Children & youth · Reg 1127209
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST
Charity rating & review
57/100 Clarity Score · 1 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Poor
Is THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST a good charity?
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST scores 57/100 (Poor) on our Clarity Score, with 94% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts missing. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
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Mission
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST is a registered charity (no. 1127209) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 94% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, though accounts are currently overdue or missing. Reported income has been declining over recent years. 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.
In short: THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST scores 57 out of 100 (1 star). 94% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
Overview
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST has a Clarity Score of 57 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1127209. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2010: total income £13m, with 94% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: missing. Reserves: approximately 2 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
57/100
1★ · Poor
Cause spend
94%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
38/100
Finance beacon
Income
£13m
Latest year 2010
Reserves
2 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Missing
Check register
Fundraising efficiency not stated · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: low
How THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 9% of 1,022 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 10% of 3,988 charities in this cause.
Data & confidence
- Source
- Charity Commission (E&W)
- Accounts year
- 2010
- Filing date
- 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
- Profile reviewed
- 2026-06-25
Low confidence — key filing data unavailable
Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .
Beacon report
Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
38/100
| 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. | 0% | 0/15 pts |
| Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag). | 100% | 4 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 0% | 0/10 pts |
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
73/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 47% | 2 months · 7/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts. | 100% | 16% · 5/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio ≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts. | 100% | 94% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (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.
0/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts. | 0% | 115 volunteers / 402 staff · 0/10 pts |
Clarity Score
57/100 total · Poor · 1 of 4 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.
38/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
73/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
0/100
Revenue & expenses
Latest filed year 2010 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £13m | — |
| Total expenditure | £12m | — |
| Charitable activities | £12m | 97% |
| Governance & admin | £19k | 0% |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2010) · £12m spent
- Charitable activities97% · £12m
- Governance0% · £19k
- Other spending3% · £319k
Trust indicators
Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.
-
Accounts filed on time
Filing status: missing
-
Trustee board size (3–12)
4 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
402 employees · 115 volunteers (0:1 volunteer-to-staff)
Fundraising Regulator
Not listed as member
Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.
Check Fundraising Regulator →Official register
Reg 1127209
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- PAUL ANDREW SIMPSON Chair · since 2011
- HIS HON JOHN COLYER QC since 2011
- LINDSEY ROUSSEAU since 2011
- WENDY JANE EADSFORTH since 2011
How we score charities +
The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.
Accountability & Transparency
Scored from filings
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).
Financial Health
Scored from filings
30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).
Financial Efficiency
Scored from filings
20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.
Community Support
Scored from filings
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.
Overall score
Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).
Five-year trends
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts
Key facts
- Overall score
- 57/100 (1★)
- Income
- £13m
- Cause spend
- 94% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1127209
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- 2 months
- Trustees
- 4
- Accounts year
- 2010
- Filing
- missing
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Red flags
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST's charity rating? +
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST scores 57 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars — Poor). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).
Is THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST a good charity to donate to? +
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST scores 57 out of 100 (1 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 94% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are missing. 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 JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1127209. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST's Charity Commission registration number? +
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST's registration number is 1127209. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1127209
How much income does THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST receive? +
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST reported £13m total income in its 2010 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.
What percentage of THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 94% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 0%.
Are THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST's accounts up to date? +
Filing status: missing (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.
Where is THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST based? +
THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST is listed at Canterbury · UK-wide · CT9 1NB and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.
How does CharityCompare score THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST? +
We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.
Does CharityCompare recommend donating to THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST? +
No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.
How can I compare THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put THE JOHN TOWNSEND TRUST side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.