---
title: "Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan… rating | CharityCompare"
description: "Is Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 94/100. Accounts 2025: income £11m · 96% on charitable activities. Reg 234331."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/lancaster-roman-catholic-diocesan-trust
retrieved: 2026-08-18T01:28:05.178Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust a good charity?

Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust scores 94/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£11m total income, 96% 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.

Lancaster · LA1 3BT |
Reg [234331](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/lancaster-roman-catholic-diocesan-trust) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.lancasterrcdiocese.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/234331)

Donate

## How can you give to LANCASTER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN TRUST?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official LANCASTER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN TRUST form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.lancasterrcdiocese.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=234331)

## What does Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust do?

Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust is a registered charity (no. 234331) working in international aid in Lancaster · LA1 3BT. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 96% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 6 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 — Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=lancaster-roman-catholic-diocesan-trust)

**In short:** LANCASTER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN TRUST scores 94 out of 100 (5 stars). 96% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

## What is Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust?

Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust has a Clarity Score of 94 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 234331. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: International aid. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £11m, with 96% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 6 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026.

Overall score

94/100

5★ · Exceptional

Cause spend

96%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

85/100

Finance beacon

Income

£11m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

6 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£22.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
6% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does LANCASTER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN TRUST compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers LANCASTER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN TRUST scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)97thpercentile

**Scores higher than 97% of 943 charities in its income band** · 94/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

International aid charities94thpercentile

**Scores higher than 94% of 618 charities in this cause** · 94/100 vs 75 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust'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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan 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.

85/100
| 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% | 10 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 40% | 4/10 pts |

### Financial Health

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

100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 100% | 6 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. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 3% · 5/5 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% | 96% · 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% | 4p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |

### Community Support

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

100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 3,000 volunteers / 106 staff · 10/10 pts |

[How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

## What is Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust's Clarity Score?

94/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars

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

85/100

Accountability & Transparency

100/100

Financial Health

100/100

Financial Efficiency

100/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

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

85/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts

Trustee oversight10 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies4/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

100/100

Reserves (months of cash)6 months · 15/15 pts

Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets3% · 5/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio96% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency4p 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 ratio3,000 volunteers / 106 staff · 10/10 pts

## How much does Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £11m | — |
| Total expenditure | £11m | — |
| Charitable activities | £10m | 94% |
| Fundraising | £631k | 6% |
| Governance & admin | £121k | 1% |

94%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £11m spent

- Charitable activities94% · £10m
- Fundraising6% · £631k
- Governance1% · £121k

## What trust indicators does Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust 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)

10 trustees on the Charity Commission register

- ✓ Workforce on register

106 employees · 3,000 volunteers (28:1 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/)

Official register

Reg 234331

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/234331)

### Trustees & officers

- Rev PETER ANTHONY HART since 2013
- Martin Callagher since 2014
- Nikki Wisdom since 2015
- Rev Paul Swarbrick Chair · since 2018
- Rev Paul Embery since 2019
- Rev Michael Docherty since 2020
- Susan Louise Greenwood since 2021
- Alan Woowat since 2022
- PAUL RICHARD BRIERS since 2016
- Rev Andrew Mark Preston Dawson since 2025

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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan 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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust?

Overall score

94/100 (5★)

Income

£11m

Cause spend

96% of expenditure

Reg number

234331

Scope

Local (lancaster)

Reserves

6 months

Trustees

10

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does LANCASTER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN TRUST compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare LANCASTER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN TRUST with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=lancaster-roman-catholic-diocesan-trust) [More international aid charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where LANCASTER ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESAN TRUST sits

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

- [international charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international)
- [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty)
- [homelessness charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/homelessness)
- [disability charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/disability)
- [Charities in Lancaster](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/lancaster)

### Similar international aid charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [THE ZAHRA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-zahra-trust) 100/100 · £5.9m
- [ORISON CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orison-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.8m
- [HELP THE NEEDY CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/help-the-needy-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m
- [MAJLIS ANSARULLAH (UK) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/majlis-ansarullah-uk-ltd) 100/100 · £1.9m

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## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust a good charity? + Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust scores 94 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 96% 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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust a legitimate charity? + Yes — Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 234331). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/234331. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust's charity number? + Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust's charity number is 234331. 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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust's charity rating? + Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust scores 94 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). 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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust. 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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 96% of Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan 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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 4% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 6% of total expenditure at Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan 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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust receive? + Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust reported £11m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust'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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust based? + Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust is listed at Lancaster · LA1 3BT, focused on international aid.

How does CharityCompare score Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan 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 Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocesan Trust'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.