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Combat Stress

Charity rating & review

79/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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79 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Quick answer

Is Combat Stress a good charity?

Combat Stress scores 79/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£14m total income, 81% 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 · KT22 0BX Reg 206002 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Combat Stress do?

Combat Stress is a registered charity (no. 206002) working in health across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 81% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 7 months 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 — Combat Stress hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: COMBAT STRESS scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars). 81% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Combat Stress?

Combat Stress has a Clarity Score of 79 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 206002. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Health. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £14m, with 81% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 7 months 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, last updated .

Overall score

79/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

81%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£14m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

7 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£4.6 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 21% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does COMBAT STRESS compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers COMBAT STRESS scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)55thpercentile

Scores higher than 55% of 943 charities in its income band · 79/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

Health charities55thpercentile

Scores higher than 55% of 528 charities in this cause · 79/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Combat Stress's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
Filing date
Profile reviewed

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

What is Combat Stress'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

Accountability & Transparency metrics for COMBAT STRESS
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% 12 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.

80/100

Financial Health metrics for COMBAT STRESS
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% 7 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.

50% 5/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

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

80% 10% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

70/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for COMBAT STRESS
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

80% 81% · 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).

60% 22p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

10/100

Community Support metrics for COMBAT STRESS
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

10% 55 volunteers / 232 staff · 1/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Combat Stress's Clarity Score?

79/100 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
80/100
Financial Health
70/100
Financial Efficiency
10/100
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 oversight12 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

80/100

Reserves (months of cash)7 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth5/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets10% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

70/100

Program expense ratio81% · 8/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency22p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

10/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio55 volunteers / 232 staff · 1/10 pts

How much does Combat Stress raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

COMBAT STRESS revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £14m
Total expenditure £17m
Charitable activities £13m 79%
Fundraising £3.6m 21%
Governance & admin £231k 1%
79%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £17m spent

  • Charitable activities79%
  • Fundraising21%
  • Governance1%

What trust indicators does Combat Stress have?

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

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    12 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    232 employees · 55 volunteers (0:1 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 206002

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Dr Carole Allan since 2019
  • George Osborne Chair · since 2019
  • Douglas Campbell since 2019
  • Jane McCue since 2019
  • Rorie Evans since 2021
  • NEERAJ KAPUR since 2022
  • Gillian Russell since 2024
  • Florence Maybury since 2024
  • Andrew Latham since 2025
  • Peter Fraser-Hopewell since 2025
  • Alysoun Sturt-Scobie since 2025
  • Palmer Winstanley since 2026
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 Combat Stress's finances changed over five years?

£0k £4300k £8600k £12900k £17200k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £12,230k Spending 2021: £12,883k Cause spend 2021: £10,921k Income 2022: £15,369k Spending 2022: £10,193k Cause spend 2022: £7,888k Income 2023: £13,852k Spending 2023: £14,214k Cause spend 2023: £11,435k Income 2024: £13,370k Spending 2024: £15,373k Cause spend 2024: £12,668k Income 2025: £14,100k Spending 2025: £16,894k Cause spend 2025: £13,324k
  • 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 Combat Stress?

Overall score
79/100 (4★)
Income
£14m
Cause spend
81% of expenditure
Reg number
206002
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
7 months
Trustees
12
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

Where COMBAT STRESS sits

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

Similar health charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Combat Stress's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Combat Stress a good charity? +

Combat Stress scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 81% 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 Combat Stress a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Combat Stress is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 206002). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/206002. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Combat Stress's charity number? +

Combat Stress's charity number is 206002. 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 Combat Stress's charity rating? +

Combat Stress scores 79 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 Combat Stress have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Combat Stress. 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 Combat Stress? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 81% of Combat Stress'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 Combat Stress's overheads? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 19% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 21% of total expenditure at Combat Stress. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Combat Stress'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 Combat Stress receive? +

Combat Stress reported £14m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are Combat Stress'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 Combat Stress based? +

Combat Stress is listed at London · UK-wide · KT22 0BX and operates UK-wide, focused on health.

How does CharityCompare score Combat Stress? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Combat Stress'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 Combat Stress'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.