--- title: "Animals in Distress rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is Animals in Distress a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 56/100. Accounts 2025: income £536k · 72% on charitable activities. Reg 515886." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/animals-in-distress retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:02:56.465Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Animals in Distress a good charity? Animals in Distress scores 56/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£536k total income, 72% 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. Oldham · UK-wide · OL15 0LE | Reg [515886](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/animals-in-distress) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.animals-in-distress.co.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/515886) Donate ## How can you give to ANIMALS IN DISTRESS? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official ANIMALS IN DISTRESS form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.animals-in-distress.co.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=515886) ## What does Animals in Distress do? Animals in Distress is a registered charity (no. 515886) working in animals across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 72% of spending to charitable activities, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been growing (≈10% 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 — Animals in Distress hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=animals-in-distress) **In short:** ANIMALS IN DISTRESS scores 56 out of 100 (2 stars). 72% average program spend (2-year average, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Animals in Distress? Animals in Distress has a Clarity Score of 56 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 515886. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £536k, with 72% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 56/100 2★ · Poor Cause spend 72% 2-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 63/100 Finance beacon Income £536k Latest year 2025 Reserves — Months of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £4.1 raised per £1 fundraising (2-yr avg) · 19% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does ANIMALS IN DISTRESS compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ANIMALS IN DISTRESS scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)7thpercentile **Scores higher than 7% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 56/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Animals charities7thpercentile **Scores higher than 7% of 370 charities in this cause** · 56/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Animals in Distress's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 Medium confidence — some data missing or late 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), [Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and [Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/). [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). ## What is Animals in Distress'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. 63/100 | 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% | 5 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 100% | 10/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 33/100 | 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. | 50% | 5/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 3% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 60/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 60% | 72% · 6/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 60% | 21p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 90/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 90% | 33 volunteers / 18 staff · 9/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Animals in Distress's Clarity Score? 56/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 63/100 Accountability & Transparency 33/100 Financial Health 60/100 Financial Efficiency 90/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 63/100 Filing history (5 years)0/15 pts Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 33/100 Reserves (months of cash)Not stated · 0/15 pts Income stability / growth5/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets3% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 60/100 Program expense ratio72% · 6/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency21p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 90/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio33 volunteers / 18 staff · 9/10 pts ## How much does Animals in Distress raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £536k | — | | Total expenditure | £669k | — | | Charitable activities | £668k | 100% | | Fundraising | £648 | 0% | | Governance & admin | £3k | 0% | 100%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £669k spent - Charitable activities100% · £668k - Fundraising0% · £648 - Governance0% · £3k ## What trust indicators does Animals in Distress have? Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported. - — Accounts filed on time Filing status: late - ✓ Trustee board size (3–12) 5 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 18 employees · 33 volunteers (2:1 volunteer-to-staff) Fundraising Regulator Status not yet checked Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice. [Check Fundraising Regulator →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 515886 Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission. [View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/515886) ### Trustees & officers - WENDY PRITCHARD - Denvee Whittaker since 2013 - CATHERINE WHITTAKER Chair · since 2019 - Ian Durham since 2019 - ELIZABETH LYNDA REDFERN since 2020 100 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. [Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) 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 Animals in Distress'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 Animals in Distress? Overall score 56/100 (2★) Income £536k Cause spend 72% of expenditure Reg number 515886 Scope UK-wide Reserves — Trustees 5 Accounts year 2025 Filing late ## How does ANIMALS IN DISTRESS compare, and where else can you look? [Compare ANIMALS IN DISTRESS with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=animals-in-distress) [More animals charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/animals) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where ANIMALS IN DISTRESS sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [animals charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/animals) - [Charities in Oldham](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/oldham) ### Similar animals charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [TEES RIVERS CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/tees-rivers-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.0m - [THE RSPCA DANAHER ANIMAL HOME](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-rspca-danaher-animal-home) 100/100 · £1.4m - [GREENACRES RESCUE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/greenacres-rescue-limited) 100/100 · £884k - [GREATWOOD CHARITY LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/greatwood-charity-limited) 100/100 · £851k ## How can you share Animals in Distress's rating? Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Animals%20in%20Distress%20%E2%80%94%2056%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fanimals-in-distress)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fanimals-in-distress)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fanimals-in-distress)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Animals%20in%20Distress%20%E2%80%94%2056%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fanimals-in-distress) Copy link Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Animals in Distress. For this charity ## How do you add Animals in Distress's rating to your site? Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 56/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/animals-in-distress) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 56/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Animals in Distress have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Animals in Distress's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Animals in Distress a good charity? + Animals in Distress scores 56 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 72% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are late. 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 Animals in Distress a legitimate charity? + Yes — Animals in Distress is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 515886). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/515886. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Animals in Distress's charity number? + Animals in Distress's charity number is 515886. 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 Animals in Distress's charity rating? + Animals in Distress scores 56 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 Animals in Distress have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Animals in Distress. 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 Animals in Distress? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 72% of Animals in Distress's total spending went to charitable activities (2-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 Animals in Distress's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 28% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 19% of total expenditure at Animals in Distress. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Animals in Distress'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 Animals in Distress receive? + Animals in Distress reported £536k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are Animals in Distress's accounts up to date? + Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score. Where is Animals in Distress based? + Animals in Distress is listed at Oldham · UK-wide · OL15 0LE and operates UK-wide, focused on animals. How does CharityCompare score Animals in Distress? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Animals in Distress'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 Animals in Distress's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.