of charities with income over £10,000. A year with no row was not reported.

Financial position

Separate measures from the charity's own returns and accounts, each with its year. Read them together: no single measure says how well a charity is run.

Income over time: Up 8%, from £4,976,109 in the year to 31 March 2021 to £5,397,235 in the year to 31 March 2025.
Spending against income: It spent 90% of its income in the year to 31 March 2025. It spent more than its income in 1 of the 5 years shown.
Largest funder: Julia Rausing Trust gave £1,300,000 in the year to 31 March 2025, 24% of that year's income.Read by AI from the charity's accounts.

From the annual returns the charity filed with the Charity Commission. The largest funder comes from its accounts, read by AI.

Government funding, as the charity reported it

Government grants in the year ending 31 March 2025: £816,090 from 2 grants. Government contracts: Not reported.

Income from government grants and contracts by financial year
Year ending	Government grants	Government contracts
31 March 2025	£816,090 from 2 grants	Not reported
31 March 2024	£943,606 from 11 grants	Not reported
31 March 2023	£2,110,761 from 6 grants	Not reported
31 March 2022	£3,010,862 from 8 grants	Not reported
31 March 2021	£1,721,977 from 5 grants	Not reported

From the charity's annual return to the Charity Commission, which asks every charity with income over £10,000 how much came from government grants and contracts. It does not say which part of government. These totals are separate from the named funders read from its accounts and the grants published on 360Giving, and are not added to them.

Where its income came from in the year ending 31 March 2025

Donations and legacies£160,582
Charitable activities, including grants and contracts for its work£3,255,414
Trading and fundraising£1,426,740
Investments£29,490

From the charity's annual return. Only charities with income over £500,000 give this breakdown.

Who funds it, according to its accounts

In its accounts for the year ending 31 March 2025, the charity named 8 funders who gave £2,325,379 between them. £816,098 of that came from public bodies.

These figures were read from the accounts the charity filed with the Charity Commission by Claude, an AI model, in OpenEconomy's accounts reader. AI can misread a table, so check the accounts on the register before relying on a figure.

Money received from each named funder, by accounts year
Funder	Type	Mar 2025	Mar 2024	Mar 2023
Julia Rausing Trust	Trust, company or other	£1,300,000
Welsh Government	Welsh Government	£816,098	£842,027	£1,965,875
Dynamic Collections	Trust, company or other	£86,490	£41,100
SPF	Trust, company or other	£60,299	£26,491
Nature Network Fund	Trust, company or other	£54,342
Historic & Botanic Garden Trainee Programme	Trust, company or other	£4,150
Royal Botanic Garden Kew	Trust, company or other	£4,000	£14,500	£14,500
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	National Lottery			£241,224
European Regional Development Fund & Leader Funds	Trust, company or other			£99,122
Swansea Bay University Health Board	NHS			£45,764
The Waterloo Foundation	Trust, company or other			£15,000
Growing the Future	Trust, company or other		£13,728
Wales Council for Voluntary Action	Other public body		£9,980
HBG Training Programme	Trust, company or other		£8,150
Apprenticeship Fund	Trust, company or other		£2,000	£5,000
RBG Grant	Trust, company or other		£2,000
British Soil Association	Trust, company or other		£467	£982

Only funding the accounts name with an amount is included. Most charities also have income from donations, fees and trading that is not listed by funder, so this is part of its income.

Grants awarded to it, published on 360Giving

Funders that publish to 360Giving list 8 grants to this charity since 2011, worth at least £4,653,503.

Only funders that publish their grants to 360Giving are included, and many do not. These are amounts funders awarded, which can differ from what the charity received in a given year, so they are shown apart from the accounts figures above.

By funder

The National Lottery Heritage Fund£4,408,585, 4 grants
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation£155,000, 2 grants
Postcode Community Trust£80,000, 1 grant
The National Lottery Community Fund£9,918, 1 grant

Grants awarded, newest first
Awarded	Grant	Amount
8 Sept 2025	Postcode Community TrustMillionaire Street 2025 09w2	£80,000
6 Jun 2023	The National Lottery Heritage Fund"#DYC – Plants Past, Present and Future"	£249,985
13 Jul 2020	The National Lottery Heritage Fund"COVID19 The National Botanic Garden of Wales"	£247,700
12 Jun 2018	The National Lottery Community FundGarden Explorers	£9,918
1 Mar 2017	Esmée Fairbairn FoundationSocial investment to National Botanic Garden of Wales - Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru	£50,000
18 Feb 2015	Esmée Fairbairn FoundationGrant to National Botanic Garden of Wales - Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru	£105,000
22 Jul 2014	The National Lottery Heritage Fund"Middleton: Paradise Regained"	£3,865,500
13 Jul 2011	The National Lottery Heritage Fund"Middleton - A Paradise Lost"	£45,400

Payments from public bodies, from their spending data

Public bodies' published spending shows 144 payments to this charity worth £11,187,117 between 26 January 2021 and 4 June 2026.

