Religion · Reg 291616
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST
Charity rating & review
60/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Needs improvement
Is THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST a good charity?
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST scores 60/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 75% 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.
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Mission
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST is a registered charity (no. 291616) working in religion in Manchester · ME1 1SX. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 75% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 7 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: THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST scores 60 out of 100 (2 stars). 75% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
Overview
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST has a Clarity Score of 60 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 291616. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Religion. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £644k, with 75% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 7 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
60/100
2★ · Needs improvement
Cause spend
75%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
50/100
Finance beacon
Income
£644k
Latest year 2021
Reserves
7 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
Fundraising efficiency not stated · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 13% of 2,157 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 12% of 379 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.
50/100
| 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% | 16 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 0% | 0/10 pts |
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
67/100
| 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% | 7 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% | 4% · 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% | 75% · 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% | 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
0/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts. | 0% | Not reported · 0/10 pts |
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.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
50/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
67/100
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.
0/100
Revenue & expenses
Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £644k | — |
| Total expenditure | £258k | — |
| Charitable activities | £212k | 82% |
| Fundraising | £46k | 18% |
| Governance & admin | £2k | 1% |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2021) · £258k spent
- Charitable activities82% · £212k
- Fundraising18% · £46k
- Governance1% · £2k
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)
16 trustees on the Charity Commission register
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 291616
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Paul David Hudson since 2013
- The Very Rev. Dr. Philip John Hesketh since 2015
- Richard Oldfield since 2016
- Rev Ralph Godsall since 2017
- kate Fenwick since 2018
- Lars Lemonius since 2018
- Russell Race JP DL since 2020
- Remony Millwater since 2019
- Sue Hart since 2022
- Victoria Wallace DL since 2023
- Canon Christopher Dench since 2024
- Michael Wooldridge since 2024
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
- 60/100 (2★)
- Income
- £644k
- Cause spend
- 75% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 291616
- Scope
- Local (manchester)
- Reserves
- 7 months
- Trustees
- 16
- Accounts year
- 2021
- Filing
- late
Compare & explore
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Red flags
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST's charity rating? +
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST 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 THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST a good charity to donate to? +
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST scores 60 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 75% 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 ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 291616. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST's Charity Commission registration number? +
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST's registration number is 291616. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/291616
How much income does THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST receive? +
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST reported £644k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.
What percentage of THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 75% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 0%.
Are THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST'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 THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST based? +
THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST is listed at Manchester · ME1 1SX, focused on religion.
How does CharityCompare score THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST? +
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 THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST? +
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 THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put THE ROCHESTER CATHEDRAL TRUST side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.