--- title: "Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical… rating | CharityCompare" description: "Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO scores 83/100 (Good). Latest accounts 2025: income £2.5m · 62% on charitable activities. Reg 1187777." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/mansfield-and-sutton-astronomical-society-cio retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:10:24.889Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO a good charity? Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO scores 83/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£2.5m total income, 62% 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. Nottingham · UK-wide · NG17 5LF | Reg [1187777](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/mansfield-and-sutton-astronomical-society-cio) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.sherwood-observatory.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1187777) Donate ## How can you give to MANSFIELD AND SUTTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CIO? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official MANSFIELD AND SUTTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CIO form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.sherwood-observatory.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1187777) ## What does Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO do? Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO is a registered charity (no. 1187777) working in arts & culture across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 62% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 14 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income changed sharply in 2024 (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 — Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=mansfield-and-sutton-astronomical-society-cio) **In short:** MANSFIELD AND SUTTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CIO scores 83 out of 100 (4 stars). 62% average program spend (2-year average, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO? Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO has a Clarity Score of 83 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1187777. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £2.5m, with 62% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 14 months of operating costs. 2 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 83/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 62% 2-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 75/100 Finance beacon Income £2.5m Latest year 2025 Reserves 14 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £565.7 raised per £1 fundraising (2-yr avg) · 4% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does MANSFIELD AND SUTTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CIO compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers MANSFIELD AND SUTTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CIO scores higher than. Income band (£1m–£5m)62ndpercentile **Scores higher than 62% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 83/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Arts & culture charities71stpercentile **Scores higher than 71% of 624 charities in this cause** · 83/100 vs 76 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO'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. | 33% | 5/15 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. | 100% | 10/10 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% | 14 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% | 1% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 65/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 30% | 62% · 3/10 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. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 40 volunteers / 2 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's Clarity Score? 83/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 75/100 Accountability & Transparency 100/100 Financial Health 65/100 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. 100/100 Reserves (months of cash)14 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 65/100 Program expense ratio62% · 3/10 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 ratio40 volunteers / 2 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £2.5m | — | | Total expenditure | £219k | — | | Charitable activities | £162k | 74% | | Fundraising | £10k | 5% | 74%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £219k spent - Charitable activities74% · £162k - Fundraising5% · £10k - Other spending21% · £47k ## What trust indicators does Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO 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) 10 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 2 employees · 40 volunteers (20:1 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 1187777 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/1187777) ### Trustees & officers - Brendan Scoular since 2024 - Christopher John Dakin since 2024 - Nigel John Cunnington since 2024 - Michael Gerard Rhodes Lowe since 2024 - Dr Stephen Wallace MBE Chair · since 2024 - Stephen Arthur Binns since 2024 - Craig Keith Peter Mapleston since 2024 - Paula Timberlake since 2024 - Michael Gerard Rhodes Lowe since 2024 - Shaun William Pollard 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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO'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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO? Overall score 83/100 (4★) Income £2.5m Cause spend 62% of expenditure Reg number 1187777 Scope UK-wide Reserves 14 months Trustees 10 Accounts year 2025 Filing late ## How does MANSFIELD AND SUTTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CIO compare, and where else can you look? [Compare MANSFIELD AND SUTTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CIO with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=mansfield-and-sutton-astronomical-society-cio) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where MANSFIELD AND SUTTON ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY CIO sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) - [Charities in Nottingham](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/nottingham) ### Similar arts & culture charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [HACKNEY QUEST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/hackney-quest) 100/100 · £827k - [COMMON WEALTH THEATRE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/common-wealth-theatre-limited) 100/100 · £760k - [PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pallant-house-gallery) 99/100 · £3.0m - [CREATE (ARTS) LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/create-arts-limited) 99/100 · £1.6m ## How can you share Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's rating? 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For this charity ## How do you add Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO'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 83/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/mansfield-and-sutton-astronomical-society-cio) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 83/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO a good charity? + Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO scores 83 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 62% 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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO a legitimate charity? + Yes — Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1187777). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1187777. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's charity number? + Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's charity number is 1187777. 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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's charity rating? + Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO scores 83 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). 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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (2 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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 62% of Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's total spending went to charitable activities (2-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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 5% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 4% of total expenditure at Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO'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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO receive? + Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO reported £2.5m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured. Are Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO'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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO based? + Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO is listed at Nottingham · UK-wide · NG17 5LF and operates UK-wide, focused on arts & culture. How does CharityCompare score Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO'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 Mansfield and Sutton Astronomical Society CIO'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.