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BLACKBURN YMCA

Charity rating & review

65/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
65 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is BLACKBURN YMCA a good charity?

BLACKBURN YMCA scores 65/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 68% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Birmingham · UK-wide · BL1 1HA Reg 1106198 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

BLACKBURN YMCA is a registered charity (no. 1106198) working in animals across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 68% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 83 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining over recent years. 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.

In short: BLACKBURN YMCA scores 65 out of 100 (2 stars). 68% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

BLACKBURN YMCA has a Clarity Score of 65 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1106198. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £3.5m, with 68% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 83 months of operating costs. 1 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

65/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

68%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£3.5m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

83 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

Fundraising efficiency not stated · 6% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How BLACKBURN YMCA compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£1m–£5m)65 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 22% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Animals charities65 vs 76 avg

Ranks higher than 25% of 2,982 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for BLACKBURN YMCA
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.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 6 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

Financial Health metrics for BLACKBURN YMCA
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

0% 83 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

0% 51% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

75/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for BLACKBURN YMCA
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

50% 68% · 5/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

100% 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Community Support metrics for BLACKBURN YMCA
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

65/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
33/100
Financial Health
75/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight6 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)83 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets51% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

75/100

Program expense ratio68% · 5/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

BLACKBURN YMCA revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £3.5m
Total expenditure £358k
Charitable activities £248k 69%
69%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £358k spent

  • Charitable activities69%
  • Other spending31%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    6 trustees on the Charity Commission register

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 1106198

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Graham Richard Sebastian Oatridge since 2021
  • Brian Richard Cooke since 2021
  • Janine Browne since 2022
  • Lorraine Prentice since 2022
  • Mark David Pattinson since 2022
  • Aaron James Flemons Chair · since 2025
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £2100k £4200k £6300k £8400k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £3,538k Spending 2021: £358k Cause spend 2021: £248k Income 2022: £1,188k Spending 2022: £415k Cause spend 2022: £289k Income 2023: £888k Spending 2023: £599k Cause spend 2023: £389k Income 2024: £912k Spending 2024: £598k Cause spend 2024: £242k Income 2025: £8,323k Spending 2025: £1,456k Cause spend 2025: £1,456k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
65/100 (2★)
Income
£3.5m
Cause spend
68% of expenditure
Reg number
1106198
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
83 months
Trustees
6
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about BLACKBURN YMCA's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is BLACKBURN YMCA's charity rating? +

BLACKBURN YMCA scores 65 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is BLACKBURN YMCA a good charity to donate to? +

BLACKBURN YMCA scores 65 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 68% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. 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 BLACKBURN YMCA a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — BLACKBURN YMCA is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1106198. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is BLACKBURN YMCA's Charity Commission registration number? +

BLACKBURN YMCA's registration number is 1106198. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1106198

How much income does BLACKBURN YMCA receive? +

BLACKBURN YMCA reported £3.5m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of BLACKBURN YMCA's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 68% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 6%.

Are BLACKBURN YMCA's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is BLACKBURN YMCA based? +

BLACKBURN YMCA is listed at Birmingham · UK-wide · BL1 1HA and operates UK-wide, focused on animals.

How does CharityCompare score BLACKBURN YMCA? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to BLACKBURN YMCA? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare BLACKBURN YMCA with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put BLACKBURN YMCA side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.