--- title: "Friends of the Cotswolds charity rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is Friends of the Cotswolds a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 58/100. Accounts 2025: income £173k · 90% on charitable activities. Reg 1115119." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/friends-of-the-cotswolds retrieved: 2026-08-18T04:55:23.288Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Friends of the Cotswolds a good charity? Friends of the Cotswolds scores 58/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£173k total income, 90% 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. Gloucester · GL54 3EX | Reg [1115119](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/friends-of-the-cotswolds) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://friendsofthecotswolds.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1115119) Donate ## How can you give to FRIENDS OF THE COTSWOLDS? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official FRIENDS OF THE COTSWOLDS form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://friendsofthecotswolds.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1115119) ## What does Friends of the Cotswolds do? Friends of the Cotswolds is a registered charity (no. 1115119) working in environment in Gloucester · GL54 3EX. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 90% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 month of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income changed sharply in 2023 (likely a merger, transfer or reporting change) — year-on-year trend labels are not meaningful across that step. 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 — Friends of the Cotswolds hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=friends-of-the-cotswolds) **In short:** FRIENDS OF THE COTSWOLDS scores 58 out of 100 (2 stars). 90% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Friends of the Cotswolds? Friends of the Cotswolds has a Clarity Score of 58 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1115119. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Environment. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £173k, with 90% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 1 month 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 58/100 2★ · Poor Cause spend 90% latest year · charitable activities Accountability 75/100 Finance beacon Income £173k Latest year 2025 Reserves 1 mo 1 month of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £169.4 raised per £1 fundraising (latest year) · 2% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does FRIENDS OF THE COTSWOLDS compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers FRIENDS OF THE COTSWOLDS scores higher than. Income band (£100k–£500k)21stpercentile **Scores higher than 21% of 972 charities in its income band** · 58/100 vs 70 peer average (marker). Environment charities11thpercentile **Scores higher than 11% of 460 charities in this cause** · 58/100 vs 76 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Friends of the Cotswolds'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 Friends of the Cotswolds'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. 75/100 | 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% | 11 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 0% | 0/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 27/100 | 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. | 0% | 0/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 60% | 29% · 3/5 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% | 90% · 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. 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 Friends of the Cotswolds's Clarity Score? 58/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 75/100 Accountability & Transparency 27/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 0/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 75/100 Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts Trustee oversight11 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies0/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 27/100 Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets29% · 3/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio90% · 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. 0/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts ## How much does Friends of the Cotswolds raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £173k | — | | Total expenditure | £235k | — | | Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — | ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £235k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split. ## What trust indicators does Friends of the Cotswolds 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) 11 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 1115119 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/1115119) ### Trustees & officers - KATE FARQUHAR-THOMSON - DOCTOR DAVID ROCKEY Chair - SIMON RANDALL CBE since 2011 - CHRISTOPHER HANCOCK since 2013 - ANDREW GEORGE WADE since 2013 - LOUISE ALISON CHANDLER-MULLINS since 2015 - Karen Jane Morgan OBE, DL since 2014 - PAUL CHARLES BLACKER since 2016 - Lt Col Andrew James Tabor JP since 2019 - HARRY ALEXANDER ACLAND since 2019 - MARK HURRELL since 2023 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 Friends of the Cotswolds'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 Friends of the Cotswolds? Overall score 58/100 (2★) Income £173k Cause spend 90% of expenditure Reg number 1115119 Scope Local (gloucester) Reserves 1 month Trustees 11 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does FRIENDS OF THE COTSWOLDS compare, and where else can you look? [Compare FRIENDS OF THE COTSWOLDS with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=friends-of-the-cotswolds) [More environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where FRIENDS OF THE COTSWOLDS sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment) - [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [Charities in Gloucester](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/gloucester) ### Similar environment charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [ESSEX AND SUFFOLK RIVERS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/essex-and-suffolk-rivers-trust) 100/100 · £963k - [GREAT WESTERN SOCIETY LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/great-western-society-limited) 99/100 · £3.9m - [THE MID-NORFOLK RAILWAY PRESERVATION TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-mid-norfolk-railway-preservation-trust) 99/100 · £2.5m - [THE SHARPHAM TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-sharpham-trust) 99/100 · £2.2m ## How can you share Friends of the Cotswolds's rating? 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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 58/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/friends-of-the-cotswolds) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 58/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Friends of the Cotswolds have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Friends of the Cotswolds's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Friends of the Cotswolds a good charity? + Friends of the Cotswolds scores 58 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 90% 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 Friends of the Cotswolds a legitimate charity? + Yes — Friends of the Cotswolds is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1115119). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1115119. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Friends of the Cotswolds's charity number? + Friends of the Cotswolds's charity number is 1115119. 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 Friends of the Cotswolds's charity rating? + Friends of the Cotswolds scores 58 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 Friends of the Cotswolds have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Friends of the Cotswolds. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 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 Friends of the Cotswolds? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 90% of Friends of the Cotswolds'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 Friends of the Cotswolds's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 3% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 2% of total expenditure at Friends of the Cotswolds. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Friends of the Cotswolds'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 Friends of the Cotswolds receive? + Friends of the Cotswolds reported £173k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured. Are Friends of the Cotswolds'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 Friends of the Cotswolds based? + Friends of the Cotswolds is listed at Gloucester · GL54 3EX, focused on environment. How does CharityCompare score Friends of the Cotswolds? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Friends of the Cotswolds'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 Friends of the Cotswolds'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.