Community · Reg 1175859
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED
Charity rating & review
90/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Exceptional
Is SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED a good charity?
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED scores 90/100 (Exceptional) on our Clarity Score, with 79% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts late. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
Donate
Give to SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED
You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.
Mission
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED is a registered charity (no. 1175859) working in community across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 79% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 20 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. 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: SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED scores 90 out of 100 (4 stars). 79% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
Overview
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED has a Clarity Score of 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1175859. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Community. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £2.5m, with 79% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 20 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
90/100
4★ · Great
Cause spend
79%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
75/100
Finance beacon
Income
£2.5m
Latest year 2020
Reserves
20 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
£5.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 21% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 85% of 3,014 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 86% of 210 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
Medium confidence — some data missing or late
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.
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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag). | 100% | 8 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
| 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% | 20 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% | 19% · 5/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio ≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts. | 100% | 79% · 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% | 20p 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 More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts. | 100% | 1,517 volunteers / 73 staff · 10/10 pts |
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.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
75/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
100/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
100/100
Revenue & expenses
Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £2.5m | — |
| Total expenditure | £3.3m | — |
| Charitable activities | £2.7m | 82% |
| Fundraising | £595k | 18% |
| Governance & admin | £16k | 0% |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2020) · £3.3m spent
- Charitable activities82% · £2.7m
- Fundraising18% · £595k
- Governance0% · £16k
Trust indicators
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)
8 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
73 employees · 1,517 volunteers (21:1 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 1175859
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- JAMES BURLEIGH since 2018
- Matthew Jowett since 2018
- Chloe Elizabeth Couchman since 2022
- Carrie Robinson since 2024
- Asha Amster since 2024
- Andy Turner since 2024
- Robert Hicks since 2024
- Richard Beighton 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.
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
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts
Key facts
- Overall score
- 90/100 (4★)
- Income
- £2.5m
- Cause spend
- 79% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1175859
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- 20 months
- Trustees
- 8
- Accounts year
- 2020
- Filing
- late
Compare & explore
Similar community charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- THE WOODLAND TRUST 100/100 · £87m
- Felix Charity 100/100 · £72m
- ELIM FOURSQUARE GOSPEL ALLIANCE 100/100 · £66m
- THE BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY 100/100 · £11m
Share & export
Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED.
For this charity
Add your rating to your site
Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our methodology.
Red flags
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED's charity rating? +
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED 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 SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED a good charity to donate to? +
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED scores 90 out of 100 (4 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 79% 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 SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1175859. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED's Charity Commission registration number? +
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED's registration number is 1175859. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1175859
How much income does SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED receive? +
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED reported £2.5m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.
What percentage of SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 79% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 21% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 21%.
Are SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED's accounts up to date? +
Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.
Where is SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED based? +
SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED is listed at London · UK-wide · SE1 9AX and operates UK-wide, focused on community.
How does CharityCompare score SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED? +
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 SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED? +
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 SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put SEA LIFE TRUST LIMITED side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.