Heritage · Reg 1207138
Southwell Cathedral
Charity rating & review
42/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Poor
Quick answer
Is Southwell Cathedral a good charity?
Southwell Cathedral scores 42/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£1.6m total income, 42% 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.
Donate
How can you give to SOUTHWELL CATHEDRAL?
You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official SOUTHWELL CATHEDRAL form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.
What does Southwell Cathedral do?
Southwell Cathedral is a registered charity (no. 1207138) working in heritage in Nottingham · NG25 0HD. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 42% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 0 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. 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 — Southwell Cathedral hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: SOUTHWELL CATHEDRAL scores 42 out of 100 (2 stars). 42% average program spend (Latest year). Review the pillar breakdown below.
What is Southwell Cathedral?
Southwell Cathedral has a Clarity Score of 42 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1207138. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Heritage. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £1.6m, with 42% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 0 months of operating costs. 2 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
42/100
2★ · Poor
Cause spend
42%
latest year · charitable activities
Accountability
68/100
Finance beacon
Income
£1.6m
Latest year 2024
Reserves
0 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
£2.3 raised per £1 fundraising (latest year) · 42% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How does SOUTHWELL CATHEDRAL compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers SOUTHWELL CATHEDRAL scores higher than.
Scores higher than 1% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 42/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 1% of 151 charities in this cause · 42/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).
How reliable is Southwell Cathedral's data?
- Source
- Charity Commission (England & Wales)
- Accounts year
- 2024
- 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 Southwell Cathedral'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.
68/100
| 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% | 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.
17/100
| 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% | 0 months · 0/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | 0/10 pts · Latest year |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 1% · 5/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
0/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 0% | 42% · 0/10 pts (Latest year) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 0% | 43p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (Latest year) |
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% | 349 volunteers / 31 staff · 10/10 pts |
What is Southwell Cathedral's Clarity Score?
42/100 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.
68/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
17/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
0/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
How much does Southwell Cathedral raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £1.6m | — |
| Total expenditure | £2.0m | — |
| Charitable activities | £848k | 42% |
| Fundraising | £685k | 34% |
| Governance & admin | £174k | 9% |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2024) · £2.0m spent
- Charitable activities42% · £848k
- Fundraising34% · £685k
- Governance9% · £174k
- Other spending16% · £335k
What trust indicators does Southwell Cathedral 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)
7 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
31 employees · 349 volunteers (11:1 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 →Official register
Reg 1207138
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- The Revd Canon Dr Richard John Frith Ph.D. since 2023
- Nicholas Robert Alexander since 2023
- Ann Margaret Gray since 2025
- Rev Stephen David Hippisley-Cox since 2025
- Rev Amanda Louise Thornton Lees since 2025
- Group Captain Jonathan Kim Wheeler since 2025
- Rev Canon Dr Neil Robert Evans since 2024
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 Southwell Cathedral'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 Southwell Cathedral?
- Overall score
- 42/100 (2★)
- Income
- £1.6m
- Cause spend
- 42% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1207138
- Scope
- Local (nottingham)
- Reserves
- 0 months
- Trustees
- 7
- Accounts year
- 2024
- Filing
- late
How does SOUTHWELL CATHEDRAL compare, and where else can you look?
Where SOUTHWELL CATHEDRAL 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 Southwell Cathedral's rating?
Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Southwell Cathedral.
For this charity
How do you add Southwell Cathedral'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.
What red flags does Southwell Cathedral have?
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Southwell Cathedral's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is Southwell Cathedral a good charity? +
Southwell Cathedral scores 42 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 42% of its spending goes to charitable activities 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 Southwell Cathedral a legitimate charity? +
Yes — Southwell Cathedral is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1207138). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1207138. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is Southwell Cathedral's charity number? +
Southwell Cathedral's charity number is 1207138. 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 Southwell Cathedral's charity rating? +
Southwell Cathedral scores 42 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 Southwell Cathedral have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Southwell Cathedral. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (2 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 Southwell Cathedral? +
According to its 2024 regulator filing, 42% of Southwell Cathedral'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 Southwell Cathedral's overheads? +
According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 34% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 42% of total expenditure at Southwell Cathedral. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Southwell Cathedral'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 Southwell Cathedral receive? +
Southwell Cathedral reported £1.6m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: limited history.
Are Southwell Cathedral'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 Southwell Cathedral based? +
Southwell Cathedral is listed at Nottingham · NG25 0HD, focused on heritage.
How does CharityCompare score Southwell Cathedral? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Southwell Cathedral'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 Southwell Cathedral'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.