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South West Baptist Association

72 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

Charity accounts, evidence & financial rating

72/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Register checked 4 October 2026 · latest accounts 2024

Official regulator data
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Quick answer

Is South West Baptist Association a good charity?

South West Baptist Association scores 72/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£360k total income, 98% cause spend, latest year). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Income

£360k

Accounts 2024-12-31

Spending

£451k

Accounts 2024-12-31

Charitable activities

98%

latest year · share of spending

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

On this pageJump to a section
Exeter · EX2 5DL Reg 1124938 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does South West Baptist Association do?

The SWBA is an umbrella body for many of the Baptist Churches in the South West. SWBA is largely a service organisation, which means that much of our work is "responsive" - meeting the practical needs of our member churches. These are very wide-ranging. In addition, we also undertake an element of more strategic work.

Activities reported by the charity on the official register · extract . This is separate from the accounts data used for its rating.

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How much does South West Baptist Association raise and spend?

Accounts period 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31 · Source: Charity Commission filings

South West Baptist Association revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £360k —
Total expenditure £451k —
Charitable activities Not disclosed —

What changed in South West Baptist Association’s latest accounts?

Reported totals for 2024 compared with 2023. Changes can reflect the accounting period, restricted grants or restructuring as well as the charity’s work.

Income change
−29.4%
£510k → £360k
Spending change
+11.0%
£407k → £451k
Charitable activities share
Not disclosed
Both years need a disclosed spending split.

These are annual figures. The Clarity Score may use averages across several disclosed years. Source: official accounts.

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £451k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.

From the annual return

What does South West Baptist Association pay its staff, and where does its money come from?

Answers South West Baptist Association gave in its annual return to the Charity Commission for the year ending 31 December 2025, plus its register entry. These are the charity's own disclosures, not part of the Clarity Score.

How much are South West Baptist Association's highest-paid staff paid?

South West Baptist Association's annual return for the year ending 31 December 2025 reports no employees paid more than £60,000.

The register reports headcounts in salary bands, not names. The chief executive's pay is normally disclosed in the remuneration note of the trustees' annual report.

Can I claim Gift Aid, and are the trustees paid?

The register records South West Baptist Association as registered with HMRC for Gift Aid, so a UK taxpayer can usually add 25p to every £1 they give by making a Gift Aid declaration. Work out your Gift Aid

South West Baptist Association's annual return for the year ending 31 December 2025 reports that one or more trustees received payments or other benefits (payments for providing services). Charity law allows this only in limited circumstances; the trustees' annual report should explain it.

Registration details

Registered as a charity
Company number
06501705 (Companies House)
Where it says it operates
Cornwall · Devon · Dorset · Somerset · Plymouth City · Torbay

Source: Charity Commission register and annual return data, Open Government Licence v3.0. A blank answer in the return is shown as not reported, never as “no”.

How have South West Baptist Association's finances changed over five years?

Income rose 67% from £216k in 2020 to £360k in 2024; spending was £451k in 2024.

£0 £200k £400k £600k £800k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £216k Spending 2020: £281k Income 2021: £254k Spending 2021: £248k Income 2022: £279k Spending 2022: £238k Income 2023: £510k Spending 2023: £407k Cause spend 2023: £397k Income 2024: £360k Spending 2024: £451k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend
South West Baptist Association income and spending by accounts year
Year Income Spending Charitable activities
2024 £360k £451k Not disclosed
2023 £510k £407k £397k
2022 £279k £238k Not disclosed
2021 £254k £248k Not disclosed
2020 £216k £281k Not disclosed

Cause spend is plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission filings

Financial context

How do its finances compare with similar charities?

Compare South West Baptist Association with 30 other religion charities in our detailed dataset: the same regulator, £100k–£500k income band and accounts ending in 2024. Each period covers 50–54 weeks. These are reference points, not targets or a ranking of impact.

Swipe across the table to see the peer median and coverage.

