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home >> charity search >> surfers against sewage
Finance Score: 3
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 15
  • Liabilities <10%: +3
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Fundraising costs high: -2
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Large volunteer base +5
  • Award winner
  • Overall weighted support: +10
Overall GiG Score: 27 ?

SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE

Overview

Originating as a beach cleaning charity in 2012, Surfers Against Sewage has evolved to drive holistic societal change in attitudes toward the environment. They now campaign on government policy, create plastic free urban communities and have a presence in schools, educating future conservationists.

The loyalty of their large volunteer base and dedication of regional representatives (who help manage cleans across the UK) has been key to their growth, and increased regular donations from memberships to support community cleans. Plans are to reach 2030 environmental goals that see an end to sewage discharges in UK bathing waters and elimination of all single-use plastic pollution on UK beaches.

Source: Giving is Great

Mission:

Empowering communities to take action that protects oceans, beaches and wildlife against pollution
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • This charity has been very successful in attracting volunteers relative to its size
  • The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
  • This charity is a recent Award Winner
  • This charity has a robust balance sheet
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Financial issues to consider:

  • Fundraising costs are high relative to funds raised

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k		 Spending
£k		 Surplus/
Deficit £k		 Fundraising
Cost £k		 Total
Funds £k		 Unrestricted
Funds £k		 Mths
Rsrvs		 Staff Volun-
teers
31/12/23£2,895£2,996£-101£605£2,436£2,1828.74198,779
31/12/22£2,783£2,369£414£398£2,538£2,35311.928286,636
31/12/21£2,445£2,036£408£293£2,123£2,01311.924142,428
31/12/20£1,646£1,243£403£149£1,715£1,53614.82014,491
31/12/19£2,329£1,780£549£171£1,312£1,2478.42190,564
31/12/18£1,520£1,258£262£168£763£7397190
31/12/17£1,172£946£225£79£501£3814.8120
31/12/16£1,010£949£60£55£276£2403130
31/12/15£943£909£34£57£215£2082.7110
31/12/14£817£797£19£53£181£1752.6110
31/12/13*£641£635£6£36£162£120.290
31/12/12£514£531£-17£30£156£1563.590
Show more rows -->

Download accounts
Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 21.3%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 20.2%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 3%
Highest pay band: £70,000-£80,000
Liabilities/Assets: 8%
Liabilities/Income: 7%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 90%
Reserves/Spending: 8.7 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 9 months
Quick Ratio: 10.3
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 13 years
(30 years as a company)

www.sas.org.uk

info@sas.org.uk

01872553001

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookXYouTube
UN SDGs
?
How you can help
What it does
Surfers Against Sewage is a national marine conservation and campaigning charity that inspires, unites and empowers communities to take action to protect oceans, beaches, waves and wildlife.
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
  • Environment/Conservation/Heritage
GiG Classification
  • Environment conservation & animal welfare advocacy
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Awards received
  • Charity Awards 2018 Environment & Conservation Charity
    •
Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Postcode Earth Trust£600,000
Esmee Fairbairn£346,763
The EQ Foundation£40,200
The Grocers' Charity£15,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months		 To be used for
The Grocers' Charity - 2023 Grant Ad Hoc - Surfers Against Sewage
£15,000 28/04/2023
to support the end of plastic pollution
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Surfers Against Sewage
£29,000 20/02/2023
Towards unrestricted core costs as a Cost of Living Uplift
Postcode Earth Trust - Special Award 2022 - year 2
£300,000 07/02/2023
One-off award
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Surfers Against Sewage
£290,000 26/04/2022
36
Towards core costs for empowering communities across the UK with knowledge and tools to take action to protect, improve and restore coastal and inland waters, with a focus on rivers
The EQ Foundation - Grant to SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE
£10,000 15/02/2022
Big Give Champion Pledge
Postcode Earth Trust - Special Award 2022
£300,000 10/02/2022
One-off award
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Surfers against Sewage
£15,000 10/03/2021
Unrestricted
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Surfers Against Sewage
£27,763 05/05/2020
6
towards unrestricted core costs as a COVID-19 Fast Response grant
The EQ Foundation - Grant to SURFERS AGAINST SEWAGE
£15,200 26/03/2020
Unrestricted
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch - Surfers Against Sewage
£22,000 19/12/2018
SAS will scope and develop a three-year strategic plan to grow the All Party Parliamentary Group into a collaborative voice for the ocean at the heart of the Government, in association with the Marine CoLABoration.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Surfers Against Sewage
£200,000 26/09/2018
36
Towards Plastic Free Communities, an initiative designed to unite and empower individuals, businesses, local government and community groups to reducing their collective plastic footprint.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (3 Years) award
£90,000 13/04/2018
36
Surfers Against Sewage - Regional Representative Project
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch - Surfers Against Sewage
£45,000 22/06/2017
A new campaign to persuade UK MPs (Members of Parliament) to end the use of disposable plastic items in Parliament buildings. The campaign will increase public and political awareness of the impact of our throwaway plastic culture.
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch - Surfers Against Sewage
£20,000 25/10/2016
To increase understanding of and influence on politicians' views on marine conservation issues through supporting the development of the Waves APPG (All Party Parliamentary Group).
Dulverton Trust - Regional Coastal Environmental Volunteers
£10,000 23/10/2013
Regional Coastal Environmental Volunteers
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Surfers Against Sewage
£23,000 08/07/2009
12
Towards Project costs Towards the cost of the 'Protect our Waves' campaign.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How do they operate?

