---
title: "The Seachange Trust rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare"
description: "Is The Seachange Trust a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 89/100. Accounts 2025: income £2.8m · 93% on charitable activities. Reg 1063853."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-seachange-trust
retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:50:18.419Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is The Seachange Trust a good charity?

The Seachange Trust scores 89/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£2.8m total income, 93% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Norwich · NR30 2LZ |
Reg [1063853](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-seachange-trust) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.seachangearts.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1063853)

Donate

## How can you give to THE SEACHANGE TRUST?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE SEACHANGE TRUST form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.seachangearts.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1063853)

## What does The Seachange Trust do?

The Seachange Trust is a registered charity (no. 1063853) working in arts & culture in Norwich · NR30 2LZ. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 93% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 3 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been growing (≈40% a year). 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 Seachange Trust hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-seachange-trust)

**In short:** THE SEACHANGE TRUST scores 89 out of 100 (4 stars). 93% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is The Seachange Trust?

The Seachange Trust has a Clarity Score of 89 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1063853. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £2.8m, with 93% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 3 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026.

Overall score

89/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

93%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

75/100

Finance beacon

Income

£2.8m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

3 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

£135.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
3% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: medium

## How does THE SEACHANGE TRUST compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE SEACHANGE TRUST scores higher than.

Income band (£1m–£5m)81stpercentile

**Scores higher than 81% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 89/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Arts & culture charities88thpercentile

**Scores higher than 88% of 624 charities in this cause** · 89/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is The Seachange Trust's data?

Source

Charity Commission (England & Wales)

Accounts year

2025

Filing date

24 June 2026

Profile reviewed

17 July 2026

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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/),
[Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and
[Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/).
[Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/).

## What is The Seachange 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.

75/100
| 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% | 7 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.

97/100
| 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% | 3 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. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 80% | 7% · 4/5 pts |

### Financial Efficiency

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

100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 93% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 1p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |

### Community Support

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

100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 50 volunteers / 9 staff · 10/10 pts |

[How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

## What is The Seachange Trust's Clarity Score?

89/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

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

75/100

Accountability & Transparency

97/100

Financial Health

100/100

Financial Efficiency

100/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

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

75/100

Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts

Trustee oversight7 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

97/100

Reserves (months of cash)3 months · 15/15 pts

Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets7% · 4/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio93% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency1p 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 ratio50 volunteers / 9 staff · 10/10 pts

## How much does The Seachange Trust raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £2.8m | — |
| Total expenditure | £1.1m | — |
| Charitable activities | £1.1m | 93% |
| Fundraising | £11k | 1% |
| Governance & admin | £22k | 2% |

93%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £1.1m spent

- Charitable activities93% · £1.1m
- Fundraising1% · £11k
- Governance2% · £22k
- Other spending4% · £51k

## What trust indicators does The Seachange 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)

7 trustees on the Charity Commission register

- ✓ Workforce on register

9 employees · 50 volunteers (6:1 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/)

Official register

Reg 1063853

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

[View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1063853)

### Trustees & officers

- JONATHAN NEWMAN
- BERNARD WILLIAMSON since 2014
- Neil Darwin since 2018
- Carol Alexandra Todd since 2018
- Hannah Robinson since 2018
- Dr Catherine Richards since 2024
- Rae Lee Ms since 2024

100
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 →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/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 Seachange 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 Seachange Trust?

Overall score

89/100 (4★)

Income

£2.8m

Cause spend

93% of expenditure

Reg number

1063853

Scope

Local (norwich)

Reserves

3 months

Trustees

7

Accounts year

2025

Filing

late

## How does THE SEACHANGE TRUST compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare THE SEACHANGE TRUST with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-seachange-trust) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where THE SEACHANGE TRUST sits

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

- [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts)
- [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children)
- [Charities in Norwich](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/norwich)

### Similar arts & culture charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [HACKNEY QUEST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/hackney-quest) 100/100 · £827k
- [COMMON WEALTH THEATRE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/common-wealth-theatre-limited) 100/100 · £760k
- [PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pallant-house-gallery) 99/100 · £3.0m
- [CREATE (ARTS) LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/create-arts-limited) 99/100 · £1.6m

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## How do you add The Seachange Trust's rating to your site?

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## What red flags does The Seachange Trust have?

## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Seachange Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is The Seachange Trust a good charity? + The Seachange Trust scores 89 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 93% 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 Seachange Trust a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Seachange Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1063853). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1063853. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is The Seachange Trust's charity number? + The Seachange Trust's charity number is 1063853. 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 Seachange Trust's charity rating? + The Seachange Trust scores 89 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 Seachange Trust have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Seachange 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 Seachange Trust? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 93% of The Seachange Trust's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.

What are The Seachange Trust's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 1% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 3% of total expenditure at The Seachange Trust. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Seachange 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 Seachange Trust receive? + The Seachange Trust reported £2.8m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are The Seachange 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 Seachange Trust based? + The Seachange Trust is listed at Norwich · NR30 2LZ, focused on arts & culture.

How does CharityCompare score The Seachange Trust? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Seachange 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 Seachange 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.