Latest annual figures, accounts ending 2024-12-31. Peer medians exclude this charity; the median is the middle value.
MeasureThis charityPeer medianPeer coverage
Annual income £360k £341k 30 of 30
Annual spending £451k £406k 30 of 30
Charitable activities share Not available Too few disclosures 0 of 30

The annual spending share can differ from the multi-year average shown elsewhere. Missing disclosures are excluded, never counted as zero. We show a median only with at least ten peer disclosures. Different year-end months, restricted funding and delivery models can still limit comparisons.

How does South West Baptist Association compare?

The share of each group scoring at or below South West Baptist Association, including tied scores. A group matched on cause, income band and accounts year appears when at least ten records qualify. Broader groups below may mix reporting periods and operating models. Groups include this charity; percentiles measure our financial rating, not impact.

Same cause, income band and accounts year (2024) 94thpercentile

Scores at or above 94% of 31 charities with the same primary cause, income band and latest accounts year · 72/100 vs 51 peer average.

Income band (£100k–£500k) 98thpercentile

Scores at or above 98% of 1,002 charities in its income band · 72/100 vs 52 peer average.

Religion charities 42ndpercentile

Scores at or above 42% of 514 charities in this cause · 72/100 vs 74 peer average.

Where South West Baptist Association sits

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

Evidence and interpretation

What the evidence says about South West Baptist Association

In 2024, reported income was £359,917 and expenditure was £451,367. Expenditure exceeded income by £91,450. This annual balance is not the charity’s available cash or unrestricted reserves.

More financial context

Income fell 29.4% compared with 2023. Read the accounts notes for restricted grants, legacies and one-off receipts before treating the movement as a trend.

A separate charitable-activities spending figure is not available for this year in our dataset. We cannot calculate an annual programme-spending share from these fields.

Calculated from our dated accounts dataset, refreshed 2026-09-06. This is not an audit or a manual review of every filing. Original register and accounts · How calculations work.

Find the right support

Who it supports and how to access its work

Reported beneficiaries: Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies; The General Public/mankind.

How it works: Makes Grants To Individuals; Makes Grants To Organisations; Provides Other Finance; Provides Human Resources; Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space; Provides Services; Provides Advocacy/advice/information; Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body.

Use the official contact details to check eligibility, referrals, waiting lists and current service coverage. Broad register classifications and a contact address do not confirm that a particular service is available to you.

Explore source-checked support routes

Classifications supplied to the register; extract 2026-10-04. Register contact and activity details · Website listed for this charity

Look beyond the score

Results and impact evidence

We have not added a source-checked programme outcome for this charity. That is a gap in this profile, not evidence that the charity has no impact. Its annual report may contain results that have not been assessed here.

Reported grants to institutions: £100,169 (2023-12-31). This is spending reported in the annual return, not a measure of beneficiary outcomes or an open grant opportunity. It may already be included in charitable expenditure. Check the source accounts.

What these results can tell you

Counts of services delivered describe activity. They do not by themselves establish lasting change, what would have happened without the programme, or cost-effectiveness. Results with different definitions, populations or years should not be ranked against each other.

How to judge charity impact evidence

What is South West Baptist Association'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

Accountability & Transparency metrics for South West Baptist Association
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

No recorded lateness in available history = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more or unknown status = 0 pts. Missing data is not proof of late filing.

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% 7 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.

33/100

Financial Health metrics for South West Baptist Association
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of expenditure)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years = 0 pts. Reserves are not necessarily cash; needs vary by operating model.

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.

0% Not stated · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for South West Baptist Association
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

100% 98% · 10/10 pts (Latest year)
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 (Latest year, disclosed years)

Community Support

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

50/100

Community Support metrics for South West Baptist Association
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

50% 20 volunteers · 5/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What trust indicators does South West Baptist Association have?

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    7 trustees on the Charity Commission register

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores. Registration records a commitment to the Code of Fundraising Practice; it does not certify every fundraising activity.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1124938

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • REV Nigel Carl Manges since 2014
  • Rev Carl Smethurst since 2016
  • Iain Douglas Freeland since 2022
  • Rev Dr Steve Cosslett since 2023
  • Rev Michelle Parkman since 2024
  • Neil Tinson since 2024
  • Rev Christine Fry Chair · since 2024

How reliable is South West Baptist Association's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2024
Filing date
Data refreshed

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

Scores reflect the accounts in our dated data extract. The live register may contain newer filings. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.

