Older people · Reg 1085900
Age UK Suffolk
Charity rating & review
34/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Poor
Quick answer
Is Age UK Suffolk a good charity?
Age UK Suffolk scores 34/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2019 (£2.1m total income, 59% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
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How can you give to AGE UK SUFFOLK?
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What does Age UK Suffolk do?
Age UK Suffolk is a registered charity (no. 1085900) working in older people in Ipswich · IP32 7FA. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 59% of spending to charitable activities, though accounts are currently overdue or missing. Reported income has been declining (≈16% a year). CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.
Summarised from public filings — Age UK Suffolk hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: AGE UK SUFFOLK scores 34 out of 100 (2 stars). 59% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
What is Age UK Suffolk?
Age UK Suffolk has a Clarity Score of 34 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1085900. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Older people. Latest accounts year 2019: total income £2.1m, with 59% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: missing. 2 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Overall score
34/100
2★ · Poor
Cause spend
59%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
55/100
Finance beacon
Income
£2.1m
Latest year 2019
Reserves
—
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Missing
Check register
£2.4 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 41% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: low
How does AGE UK SUFFOLK compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers AGE UK SUFFOLK scores higher than.
Scores higher than 1% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 34/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 4% of 23 charities in this cause · 34/100 vs 79 peer average (marker).
How reliable is Age UK Suffolk's data?
- Source
- Charity Commission (England & Wales)
- Accounts year
- 2019
- Filing date
- Profile reviewed
Low confidence — key filing data unavailable
Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .
What is Age UK Suffolk's Beacon report?
Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
55/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Filing history (5 years) 100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts. | 0% | 0/15 pts |
| Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 7 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 70% | 7/10 pts |
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
0/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | Not stated · 0/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | 0/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | 249% · 0/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
10/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 20% | 59% · 2/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 0% | 45p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 348 volunteers / 165 staff · 10/10 pts |
What is Age UK Suffolk's Clarity Score?
34/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars
Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
55/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
0/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
10/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
How much does Age UK Suffolk raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2019 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £2.1m | — |
| Total expenditure | £2.5m | — |
| Charitable activities | £1.2m | 48% |
| Fundraising | £1.3m | 52% |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2019) · £2.5m spent
- Charitable activities48% · £1.2m
- Fundraising52% · £1.3m
What trust indicators does Age UK Suffolk have?
Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.
-
Accounts filed on time
Filing status: missing
-
Trustee board size (3–12)
7 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
165 employees · 348 volunteers (2:1 volunteer-to-staff)
Fundraising Regulator
Not listed as member
Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.
Check Fundraising Regulator →Official register
Reg 1085900
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- PETER JONES since 2012
- Helen Thomas since 2014
- ANTHONY SHEPPARD Chair · since 2014
- Emma Woollard since 2015
- DAVID CHENERY since 2017
- Nicola Bradford since 2018
- David Roy Wilkes since 2020
How we score charities +
The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.
Accountability & Transparency
Scored from filings
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).
Financial Health
Scored from filings
30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).
Financial Efficiency
Scored from filings
20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).
Community Support
Scored from filings
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.
Overall score
Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.
How have Age UK Suffolk's finances changed over five years?
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts
What are the key facts about Age UK Suffolk?
- Overall score
- 34/100 (2★)
- Income
- £2.1m
- Cause spend
- 59% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1085900
- Scope
- Local (ipswich)
- Reserves
- —
- Trustees
- 7
- Accounts year
- 2019
- Filing
- missing
How does AGE UK SUFFOLK compare, and where else can you look?
Where AGE UK SUFFOLK sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar older people charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- Age UK Hythe, Lyminge and Ashford 100/100 · £1.6m
- AGE UK CANTERBURY 99/100 · £1.3m
- AGE CONCERN BROMLEY 97/100 · £2.2m
- Age Cymru West Glamorgan Limited 96/100 · £758k
How can you share Age UK Suffolk's rating?
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How do you add Age UK Suffolk's rating to your site?
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What red flags does Age UK Suffolk have?
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Age UK Suffolk's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is Age UK Suffolk a good charity? +
Age UK Suffolk scores 34 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 59% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are missing. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.
Is Age UK Suffolk a legitimate charity? +
Yes — Age UK Suffolk is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1085900). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1085900. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is Age UK Suffolk's charity number? +
Age UK Suffolk's charity number is 1085900. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.
What is Age UK Suffolk's charity rating? +
Age UK Suffolk scores 34 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.
Does Age UK Suffolk have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Age UK Suffolk. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (2 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.
How much of my donation reaches Age UK Suffolk? +
According to its 2019 regulator filing, 59% of Age UK Suffolk's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.
What are Age UK Suffolk's overheads? +
According to its 2019 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 41% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 41% of total expenditure at Age UK Suffolk. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Age UK Suffolk's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.
How much income does Age UK Suffolk receive? +
Age UK Suffolk reported £2.1m total income in its 2019 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: declining.
Are Age UK Suffolk's accounts up to date? +
Filing status: missing (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.
Where is Age UK Suffolk based? +
Age UK Suffolk is listed at Ipswich · IP32 7FA, focused on older people.
How does CharityCompare score Age UK Suffolk? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Age UK Suffolk's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.
How often is this page updated? +
This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Age UK Suffolk's most recent accounts cover 2019. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.