---
title: "Poole Arts Trust Limited charity rating | CharityCompare"
description: "Is Poole Arts Trust Limited a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 75/100. Accounts 2025: income £7.1m · 83% on charitable activities. Reg 275961."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/poole-arts-trust-limited
retrieved: 2026-08-18T05:51:58.960Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is Poole Arts Trust Limited a good charity?

Poole Arts Trust Limited scores 75/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£7.1m total income, 83% 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.

Bournemouth · BH15 1UG |
Reg [275961](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/poole-arts-trust-limited) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/275961)

Donate

## How can you give to POOLE ARTS TRUST LIMITED?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official POOLE ARTS TRUST LIMITED form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=275961)

## What does Poole Arts Trust Limited do?

Poole Arts Trust Limited is a registered charity (no. 275961) working in arts & culture in Bournemouth · BH15 1UG. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 83% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 month of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈22% 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 — Poole Arts Trust Limited hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=poole-arts-trust-limited)

**In short:** POOLE ARTS TRUST LIMITED scores 75 out of 100 (4 stars). 83% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

## What is Poole Arts Trust Limited?

Poole Arts Trust Limited has a Clarity Score of 75 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 275961. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £7.1m, with 83% 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

75/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

83%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£7.1m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

1 mo

1 month of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£5.6 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
17% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does POOLE ARTS TRUST LIMITED compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers POOLE ARTS TRUST LIMITED scores higher than.

Income band (£5m–£10m)37thpercentile

**Scores higher than 37% of 619 charities in its income band** · 75/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Arts & culture charities45thpercentile

**Scores higher than 45% of 624 charities in this cause** · 75/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is Poole Arts Trust Limited'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 Poole Arts Trust Limited'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% | 11 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.

60/100
| 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. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 60% | 23% · 3/5 pts |

### Financial Efficiency

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

75/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 80% | 83% · 8/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 70% | 18p per £1 income · 7/10 pts (3-year average) |

### Community Support

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

20/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 20% | 40 volunteers / 133 staff · 2/10 pts |

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

## What is Poole Arts Trust Limited's Clarity Score?

75/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

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

100/100

Accountability & Transparency

60/100

Financial Health

75/100

Financial Efficiency

20/100

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 oversight11 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

60/100

Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts

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

Liabilities to assets23% · 3/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

75/100

Program expense ratio83% · 8/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency18p per £1 income · 7/10 pts (3-year average)

### Community Support

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

20/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio40 volunteers / 133 staff · 2/10 pts

## How much does Poole Arts Trust Limited raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £7.1m | — |
| Total expenditure | £7.5m | — |
| Charitable activities | £6.2m | 83% |
| Fundraising | £1.3m | 17% |

83%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £7.5m spent

- Charitable activities83% · £6.2m
- Fundraising17% · £1.3m

## What trust indicators does Poole Arts Trust Limited 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)

11 trustees on the Charity Commission register

- ✓ Workforce on register

133 employees · 40 volunteers (0:1 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 275961

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/275961)

### Trustees & officers

- Janice Jane Rowlands since 2019
- MT Rainey since 2020
- Tony Johnson since 2022
- Channa Vithana since 2022
- Caroline Gitsham since 2022
- David Hoare since 2022
- Spencer Clarke since 2024
- Greg Lowson since 2025
- Andy Cole MBE since 2025
- Dolly Hazlitt-Powell since 2025
- Rachel Newman since 2026

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 Poole Arts Trust Limited'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 Poole Arts Trust Limited?

Overall score

75/100 (4★)

Income

£7.1m

Cause spend

83% of expenditure

Reg number

275961

Scope

Local (bournemouth)

Reserves

1 month

Trustees

11

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does POOLE ARTS TRUST LIMITED compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare POOLE ARTS TRUST LIMITED with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=poole-arts-trust-limited) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where POOLE ARTS TRUST LIMITED sits

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

- [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts)
- [Charities in Bournemouth](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/bournemouth)

### 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

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## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Poole Arts Trust Limited's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Poole Arts Trust Limited a good charity? + Poole Arts Trust Limited scores 75 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator 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 Poole Arts Trust Limited a legitimate charity? + Yes — Poole Arts Trust Limited is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 275961). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/275961. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Poole Arts Trust Limited's charity number? + Poole Arts Trust Limited's charity number is 275961. 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 Poole Arts Trust Limited's charity rating? + Poole Arts Trust Limited scores 75 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 Poole Arts Trust Limited have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Poole Arts Trust Limited. 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 Poole Arts Trust Limited? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 83% of Poole Arts Trust Limited'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 Poole Arts Trust Limited's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 17% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 17% of total expenditure at Poole Arts Trust Limited. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Poole Arts Trust Limited'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 Poole Arts Trust Limited receive? + Poole Arts Trust Limited reported £7.1m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Poole Arts Trust Limited'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 Poole Arts Trust Limited based? + Poole Arts Trust Limited is listed at Bournemouth · BH15 1UG, focused on arts & culture.

How does CharityCompare score Poole Arts Trust Limited? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Poole Arts Trust Limited'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 Poole Arts Trust Limited'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.