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THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY

Charity rating & review

85/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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85 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Is THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY a good charity?

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY scores 85/100 (Good) on our Clarity Score, with 75% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — 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

Mission

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY is a registered charity (no. 1099295) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 75% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 56 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. 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 PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY scores 85 out of 100 (3 stars). 75% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY has a Clarity Score of 85 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1099295. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £210k, with 75% of expenditure on charitable activities. 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

85/100

3★ · Good

Cause spend

75%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£210k

Latest year 2020

Reserves

56 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

Fundraising efficiency not stated · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£100k–£500k)85 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 71% of 2,492 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities85 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 68% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2020
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

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.

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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

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 = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

0% 56 months · 0/15 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% 0% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 75% · 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.

100/100

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

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

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

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

85/100 total · Good · 3 of 4 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
100/100
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.

100/100

Program expense ratio75% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
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

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £210k
Total expenditure £230k
0%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £230k spent

  • Other spending100%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • 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 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.

Full methodology →

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

£0k £300k £600k £900k £1200k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £210k Spending 2020: £230k Cause spend 2020: £173k Income 2021: £1,036k Spending 2021: £268k Cause spend 2021: £212k Income 2022: £235k Spending 2022: £363k Cause spend 2022: £272k Income 2023: £332k Spending 2023: £408k Cause spend 2023: £306k Income 2024: £394k Spending 2024: £408k Cause spend 2024: £306k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
85/100 (3★)
Income
£210k
Cause spend
75% of expenditure
Reg number
1099295
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
56 months
Trustees
10
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

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Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY's charity rating? +

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY scores 85 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Good). 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 PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY a good charity to donate to? +

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY scores 85 out of 100 (3 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 75% of its spending goes to charitable activities 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 UK charity? +

Yes — THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1099295. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY's Charity Commission registration number? +

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY's registration number is 1099295. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1099295

How much income does THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY receive? +

THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY reported £210k total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 75% 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 PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). 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 children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY? +

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 PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY? +

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 PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put THE PRAYER BOOK SOCIETY side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.