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FIRST STORY LIMITED

Charity rating & review

85/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
85 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Is FIRST STORY LIMITED a good charity?

FIRST STORY LIMITED scores 85/100 (Good) on our Clarity Score, with 92% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts late. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

London · UK-wide · SE1 8QW Reg 1122939 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

FIRST STORY LIMITED is a registered charity (no. 1122939) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 92% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 6 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. 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: FIRST STORY LIMITED scores 85 out of 100 (3 stars). 92% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

FIRST STORY LIMITED has a Clarity Score of 85 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1122939. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £547k, with 92% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 6 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

85/100

3★ · Good

Cause spend

92%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

75/100

Finance beacon

Income

£547k

Latest year 2021

Reserves

6 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

£13.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 8% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How FIRST STORY LIMITED compares

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

Income band (£500k–£1m)85 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 66% of 2,157 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities85 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 68% of 3,988 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

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

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.

75/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for FIRST STORY LIMITED
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.

33% 5/15 pts
Trustee oversight

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

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.

83/100

Financial Health metrics for FIRST STORY LIMITED
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.

100% 6 months · 15/15 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% 32% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for FIRST STORY LIMITED
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 92% · 10/10 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% 8p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Community Support metrics for FIRST STORY LIMITED
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

100% 100 volunteers / 9 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

85/100 total · Good · 3 of 4 stars

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

75/100
Accountability & Transparency
83/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

75/100

Filing history (5 years)5/15 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.

83/100

Reserves (months of cash)6 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets32% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio92% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency8p 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 ratio100 volunteers / 9 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

FIRST STORY LIMITED revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £547k
Total expenditure £513k
Charitable activities £469k 91%
Fundraising £44k 9%
Governance & admin £6k 1%
91%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £513k spent

  • Charitable activities91%
  • Fundraising9%
  • Governance1%

Trust indicators

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)

    10 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    9 employees · 100 volunteers (11:1 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 →

Official register

Reg 1122939

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Dr SUSAN MARGARET HORNER since 2011
  • Edward James Baden-Powell Chair · since 2013
  • Sarah Alexandra Marshall since 2018
  • Bobby Nayyar since 2021
  • Carey Scott since 2022
  • Hannah Louise Brown since 2023
  • Geraldine Badcock since 2023
  • Lauren Shapiro since 2024
  • Chloe Holland since 2025
  • Dina Mistry 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 £300k £600k £900k £1200k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £547k Spending 2021: £513k Cause spend 2021: £469k Income 2022: £717k Spending 2022: £637k Cause spend 2022: £593k Income 2023: £765k Spending 2023: £801k Cause spend 2023: £743k Income 2024: £818k Spending 2024: £788k Cause spend 2024: £710k Income 2025: £858k Spending 2025: £776k Cause spend 2025: £726k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
85/100 (3★)
Income
£547k
Cause spend
92% of expenditure
Reg number
1122939
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
6 months
Trustees
10
Accounts year
2021
Filing
late

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about FIRST STORY LIMITED's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is FIRST STORY LIMITED's charity rating? +

FIRST STORY LIMITED scores 85 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Good). 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 FIRST STORY LIMITED a good charity to donate to? +

FIRST STORY LIMITED scores 85 out of 100 (3 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 92% 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 FIRST STORY LIMITED a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — FIRST STORY LIMITED is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1122939. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is FIRST STORY LIMITED's Charity Commission registration number? +

FIRST STORY LIMITED's registration number is 1122939. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1122939

How much income does FIRST STORY LIMITED receive? +

FIRST STORY LIMITED reported £547k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of FIRST STORY LIMITED's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 92% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 8% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 8%.

Are FIRST STORY LIMITED's accounts up to date? +

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

Where is FIRST STORY LIMITED based? +

FIRST STORY LIMITED is listed at London · UK-wide · SE1 8QW and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score FIRST STORY LIMITED? +

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 FIRST STORY LIMITED? +

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 FIRST STORY LIMITED with other charities? +

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