Animals · Reg 275238
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society
Charity rating & review
71/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Needs improvement
Quick answer
Is The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society a good charity?
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society scores 71/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£312k 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.
Donate
How can you give to THE COLCHESTER AND DISTRICT CAT RESCUE AND HOMING SOCIETY?
You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE COLCHESTER AND DISTRICT CAT RESCUE AND HOMING SOCIETY form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.
What does The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society do?
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society is a registered charity (no. 275238) working in animals in Colchester · CO7 7SF. Its latest Charity Commission filing does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in recent filings, holding roughly 34 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income changed sharply in 2021 (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 — The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: THE COLCHESTER AND DISTRICT CAT RESCUE AND HOMING SOCIETY scores 71 out of 100 (3 stars). Cause-spend split not disclosed in recent filings. Review the pillar breakdown below.
What is The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society?
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society has a Clarity Score of 71 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 275238. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £312k, cause-spend split not disclosed in that filing. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 34 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.
Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .
Overall score
71/100
3★ · Needs improvement
Cause spend
N/D
Not disclosed in filings
Accountability
100/100
Finance beacon
Income
£312k
Latest year 2024
Reserves
34 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
Fundraising efficiency not stated · Overhead not disclosed · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How does THE COLCHESTER AND DISTRICT CAT RESCUE AND HOMING SOCIETY compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE COLCHESTER AND DISTRICT CAT RESCUE AND HOMING SOCIETY scores higher than.
Scores higher than 52% of 972 charities in its income band · 71/100 vs 70 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 27% of 370 charities in this cause · 71/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).
How reliable is The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society'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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing 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.
100/100
| 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% | 3 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.
37/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 60% | 34 months · 9/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 20% | 2/10 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% | 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.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 25 volunteers / 8 staff · 10/10 pts |
What is The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society's Clarity Score?
71/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 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.
100/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
37/100
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.
100/100
How much does The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £312k | — |
| Total expenditure | £252k | — |
| Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2024) · £252k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.
What trust indicators does The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society 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)
3 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
8 employees · 25 volunteers (3:1 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 275238
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- MRS A CARRINGTON Chair · since 2000
- Alison Milne since 2019
- Linda Coleman since 2020
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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society'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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society?
- Overall score
- 71/100 (3★)
- Income
- £312k
- Cause spend
- Not disclosed
- Reg number
- 275238
- Scope
- Local (colchester)
- Reserves
- 34 months
- Trustees
- 3
- Accounts year
- 2024
- Filing
- up to date
How does THE COLCHESTER AND DISTRICT CAT RESCUE AND HOMING SOCIETY compare, and where else can you look?
Where THE COLCHESTER AND DISTRICT CAT RESCUE AND HOMING SOCIETY sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar animals charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- TEES RIVERS CHARITABLE TRUST 100/100 · £2.0m
- THE RSPCA DANAHER ANIMAL HOME 100/100 · £1.4m
- GREENACRES RESCUE LIMITED 100/100 · £884k
- GREATWOOD CHARITY LIMITED 100/100 · £851k
How can you share The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society's rating?
Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society.
For this charity
How do you add The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing 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.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society a good charity? +
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society scores 71 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) 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 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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society a legitimate charity? +
Yes — The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 275238). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/275238. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society's charity number? +
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society's charity number is 275238. 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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society's charity rating? +
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society scores 71 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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.
How much of my donation reaches The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society? +
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society 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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society's overheads? +
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society'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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society'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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society receive? +
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society reported £312k total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured.
Are The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society'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 The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society based? +
The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society is listed at Colchester · CO7 7SF, focused on animals.
How does CharityCompare score The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing 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 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and The Colchester and District Cat Rescue and Homing Society'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.