Arts & culture · Reg 501935
The Duke's Playhouse Limited
Charity rating & review
82/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Good
Quick answer
Is The Duke's Playhouse Limited a good charity?
The Duke's Playhouse Limited scores 82/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£1.7m total income, 86% 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 THE DUKE'S PLAYHOUSE LIMITED?
You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE DUKE'S PLAYHOUSE LIMITED form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.
What does The Duke's Playhouse Limited do?
The Duke's Playhouse Limited is a registered charity (no. 501935) working in arts & culture in Lancaster · LA1 1QE. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 86% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 3 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been growing (≈13% a year). 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 Duke's Playhouse Limited hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: THE DUKE'S PLAYHOUSE LIMITED scores 82 out of 100 (4 stars). 86% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
What is The Duke's Playhouse Limited?
The Duke's Playhouse Limited has a Clarity Score of 82 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 501935. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £1.7m, with 86% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 3 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, last updated .
Overall score
82/100
4★ · Good
Cause spend
86%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
75/100
Finance beacon
Income
£1.7m
Latest year 2025
Reserves
3 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
£9.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 10% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How does THE DUKE'S PLAYHOUSE LIMITED compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE DUKE'S PLAYHOUSE LIMITED scores higher than.
Scores higher than 59% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 82/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 67% of 624 charities in this cause · 82/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).
How reliable is The Duke's Playhouse Limited's data?
- Source
- Charity Commission (England & Wales)
- Accounts year
- 2025
- 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 Duke's Playhouse Limited'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.
75/100
| 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% | 9 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.
77/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 100% | 3 months · 15/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 60% | 6/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 40% | 39% · 2/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
95/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 90% | 86% · 9/10 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% | 10p 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% | 70 volunteers / 30 staff · 10/10 pts |
What is The Duke's Playhouse Limited's Clarity Score?
82/100 total · Good · 4 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.
75/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
77/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
95/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
How much does The Duke's Playhouse Limited raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £1.7m | — |
| Total expenditure | £1.9m | — |
| Charitable activities | £1.6m | 85% |
| Fundraising | £216k | 11% |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2025) · £1.9m spent
- Charitable activities85% · £1.6m
- Fundraising11% · £216k
- Other spending3% · £63k
What trust indicators does The Duke's Playhouse Limited 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)
9 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
30 employees · 70 volunteers (2:1 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 501935
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Michelle Collins since 2022
- Georgia Murphy since 2022
- William Patrick Bancroft Chair · since 2025
- ANNA SANDRA THORNBERRY since 2023
- Coralie Rogers since 2025
- Laura Anne Rodwell since 2025
- Professor Dale Townshend since 2025
- Stephanie Claire Weber since 2026
- Zoe Karen Hammond since 2026
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 Duke's Playhouse Limited'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 Duke's Playhouse Limited?
- Overall score
- 82/100 (4★)
- Income
- £1.7m
- Cause spend
- 86% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 501935
- Scope
- Local (lancaster)
- Reserves
- 3 months
- Trustees
- 9
- Accounts year
- 2025
- Filing
- late
How does THE DUKE'S PLAYHOUSE LIMITED compare, and where else can you look?
Where THE DUKE'S PLAYHOUSE LIMITED sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar arts & culture charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- HACKNEY QUEST 100/100 · £827k
- COMMON WEALTH THEATRE LIMITED 100/100 · £760k
- PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY 99/100 · £3.0m
- CREATE (ARTS) LIMITED 99/100 · £1.6m
How can you share The Duke's Playhouse Limited's rating?
Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for The Duke's Playhouse Limited.
For this charity
How do you add The Duke's Playhouse Limited'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 The Duke's Playhouse Limited have?
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about The Duke's Playhouse Limited's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is The Duke's Playhouse Limited a good charity? +
The Duke's Playhouse Limited scores 82 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 86% 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 The Duke's Playhouse Limited a legitimate charity? +
Yes — The Duke's Playhouse Limited is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 501935). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/501935. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is The Duke's Playhouse Limited's charity number? +
The Duke's Playhouse Limited's charity number is 501935. 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 Duke's Playhouse Limited's charity rating? +
The Duke's Playhouse Limited scores 82 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). 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 Duke's Playhouse Limited have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Duke's Playhouse Limited. 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 The Duke's Playhouse Limited? +
According to its 2025 regulator filing, 86% of The Duke's Playhouse Limited's total spending went to charitable activities (3-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 The Duke's Playhouse Limited's overheads? +
According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 10% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 10% of total expenditure at The Duke's Playhouse Limited. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Duke's Playhouse Limited'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 Duke's Playhouse Limited receive? +
The Duke's Playhouse Limited reported £1.7m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.
Are The Duke's Playhouse Limited'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 The Duke's Playhouse Limited based? +
The Duke's Playhouse Limited is listed at Lancaster · LA1 1QE, focused on arts & culture.
How does CharityCompare score The Duke's Playhouse Limited? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Duke's Playhouse Limited'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 Duke's Playhouse Limited'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.