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WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR

Charity rating & review

75/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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75 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Is WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR a good charity?

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR scores 75/100 (Good) on our Clarity Score, with 59% 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.

London · UK-wide · NG8 6PY Reg 1060963 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR is a registered charity (no. 1060963) working in disability across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 59% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 8 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. 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: WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR scores 75 out of 100 (3 stars). 59% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR has a Clarity Score of 75 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1060963. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Disability. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £1.0m, with 59% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 8 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

75/100

3★ · Good

Cause spend

59%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£1.0m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

8 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£2.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 45% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR compares

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

Income band (£1m–£5m)75 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 43% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Disability charities75 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 39% 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

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 WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR
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% 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

Financial Health metrics for WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR
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% 8 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% 9% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

0/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

0% 59% · 0/10 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).

0% 51p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

50/100

Community Support metrics for WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

50% 8 volunteers / 10 staff · 5/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

75/100 total · Good · 3 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
0/100
Financial Efficiency
50/100
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 oversight8 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)8 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets9% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

0/100

Program expense ratio59% · 0/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency51p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

50/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio8 volunteers / 10 staff · 5/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £1.0m
Total expenditure £1.0m
Charitable activities £478k 47%
Fundraising £536k 53%
Governance & admin £16k 2%
47%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £1.0m spent

  • Charitable activities47%
  • Fundraising53%
  • Governance2%

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)

    8 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    10 employees · 8 volunteers (1:1 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 1060963

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • BARBARA SUSAN WHITE OBE
  • Mandy Dawn Sims since 2022
  • Paul Smith Chair · since 2024
  • Benjamin John Alcraft since 2025
  • David Arthur Michael Lindley since 2025
  • Christopher Bailey since 2026
  • Paul Furbey since 2026
  • Louise Field since 2026
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: £1,028k Spending 2021: £1,014k Cause spend 2021: £478k Income 2022: £1,186k Spending 2022: £1,198k Cause spend 2022: £683k Income 2023: £1,069k Spending 2023: £1,363k Cause spend 2023: £852k Income 2024: £1,275k Spending 2024: £1,273k Cause spend 2024: £711k Income 2025: £1,066k Spending 2025: £1,493k Cause spend 2025: £853k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
75/100 (3★)
Income
£1.0m
Cause spend
59% of expenditure
Reg number
1060963
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
8 months
Trustees
8
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR's charity rating? +

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR scores 75 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Good). 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 WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR a good charity to donate to? +

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR scores 75 out of 100 (3 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 59% 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 WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1060963. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR's Charity Commission registration number? +

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR's registration number is 1060963. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1060963

How much income does WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR receive? +

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR reported £1.0m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: stable.

What percentage of WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 59% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 41% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 45%.

Are WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR'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 WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR based? +

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR is listed at London · UK-wide · NG8 6PY and operates UK-wide, focused on disability.

How does CharityCompare score WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR? +

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 WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR? +

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 WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.