Beach Cleaning

Objectives: To clean beaches of plastics, waste and other pollution

Beneficiaries: Communities throughout the UK

Description: Beach cleaning is their flagship activity and gives volunteers in local communities around the UK the chance to participate in large scale clean ups of beaches. They are supported by regional representatives, who themselves are volunteers, and help with co-ordination of cleans

Education - Ocean Schools

Objectives: To equip, empower and inspire the next generation of ocean conservationists

Beneficiaries: School children and their communities across the UK

Description: Ocean Schools is an outdoor summer camp that combines pupil-led exploration with authentic educators and environmental protection. It deepens young peoples’ connection with the ocean environment, creating opportunities to protect them in their own unique ways. Activities can range from interactive biology teachings in coastal habitats and mini-ecosystems to the simple citizenship lessons in hard work and collective action that a volunteer beach clean provides

Plastic Free Communities

Objectives: To eliminate single-use plastics across communities in the UK

Beneficiaries: Communities throughout the UK

Description: Plastic Free Communities is a unique holistic framework uniting individuals, local businesses, local government, schools and community groups to build a network that reduces their single-use plastic output. Their guidance toolkit is designed to enable communities to take on the challenge of reducing their reliance on single-use plastics and complete a 5-step plan to be accredited as a Plastic Free Community location. The campaign is specifically designed to be accessible to everyone and support a new wave of activism within villages, towns and cities to reduce single-use plastic consumption.

Water Quality and Safer Seas Service app

Objectives: To end ocean sewage pollution and guarantee safe seas

Beneficiaries: Communities throughout the UK

Description: Supported by peer-reviewed evidence, the Surfers Against Sewage network of ocean activists are challenging the government and water companies to end sewage pollution in rivers and the ocean. They are providing the only national real-time water quality service that protects all water users from pollution.

Their Safer Seas Service is an innovative mobile app providing real time water quality information. It allows surfers, swimmers and other water users to find beaches with the best water quality, and to avoid pollution and associated health risks. The app provides vital public health information, but also allows users to take action to

....more
Ocean Conservation All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)

Objectives: To raise serious environmental threats and marine conservation campaigns directly with government

Beneficiaries: Communities throughout the UK

Description: The APPG uses a parliamentary presence to facilitate dialogue from those working in the ocean sector, campaigning and publishing reports that will promote conservation action. It has brought together hundreds of MPs and participants who share an interest in marine conservation issues and used the platform to raise serious environmental threats directly with politicians and senior civil servants

Education - Plastic Free Schools

Objectives: To eliminate single-use plastics in schools across the UK and encourage young environmental activists

Beneficiaries: School children and their communities across the UK

Description: Plastic Free Schools teaches pupils how to run their own campaign in the fight against single-use plastic; from challenging government and industry to creating tangible change in their schools and forming sustainable habits that will continue into adulthood. The programme equips pupils with the relevant skills to be able to run future campaigns on any issue they feel is important and to understand the strength they have in driving change

Comment: The charity's large number of volunteers mean staff need help from regional representatives (who are also volunteers) to manage their operations. These representatives are located across the UK and are key to the co-ordination of beach cleans, local campaigning and scientific report advising

Source: Giving is Great

How effective are they?
Outputs
Outcomes
Y/EBeach and community cleans organisedVolunteers participating in cleans Kgs of plastic and litter removed
31/12/202212,494282,116789,925
31/12/20214,000142,428400,000
31/12/202081914,49117,606
Y/ECommunity cleans organised for Million Mile Clean campaignVolunteers participating in beach cleansKgs of plastic and litter removed
31/12/20214,000142,428400,000
Notes: Their Million Mile Clean campaign launched after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their ability to organise community beach cleans. Since its launch, they have been able to increase volunteering engagement and amounts of plastic and litter removed from communities significantly

Commentary: Significant volunteering efforts are key to their continued growth of recycled plastic pollution. This core intervention is the basis for growth in their other positive outcomes, including momentum to engage with parliament and organisation of litter cleans in urban areas
See what you could achieve with a donation of: £
How do we calculate this?

