Heritage · Reg 291616
The Rochester Cathedral Trust
Charity rating & review
50/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Poor
Quick answer
Is The Rochester Cathedral Trust a good charity?
The Rochester Cathedral Trust scores 50/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£166k 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.
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What does The Rochester Cathedral Trust do?
The Rochester Cathedral Trust is a registered charity (no. 291616) working in heritage in Maidstone · ME1 1SX. Its latest Charity Commission filing does not disclose a charitable-activities spend split in recent filings, holding roughly 7 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income changed sharply in 2022 (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 Rochester Cathedral Trust hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST scores 50 out of 100 (2 stars). Cause-spend split not disclosed in recent filings. Review the pillar breakdown below.
What is The Rochester Cathedral Trust?
The Rochester Cathedral Trust has a Clarity Score of 50 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 291616. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Heritage. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £166k, cause-spend split not disclosed in that filing. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 7 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
50/100
2★ · Poor
Cause spend
N/D
Not disclosed in filings
Accountability
50/100
Finance beacon
Income
£166k
Latest year 2025
Reserves
7 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
Fundraising efficiency not stated · Overhead not disclosed · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How does THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST scores higher than.
Scores higher than 8% of 972 charities in its income band · 50/100 vs 70 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 5% of 151 charities in this cause · 50/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).
How reliable is The Rochester Cathedral Trust'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 Rochester Cathedral Trust'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.
50/100
| 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% | 16 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.
67/100
| 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% | 7 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. | 0% | 0/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 4% · 5/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
50/100
| 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.
0/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | Not reported · 0/10 pts |
What is The Rochester Cathedral Trust's Clarity Score?
50/100 total · Poor · 2 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.
50/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
67/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
50/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
0/100
How much does The Rochester Cathedral Trust raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £166k | — |
| Total expenditure | £163k | — |
| Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2025) · £163k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.
What trust indicators does The Rochester Cathedral Trust 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)
16 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 291616
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Paul David Hudson since 2013
- The Very Rev. Dr. Philip John Hesketh since 2015
- Richard Oldfield since 2016
- Rev Ralph Godsall since 2017
- kate Fenwick since 2018
- Lars Lemonius since 2018
- Russell Race JP DL since 2020
- Remony Millwater since 2019
- Sue Hart since 2022
- Victoria Wallace DL since 2023
- Canon Christopher Dench since 2024
- Michael Wooldridge since 2024
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 Rochester Cathedral Trust'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 Rochester Cathedral Trust?
- Overall score
- 50/100 (2★)
- Income
- £166k
- Cause spend
- Not disclosed
- Reg number
- 291616
- Scope
- Local (maidstone)
- Reserves
- 7 months
- Trustees
- 16
- Accounts year
- 2025
- Filing
- late
How does THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST compare, and where else can you look?
Where THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar heritage charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- HARTLEBURY CASTLE PRESERVATION TRUST 100/100 · £612k
- ST BARTHOLOMEW'S HERITAGE 99/100 · £5.7m
- JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE MUSEUM 98/100 · £2.0m
- MILTON KEYNES MUSEUM TRUST LIMITED 98/100 · £763k
How can you share The Rochester Cathedral Trust's rating?
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How do you add The Rochester Cathedral Trust's rating to your site?
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What red flags does The Rochester Cathedral Trust have?
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about The Rochester Cathedral Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is The Rochester Cathedral Trust a good charity? +
The Rochester Cathedral Trust scores 50 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) 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 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 Rochester Cathedral Trust a legitimate charity? +
Yes — The Rochester Cathedral Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 291616). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/291616. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is The Rochester Cathedral Trust's charity number? +
The Rochester Cathedral Trust's charity number is 291616. 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 Rochester Cathedral Trust's charity rating? +
The Rochester Cathedral Trust scores 50 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). 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 Rochester Cathedral Trust have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Rochester Cathedral Trust. 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 Rochester Cathedral Trust? +
The Rochester Cathedral Trust 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 Rochester Cathedral Trust's overheads? +
The Rochester Cathedral Trust'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 Rochester Cathedral Trust'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 Rochester Cathedral Trust receive? +
The Rochester Cathedral Trust reported £166k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured.
Are The Rochester Cathedral Trust'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 Rochester Cathedral Trust based? +
The Rochester Cathedral Trust is listed at Maidstone · ME1 1SX, focused on heritage.
How does CharityCompare score The Rochester Cathedral Trust? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Rochester Cathedral Trust'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 Rochester Cathedral Trust'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.