--- title: "Firstlight Trust — charity rating & review | CharityCompare" description: "Is Firstlight Trust a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 45/100. Accounts 2023: income £671k · 95% on charitable activities. Reg 1149496." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/firstlight-trust retrieved: 2026-08-18T03:19:03.851Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Firstlight Trust a good charity? Firstlight Trust scores 45/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2023 (£671k total income, 95% 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 · SW1W 0DH | Reg [1149496](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/firstlight-trust) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.firstlighttrust.co.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1149496) Donate ## How can you give to FIRSTLIGHT TRUST? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official FIRSTLIGHT TRUST form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.firstlighttrust.co.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1149496) ## What does Firstlight Trust do? Firstlight Trust is a registered charity (no. 1149496) working in armed forces across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 95% of spending to charitable activities, though its recent accounts were filed late. 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 — Firstlight Trust hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=firstlight-trust) **In short:** FIRSTLIGHT TRUST scores 45 out of 100 (2 stars). 95% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Firstlight Trust? Firstlight Trust has a Clarity Score of 45 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1149496. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Armed forces. Latest accounts year 2023: total income £671k, with 95% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. 4 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. 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 45/100 2★ · Poor Cause spend 95% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 50/100 Finance beacon Income £671k Latest year 2023 Reserves — Months of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £20.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 6% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does FIRSTLIGHT TRUST compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers FIRSTLIGHT TRUST scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)2ndpercentile **Scores higher than 2% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 45/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Armed forces charities5thpercentile **Scores higher than 5% of 84 charities in this cause** · 45/100 vs 74 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Firstlight Trust's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2023 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 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](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 Firstlight Trust'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. 50/100 | 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. | 0% | 0/15 pts | | Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 67% | 2 trustees · 10/15 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. 17/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | Not stated · 0/15 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. | 0% | 1972% · 0/5 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% | 95% · 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% | 5p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 0/100 | 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 →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Firstlight Trust's Clarity Score? 45/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 50/100 Accountability & Transparency 17/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 0/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 50/100 Filing history (5 years)0/15 pts Trustee oversight2 trustees · 10/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 17/100 Reserves (months of cash)Not stated · 0/15 pts Income stability / growth5/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets1972% · 0/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio95% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency5p 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 ## How much does Firstlight Trust raise and spend? Latest filed year 2023 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £671k | — | | Total expenditure | £1.0m | — | | Charitable activities | £975k | 96% | | Fundraising | £40k | 4% | 96%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2023) · £1.0m spent - Charitable activities96% · £975k - Fundraising4% · £40k ## What trust indicators does Firstlight Trust 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) 2 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 1149496 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/1149496) ### Trustees & officers - Dorinda Wolfe Murray since 2012 - Ida Beerhalter since 2013 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 Firstlight Trust'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 Firstlight Trust? Overall score 45/100 (2★) Income £671k Cause spend 95% of expenditure Reg number 1149496 Scope UK-wide Reserves — Trustees 2 Accounts year 2023 Filing late ## How does FIRSTLIGHT TRUST compare, and where else can you look? [Compare FIRSTLIGHT TRUST with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=firstlight-trust) [More armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where FIRSTLIGHT TRUST sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) - [disability charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/disability) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [armed forces charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces/london) ### Similar armed forces charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [ROYAL NAVAL SAILING ASSOCIATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/royal-naval-sailing-association) 99/100 · £782k - [THE ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION - CORPORATE BODY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-air-forces-association-corporate-body) 98/100 · £22m - [ARMY FLYING MUSEUM LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/army-flying-museum-limited) 96/100 · £1.3m - [CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/care-of-police-survivors) 93/100 · £661k ## How can you share Firstlight Trust's rating? Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Firstlight%20Trust%20%E2%80%94%2045%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Ffirstlight-trust)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Ffirstlight-trust)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Ffirstlight-trust)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Firstlight%20Trust%20%E2%80%94%2045%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Ffirstlight-trust) Copy link Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Firstlight Trust. For this charity ## How do you add Firstlight Trust'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 45/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/firstlight-trust) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 45/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Firstlight Trust have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Firstlight Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Firstlight Trust a good charity? + Firstlight Trust scores 45 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 95% 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 Firstlight Trust a legitimate charity? + Yes — Firstlight Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1149496). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1149496. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Firstlight Trust's charity number? + Firstlight Trust's charity number is 1149496. 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 Firstlight Trust's charity rating? + Firstlight Trust scores 45 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). 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 Firstlight Trust have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Firstlight Trust. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (4 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 Firstlight Trust? + According to its 2023 regulator filing, 95% of Firstlight Trust'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 Firstlight Trust's overheads? + According to its 2023 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 5% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 6% of total expenditure at Firstlight Trust. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Firstlight Trust'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 Firstlight Trust receive? + Firstlight Trust reported £671k total income in its 2023 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are Firstlight Trust'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 Firstlight Trust based? + Firstlight Trust is listed at London · UK-wide · SW1W 0DH and operates UK-wide, focused on armed forces. How does CharityCompare score Firstlight Trust? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Firstlight Trust'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 Firstlight Trust's most recent accounts cover 2023. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.