--- title: "South Marches District Scout Council rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is South Marches District Scout Council a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 72/100. Accounts 2025: income £272k · 11% on charitable activities. Reg 521368." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/south-marches-district-scout-council retrieved: 2026-08-18T04:11:58.279Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is South Marches District Scout Council a good charity? South Marches District Scout Council scores 72/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£272k total income, 11% 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. Hereford · HR1 2RX | Reg [521368](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/south-marches-district-scout-council) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.hfdscouts.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/521368) Donate ## How can you give to SOUTH MARCHES DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official SOUTH MARCHES DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.hfdscouts.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=521368) ## What does South Marches District Scout Council do? South Marches District Scout Council is a registered charity (no. 521368) working in sport in Hereford · HR1 2RX. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 11% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. 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 — South Marches District Scout Council hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=south-marches-district-scout-council) **In short:** SOUTH MARCHES DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars). 11% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is South Marches District Scout Council? South Marches District Scout Council has a Clarity Score of 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 521368. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Sport. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £272k, with 11% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 2 months of operating costs. 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 72/100 3★ · Needs improvement Cause spend 11% latest year · charitable activities Accountability 93/100 Finance beacon Income £272k Latest year 2025 Reserves 2 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission Fundraising efficiency not stated · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does SOUTH MARCHES DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers SOUTH MARCHES DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL scores higher than. Income band (£100k–£500k)54thpercentile **Scores higher than 54% of 972 charities in its income band** · 72/100 vs 70 peer average (marker). Sport charities45thpercentile **Scores higher than 45% of 145 charities in this cause** · 72/100 vs 74 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is South Marches District Scout Council'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 South Marches District Scout Council'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. 93/100 | 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% | 8 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 70% | 7/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 67/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 67% | 2 months · 10/15 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. | 0% | Not stated · 0/5 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% | 11% · 0/10 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. 50/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 50% | 600 volunteers · 5/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is South Marches District Scout Council'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. 93/100 Accountability & Transparency 67/100 Financial Health 50/100 Financial Efficiency 50/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 93/100 Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts Trustee oversight8 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies7/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 67/100 Reserves (months of cash)2 months · 10/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assetsNot stated · 0/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 50/100 Program expense ratio11% · 0/10 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. 50/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio600 volunteers · 5/10 pts ## How much does South Marches District Scout Council raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £272k | — | | Total expenditure | £264k | — | | Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — | ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £264k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split. ## What trust indicators does South Marches District Scout Council 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) 8 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 521368 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/521368) ### Trustees & officers - Richard Frost since 2013 - David Fraser Owen Chair · since 2012 - CATHERINE DRAPER since 2012 - CHRIS RUFFE since 2012 - AUDREY CLEMENTS since 2014 - Matthew Bayley since 2015 - Neil Anthony Styles since 2022 - PATRICIA RUSHER 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 South Marches District Scout Council'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 South Marches District Scout Council? Overall score 72/100 (3★) Income £272k Cause spend 11% of expenditure Reg number 521368 Scope Local (hereford) Reserves 2 months Trustees 8 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does SOUTH MARCHES DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL compare, and where else can you look? [Compare SOUTH MARCHES DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=south-marches-district-scout-council) [More sport charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/sport) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where SOUTH MARCHES DISTRICT SCOUT COUNCIL sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [sport charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/sport) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children) - [Charities in Hereford](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/hereford) ### Similar sport charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [OAC BUILDINGS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/oac-buildings) 100/100 · £705k - [HINCKLEY CLUB FOR YOUNG PEOPLE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/hinckley-club-for-young-people-limited) 100/100 · £674k - [WALLSEND BOYS CLUB](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/wallsend-boys-club) 97/100 · £920k - [DEESIDE COMMUNITY TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/deeside-community-trust) 97/100 · £599k ## How can you share South Marches District Scout Council's rating? 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For this charity ## How do you add South Marches District Scout Council'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 72/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/south-marches-district-scout-council) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 72/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does South Marches District Scout Council have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about South Marches District Scout Council's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is South Marches District Scout Council a good charity? + South Marches District Scout Council scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 11% 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 South Marches District Scout Council a legitimate charity? + Yes — South Marches District Scout Council is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 521368). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/521368. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is South Marches District Scout Council's charity number? + South Marches District Scout Council's charity number is 521368. 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 South Marches District Scout Council's charity rating? + South Marches District Scout Council 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 South Marches District Scout Council have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for South Marches District Scout Council. 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 South Marches District Scout Council? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 11% of South Marches District Scout Council's total spending went to charitable activities. 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 South Marches District Scout Council's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 0% of total expenditure at South Marches District Scout Council. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what South Marches District Scout Council'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 South Marches District Scout Council receive? + South Marches District Scout Council reported £272k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured. Are South Marches District Scout Council'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 South Marches District Scout Council based? + South Marches District Scout Council is listed at Hereford · HR1 2RX, focused on sport. How does CharityCompare score South Marches District Scout Council? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in South Marches District Scout Council'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 South Marches District Scout Council'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.