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SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY

Charity rating & review

60/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
60 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY a good charity?

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY scores 60/100 (Needs improvement) 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.

Oxford · UK-wide · OXON Reg 1049778 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY is a registered charity (no. 1049778) working in disability across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 79% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 15 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Income has been growing 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: SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY scores 60 out of 100 (2 stars). 79% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY has a Clarity Score of 60 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1049778. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Disability. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £559k, with 79% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 15 months of operating costs. 3 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

60/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

79%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

38/100

Finance beacon

Income

£559k

Latest year 2021

Reserves

15 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

£21.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 5% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY compares

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

Income band (£500k–£1m)60 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 13% of 2,157 charities in its income band.

Disability charities60 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 13% of 742 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

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.

38/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY
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).

0% 1 trustees · 0/15 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.

67/100

Financial Health metrics for SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY
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% 15 months · 15/15 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% 15% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY
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% 2p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

50/100

Community Support metrics for SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

50% 925 volunteers · 5/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

60/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

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

38/100
Accountability & Transparency
67/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
50/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

38/100

Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts
Trustee oversight1 trustees · 0/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

67/100

Reserves (months of cash)15 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets15% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio79% · 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.

50/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio925 volunteers · 5/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £559k
Total expenditure £589k
Charitable activities £544k 92%
Fundraising £45k 8%
92%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £589k spent

  • Charitable activities92%
  • Fundraising8%

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)

    1 trustees on the Charity Commission register

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 1049778

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • South Central Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust since 2006
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 £400k £800k £1200k £1600k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £559k Spending 2021: £589k Cause spend 2021: £544k Income 2022: £989k Spending 2022: £885k Cause spend 2022: £690k Income 2023: £495k Spending 2023: £610k Cause spend 2023: £458k Income 2024: £1,598k Spending 2024: £847k Cause spend 2024: £730k Income 2025: £368k Spending 2025: £674k Cause spend 2025: £506k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
60/100 (2★)
Income
£559k
Cause spend
79% of expenditure
Reg number
1049778
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
15 months
Trustees
1
Accounts year
2021
Filing
late

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY's charity rating? +

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY scores 60 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 SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY a good charity to donate to? +

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY scores 60 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) 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 SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1049778. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY's Charity Commission registration number? +

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY's registration number is 1049778. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1049778

How much income does SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY receive? +

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY reported £559k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 79% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 5% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 5%.

Are SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY'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 SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY based? +

SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY is listed at Oxford · UK-wide · OXON and operates UK-wide, focused on disability.

How does CharityCompare score SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY? +

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 SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY? +

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 SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put SOUTH CENTRAL AMBULANCE CHARITY side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.