The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society

Analysis

The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in West Sussex. It was registered in February 1964, 62 years ago. Its declared purposes cover the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under poverty relief. It says it makes grants to individuals and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending March 2026, The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society reported income of £1.6m and spending of £2.3m, spending 148% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2022 to March 2026, income fell from £1.7m to £1.6m (-9.8%), an average of -2.6% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 20%. Over the whole period it spent 139% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 95th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include William Harding's Charity (£1.6m), Glow Church UK (£1.6m) and BT Benevolent Fund (£1.6m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 67%, investments 28% and trading 3.8%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £586k. Charitable activities took 83% of spending and raising funds 11%. Reserves of £27.6m would cover about 135 months of spending at that rate. It employed 5 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.