Bristol Zoo Project: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited has no person with significant control recorded on the Companies House register. In the year to December 2025 it reported turnover of £10m.
- In the year to December 2025, Bristol Zoo Project had turnover of £10m, up 26.6% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £0.3m, losing £2.70 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 146 people, with staff costs of £5m.
- These figures are from Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited's group accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 13 October 2026.
- Registered name
- BRISTOL CLIFTON AND WEST OF ENGLAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY LIMITED
- Company number
- 05154176
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 15 June 2004
- Registered office area
- Bristol
- Industry code on the register
- 91040: Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities
- Accounts
- Group accounts, covering the companies it owns
- Accounts type
- Full group accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 13 October 2026
What does Bristol Zoo Project do?
Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society is the charity that runs Bristol Zoo Project, a wildlife park near Bristol. Founded in 1835, the society moved all its animals to this site after closing its original Clifton zoo in 2022. It earns income from admissions, memberships, seasonal events and venue hire, alongside donations, and uses it to fund conservation and education work.
In brief: zoo charity · Bristol · conservation · admissions and events
Source: Bristol Zoo Project's own website, retrieved 27 September 2026.
Who owns Bristol Zoo Project?
Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited, company number 05154176, has no person with significant control recorded on the register. The full record is linked below.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Bristol Zoo Project?
The Companies House register lists 13 current officers for Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited.
All 13 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| David Richard Esam | 8 April 2013 |
| Christopher Arthur Booy | 26 September 2016 |
| Victoria Charlotte Ash | 11 May 2017 |
| Peaches Golding | 20 June 2019 |
| Sarah Jane Fuller | 1 October 2019 |
| Andrew Martyn-Johns | 27 November 2020 |
| Professor Sir Steven George West | 23 June 2022 |
| Professor Judith Ann Squires | 19 July 2022 |
| Emma Woollett | 20 July 2022 |
| Kelly Evans | 22 July 2024 |
| Rosa Stephanie Viola Corbishley | 23 October 2024 |
| Dr Joanna Susan Price | 23 October 2024 |
| Dr Zoe Ellen Balmforth | 22 October 2025 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Bristol Zoo Project file?
Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited reported turnover of £10m in the year to December 2025. That was up 26.6% on £8m the year before.
It reported 146 employees. The year before it reported 141.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £0.3m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £2m the year before.
Staff costs came to £5m. That is an average of £34,000 a head. It ended the year with £2m at the bank and net assets of £44m.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £10m | £8m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£0.3m (filed) | -£2m (filed) |
| Employees | 146 | 141 |
| Staff costs | £5m | £5m |
| Average staff cost per head | £34,000 | £36,000 |
| Bank and cash | £2m | £1.3m |
| Net assets | £44m | £44m |
| Interest received | £21k |
Read the accounts to December 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets · Group accounts
Are there any charges against Bristol Zoo Project?
Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited has registered 9 charges at Companies House, of which 7 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 7 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Hsbc UK Bank PLC | 21 August 2020 |
| Hsbc UK Bank PLC | 20 August 2020 |
| Homes and Communities Agency | 13 January 2015 |
| Hsbc Bank PLC | 9 January 2015 |
| Hsbc Bank PLC | 30 July 2014 |
| Hsbc Bank PLC | 30 July 2014 |
| Martin Owen Davies Jones, James John Dennis Mcartur, John Howells, Simon Garrett and Edwin Mole | 3 October 2012 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Bristol Zoo Project compares
Of the 8 zoos, Bristol Zoo Project is 7th on turnover, 6th on profit margin and 2nd on growth. Twycross Zoo keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £18.22.
| Rank | Zoos | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | London Zoo and Whipsnade (ZSL) | £93m | £1.93 |
| 7th | Bristol Zoo Project | £10m | −£2.70 |
| + 6 more zoos ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Bristol Zoo Project files as Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited, with turnover of £10m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Bristol Zoo Project
What does Bristol Zoo Project do?
Bristol, Clifton and West of England Zoological Society is the charity that runs Bristol Zoo Project, a wildlife park near Bristol. Founded in 1835, the society moved all its animals to this site after closing its original Clifton zoo in 2022. It earns income from admissions, memberships, seasonal events and venue hire, alongside donations, and uses it to fund conservation and education work.
How does Bristol Zoo Project compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Bristol Zoo Project is 7th of the 8 companies in our battle of the zoos, behind London Zoo and Whipsnade (ZSL). The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the zoos →
Who owns Bristol Zoo Project?
Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited has no person with significant control recorded at Companies House.
How much does Bristol Zoo Project make?
Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited reported turnover of £10m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax loss of £0.3m.
How many people work at Bristol Zoo Project?
Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited reported 146 employees in the year to December 2025.
Who runs Bristol Zoo Project?
The Companies House register lists 13 current officers for Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Bristol Clifton and West of England Zoological Society Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 05154176, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are group accounts: they include the companies it owns.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Bristol Zoo Project: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 9 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/bristol-zoo/. Figures from Companies House filings for BRISTOL CLIFTON AND WEST OF ENGLAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY LIMITED (05154176).
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