Heritage · Reg 1045547
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust
Charity rating & review
59/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Poor
Quick answer
Is Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust a good charity?
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust scores 59/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£666k total income, cause-spend split not disclosed). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
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How can you give to SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST?
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What does Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust do?
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust is a registered charity (no. 1045547) working in heritage in Bath · BA15 1UY. Its latest Charity Commission filing does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in recent filings, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income changed sharply in 2025 (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 — Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST scores 59 out of 100 (2 stars). Cause-spend split not disclosed in recent filings. Review the pillar breakdown below.
What is Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust?
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust has a Clarity Score of 59 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1045547. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Heritage. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £666k, cause-spend split not disclosed in that filing. Accounts filing: late. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Overall score
59/100
2★ · Poor
Cause spend
N/D
Not disclosed in filings
Accountability
75/100
Finance beacon
Income
£666k
Latest year 2025
Reserves
—
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
Fundraising efficiency not stated · Overhead not disclosed · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How does SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST scores higher than.
Scores higher than 10% of 2,187 charities in its income band · 59/100 vs 79 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 9% of 151 charities in this cause · 59/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).
How reliable is Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's data?
- Source
- Charity Commission (England & Wales)
- Accounts year
- 2025
- Filing date
- Profile reviewed
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, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .
What is Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage 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.
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% | 9 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.
47/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | Not stated · 0/15 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. | 80% | 6% · 4/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
50/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 0% | Not stated · 0/10 pts |
| 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.
50/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 50% | 50 volunteers · 5/10 pts |
What is Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's Clarity Score?
59/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars
Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
75/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
47/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
50/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
50/100
How much does Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £666k | — |
| Total expenditure | £588k | — |
| Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2025) · £588k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.
What trust indicators does Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust 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)
9 trustees on the Charity Commission register
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 1045547
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- JOHN RONALD BAXTER
- PHILIP HOWARD JONES since 2014
- STEPHEN LACEY Chair · since 2016
- Barrie Papworth since 2018
- Roger Burfitt since 2018
- Brian Litherland since 2018
- Malcolm Barton since 2020
- Joseph Cosgrave since 2020
- Christopher Ruddick since 2022
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.
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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage 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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust?
- Overall score
- 59/100 (2★)
- Income
- £666k
- Cause spend
- Not disclosed
- Reg number
- 1045547
- Scope
- Local (bath)
- Reserves
- —
- Trustees
- 9
- Accounts year
- 2025
- Filing
- late
How does SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST compare, and where else can you look?
Where SOMERSET AND DORSET RAILWAY HERITAGE TRUST sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar heritage charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- HARTLEBURY CASTLE PRESERVATION TRUST 100/100 · £612k
- ST BARTHOLOMEW'S HERITAGE 99/100 · £5.7m
- JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE MUSEUM 98/100 · £2.0m
- MILTON KEYNES MUSEUM TRUST LIMITED 98/100 · £763k
How can you share Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's rating?
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How do you add Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's rating to your site?
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What red flags does Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust have?
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust a good charity? +
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust scores 59 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Its recent filings do not disclose a charitable-activities spend split 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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust a legitimate charity? +
Yes — Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1045547). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1045547. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's charity number? +
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's charity number is 1045547. 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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's charity rating? +
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust scores 59 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). 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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust? +
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in its recent UK regulator filings, so there is no official figure for how much of a donation reaches the cause. CharityCompare reports this as "not disclosed" rather than assuming a number.
What are Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's overheads? +
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust's recent UK regulator filings do not disclose a fundraising or governance cost split, so no official overhead percentage is available. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage 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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust receive? +
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust reported £666k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured.
Are Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust'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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust based? +
Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust is listed at Bath · BA15 1UY, focused on heritage.
How does CharityCompare score Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage Trust? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage 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 Somerset and Dorset Railway Heritage 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.