Payments from public bodies, from their spending data
Public body	Paid	Payments	Financial years
Welsh Governmentits spending data	£11,186,073	143	2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26, 2026/27
Vale of Glamorgan Councilits spending data	£1,044	1	2023/24

Councils and Welsh Government publish what they pay suppliers and grant holders above a threshold, usually £500 for councils and £25,000 for Welsh Government, so smaller payments are missing. A payment is shown only when OpenEconomy matched it to this charity with certainty. These figures come from the payer's records. They are a separate measure from the charity's own accounts, 360Giving grants and its annual return, and are never added to them.

In council meetings

Council business that names this charity, from the records councils publish, gathered by OpenCouncil. Newest first.

14 July 2023, Carmarthenshire
Named in an agenda item or minute of Governance & Audit Committee
DECLARATIONS OF PERSONAL INTERESTS.
Read the meeting record
14 July 2023, Carmarthenshire
Named in an agenda item or minute of Governance & Audit Committee
STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS 2022/23
Read the meeting record

We count a mention only when the record gives the charity's full registered name or its charity number. A mention shows the charity was named in that record. Follow the link to read what the record says.

In the Senedd and Welsh Government

Senedd and Welsh Government records that name this charity, gathered by OpenSenedd. Newest first.

21 September 2026
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: TCWCMCS
Purpose: Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
30 July 2026
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: DMSCMHWH
Purpose: Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
12 March 2026
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: DFM Cabsec CCRA
Purpose: National Botanic Garden of Wales.
National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
3 February 2025
Named in a written question from Darren Millar
Addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning.
Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm the range of salaries for staff members at the National Botanic Garden of Wales? The information contained in its 2023-24 annual return to the Charity Commission for England and Wales states that the National Botanic Garden of Wales has a cohort of 249 volunteers a…
Read the record
3 February 2025
Named in a written question from Darren Millar
Addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning.
Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm how many people work and volunteer at the National Botanic Garden of Wales? The information contained in its 2023-24 annual return to the Charity Commission for England and Wales states that the National Botanic Garden of Wales has a cohort of 249 volunteers and 10…
Read the record
27 January 2025
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: Min CSSP
Purpose: National Botanic Garden of Wales.
National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
16 January 2025
Named by Jenny Rathbone in the Senedd
Yes, exactly. Obviously, the National Botanic Garden of Wales is a completely separate organisation, doing something quite different. So, thank you for that thoughtful answer. There's obviously a significant uplift for Cadw to go ahead with the next phase of the restoration of Caerphilly castle, for…
Read the record
14 October 2024
Named in a written question from Andrew RT Davies
Addressed to the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning.
How many times has the Cabinet Secretary visited the National Botanic Garden of Wales since taking up their post? I have not visited the National Botanic Garden of Wales since I took up my post.
Read the record
8 May 2024
Named by Alun Davies in the Senedd
…ng Blaenau Gwent. It's one of the great success stories. I was reminded of that when I visited the British Bird of Prey Centre at the National Botanic Garden of Wales in Llanarthne a few weeks ago. I was introduced to Atlantis, a 30-year-old white-tailed eagle. I saw her fly and swoop around the cen…
Read the record
7 February 2024
Named in a written question from Andrew RT Davies
Addressed to the Minister for Economy.
What financial support has the Welsh Government provided to the National Botanic Garden of Wales since May 2021? The Welsh Government has provided the National Botanic Garden of Wales with grant funding totalling £4,817,377 since May 2021.
Read the record
7 February 2024
Named in a written question from Andrew RT Davies
Addressed to the Minister for Economy.
Will the Minister make a statement on proposed job cuts at the National Botanic Garden of Wales? I was saddened to learn of the potential redundancies at the National Botanic Garden of Wales (NBGW). I appreciate this must be a very difficult time for staff members who are leaving their posts. I am a…
Read the record
28 September 2023
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: Dep Min for AST
Purpose: National Botanic Garden of Wales.
National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
18 January 2023
Named by Dawn Bowden in the Senedd
…amounted to a very modest cut—[Inaudible.]—in pounds to its discretionary grant. I think, you know, we need to be very clear that the National Botanic Garden of Wales is not a Welsh Government sponsored body, so we have different responsibilities and liabilities around all of that, but their capital…
Read the record
12 December 2022
Named by Sophie Howe in the Senedd
…me and I might be seeing some of the biophilic communities, which is where Swansea Bay University Health Board has partnered with the National Botanic Garden of Wales to make their sites for nature. If I were to go to a school in Carmarthenshire, I might be going to a zero-carbon school. And, in the…
Read the record
6 October 2022
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: Min for Economy
Purpose: Alex Summers, Curator & Catrin Evans, Acting Director and Finance Officer for National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Alex Summers, Curator & Catrin Evans, Acting Director and Finance Officer for National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
4 October 2022
Named by Julie James in the Senedd
…we? We have to understand what that looks like for them. So, there are lots of people working on that. I launched this report at the National Botanic Garden of Wales yesterday. They have—I can't remember what they call it now—a hawk programme there, though that's not what they call it, but a predat…
Read the record
3 October 2022
Named by Julie James in the Senedd
…environmental policy commitments in Wales, set out in the programme for government. As it happens, I'm speaking to you today from the National Botanic Garden of Wales, where I'm in the middle of the biodiversity conference and launching the outcome of the deep-dive. If you were listening to the peop…
Read the record
3 October 2022
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: Minister for Climate Change
Purpose: Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
27 May 2022
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: Minister for Climate Change
Purpose: Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru / National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
12 October 2021
Named by Carolyn Thomas in the Senedd
…p by core funding to help community projects thrive, and the nature networks fund will certainly provide this. I recently visited the National Botanic Garden of Wales to hear from researchers about the incredible scientific work they are doing, saving pollinators using DNA evidence. Another example…
Read the record
11 October 2021
Named in a ministerial meeting or engagement: Dep Min for Climate Change
Purpose: Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru/National Botanic Garden of Wales.
Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru/National Botanic Garden of Wales
Read the record
20 September 2021
Named in a written question from Darren Millar
Addressed to the Minister for Economy.
…Pembrey Llanelli £85,360 Carmarthenshire CC, Sustainable & Accessible Pendine Sands Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire £127,872 National Botanic Garden of Wales, Ambitious for Access Carmarthen East and Dinefwr £80,000 Down to Earth, Doing Good Things Together Gower £84,000
Read the record

