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GATESHEAD FOODBANK

Charity rating & review

90/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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90 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

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Is GATESHEAD FOODBANK a good charity?

GATESHEAD FOODBANK scores 90/100 (Exceptional) on our Clarity Score, with 83% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

London · NE8 1BG Reg 1161395 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

GATESHEAD FOODBANK is a registered charity (no. 1161395) working in education in London · NE8 1BG. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 83% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 12 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Income has been growing 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: GATESHEAD FOODBANK scores 90 out of 100 (4 stars). 83% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

GATESHEAD FOODBANK has a Clarity Score of 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1161395. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £593k, with 83% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 12 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

90/100

4★ · Great

Cause spend

83%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£593k

Latest year 2021

Reserves

12 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

Fundraising efficiency not stated · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How GATESHEAD FOODBANK compares

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

Income band (£500k–£1m)90 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 81% of 2,157 charities in its income band.

Education charities90 vs 80 avg

Ranks higher than 75% of 294 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

High confidence — complete filing data

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.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for GATESHEAD FOODBANK
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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 6 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.

67/100

Financial Health metrics for GATESHEAD FOODBANK
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% 12 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

100% 0% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for GATESHEAD FOODBANK
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 83% · 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% 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

Community Support metrics for GATESHEAD FOODBANK
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

100% 122 volunteers / 2 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

90/100 total · Exceptional · 4 of 4 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
67/100
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 oversight6 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

67/100

Reserves (months of cash)12 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets0% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio83% · 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 ratio122 volunteers / 2 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

GATESHEAD FOODBANK revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £593k
Total expenditure £422k
Charitable activities £422k 100%
100%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £422k spent

  • Charitable activities100%

Trust indicators

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

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    6 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    2 employees · 122 volunteers (61:1 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 1161395

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Carol Jane Thompson since 2019
  • DONALD SINCLAIR since 2019
  • JACQUELINE ELIZABETH BEELEY since 2019
  • Robert Brotherston since 2020
  • William John Macdonald since 2024
  • James Christian Wilders since 2026
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 £200k £400k £600k £800k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £593k Spending 2021: £422k Cause spend 2021: £422k Income 2022: £407k Spending 2022: £313k Cause spend 2022: £235k Income 2023: £624k Spending 2023: £585k Cause spend 2023: £585k Income 2024: £465k Spending 2024: £449k Cause spend 2024: £337k Income 2025: £475k Spending 2025: £515k Cause spend 2025: £386k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
90/100 (4★)
Income
£593k
Cause spend
83% of expenditure
Reg number
1161395
Scope
Local (london)
Reserves
12 months
Trustees
6
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

Similar education charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about GATESHEAD FOODBANK's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is GATESHEAD FOODBANK's charity rating? +

GATESHEAD FOODBANK scores 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Exceptional). 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 GATESHEAD FOODBANK a good charity to donate to? +

GATESHEAD FOODBANK scores 90 out of 100 (4 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 83% 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 GATESHEAD FOODBANK a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — GATESHEAD FOODBANK is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1161395. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is GATESHEAD FOODBANK's Charity Commission registration number? +

GATESHEAD FOODBANK's registration number is 1161395. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1161395

How much income does GATESHEAD FOODBANK receive? +

GATESHEAD FOODBANK reported £593k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of GATESHEAD FOODBANK's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 83% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 0%.

Are GATESHEAD FOODBANK's accounts up to date? +

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

Where is GATESHEAD FOODBANK based? +

GATESHEAD FOODBANK is listed at London · NE8 1BG, focused on education.

How does CharityCompare score GATESHEAD FOODBANK? +

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 GATESHEAD FOODBANK? +

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 GATESHEAD FOODBANK with other charities? +

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