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The Prayer Book Society

Charity rating & review

75/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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75 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Quick answer

Is The Prayer Book Society a good charity?

The Prayer Book Society scores 75/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£394k 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.

Reading · UK-wide · RG8 7RT Reg 1099295 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does The Prayer Book Society do?

The Prayer Book Society is a registered charity (no. 1099295) working in religion across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in recent filings, holding roughly 56 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 Prayer Book Society hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY scores 75 out of 100 (4 stars). Cause-spend split not disclosed in recent filings. Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is The Prayer Book Society?

The Prayer Book Society has a Clarity Score of 75 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1099295. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Religion. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £394k, cause-spend split not disclosed in that filing. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 56 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

75/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

N/D

Not disclosed in filings

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£394k

Latest year 2024

Reserves

56 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 PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY scores higher than.

Income band (£100k–£500k)62ndpercentile

Scores higher than 62% of 972 charities in its income band · 75/100 vs 70 peer average (marker).

Religion charities41stpercentile

Scores higher than 41% of 519 charities in this cause · 75/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

How reliable is The Prayer Book 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 Prayer Book 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

Accountability & Transparency metrics for THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY
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% 10 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.

50/100

Financial Health metrics for THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY
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% 56 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.

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
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.

50/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY
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

Community Support metrics for THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

100% 35 volunteers / 5 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is The Prayer Book Society's Clarity Score?

75/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
50/100
Financial Health
50/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight10 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

50/100

Reserves (months of cash)56 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets0% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

50/100

Program expense ratioNot stated · 0/10 pts
Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio35 volunteers / 5 staff · 10/10 pts

How much does The Prayer Book Society raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £394k
Total expenditure £408k
Charitable activities Not disclosed

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £408k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.

What trust indicators does The Prayer Book 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)

    10 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    5 employees · 35 volunteers (7:1 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 1099295

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • PAUL MEITNER since 2011
  • Rev Stephen Edmonds since 2016
  • The Revd Dr Daniel Robert Newman since 2016
  • Iain Richard Johnson Milne since 2017
  • Jonathan David Riding since 2019
  • Rev Adam Gaunt since 2020
  • BRADLEY FRANCIS SMITH Chair · since 2020
  • Christopher Hancock since 2020
  • Rev Rebecca Jane Swyer since 2021
  • Johanna Kershaw since 2025
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 have The Prayer Book Society's finances changed over five years?

£0k £300k £600k £900k £1200k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £210k Spending 2020: £230k Cause spend 2020: £0k Income 2021: £1,036k Spending 2021: £268k Cause spend 2021: £212k Income 2022: £235k Spending 2022: £363k Cause spend 2022: £0k Income 2023: £332k Spending 2023: £408k Cause spend 2023: £0k Income 2024: £394k Spending 2024: £408k Cause spend 2024: £0k
  • 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 Prayer Book Society?

Overall score
75/100 (4★)
Income
£394k
Cause spend
Not disclosed
Reg number
1099295
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
56 months
Trustees
10
Accounts year
2024
Filing
up to date

Where THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY sits

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

Similar religion charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share The Prayer Book Society's rating?

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How do you add The Prayer Book 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 The Prayer Book Society have?

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Prayer Book Society's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is The Prayer Book Society a good charity? +

The Prayer Book Society scores 75 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) 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 Prayer Book Society a legitimate charity? +

Yes — The Prayer Book Society is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1099295). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1099295. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is The Prayer Book Society's charity number? +

The Prayer Book Society's charity number is 1099295. 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 Prayer Book Society's charity rating? +

The Prayer Book Society scores 75 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 Prayer Book Society have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Prayer Book Society. 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 Prayer Book Society? +

The Prayer Book 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 Prayer Book Society's overheads? +

The Prayer Book 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 Prayer Book 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 Prayer Book Society receive? +

The Prayer Book Society reported £394k total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured.

Are The Prayer Book 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 Prayer Book Society based? +

The Prayer Book Society is listed at Reading · UK-wide · RG8 7RT and operates UK-wide, focused on religion.

How does CharityCompare score The Prayer Book Society? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Prayer Book 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 Prayer Book 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.