--- title: "The Swanage Railway Trust charity rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is The Swanage Railway Trust a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 79/100. Accounts 2025: income £4.1m · 8% on charitable activities. Reg 1087318." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-swanage-railway-trust retrieved: 2026-08-18T09:18:29.687Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Swanage Railway Trust a good charity? The Swanage Railway Trust scores 79/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£4.1m total income, 8% 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. Bournemouth · BH19 1HB | Reg [1087318](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-swanage-railway-trust) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.swanagerailwaytrust.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1087318) Donate ## How can you give to THE SWANAGE RAILWAY TRUST? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE SWANAGE RAILWAY TRUST form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.swanagerailwaytrust.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1087318) ## What does The Swanage Railway Trust do? The Swanage Railway Trust is a registered charity (no. 1087318) working in environment in Bournemouth · BH19 1HB. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 8% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 4 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been growing (≈18% 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 Swanage Railway Trust hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-swanage-railway-trust) **In short:** THE SWANAGE RAILWAY TRUST scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars). 8% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is The Swanage Railway Trust? The Swanage Railway Trust has a Clarity Score of 79 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1087318. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Environment. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £4.1m, with 8% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 4 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 79/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 8% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 75/100 Finance beacon Income £4.1m Latest year 2025 Reserves 4 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £365.7 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 1% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does THE SWANAGE RAILWAY TRUST compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE SWANAGE RAILWAY TRUST scores higher than. Income band (£1m–£5m)49thpercentile **Scores higher than 49% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 79/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Environment charities57thpercentile **Scores higher than 57% of 460 charities in this cause** · 79/100 vs 76 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Swanage Railway 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 Swanage Railway 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% | 11 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% | 4 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% | 9% · 4/5 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% | 8% · 0/10 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% | 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 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 450 volunteers / 32 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The Swanage Railway Trust's Clarity Score? 79/100 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 50/100 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 oversight11 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)4 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets9% · 4/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 50/100 Program expense ratio8% · 0/10 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 ratio450 volunteers / 32 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does The Swanage Railway Trust raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £4.1m | — | | Total expenditure | £3.3m | — | | Charitable activities | £311k | 9% | | Fundraising | £19k | 1% | | Governance & admin | £29k | 1% | 9%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £3.3m spent - Charitable activities9% · £311k - Fundraising1% · £19k - Governance1% · £29k - Other spending89% · £3.0m ## What trust indicators does The Swanage Railway 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) 11 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 32 employees · 450 volunteers (14:1 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 1087318 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/1087318) ### Trustees & officers - ELIZABETH MAUREEN SELLEN - MICHAEL ALAN WHITWAM - Frank Roberts Chair · since 2022 - Benjamin Jack Ford since 2022 - Clare Collins since 2022 - Daniel John Bennett since 2023 - Clive Austin Hardy since 2023 - Ian Kapur since 2023 - Alexander Atkins since 2023 - Gavin Johns since 2025 - Jim Wheeler since 2025 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 Swanage Railway 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 Swanage Railway Trust? Overall score 79/100 (4★) Income £4.1m Cause spend 8% of expenditure Reg number 1087318 Scope Local (bournemouth) Reserves 4 months Trustees 11 Accounts year 2025 Filing late ## How does THE SWANAGE RAILWAY TRUST compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE SWANAGE RAILWAY TRUST with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-swanage-railway-trust) [More environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE SWANAGE RAILWAY TRUST sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment) - [Charities in Bournemouth](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/bournemouth) ### Similar environment charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [ESSEX AND SUFFOLK RIVERS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/essex-and-suffolk-rivers-trust) 100/100 · £963k - [GREAT WESTERN SOCIETY LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/great-western-society-limited) 99/100 · £3.9m - [THE MID-NORFOLK RAILWAY PRESERVATION TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-mid-norfolk-railway-preservation-trust) 99/100 · £2.5m - [THE SHARPHAM TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-sharpham-trust) 99/100 · £2.2m ## How can you share The Swanage Railway Trust's rating? 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Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 79/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-swanage-railway-trust) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 79/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does The Swanage Railway Trust have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Swanage Railway Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Swanage Railway Trust a good charity? + The Swanage Railway Trust scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 8% 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 Swanage Railway Trust a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Swanage Railway Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1087318). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1087318. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Swanage Railway Trust's charity number? + The Swanage Railway Trust's charity number is 1087318. 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 Swanage Railway Trust's charity rating? + The Swanage Railway Trust scores 79 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 Swanage Railway Trust have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Swanage Railway 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 Swanage Railway Trust? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 8% of The Swanage Railway 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 Swanage Railway Trust's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 0% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 1% of total expenditure at The Swanage Railway Trust. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Swanage Railway 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 Swanage Railway Trust receive? + The Swanage Railway Trust reported £4.1m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are The Swanage Railway 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 Swanage Railway Trust based? + The Swanage Railway Trust is listed at Bournemouth · BH19 1HB, focused on environment. How does CharityCompare score The Swanage Railway Trust? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Swanage Railway 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 Swanage Railway 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.