The trustees', who are also the directors for the purposes of company law, present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 28 February 2026.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)" (effective 1 January 2019).
The company is a charity and exists to educate people in the Chester hinterland about archaeology, history, and architecture of the area.
We have referred to guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing our aims and objectives and in planning our future activities.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
Our 2025 season saw a continuation of the Chapel and prehistoric excavations. We had a successful two-week course with Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) undergraduate students, followed by three weeks of courses for the LJMU Masters students. They worked on the graveyard, learning skills in skeleton excavation which are vital to their Forensic Archaeology post-graduate degree. A total of 13 skeletons were excavated and transported to the university for curation, research, and teaching.
We also hosted a month-long field-school with the University of Nottingham, concentrating on the prehistoric and Roman archaeology found in Tr 48. It was our objective to finish this trench in order to backfill in 2025 and strip the area immediately to the south to continue our investigations of this unique Iron Age landscape. We excavated further post-holes and pits, but notably revealed the beam slot from a Roman Period wooden structure. Finds from the general excavation of Tr 48 mostly comprised animal bone, pottery, and some worked stone.
Excavations of the D shaped enclosure revealed more structured backfill deposits of Late Iron Age date, and a complete but shattered Red Deer antler from a buck of approximately five years of age. This antler was analysed by a zooarchaeologist and then taken to York Archaeology’s conservation department for reconstruction with the view to eventual display.
Post excavation analysis of finds from previous years has continued, with notable results. In Tr 48, we have dated a partial human neonate skeleton to the Late Iron Age with radiocarbon analysis. A further find from the D enclosure comprised a miniature dog. The resulting radiocarbon date revealed that it died somewhere between the 4th and 2nd centuries AD, making this the earliest miniature dog currently known in Britain by at least two centuries.
Our publication efforts and external relationships with other academic institutions continued throughout 2025. A report focusing on the WW2 RAF landscape is has been filed with the local HER and a manuscript was submitted to the ‘International Journal of Conflict Archaeology’, which is currently awaiting revisions. A further article was published in the journal Science. This presents the results of aDNA investigation into a small number of Poulton skeletons by the Francis Crick Institute (London), as part of the Whole Genome Project. One sample of the initial 21, produced evidence for the individual having died from a tick-borne pathogen called ‘Borrelia’, which is responsible for Lyme Disease. The preservation of the bacteria was highly unusual, allowing for comparison with the genetic structure of the modern genome, and formed the backbone of the paper, alongside the discovery of the disease in three other medieval and prehistoric sites within the British Isles. Additionally, three individuals (from two double graves) tested positive for the bacteria which caused the medieval plague. Although the genetic preservation of these examples was low, the aDNA geneticists from the Francis Crick Institute have further requested and granted access to sample every viable medieval skeleton from Poulton, making this the first time that a complete medieval burial ground in the British Isles has been fully researched for ancient disease.
We further gained permission from the Grosvenor Estate to conduct a non-invasive magnetometry survey of the floodplain to search for illusive location of the lost medieval attested to in historical documents. The results from this survey have produced promising results, and identified a probable location.
Based on the fact that we had full successful fieldschool season and healthy volunteer contributions, income was positive vs outgoings. The main purchases for the site included new canvas for the Marquees and a storage container for the site to replace the now redundant roundhouse.
Financial outlook 2026/27
Given that we expect to have a full calendar of field schools we expect that income vs outgoings will be similar. We expect that more lab analysis will be required in 2026 (vs 2025) and we will need the assistance of plant equipment for backfilling trenches and opening up new excavations.
It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure. The trustees consider that reserves at this level will ensure that, in the event of a significant drop in funding, they will be able to continue the charity’s current activities while consideration is given to ways in which additional funds may be raised. This level of reserves has been maintained throughout the year.
There are four objectives for the 2026 season:
1. Extend the excavation of Trench 48 immediately to the south and east. This will reveal ore of the D shaped enclosure, and hopefully roundhouses and associated features which will allow the refinement of our knowledge regarding the chronology and status of the Iron Age settlement.
2. Continue with the investigations for Poulton Abbey through Magnetometry survey of fields adjacent to Chapel field within the floodplain.
3. Continue excavation of Chapel graveyard burials from northern, southern and eastern areas to continue to understand the graveyard boundaries and burial intensity.
4. To publish a complete demography of the Poulton medieval graveyard, up to the end of 2023.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 7 August 2002 and registered as a charity on 8 November 2002.
The company was established under a Memorandum of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its articles of association.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Poulton Research Project Ltd (the charity) for the year ended 28 February 2026.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Poulton Research Project Ltd is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is , 111 Cliftonville Road, Woolston, Warrington, WA1 4BJ.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland" and the Charities SORP "Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a statement of cash flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement, and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.
Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year (2025 - none).