--- title: "Circles South West rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is Circles South West a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 84/100. Accounts 2025: income £548k · 100% on charitable activities. Reg 1138726." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/circles-south-west retrieved: 2026-08-18T05:51:14.338Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Circles South West a good charity? Circles South West scores 84/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£548k total income, 100% 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. Salisbury · SP1 2LZ | Reg [1138726](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/circles-south-west) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.circles-southwest.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1138726) Donate ## How can you give to CIRCLES SOUTH WEST? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official CIRCLES SOUTH WEST form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.circles-southwest.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1138726) ## What does Circles South West do? Circles South West is a registered charity (no. 1138726) working in community in Salisbury · SP1 2LZ. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 month of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been broadly stable 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. Summarised from public filings — Circles South West hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=circles-south-west) **In short:** CIRCLES SOUTH WEST scores 84 out of 100 (4 stars). 100% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is Circles South West? Circles South West has a Clarity Score of 84 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1138726. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Community. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £548k, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 1 month of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. 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 84/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 100% latest year · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £548k Latest year 2025 Reserves 1 mo 1 month of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission Fundraising efficiency not stated · 1% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does CIRCLES SOUTH WEST compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers CIRCLES SOUTH WEST scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)60thpercentile **Scores higher than 60% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 84/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Community charities76thpercentile **Scores higher than 76% of 216 charities in this cause** · 84/100 vs 72 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Circles South West's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 High confidence — complete filing data 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 Circles South West'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. 100/100 | 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. | 100% | 15/15 pts | | Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 10 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. 47/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 33% | 1 month · 5/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 80% | 8/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 20% | 53% · 1/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 0p per £1 income · 10/10 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% | 260 volunteers / 12 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Circles South West's Clarity Score? 84/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 100/100 Accountability & Transparency 47/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 100/100 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 oversight10 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 47/100 Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts Income stability / growth8/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets53% · 1/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio100% · 10/10 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. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio260 volunteers / 12 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Circles South West raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £548k | — | | Total expenditure | £552k | — | | Charitable activities | £552k | 100% | | Governance & admin | £20k | 4% | 100%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £552k spent - Charitable activities100% · £552k - Governance4% · £20k ## What trust indicators does Circles South West have? Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported. - ✓ Accounts filed on time up to date · last filing 24 June 2026 - ✓ Trustee board size (3–12) 10 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 12 employees · 260 volunteers (22:1 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 1138726 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/1138726) ### Trustees & officers - STEPHEN ASHTON BA HONS since 2012 - TIM PRICE since 2015 - Dr Kieran McCartan Chair · since 2016 - Peter Estall since 2017 - Stephen Barry since 2017 - Ian Keys since 2021 - Sophie Rigali since 2021 - Marcella Mathis since 2022 - Dr Cody Porter since 2024 - Paul Alexander Douglas since 2025 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 Circles South West'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 Circles South West? Overall score 84/100 (4★) Income £548k Cause spend 100% of expenditure Reg number 1138726 Scope Local (salisbury) Reserves 1 month Trustees 10 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does CIRCLES SOUTH WEST compare, and where else can you look? [Compare CIRCLES SOUTH WEST with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=circles-south-west) [More community charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/community) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where CIRCLES SOUTH WEST sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [community charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/community) - [Charities in Salisbury](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/salisbury) ### Similar community charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [JW3 TRUST LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/jw3-trust-limited) 100/100 · £4.2m - [RETHINK CHARITY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/rethink-charity) 100/100 · £2.0m - [HEART OF ENGLAND COMMUNITY FOUNDATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/heart-of-england-community-foundation) 99/100 · £14m - [BIRTH COMPANIONS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/birth-companions) 99/100 · £829k ## How can you share Circles South West's rating? Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Circles%20South%20West%20%E2%80%94%2084%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fcircles-south-west)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fcircles-south-west)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fcircles-south-west)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Circles%20South%20West%20%E2%80%94%2084%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fcircles-south-west) Copy link Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Circles South West. For this charity ## How do you add Circles South West'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 84/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/circles-south-west) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 84/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Circles South West's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Circles South West a good charity? + Circles South West scores 84 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 100% 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 Circles South West a legitimate charity? + Yes — Circles South West is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1138726). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1138726. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Circles South West's charity number? + Circles South West's charity number is 1138726. 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 Circles South West's charity rating? + Circles South West scores 84 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). 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 Circles South West have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Circles South West. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate. How much of my donation reaches Circles South West? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 100% of Circles South West's total spending went to charitable activities. 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 Circles South West's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 1% of total expenditure at Circles South West. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Circles South West'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 Circles South West receive? + Circles South West reported £548k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are Circles South West's accounts up to date? + Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score. Where is Circles South West based? + Circles South West is listed at Salisbury · SP1 2LZ, focused on community. How does CharityCompare score Circles South West? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Circles South West'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 Circles South West'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.