Skip to content

Environment · Reg 1168894

Swansea Canal Society

62 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

Charity accounts, evidence & financial rating

62/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Register checked 4 October 2026 · latest accounts 2025

Official regulator data
Donate
Compare this charity View accounts

Work at Swansea Canal Society? Claim this profile free to add your charity’s description. Claiming never changes the score.

Quick answer

Is Swansea Canal Society a good charity?

Swansea Canal Society scores 62/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£749k total income, 92% cause spend, 2-yr avg). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Income

£749k

Accounts 2025-04-05

Spending

£1.0m

Accounts 2025-04-05

Charitable activities

92%

2-yr avg · share of spending

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

On this pageJump to a section
Swansea · SA6 5EJ Reg 1168894 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Swansea Canal Society do?

The charity runs regular work parties to maintain and restore the canal in conjunction with Canal and River Trust, and a small canoe hire operation for local groups and families.We also liaise with local government and other relevant bodies.

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

Swansea Canal Society hasn't added a description directly to CharityCompare yet. Work here? Add it free →

How much does Swansea Canal Society raise and spend?

Accounts period 2024-04-06 to 2025-04-05 · Source: Charity Commission filings

Swansea Canal Society revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £749k —
Total expenditure £1.0m —
Charitable activities £1.0m 99%
Fundraising £2k 0%
Reported governance £6k 1%

Governance can already be allocated within other expenditure categories. It is not a separate measure of all administration costs; do not add these rows without checking the accounts notes.

What changed in Swansea Canal Society’s latest accounts?

Reported totals for 2025 compared with 2024. Changes can reflect the accounting period, restricted grants or restructuring as well as the charity’s work.

Income change
+0.6%
£745k → £749k
Spending change
+157.1%
£396k → £1.0m
Charitable activities share
+13.7 pp
86% → 99% · percentage points

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

99%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £1.0m spent

  • Charitable activities99%
  • Fundraising0%
  • Remaining expenditure1%

Charities usually allocate governance costs across their other spending categories, and these reported figures add up to more than total spending, so governance is not drawn as a separate slice. The accounts table shows it separately.

From the annual return

What does Swansea Canal Society pay its staff, and where does its money come from?

Answers Swansea Canal Society gave in its annual return to the Charity Commission for the year ending 5 April 2025, plus its register entry. These are the charity's own disclosures, not part of the Clarity Score.

Where does Swansea Canal Society's money come from?

Swansea Canal Society reported £749k total income for the year ending 5 April 2025. The largest sources were donations and legacies £654k (87%), other income £81k (11%), charitable activities £7,816 (1%).

  • Donations and legacies £654k · 87%
  • Other income £81k · 11%
  • Charitable activities (fees and contracts) £7,816 · 1%
  • Trading and fundraising events £3,921 · 1%
  • Investments £2,305 · 0%

Cash at year end: £32k · unrestricted funds: £312k · restricted funds: £31k. Restricted funds can only be spent on purposes set by the donor.

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

The register does not record Swansea Canal Society as registered with HMRC for Gift Aid. Ask the charity before assuming a donation can be Gift Aided.

Swansea Canal Society's annual return for the year ending 5 April 2025 reports that no trustee received remuneration or other benefits from the charity.

Registration details

Registered as a charity
Where it says it operates
Neath Port Talbot · City of Swansea

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 Swansea Canal Society's finances changed over five years?

Income rose 665% from £98k in 2021 to £749k in 2025; spending was £1.0m in 2025.

£0 £500k £1.0m £1.5m £2.0m 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £98k Spending 2021: £6k Income 2022: £188k Spending 2022: £39k Income 2023: £111k Spending 2023: £178k Income 2024: £745k Spending 2024: £396k Cause spend 2024: £339k Income 2025: £749k Spending 2025: £1.0m Cause spend 2025: £1.0m
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend
Swansea Canal Society income and spending by accounts year
Year Income Spending Charitable activities
2025 £749k £1.0m £1.0m
2024 £745k £396k £339k
2023 £111k £178k Not disclosed
2022 £188k £39k Not disclosed
2021 £98k £6k 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 Swansea Canal Society with 65 other environment charities in our detailed dataset: the same regulator, £500k–£1m income band and accounts ending in 2025. 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 2025-04-05. Peer medians exclude this charity; the median is the middle value.
MeasureThis charityPeer medianPeer coverage
Annual income £749k £731k 65 of 65
Annual spending £1.0m £654k 65 of 65
Charitable activities share 99.2% 96.4% 64 of 65

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 peers are selected Check this charity’s source accounts Choose between similar charities

How does Swansea Canal Society compare?