Who works here?

  • GILES BRISTOW
    CEO
    Appointed: July 2023
Giles made his way to SaS via a career as an environmental lawyer and working at senior level in environmental NGOs in climate & energy, food, and marine systems.
  • PETE LEWIS
    Director of Fundraising
    Appointed: June 2010
Pete started his career in Corporate Event Management before moving into the charity sector, working for Whale & Dolphin Conservation (WDC). After 5 years in various fundraising roles he became fundraising lead at Surfers Against Sewage
  • FIONA KILBRIDE
    Finance Director
    Appointed: November 2022
  • DANI JORDAN
    Director of Campaigns & Communities
    Appointed: July 2023
  • PETE WARMAN
    Director of HR & Operations
    Appointed: 2022

How is it governed?

Trustees (10)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 42-67
  • CHRIS HIDES Appointed: 2012 Occupation: PR Consultant
Chris has 16 years PR consultancy experience running consumer, business to business, corporate and trade campaigns for some of the best known brands in the UK. He is the Managing Director of M&C Saatchi PR and is responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. He also plays a strategic and creative role across all agency clients....more
  • DR HEATHER JANE KOLDEWEY Appointed: 2017 Occupation: Director
Heather started working for the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) in 1995, initially as a research scientist, then as curator of the ZSL London Zoo Aquarium, and currently as Head of Global Conservation Programmes. She finds solutions through interdisciplinary research and conservation action on the interface between communities and environment.
  • DANIEL CROCKETT Appointed: 2022 Occupation: Charity Director
Dan is Ocean and Climate Director of Blue Marine Foundation. Based in London, Blue Marine supports marine protected areas, fights unsustainable fishing and restores marine habitats. Dan leads a specialist unit focused on building the value of the ocean as a solution to climate change. In this capacity he supports various ocean climate science,....more
  • GABRIEL WILLIAM DAVIES Appointed: 2024 Occupation: Company Director
  • JENIFER ANNE RICHARDSON Appointed: 2024 Occupation: Certified Accountant
  • JON KHOO (Chair) Appointed: 2017 Occupation: Director
Jon is an Innovation Partner at Interface, a world-leading modular flooring company that positively impacts the planet where he focuses on sustainability, inclusive business and intrapreneurship. Following a former career as a city lawyer, he joined Interface in 2012 having chosen to reapply his skills to tackle the global challenges of marine....more
  • LAUREN DAVIES Appointed: 2012 Occupation: Writer
Lauren graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge with both an Honours degree and a Masters degree in Law. She worked as a corporate solicitor in London before following her dream to become a writer. She is an authority on surfing and wrote the script for the multiple award-winning surf documentary, Waveriders.
  • LESLEY KAZAN-PINFIELD Appointed: 2012 Occupation: Knitwear Designer
Lesley has had a varied career, including screen printer, knitwear designer, ghostwriter and seaside landlady. In the early days of Surfers Against Sewage, she was Honorary Treasurer, becoming a non-executive director when the first Board was formed in 1993. She lives next to a sewage pumping station with her youngest daughter Inez, whose father,....more
  • LUCY DANIELLE SIEGLE Appointed: 2018 Occupation: Journalist
Lucy is a journalist, television presenter and author of 'Turning the Tide on Plastic' as Trustees. She is a leader in progressive environmental action and awareness in the fashion and media sectors.
  • THOMAS EDWARD LEWIS Appointed: 2024 Occupation: Retired
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 13/02/2012, number: 1145877
  • Registered at Companies House on 20/04/1994, number: 02920815
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
12 returns made; AR13: 12 days late,
Main office

UNIT 2 WHEAL KITTY WORKSHOPS
WHEAL KITTY
ST. AGNES
CORNWALL
TR5 0RD

Objectives

TO UNDERTAKE AND PROMOTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC THE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION, IMPROVEMENT AND ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT INCLUDING ASSOCIATED LAND, SHORELINE AND STRUCTURES.TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION, IMPROVEMENT AND ECOLOGICALLY SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT INCLUDING ASSOCIATED LAND, SHORELINE AND STRUCTURES.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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