--- title: "Orchid Cancer Appeal rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is Orchid Cancer Appeal a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 72/100. Accounts 2024: income £767k · 77% on charitable activities. Reg 1080540." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orchid-cancer-appeal retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:12:32.232Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Orchid Cancer Appeal a good charity? Orchid Cancer Appeal scores 72/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£767k total income, 77% 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. London · UK-wide · WC1X8AQ | Reg [1080540](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orchid-cancer-appeal) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.orchid-cancer.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1080540) Donate ## How can you give to ORCHID CANCER APPEAL? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official ORCHID CANCER APPEAL form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.orchid-cancer.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1080540) ## What does Orchid Cancer Appeal do? Orchid Cancer Appeal is a registered charity (no. 1080540) working in cancer across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 77% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 month of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈18% a year). 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 — Orchid Cancer Appeal hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=orchid-cancer-appeal) **In short:** ORCHID CANCER APPEAL scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars). 77% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Orchid Cancer Appeal? Orchid Cancer Appeal has a Clarity Score of 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1080540. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Cancer. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £767k, with 77% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 1 month 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 72/100 3★ · Needs improvement Cause spend 77% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £767k Latest year 2024 Reserves 1 mo 1 month of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £4.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 27% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does ORCHID CANCER APPEAL compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ORCHID CANCER APPEAL scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)30thpercentile **Scores higher than 30% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 72/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Cancer charities30thpercentile **Scores higher than 30% of 93 charities in this cause** · 72/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Orchid Cancer Appeal's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2024 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 Orchid Cancer Appeal'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. 100/100 | 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% | 3 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. 30/100 | 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. | 30% | 3/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 20% | 49% · 1/5 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. | 70% | 77% · 7/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 60% | 23p per £1 income · 6/10 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% | 110 volunteers / 7 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Orchid Cancer Appeal's Clarity Score? 72/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 100/100 Accountability & Transparency 30/100 Financial Health 65/100 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 oversight3 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 30/100 Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts Income stability / growth3/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets49% · 1/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 65/100 Program expense ratio77% · 7/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency23p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio110 volunteers / 7 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Orchid Cancer Appeal raise and spend? Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £767k | — | | Total expenditure | £1.0m | — | | Charitable activities | £851k | 81% | | Fundraising | £197k | 19% | | Governance & admin | £31k | 3% | 81%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2024) · £1.0m spent - Charitable activities81% · £851k - Fundraising19% · £197k - Governance3% · £31k ## What trust indicators does Orchid Cancer Appeal 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) 3 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 7 employees · 110 volunteers (16:1 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 1080540 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/1080540) ### Trustees & officers - DAVID BADENOCH since 2006 - WARREN COHEN since 2016 - Jeremy Shedden 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 Orchid Cancer Appeal'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 Orchid Cancer Appeal? Overall score 72/100 (3★) Income £767k Cause spend 77% of expenditure Reg number 1080540 Scope UK-wide Reserves 1 month Trustees 3 Accounts year 2024 Filing up to date ## How does ORCHID CANCER APPEAL compare, and where else can you look? [Compare ORCHID CANCER APPEAL with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=orchid-cancer-appeal) [More cancer charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/cancer) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where ORCHID CANCER APPEAL sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [cancer charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/cancer) - [health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/health) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [cancer charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/cancer/london) ### Similar cancer charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [THE MARY HOW TRUST FOR CANCER PREVENTION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-mary-how-trust-for-cancer-prevention) 100/100 · £1.7m - [FIGHTING ALL CANCERS TOGETHER](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/fighting-all-cancers-together) 100/100 · £554k - [THE JOSHUA TREE - SUPPORTING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY CHILDHOOD CANCERS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-joshua-tree-supporting-families-affected-by-childhood-cancers) 97/100 · £1.1m - [NEWBURY CANCER CARE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/newbury-cancer-care) 97/100 · £762k ## How can you share Orchid Cancer Appeal'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 72/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orchid-cancer-appeal) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 72/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Orchid Cancer Appeal's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Orchid Cancer Appeal a good charity? + Orchid Cancer Appeal scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 77% 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 Orchid Cancer Appeal a legitimate charity? + Yes — Orchid Cancer Appeal is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1080540). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1080540. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Orchid Cancer Appeal's charity number? + Orchid Cancer Appeal's charity number is 1080540. 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 Orchid Cancer Appeal's charity rating? + Orchid Cancer Appeal scores 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). 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 Orchid Cancer Appeal have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Orchid Cancer Appeal. 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 Orchid Cancer Appeal? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 77% of Orchid Cancer Appeal'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 Orchid Cancer Appeal's overheads? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 23% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 27% of total expenditure at Orchid Cancer Appeal. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Orchid Cancer Appeal'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 Orchid Cancer Appeal receive? + Orchid Cancer Appeal reported £767k total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are Orchid Cancer Appeal'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 Orchid Cancer Appeal based? + Orchid Cancer Appeal is listed at London · UK-wide · WC1X8AQ and operates UK-wide, focused on cancer. How does CharityCompare score Orchid Cancer Appeal? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Orchid Cancer Appeal'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 Orchid Cancer Appeal's most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.