Children & youth · Reg 1107144
THE RIVERS TRUST
Charity rating & review
64/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Needs improvement
Is THE RIVERS TRUST a good charity?
THE RIVERS TRUST scores 64/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 90% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts late. 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 RIVERS TRUST is a registered charity (no. 1107144) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 90% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. 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 RIVERS TRUST scores 64 out of 100 (2 stars). 90% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
Overview
THE RIVERS TRUST has a Clarity Score of 64 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1107144. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £3.9m, with 90% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. 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
64/100
2★ · Needs improvement
Cause spend
90%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
68/100
Finance beacon
Income
£3.9m
Latest year 2020
Reserves
2 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
Fundraising efficiency not stated · 1% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How THE RIVERS TRUST compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 19% of 3,014 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 16% 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.
68/100
| 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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag). | 100% | 11 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 70% | 7/10 pts |
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
57/100
| 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. | 0% | 80% · 0/5 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% | 90% · 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% | Not reported · 0/10 pts |
Clarity Score
64/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 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.
68/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
57/100
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 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £3.9m | — |
| Total expenditure | £3.2m | — |
| Charitable activities | £3.2m | 97% |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2020) · £3.2m spent
- Charitable activities97% · £3.2m
- Other spending3% · £88k
Trust indicators
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)
11 trustees on the Charity Commission register
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 1107144
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Jack William Arthur Spees since 2017
- Joanne Harrison since 2019
- Alastair William Muirhead since 2019
- Dr Bella Davies since 2020
- GRAHAM THOMAS Chair · since 2020
- Elizabeth Susan Passey since 2022
- Bernadette Ann O'Hanrahan since 2023
- Jodie Alice Mills since 2023
- David Michael Turley since 2025
- Michael Paul Fedosiuk since 2025
- Fayza Benlamkadem 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.
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
- 64/100 (2★)
- Income
- £3.9m
- Cause spend
- 90% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1107144
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- 2 months
- Trustees
- 11
- Accounts year
- 2020
- Filing
- late
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Red flags
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about THE RIVERS TRUST's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is THE RIVERS TRUST's charity rating? +
THE RIVERS TRUST scores 64 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). 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 RIVERS TRUST a good charity to donate to? +
THE RIVERS TRUST scores 64 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 90% 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 RIVERS TRUST a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — THE RIVERS TRUST is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1107144. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is THE RIVERS TRUST's Charity Commission registration number? +
THE RIVERS TRUST's registration number is 1107144. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1107144
How much income does THE RIVERS TRUST receive? +
THE RIVERS TRUST reported £3.9m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.
What percentage of THE RIVERS TRUST's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 90% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 1%.
Are THE RIVERS TRUST's accounts up to date? +
Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.
Where is THE RIVERS TRUST based? +
THE RIVERS TRUST is listed at Plymouth · UK-wide · PL17 8PH and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.
How does CharityCompare score THE RIVERS 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 RIVERS 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 RIVERS TRUST with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put THE RIVERS TRUST side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.