How we’re run as a company

Pilgrims’ Friend Society Group (PFSG) oversees several charitable and trading entities, which all exist to support the delivery of care, housing and other related services for older people. The structure that PFSG provides enables clear accountability, appropriate regulatory compliance, and effective stewardship of resources across all of our activities.

At the centre of PFSG is the main charitable organisation, Pilgrims’ Friend Society, which operates the majority of our care homes and housing schemes, and receives most of PFSG’s income. The charity Pilgrims’ Friend Society is responsible for delivering frontline services in line with PFSG’s mission, values and strategic priorities.

Alongside this, PFSG includes a wholly owned trading subsidiary, Pilgrims’ Friend Group Trading Limited, which operates on a commercial basis. This trading arm supports the charitable purposes and actions of PFSG, and profits that are made are invested into Pilgrims’ Friend Society wherever possible.

In addition, some care homes and housing schemes operate through their own distinct legal entities. These entities retain individual legal and regulatory responsibilities, but are fully overseen within the PFSG governance framework  to ensure they align with the strategy, values, standards and compliance requirements.

The PFSG Board of Trustees holds ultimate responsibility for governance, strategy, financial oversight and risk management across the entire group. The Board ensures that all entities operate in accordance with their governing documents, legal obligations and regulatory requirements.

Information about the trustees, including their roles and responsibilities, is published transparently and made available to stakeholders.

To support effective governance, the Board has established a number of specialist subcommittees. These include committees with responsibility for:

Finance, Reporting, and Audit, overseeing financial performance, audit arrangements, internal controls and risk management.

Organisational Development, focusing on people, culture, leadership, succession planning and organisational change.

Care, Quality and Compliance, overseeing care standards, regulatory compliance, safeguarding, and quality assurance across all services and facilities.

Growth and Renewal Programme, overseeing care home investment and acquisition.
Each committee operates under formal terms of reference and reports regularly to the full Trustee Board, ensuring that trustees receive timely, robust information so they can make the best informed decisions. 

This layered governance structure allows for effective decision-making at the appropriate level while maintaining strong central control and assurance.

All charitable entities within PFSG are registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Where applicable, entities are also registered with Companies House. The PFSG’s trading subsidiary is registered as a company but is not a charity.

This structure ensures transparency, accountability and compliance with charity and company law, while allowing PFSG to operate efficiently and sustainably.

PFSG operates a number of residential care homes. Income from care fees is paid directly to the relevant operating legal entities within PFSG, which are responsible for the delivery of care services, employment of staff, and compliance with regulatory requirements.

All care homes operated within PFSG are regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and are subject to regular inspection to ensure that care is safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led.

PFSG also operates housing schemes for older people, including supported and retirement housing. Charges, rents and service fees are paid to the relevant operating entities within PFSG, depending on the legal structure of each scheme.

Regulatory oversight varies depending on the nature of the scheme. Some housing entities are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing, while others operate outside formal housing regulation but remain subject to charity law, contractual obligations and internal quality assurance processes.

Charitable income, including donations and legacies, flows primarily to Pilgrims’ Friend Society which allocates resources in line with our strategic priorities and charitable purposes.

The trading subsidiary supports this work by generating unrestricted income for reinvestment in charitable activities.

In addition to sector-specific regulation, PFSG complies with relevant fundraising, financial and governance standards. This includes registration with bodies such as the Fundraising Regulator and adherence to recognised codes of practice and reporting standards. PFSG also engages with relevant professional networks and membership bodies to support good governance and continuous improvement.