Did you know that you can easily find out whether a charity is transparent by meeting its legal duty to report on its activities and finances?
Using the register of charities advanced search, select ‘Charities with latest documents overdue’ and then filter by local authority area.
If you encounter a charity that is not up to date with its reporting, challenge the trustees and consider carefully before committing to give them financial assistance.
From time to time, the commission will give a snapshot of which charities in a particular area are in default. Charities who wish to query their entry can contact the commission on 0300 066 9197.
For example, on 21 January 2016 the following charities which state that they operate in Somerset (where one of the commission’s offices is based) were not up to date with their filing:
Arthur Allen Education Trust (310256)
Avon Valley Churches Of Christ (1128651)
Badgworth And Biddisham Parish Hall (261680)
Badgworth School Foundation (261682)
Beckery Island Regeneration Trust (1120490)
Bridgwater Agricultural Society Limited (275593)
Bristol Area Down’s Syndrome Support Limited (1104609)
Burnham And Highbridge Gateway Club (1045342)
Burnham On Sea And District Hard Of Hearing Association (299190)
Burrington Pre-School And Mother And Toddler Group (1036206)
Busy Bees Pre-School (Chapmanslade) (298660)
Charities Comprised In Downside Abbey Missions (232550)
Cheddar Vale Gateway Club (1044844)
Chestnut Playgroup (1045417)
Christ Church Hall (262960)
Clifton Catholic Fellowship With Handicapped People (266010)
Community Of Praise Trust (284595)
Compton Dundon Women’s Institute (1022154)
Creech St Michael Community Pre-School (900518)
Dunster Pre-School (1016823)
Dunster Tithe Barn Community Hall (1099572)
East Huntspill New Village Hall (1087529)
East Quantoxhead Village Hall Trustees (203041)
Eastover Youth Centre (1078277)
Elizabeth Adams Brown Fund (238534)
Emma Chappell Small Almshouse Trust (239561)
F L Dyson Bequest For Boozer Pit Bible Class Or Church Sunday School (310198)
Family And Carers Trust 1049958)
Frome Memorial Theatre Trust (1106051)
General Richard Grenville (201268)
Glastonbury And District Charity (1000627)
Halcon Ward Community Association (298428)
Hardington Preschool (1027621)
Helyar’s Almshouses (245432)
Highbridge Community Hall Trust (1050379)
Horton Village Hall (304563)
James Hooper (238533)
Jodies Cyprus Dog Rehoming (1156497)
Kathleen Nora Osborne’s Charity For Podimore Church No 1 (1053462)
Kathleen Nora Osborne’s Charity For Podimore Church No 2 (1053463)
Keinton Mandeville Parent Staff Association (1036784)
Kingsbrompton Young Farmers’ Club (276491)
Living Community Association (1146552)
Long Load Village Hall (304576)
Luxborough Village Field & Hall Charity (1002869)
Marston Magna Village Hall (1001696)
Milborne Port Womens Institute (1030073)
Minehead Sailing And Watersports Club (1118807)
Njenni Enterprise (1139157)
North Somerset Young Farmers’ Club (274563)
Oake And Bradford Under Fives (1030799)
Oakhill School PTA (1052096)
Octopus Children’s Daycare (1059619)
Perrott Hill School Foundation (1054025)
Phoenix Sports Association For The Disabled (298779)
Priddy Playgroup (1056258)
Puriton Village Hall Trust (269239)
Reckleford Youth And Community Centre (304695)
Royal Naval Association Chard Branch (1069795)
Sarah Woodcock (238535)
Science Lodge Benevolent Fund (201549)
Sherborne Sports Trust Limited (1102315)
Sir John Strangeways (238937)
Somerset Waterways Development Trust (1112992)
South Somerset Muslim Cultural Association (1070349)
Stoke St Michael Community Field (304639)
Street Club And Institute (Crispin Hall) (304646)
Supporters Of Abbey Park (1102527)
Sydenham Community Association (1129401)
Taunton And District Civic Society (297710)
Taunton Voluntary Action (1097427)
The Abbeyfield Weston-S-Mare Society Ltd (242576)
The Austin Memorial Almshouse Charity (1000628)
The Cheeke And Stodgell Educational Foundation (310182)
The Earl Of Ilchester’s Gift (240391)
The Educational Charities Of Sir Thomas Wroth (310183)
The Exeter Leukaemia Fund (297910)
The Friends Of Bristol Haematology And Oncology Centre (264136)
The Friends Of St Nicholas Church West Pennard (1092529)
The Heneage Charity (1041408)
The Kingfisher Christian Camp Trust (1013510)
The Natural Communities Foundation (1141295)
The North Dorset Railway Trust (1087161)
The Pople Charitable Trust (1063231)
The Red Room (304643)
The Strawberry Line Society (284005)
The Terence Mills Trust (1111446)
The Warehouse Trust (1120851)
The Wessex Garrisons Limited (1103494)
The Westcountry Horological Trust (1082255)
The Western Union Of Unitarian And Free Christian Churches (251033)
Thomas Deane Eames (253652)
Tintinhull Pre-School (1044968)
Trinity School Appeal Trust (298589)
Village Hall (304542)
Washford Village Memorial Hall (271289)
Weare Memorial Hall (272076)
Wellington & District Townswomen’s Guild (1083947)
Wellington And Taunton Young Farmers Club (295736)
Wessex 4x4 Response Association (1114087)
Wessex Branch Of The Western Front Association (1142787)
West Of England Falconry Ltd (1152982)
Whetstone’s Almshouses (203649)
Whitecross Village Community Association (1086854)
Yeovil Great Lyde Scout Group (1068829)