Check the current register entry · Report a data correction

Financial source extract: 2026-09-06. Organisation identifier: 4039825. Method version: 1.1. View method changes.

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 .

Your donation decision

What should you check before donating to South West Baptist Association?

  1. 1. Match the name and charity number

    Check 1124938 on the official register. A real charity number alone does not prove that a fundraiser or appeal is authentic.

    Verify the registration →
  2. 2. Read the accounts in context

    Our latest accounts data covers 2024. Compare the accounts period, spending and reserves. An administration cost ratio alone cannot tell you how effective a charity is.

    Explore the financial evidence →
  3. 3. Look for evidence of results

    Read the trustees’ annual report for activities, outcomes and limitations. The Clarity Score measures public reporting; it does not establish the impact of a donation.

    How to read charity accounts →
  4. 4. Compare charities serving your cause

    Compare up to four charities, check the dates behind their figures, and decide which work you want to support. Complete your donation through a verified charity channel.

    Start a comparison with South West Baptist Association →
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 →

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 can you share South West Baptist Association's rating?

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about South West Baptist Association's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is South West Baptist Association a good charity? +

South West Baptist Association scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 98% of its spending goes to charitable activities (latest year) 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 West Baptist Association a legitimate charity? +

The register data used for this profile lists South West Baptist Association as a registered charity (charity number 1124938). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=1124938&subId=0. Check the current entry and the identity of anyone requesting money. Registration does not verify a particular appeal; Clarity Score summarises filing transparency, not programme impact.

What is South West Baptist Association's charity number? +

South West Baptist Association's charity number is 1124938. 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 West Baptist Association's charity rating? +

South West Baptist Association scores 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score (method v1.1) 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 West Baptist Association have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for South West Baptist Association. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (none flagged 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 West Baptist Association? +

Across the recent disclosed accounts used for this score, 98% of South West Baptist Association'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 West Baptist Association's overheads? +

Across the recent disclosed accounts used for this score, fundraising costs were about 0% of total expenditure and fundraising plus separately reported governance figures amount to about 4% of expenditure (2023); these categories can overlap, so this is not a distinct total of all administration costs at South West Baptist Association. South West Baptist Association's annual return for the year ending 31 December 2025 reports no employees paid more than £60,000. Individual salaries, including the chief executive's, are disclosed in the trustees' annual report rather than on the register.

How much income does South West Baptist Association receive? +

South West Baptist Association reported £360k total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are South West Baptist Association's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2025-10-20). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is South West Baptist Association based? +

South West Baptist Association's registered contact address is in Exeter (EX2 5DL). It tells the regulator it operates in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Plymouth City, Torbay, with a focus on religion.

How much is South West Baptist Association's chief executive paid? +

The Charity Commission register does not name individual salaries. South West Baptist Association's annual return for the year ending 31 December 2025 reports no employees paid more than £60,000. Charities normally disclose the chief executive's pay, or the pay of their highest-paid staff, in the remuneration note of the trustees' annual report and accounts.

Can I claim Gift Aid on a donation to South West Baptist Association? +

The register records South West Baptist Association as registered with HMRC for Gift Aid, so a UK taxpayer can usually add 25p to every £1 they give by making a Gift Aid declaration.

Are South West Baptist Association's trustees paid? +

South West Baptist Association's annual return for the year ending 31 December 2025 reports that one or more trustees received payments or other benefits (payments for providing services). Charity law allows this only in limited circumstances; the trustees' annual report should explain it.

When was South West Baptist Association registered as a charity? +

South West Baptist Association was entered on the register on 10 July 2008. It is also a company registered at Companies House (company number 06501705).

How does CharityCompare score South West Baptist Association? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in South West Baptist Association'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 6 September 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and South West Baptist Association'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.