The share of each group scoring at or below Swansea Canal Society, 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 (2025) 16thpercentile

Scores at or above 16% of 70 charities with the same primary cause, income band and latest accounts year · 62/100 vs 79 peer average.

Income band (£500k–£1m) 14thpercentile

Scores at or above 14% of 2,127 charities in its income band · 62/100 vs 78 peer average.

Environment charities 28thpercentile

Scores at or above 28% of 458 charities in this cause · 62/100 vs 72 peer average.

How does Swansea Canal Society compare, and where else can you look?

Compare Swansea Canal Society with others More environment charities How we score charities

Where Swansea Canal Society sits

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

Similar environment charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

Evidence and interpretation

What the evidence says about Swansea Canal Society

In 2025, reported income was £749,442 and expenditure was £1,018,386. Expenditure exceeded income by £268,944. This annual balance is not the charity’s available cash or unrestricted reserves.

More financial context

Income rose 0.6% compared with 2024. Read the accounts notes for restricted grants, legacies and one-off receipts before treating the movement as a trend.

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: The General Public/mankind.

How it works: Provides Buildings/facilities/open Space; Provides Services.

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: £0 (2025-04-05). 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 Swansea Canal Society'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

Accountability & Transparency metrics for Swansea Canal Society
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.

 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

Financial Health metrics for Swansea Canal Society
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% 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% Comparability review needed · 0/10 pts
Liabilities to assets

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

 100% 0% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for Swansea Canal Society
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

 100% 92% · 10/10 pts (2-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 (2-year average, disclosed years)

Community Support

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

100/100

Community Support metrics for Swansea Canal Society
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

 100% 30 volunteers / 0 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What trust indicators does Swansea Canal Society 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

    0 employees · 30 volunteers

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 1168894

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • John Gwalter since 2016
  • Gordon David Walker Chair · since 2016
  • Alan Tremlett since 2019
  • Sharon Louise Walker Blackford since 2023
  • John Raymond Gravelle since 2023
  • Lance Allan Goodenough since 2025
  • James La Trobe-Bateman since 2026

How reliable is Swansea Canal Society's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
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: 5082928. 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 Swansea Canal Society?

  1. 1. Match the name and charity number

    Check 1168894 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 2025. 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 Swansea Canal Society →
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 Swansea Canal Society's rating?

Share: XLinkedInFacebookBluesky

Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Swansea Canal Society.

For this charity

How do you add Swansea Canal Society'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 Swansea Canal Society have?

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Swansea Canal Society's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Swansea Canal Society a good charity? +

Swansea Canal Society scores 62 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 92% of its spending goes to charitable activities (2-yr avg) 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 Swansea Canal Society a legitimate charity? +

The register data used for this profile lists Swansea Canal Society as a registered charity (charity number 1168894). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regId=1168894&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 Swansea Canal Society's charity number? +

Swansea Canal Society's charity number is 1168894. 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 Swansea Canal Society's charity rating? +

Swansea Canal Society scores 62 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 Swansea Canal Society have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Swansea Canal Society. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (one red flag on this profile: late accounts filing). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Swansea Canal Society? +

Across the recent disclosed accounts used for this score, 92% of Swansea Canal Society's total spending went to charitable activities (2-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 Swansea Canal Society's overheads? +

Across the recent disclosed accounts used for this score, fundraising costs were about 1% of total expenditure and fundraising plus separately reported governance figures amount to about 1% of expenditure (2024–2025, disclosed years); these categories can overlap, so this is not a distinct total of all administration costs at Swansea Canal Society. The register does not show individual salaries; senior pay is disclosed in the trustees' annual report and accounts.

How much income does Swansea Canal Society receive? +

Swansea Canal Society reported £749k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: check comparability.

Are Swansea Canal Society's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: late (last filing 2026-01-26). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is Swansea Canal Society based? +

Swansea Canal Society's registered contact address is in Swansea (SA6 5EJ). It tells the regulator it operates in Neath Port Talbot, City of Swansea, with a focus on environment.

Where does Swansea Canal Society's money come from? +

Swansea Canal Society reported £749k total income for the year ending 5 April 2025. The largest sources were donations and legacies £654k (87%), other income £81k (11%), charitable activities £7,816 (1%).

Can I claim Gift Aid on a donation to Swansea Canal Society? +

The register does not record Swansea Canal Society as registered with HMRC for Gift Aid. Ask the charity before assuming a donation can be Gift Aided.

Are Swansea Canal Society's trustees paid? +

Swansea Canal Society's annual return for the year ending 5 April 2025 reports that no trustee received remuneration or other benefits from the charity.

When was Swansea Canal Society registered as a charity? +

Swansea Canal Society was entered on the register on 24 August 2016.

How does CharityCompare score Swansea Canal Society? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Swansea Canal Society'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 Swansea Canal Society'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.