01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC037984
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Scotland and other parts of the UK
- Volunteers
- 101-250 volunteers
- Staff
- 9
- Postcode
- DG8 9EH
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
Our Mission is to produce the UK's most vibrant book festival and develop the literary and cultural wealth of Scotland's National Book Town and its region. in doing so, we deliver social and economic benefits for the people of our region. In the reporting year, we hosted the 26th annual Wigtown Book Festival offering a wide-ranging programme of 216 events for adults, young people and children, welcoming an audience of 19,250. Volunteers offered over 2000 hours of support in running the Festival. We remain committed to supporting writers and readers, and achieved this during the year by sustaining the Wigtown Poetry Prizes, Compass mentoring programme, the Anne Brown Essay Prize, a five-day Education (schools) Tour and supporting the Wigtown Spring Weekend (delivered by the Association of Wigtown Booksellers).
Charitable purposes
- the advancement of education
- the advancement of citizenship or community development
- the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science
Beneficiaries
- Children or young people
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
Activities
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
2.1 To promote and assist in the advancement of education and the arts, with particular emphasis on books and literature but also including music, film, drama , dance, theatre and visual arts. 2.1.1 To extend and increase the appreciation, knowledge and understanding of the arts in all its manifestations , through the provision of and enhanced access to, an annual programme of events in this remote and economically disadvantaged rural part of South West Scotland. 2.1.2 To promote for the public benefit urban and rural regeneration in the operating area, thereby to relieve poverty and social isolation and associate with statutory authorities , voluntary organisations and local people in Scotland's National Book town to advance education and provide facilities for recreation and leisure occupations and provide access to writers , artists and performers to everyone irrespective of age, gender, physical ability, creed or colour through a programme of events based on literature and the arts. 2.1.3 To create a community hub in support of the above objectives by providing a centre where they can take place and be administered for the benefit of the people in the operating area.
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Income | Expenditure | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2025 | £708,162 | £646,914 | 9 | 20 December 2025 |
| 31 March 2024 | £555,200 | £677,593 | 9 | 18 December 2024 |
| 31 March 2023 | £614,135 | £646,916 | 9 | 28 March 2024 |
| 31 March 2022 | £489,402 | £502,088 | 9 | 20 March 2023 |
| 31 March 2021 | £529,465 | £424,205 | 9 | 26 April 2022 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- 26 South Main Street, Wigtown
- Website supplied to OSCR
- www.wigtownbookfestival.com
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.