We count a mention only when the record gives the charity's full registered name or its charity number. A mention shows the charity was named in that record. Follow the link to read it in full.

Trustees

12 trustees run the charity.

Adam Daniel TaylorAppointed 29 November 2024
Dr Paul Philip SmithAppointed 9 August 2017
Dr Sara MatthewsAppointed 1 September 2020
Dr Tomos Dafydd DaviesAppointed 12 December 2025
Emma Louise BurnsAppointed 29 November 2024
John Lloyd-jonesAppointed 12 December 2025
Karen Isobel MilesAppointed 29 November 2024
Professor Iain DonnisonAppointed 1 September 2020
Ross BurnettAppointed 12 December 2025
Samia al QadhiAppointed 12 December 2025
Sharon Davies-SmithAppointed 12 December 2025
Timothy William JonesAppointed 16 August 2017

Trustees are responsible in law for the charity. Names are as they appear on the public register.

Filing record

Of the last 5 annual returns that were due, 3 arrived by the deadline.

When each year's annual return and accounts were due and received
Year ending	Due	Annual return	Accounts
31 March 2025	31 January 2026	Received 26 January 2026, 5 days early	Received 26 January 2026
31 March 2024	31 January 2025	Received 20 December 2024, 42 days early	Received 20 December 2024
31 March 2023	31 January 2024	Received 27 February 2024, 27 days late	Received 27 February 2024
31 March 2022	31 January 2023	Received 9 December 2022, 53 days early	Received 9 December 2022
31 March 2021	31 January 2022	Received 1 February 2022, 1 day late	Received 1 February 2022

Charities with income over £10,000 send an annual return within 10 months of their year end, and those over £25,000 also send their accounts. Smaller charities only update their income and spending on the register. The dates are when the Commission received each document.

