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Ocean Conservation Trust Limited

Charity rating & review

95/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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95 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

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Is Ocean Conservation Trust Limited a good charity?

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited scores 95/100 (Exceptional) on our Clarity Score, with 81% 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.

Plymouth · PL4 0LF Reg 1032491 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited is a registered charity (no. 1032491) working in animals in Plymouth · PL4 0LF. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 81% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 18 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining 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: Ocean Conservation Trust Limited scores 95 out of 100 (4 stars). 81% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited has a Clarity Score of 95 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1032491. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £3.2m, with 81% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 18 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

95/100

4★ · Great

Cause spend

81%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£3.2m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

18 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£7.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 15% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How Ocean Conservation Trust Limited compares

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

Income band (£1m–£5m)95 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 92% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Animals charities95 vs 76 avg

Ranks higher than 92% of 2,982 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 Ocean Conservation Trust Limited
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% 8 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

Financial Health metrics for Ocean Conservation Trust Limited
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% 18 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

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

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

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

100% 9% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for Ocean Conservation Trust Limited
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 81% · 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% 14p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

50/100

Community Support metrics for Ocean Conservation Trust Limited
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

50% 100 volunteers / 180 staff · 5/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

95/100 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
100/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
50/100
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 oversight8 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)18 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets9% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio81% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency14p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

50/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio100 volunteers / 180 staff · 5/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £3.2m
Total expenditure £4.1m
Charitable activities £3.2m 78%
Fundraising £236k 6%
Governance & admin £118k 3%
78%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £4.1m spent

  • Charitable activities78%
  • Fundraising6%
  • Governance3%
  • Other spending13%

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)

    8 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    180 employees · 100 volunteers (1:1 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 1032491

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Mr K Lewins since 2015
  • Professor Jeremy Alan Roberts Chair · since 2019
  • Matej PFAJFAR since 2021
  • Charlotte Davies since 2024
  • Duncan Vaughan since 2024
  • Paul Cox since 2025
  • Olivia McLaughlin since 2025
  • Joseph Patrick Lavery since 2025
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 £2000k £4000k £6000k £8000k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £3,191k Spending 2021: £4,119k Cause spend 2021: £3,220k Income 2022: £5,219k Spending 2022: £4,453k Cause spend 2022: £3,507k Income 2023: £6,397k Spending 2023: £5,684k Cause spend 2023: £4,746k Income 2024: £6,976k Spending 2024: £6,693k Cause spend 2024: £5,417k Income 2025: £7,488k Spending 2025: £7,613k Cause spend 2025: £6,044k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
95/100 (4★)
Income
£3.2m
Cause spend
81% of expenditure
Reg number
1032491
Scope
Local (plymouth)
Reserves
18 months
Trustees
8
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Ocean Conservation Trust Limited's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is Ocean Conservation Trust Limited's charity rating? +

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited scores 95 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 Ocean Conservation Trust Limited a good charity to donate to? +

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited scores 95 out of 100 (4 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 81% 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 Ocean Conservation Trust Limited a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — Ocean Conservation Trust Limited is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1032491. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is Ocean Conservation Trust Limited's Charity Commission registration number? +

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited's registration number is 1032491. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1032491

How much income does Ocean Conservation Trust Limited receive? +

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited reported £3.2m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of Ocean Conservation Trust Limited's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 81% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 14% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 15%.

Are Ocean Conservation Trust Limited'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 Ocean Conservation Trust Limited based? +

Ocean Conservation Trust Limited is listed at Plymouth · PL4 0LF, focused on animals.

How does CharityCompare score Ocean Conservation Trust Limited? +

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 Ocean Conservation Trust Limited? +

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 Ocean Conservation Trust Limited with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put Ocean Conservation Trust Limited side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.