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Children with Cancer UK

Charity rating & review

68/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
68 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Quick answer

Is Children with Cancer UK a good charity?

Children with Cancer UK scores 68/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£18m total income, 80% 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.

London · UK-wide · WC1N 3NL Reg 298405 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Children with Cancer UK do?

Children with Cancer UK is a registered charity (no. 298405) working in cancer across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 80% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 19 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been growing (≈7% 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 — Children with Cancer UK hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK scores 68 out of 100 (3 stars). 80% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

What is Children with Cancer UK?

Children with Cancer UK has a Clarity Score of 68 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 298405. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Cancer. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £18m, with 80% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 19 months of operating costs. 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

68/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

80%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

63/100

Finance beacon

Income

£18m

Latest year 2024

Reserves

19 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

£6.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 25% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How does CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)20thpercentile

Scores higher than 20% of 943 charities in its income band · 68/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

Cancer charities19thpercentile

Scores higher than 19% of 93 charities in this cause · 68/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Children with Cancer UK's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2024
Filing date
Profile reviewed

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, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

What is Children with Cancer UK'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

Accountability & Transparency metrics for CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK
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.

90/100

Financial Health metrics for CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

100% 19 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

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

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

40% 41% · 2/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

80/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

80% 80% · 8/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income).

80% 17p per £1 income · 8/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Children with Cancer UK's Clarity Score?

68/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

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

63/100
Accountability & Transparency
90/100
Financial Health
80/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
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.

90/100

Reserves (months of cash)19 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets41% · 2/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

80/100

Program expense ratio80% · 8/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency17p per £1 income · 8/10 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

How much does Children with Cancer UK raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings

CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £18m
Total expenditure £14m
Charitable activities £11m 76%
Fundraising £3.4m 24%
Governance & admin £992k 7%
76%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £14m spent

  • Charitable activities76%
  • Fundraising24%
  • Governance7%

What trust indicators does Children with Cancer UK 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

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 298405

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • David Arthur Edmund Gibbs Chair · since 2021
  • Phil Hall since 2021
  • Dr Bruce Jonathan Morland since 2022
  • Nicholas James Bird since 2025
  • Tamara Ludlow since 2025
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 →

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 Children with Cancer UK's finances changed over five years?

£0k £4500k £9000k £13500k £18000k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £13,762k Spending 2020: £15,342k Cause spend 2020: £13,284k Income 2021: £14,844k Spending 2021: £9,855k Cause spend 2021: £7,875k Income 2022: £14,110k Spending 2022: £13,851k Cause spend 2022: £11,732k Income 2023: £15,633k Spending 2023: £12,092k Cause spend 2023: £9,645k Income 2024: £17,809k Spending 2024: £14,099k Cause spend 2024: £10,738k
  • 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 Children with Cancer UK?

Overall score
68/100 (3★)
Income
£18m
Cause spend
80% of expenditure
Reg number
298405
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
19 months
Trustees
5
Accounts year
2024
Filing
late

Where CHILDREN WITH CANCER UK sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

Similar cancer charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share Children with Cancer UK's rating?

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How do you add Children with Cancer UK'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.

What red flags does Children with Cancer UK have?

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Children with Cancer UK's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Children with Cancer UK a good charity? +

Children with Cancer UK scores 68 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 80% 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 Children with Cancer UK a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Children with Cancer UK is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 298405). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/298405. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Children with Cancer UK's charity number? +

Children with Cancer UK's charity number is 298405. 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 Children with Cancer UK's charity rating? +

Children with Cancer UK scores 68 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). 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 Children with Cancer UK have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Children with Cancer UK. 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 Children with Cancer UK? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, 80% of Children with Cancer UK'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 Children with Cancer UK's overheads? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 20% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 25% of total expenditure at Children with Cancer UK. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Children with Cancer UK'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 Children with Cancer UK receive? +

Children with Cancer UK reported £18m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Children with Cancer UK'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 Children with Cancer UK based? +

Children with Cancer UK is listed at London · UK-wide · WC1N 3NL and operates UK-wide, focused on cancer.

How does CharityCompare score Children with Cancer UK? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Children with Cancer UK'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 Children with Cancer UK's most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.