About this charity

Charity number: 1036354
Status: Registered
Registered with the Commission: 12 April 1994
Governing document: MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES INCORPORATED 16/03/1994AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 28/08/1996AS AMENDED BY CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION ON CHANGE OF NAME DATED 12/09/1996AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION(S) DATED 03/06/1997AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION REGISTERED AT COMPANIES HOUSE ON 08/12/2015 as amended on 29 Nov 2024
Company number: 02909098This company on OpenEconomyThis company on Companies House
Website: botanicgarden.walesAs the charity gave it on the register.
Council area of its contact address: Carmarthenshire

Sources

Register details, income, spending, trustees and filing dates: Charity Commission for England and Wales, register of charities. Loaded by OpenEconomy on 2 November 2026.
Funding from accounts: the charity's filed accounts, read by OpenEconomy's AI accounts reader on 1 November 2026.
Grants awarded: 360Giving open grants data, from funders that publish there. Loaded by OpenEconomy on 2 November 2026.
Payments from public bodies: each body's own published spending data, matched to the charity by OpenEconomy. 5 public bodies' data is included so far.
In council meetings: councils' published meeting records, gathered by OpenCouncil and matched to the charity by OpenEconomy on 4 November 2026.
In the Senedd and Welsh Government: records gathered by OpenSenedd and matched to the charity by OpenEconomy on 5 November 2026.

Elsewhere in the Edau family

Year ending

Income

Spending

Paid staff

Volunteers

31 March 2025

£5,397,235

£4,871,574

301

31 March 2024

£4,447,064

£5,261,965

249

31 March 2023

£5,331,608

£5,208,098

114

214

31 March 2022

£6,141,896

£5,264,356

113

200

31 March 2021

£4,976,109

£4,353,072

200

Year ending

Government grants

Government contracts

31 March 2025

£816,090 from 2 grants

Not reported

31 March 2024

£943,606 from 11 grants

Not reported

31 March 2023

£2,110,761 from 6 grants

Not reported

31 March 2022

£3,010,862 from 8 grants

Not reported

31 March 2021

£1,721,977 from 5 grants

Not reported

Funder

Type

Mar 2025

Mar 2024

Mar 2023

Julia Rausing Trust

Trust, company or other

£1,300,000

Welsh Government

£816,098

£842,027

£1,965,875

Dynamic Collections

Trust, company or other

£86,490

£41,100

SPF

Trust, company or other

£60,299

£26,491

Nature Network Fund

Trust, company or other

£54,342

Historic & Botanic Garden Trainee Programme

Trust, company or other

£4,150

Royal Botanic Garden Kew

Trust, company or other

£4,000

£14,500

The National Lottery Heritage Fund

National Lottery

£241,224

European Regional Development Fund & Leader Funds

Trust, company or other

£99,122

Swansea Bay University Health Board

NHS

£45,764

The Waterloo Foundation

Trust, company or other

£15,000

Growing the Future

Trust, company or other

£13,728

Wales Council for Voluntary Action

Other public body

£9,980

HBG Training Programme

Trust, company or other

£8,150

Apprenticeship Fund

Trust, company or other

£2,000

£5,000

RBG Grant

Trust, company or other

£2,000

British Soil Association

Trust, company or other

£467

£982

Awarded

Grant

Amount

8 Sept 2025

Postcode Community TrustMillionaire Street 2025 09w2

£80,000

6 Jun 2023

The National Lottery Heritage Fund"#DYC – Plants Past, Present and Future"

£249,985

13 Jul 2020

The National Lottery Heritage Fund"COVID19 The National Botanic Garden of Wales"

£247,700

12 Jun 2018

The National Lottery Community FundGarden Explorers

£9,918

1 Mar 2017

Esmée Fairbairn FoundationSocial investment to National Botanic Garden of Wales - Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru

£50,000

18 Feb 2015

Esmée Fairbairn FoundationGrant to National Botanic Garden of Wales - Gardd Fotaneg Genedlaethol Cymru

£105,000

22 Jul 2014

The National Lottery Heritage Fund"Middleton: Paradise Regained"

£3,865,500

13 Jul 2011

The National Lottery Heritage Fund"Middleton - A Paradise Lost"

£45,400

Public body

Paid

Payments

Financial years

Welsh Governmentits spending data

£11,186,073

143

2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25, 2025/26, 2026/27

Vale of Glamorgan Councilits spending data

£1,044

2023/24

Year ending

Due

Annual return

Accounts

31 March 2025

31 January 2026

Received 26 January 2026, 5 days early

Received 26 January 2026

31 March 2024

31 January 2025

Received 20 December 2024, 42 days early

Received 20 December 2024

31 March 2023

31 January 2024

Received 27 February 2024, 27 days late

Received 27 February 2024

31 March 2022

31 January 2023

Received 9 December 2022, 53 days early

Received 9 December 2022

31 March 2021

31 January 2022

Received 1 February 2022, 1 day late

Received 1 February 2022