Charity Details

The Royal Society for the Support of Women of Scotland

SC016095Registered charity from 29 July 1952

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Notes:

Previous legal name of charity - Royal Society For The Relief Of Indigent Gentlewomen Of Scotland

Charity Information:

Address 160 Causewayside
Edinburgh

Postcode EH9 1PR

Website www.rssws.org

Regulatory Type Standard

Object:

To provide support and aid to women who are resident in Scotland and are of good character and are single and require assistance by reason of financial hardship, age or ill health in the interest of the general public benefit, AND WE do hereby declare that (in accordance with the rule or practice adopted by the Society) the class of single women forming proper objects of the bounty of the Society shall consist of women who are unmarried, widowed, divorced or separated (by formal separation agreement or in terms of a Court decree) from their spouses or civil partners and who are not "co-habitant" as defined in section 25 of the Family Law (Scotland) Act 2006 including any statutory modifications or reenactment thereof for the time being in force. For the avoidance of doubt, women who have entered into a formal contract of civil partnership and are not separated from their civil partner shall not be held to be single. AND WE do further declare that support and aid may be provided to women resident outwith Scotland who were beneficiaries of the Society at the time of the granting of these presents.

Operations:

What the charity is set up to do and how it does this:

The Society is set up to support single women who are living in Scotland (for at least 2 years) and who are in need. We further restricted support to only women aged 50 or over. Most support is direct financial assistance in the form of ongoing monthly grants paid to top up beneficiaries' income (but we also pay additional one off grants depending on the beneficiary's circumstances). Grants can be paid long-term provided the beneficiary continues to meet our eligibility criteria, but some are paid for a limited period to help a beneficiary during a difficult period or a time of change. We are also piloting working with partner organisations to allow them to nominate eligible women for a grant. The Society also employs a team of caseworkers whose primary role is to assess new applications for support and the continuing eligibility of existing beneficiaries. However, caseworkers also provide "light-touch" advice including signposting & help with social security benefits etc.

Charity Status: Active

Constitutional Form: Statutory corporation (Royal Charter etc)

Constitutional Form Date: 29 Jul 1952

Main Operating Location: City of Edinburgh

Number of Staff: 7

Number of Volunteers: 0

Purposes: "the prevention or relief of poverty", "the relief of those in need by reason of age, ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage"

Beneficiaries: "Older People"

Types Of Activity Undertaken: "It makes grants, donations, loans, gifts or pensions to individuals"

Annual Submissions:

Year End	Income	Expenditure	Annual Return Received	Accounts Received	Latest Annual Reports and Accounts
31 Mar 2022	£1,403,208	£1,464,718	02 Dec 2022	Yes
31 Mar 2023	£1,203,351	£1,990,729	07 Dec 2023	Yes
31 Mar 2024	£1,147,918	£1,737,996	01 Oct 2024	Yes
31 Mar 2025	£6,540,472	£1,864,323	15 Dec 2025	Yes	Visit Charity's Website
31 Mar 2026			No	Annual Information due by 31 Dec 2026
If an annual return has been received on time (within nine months of the Year End Date), the 'Annual Return Received' box is green . If an annual return is late, the box is red .

Income and Expenditure:

Charity Trustees:

First Name	Last Name
Clair	Bryan
Heather	Smith
James	Calvert
John	MacLeod
Bridget	Mustard
Ailsa	Campbell
Carolina	Viola
Joyce	Harvie
Sue	Freeth
Gillian	Fairley
Graeme	Whyte
From 09 March 2026, OSCR is required by law to publish the names of a charity’s trustees as part of its Scottish Charity Register entry. We are also required to publish each charity’s annual report and accounts as received from this date, which may include the names of certain individuals. The only exceptions to publication are where a charity or one of its charity trustees applies for this information to be excluded, and OSCR is satisfied that publishing it would jeopardise the safety or security of a person or premises. If the charity trustee information on a Register entry appears blank, this may mean that an exemption applies or that the charity has not yet provided the required details to OSCR. Supplying this information will become mandatory as part of future annual submissions.

From 30 June 2025, OSCR began collecting charity trustee information through OSCR Online. Providing this information is a legal requirement for all charities. The names of trustees will be published on the Scottish Charity Register from early 2026 to promote transparency and strengthen public trust in the sector.

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the names of a charity’s trustees (exemptions apply)
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