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THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST

Charity rating & review

72/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
72 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST a good charity?

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST scores 72/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 89% 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.

London · UK-wide · SW1A 2BQ Reg 1000000 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST is a registered charity (no. 1000000) working in animals across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 89% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 55 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 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST scores 72 out of 100 (2 stars). 89% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST has a Clarity Score of 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1000000. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £102k, with 89% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 55 months of operating costs. 2 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

72/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

89%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£102k

Latest year 2021

Reserves

55 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£29.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 8% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST compares

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

Income band (£100k–£500k)72 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 38% of 2,492 charities in its income band.

Animals charities72 vs 76 avg

Ranks higher than 40% of 2,982 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

High confidence — complete filing data

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.

93/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST
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% 7 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.

17/100

Financial Health metrics for THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST
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% 55 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

100% 1% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 89% · 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% 3p 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 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

100% 175 volunteers / 4 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

72/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

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

93/100
Accountability & Transparency
17/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

93/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight7 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

17/100

Reserves (months of cash)55 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio89% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency3p 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 ratio175 volunteers / 4 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £102k
Total expenditure £349k
0%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £349k 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)

    7 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    4 employees · 175 volunteers (44:1 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 1000000

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • HEIDI MOTTRAM CBE since 2017
  • Sir Martin Eugene Donnelly KCB CMG since 2020
  • Dame Lin Homer DCB since 2020
  • Dr Mahnaz Akbary-Safa since 2024
  • Professor Dame Janet Patricia Beer since 2024
  • Shelagh Jane Legrave since 2024
  • Richard Henry Meddings since 2026
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 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £102k Spending 2021: £349k Cause spend 2021: £262k Income 2022: £154k Spending 2022: £721k Cause spend 2022: £541k Income 2023: £950k Spending 2023: £656k Cause spend 2023: £628k Income 2024: £710k Spending 2024: £826k Cause spend 2024: £786k Income 2025: £397k Spending 2025: £714k Cause spend 2025: £535k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
72/100 (2★)
Income
£102k
Cause spend
89% of expenditure
Reg number
1000000
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
55 months
Trustees
7
Accounts year
2021
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 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST's charity rating? +

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST scores 72 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 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST a good charity to donate to? +

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST scores 72 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 89% 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 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1000000. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST's Charity Commission registration number? +

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST's registration number is 1000000. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1000000

How much income does THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST receive? +

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST reported £102k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 89% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 3% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 8%.

Are THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST'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 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST based? +

THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST is listed at London · UK-wide · SW1A 2BQ and operates UK-wide, focused on animals.

How does CharityCompare score THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY 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 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY 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 ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put THE ROYAL ANNIVERSARY TRUST side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.