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ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY

Charity rating & review

90/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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90 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

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Is ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY a good charity?

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY scores 90/100 (Exceptional) on our Clarity Score, with 98% 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.

Sheffield · SM7 3HA Reg 209776 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY is a registered charity (no. 209776) working in disability in Sheffield · SM7 3HA. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 98% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 4 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: ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY scores 90 out of 100 (4 stars). 98% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY has a Clarity Score of 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 209776. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Disability. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £3.8m, with 98% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 4 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

90/100

4★ · Great

Cause spend

98%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£3.8m

Latest year 2020

Reserves

4 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£42.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 3% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY compares

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

Income band (£1m–£5m)90 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 85% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Disability charities90 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 84% of 742 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

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.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY
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% 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.

100/100

Financial Health metrics for ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY
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.

100% 4 months · 15/15 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.

100% 3% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 98% · 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% 2p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

0% 20 volunteers / 85 staff · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

90/100 total · Exceptional · 4 of 4 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
100/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 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.

100/100

Reserves (months of cash)4 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets3% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio98% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency2p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio20 volunteers / 85 staff · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £3.8m
Total expenditure £3.9m
Charitable activities £3.8m 97%
Fundraising £118k 3%
Governance & admin £25k 1%
97%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £3.9m spent

  • Charitable activities97%
  • Fundraising3%
  • Governance1%

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)

    11 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    85 employees · 20 volunteers (0:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Not listed as member

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 209776

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Dorothy Ross-Tomlin
  • DOCTOR RICHARD REUBIN
  • Cedric Philip Wake OBE FNI Chair · since 2013
  • CAPTAIN ADRIAN McCOURT since 2015
  • ANDREW PARKER since 2014
  • COMMANDER SUSAN E LOCHNER JP DL since 2017
  • Captain Stephen CLINCH since 2019
  • BERNARD WATSON since 2019
  • Dr Alison Lewis-Smith since 2024
  • Commodore Mel Robinson CBE FCIPD since 2025
  • Captain Brett Smith AFNI MCMI 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.

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 £1400k £2800k £4200k £5600k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £3,763k Spending 2020: £3,922k Cause spend 2020: £3,804k Income 2021: £3,416k Spending 2021: £3,872k Cause spend 2021: £3,757k Income 2022: £3,044k Spending 2022: £4,083k Cause spend 2022: £3,995k Income 2023: £3,157k Spending 2023: £4,679k Cause spend 2023: £4,600k Income 2024: £5,016k Spending 2024: £5,398k Cause spend 2024: £5,299k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
90/100 (4★)
Income
£3.8m
Cause spend
98% of expenditure
Reg number
209776
Scope
Local (sheffield)
Reserves
4 months
Trustees
11
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY's charity rating? +

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY scores 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Exceptional). 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 ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY a good charity to donate to? +

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY scores 90 out of 100 (4 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 98% 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 ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 209776. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY's Charity Commission registration number? +

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY's registration number is 209776. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/209776

How much income does ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY receive? +

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY reported £3.8m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 98% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 2% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 3%.

Are ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY'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 ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY based? +

ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY is listed at Sheffield · SM7 3HA, focused on disability.

How does CharityCompare score ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY? +

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 ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY? +

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 ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put ROYAL ALFRED SEAFARERS' SOCIETY side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.