Charity in a Box

Prepared for Bexley Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) by Adrian Taylor, 2026-10-05. If you work there and would rather this page came down, say so and it comes down.

Bexley Voluntary Service Council (BVSC): what the records show, and what we could do together

Adrian Taylor

Adrian Taylor runs Charity in a Box, after twenty years working in charities and public services. About Adrian.

1. What you say, and where we read it

We read your website (Home | Bexley Voluntary Service Council) and your public channels.

  • “We support the voluntary & community sector with governance, development, funding & connections with other groups across… More ...” (bvsc.co.uk)
  • “Our new community directory may be able to help you, click below to access.” (bvsc.co.uk)
  • “Our Mission Statement BVSC exists to promote voluntary and community action as a means of improving the quality of life for people in Bexley by; Supporting the work of voluntary organisations and volunteers in Bexley.” (bvsc.co.uk/about-us)

Your channels: linkedin (closed to readers, not read); facebook (closed to readers, not read); instagram (closed to readers, not read).

2. Bexley’s charities, from outside

Bexley's charities at a glance. 189 charities are based here: 7.7 for every 10,000 residents. 13% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 64% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in Bexley in 12 of 24 fields of charity work, and Bexley is in the thinnest fifth of England's areas in 1 more.

189 charities are based in Bexley, 7.7 for every 10,000 residents, where 19% of residents are on low incomes. 13% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 9% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 64% of the area’s charity income.

The 24 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where Bexley stands among England’s 152 areas for the presence of the national network per person in need. Gold bars are the fields where no presence is recorded here (12 of 24) and those in the thinnest fifth of areas (1).

Befriending: 0 per 10,000 Befriending: people living alone as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 86 of England's 152 areasCommunity transport: 0 per 10,000 Community transport: households with no car or van as a share of residents here, against 0.7 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 35 of England's 152 areasDisability services: 0 per 10,000 Disability services: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.5 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 41 of England's 152 areasDrug and alcohol services: 0 per 10,000 Drug and alcohol services: people estimated to use opiates and/or crack cocaine as a share of residents here, against 4.3 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 48 of England's 151 areasFamilies with young children: 0 per 10,000 Families with young children: children under five as a share of residents here, against 0.6 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 68 of England's 152 areasHomelessness: 0 per 10,000 Homelessness: households found homeless as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 91 of England's 135 areasKidney patients: 0 per 10,000 Kidney patients: adults with chronic kidney disease as a share of residents here, against 0.2 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 75 of England's 151 areasLegal help: 0 per 10,000 Legal help: people on low incomes as a share of residents here, against 0.1 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 69 of England's 152 areasCommunity foundations: 0 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 44 of England's 152 areasOlder people living alone: 0 per 10,000 Older people living alone: people aged 66 and over living alone as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 85 of England's 152 areasYouth centres: 0 per 10,000 Youth centres: young people aged 8 to 18 as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 134 of England's 152 areasVeterans: 0 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 42 of England's 152 areasFood aid: 0.4 per 10,000 Food aid: people on Universal Credit as a share of residents here, against 1.1 in England's median area; higher than 16% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthYoung people with SEND: 12.3 per 10,000 Young people with SEND: young people aged 16 to 25 with EHC plans as a share of residents here, against 12.9 in England's median area; higher than 48% of England's areasAlmshouses: 5.0 per 10,000 Almshouses: people aged 60 and over in income deprivation as a share of residents here, against 5.4 in England's median area; higher than 49% of England's areasHospice care: 1.0 per 10,000 Hospice care: residents aged 75 and over (Census 2021 TS007) as a share of residents here, against 1.0 in England's median area; higher than 52% of England's areasCadets: 1.1 per 10,000 Cadets: young people aged 10 to 18 as a share of residents here, against 1.0 in England's median area; higher than 55% of England's areasYoung people: 0.5 per 10,000 Young people: young people (Census 2021) as a share of residents here, against 0.4 in England's median area; higher than 60% of England's areasRiding for the disabled: 0.6 per 10,000 Riding for the disabled: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.3 in England's median area; higher than 61% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 50.8 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 80% of England's areasLearning disability: 7.2 per 10,000 Learning disability: people on GP learning disability registers as a share of residents here, against 3.9 in England's median area; higher than 83% of England's areasDyslexia: 13.3 per 10,000 Dyslexia: pupils with a specific learning difficulty as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 88% of England's areasMental health: 8.6 per 10,000 Mental health: people on GP mental health registers as a share of residents here, against 2.7 in England's median area; higher than 89% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 1.6 per 10,000 Unpaid carers: unpaid carers (Census 2021) as a share of residents here, against 0.6 in England's median area; higher than 90% of England's areas
Befriending
Community transport
Disability services
Drug and alcohol services
Families with young children
Homelessness
Kidney patients
Legal help
Community foundations
Older people living alone
Youth centres
Veterans
Food aid
Young people with SEND
Almshouses
Hospice care
Cadets
Young people
Riding for the disabled
Local infrastructure
Learning disability
Dyslexia
Mental health
Unpaid carers

Bexley: the bar is where the area stands among England's 152 areasnone recorded here, or in the thinnest fifthEngland's median area

Point at a bar for its figures.

Who does the work here, by register purpose

Religious activities: 90 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 77 charitiesEducation/training: 73 charitiesPoverty relief: 52 charitiesHealth: 39 charitiesDisability: 35 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 24 charitiesAmateur sport: 22 charitiesOther purposes: 19 charitiesOverseas aid: 18 charitiesHousing: 16 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 16 charities
Bexley189 charities
Religious activities90
General charitable purposes77
Education/training73
Poverty relief52
Health39
Disability35
Economic/community developme…24
Amateur sport22
Other purposes19
Overseas aid18
Housing16
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…16

A charity records up to three purposes, so the circles overlap. Point at one for its count.

Researchers who studied how charities support people with dementia across the United Kingdom concluded:

“National and local data sources could help charities and commissioners begin to identify inequalities of provision.”

Mayrhofer, Goodman, Lafortune, Smeeton, Littlechild, Shora and Bunn, Voluntary Sector Review, first published 2021. Read the paper.

This page is that view for Bexley.

3. Sample campaign

Three posts in your voice from the figures above, each with its picture, ready to use. Every figure is from public information and no charity is named.

189 charities are based in Bexley

Bluesky / X: 189 charities are based in Bexley: 7.7 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/bexley-voluntary-service-council-bvsc.html

LinkedIn: 189 charities are based in Bexley: 7.7 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/bexley-voluntary-service-council-bvsc.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

13% of Bexley's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 13% of Bexley's charities show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. Which fields, and who else is at work: https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/bexley-voluntary-service-council-bvsc.html

LinkedIn: 13% of Bexley's charities show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. Which fields, and who else is at work: https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/bexley-voluntary-service-council-bvsc.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

Bexley is thin in 13 of 24 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 24 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Bexley in 13 of them: befriending, community transport, disability services. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/bexley-voluntary-service-council-bvsc.html

LinkedIn: Across 24 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Bexley in 13 of them: befriending, community transport, disability services. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/bexley-voluntary-service-council-bvsc.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

4. What working together looks like

What you getWhat it costs
The area reportYour area's charities from outside: how many, how exposed, which fields of charity work are thin here, who else does the work the known networks don't, what the money looks like, the year-on-year change. A page like this one, in full, refreshed each quarter as the new reports arrive.£600 once, or £1,200 a year with four refreshes
The members' viewThe same page for each of your member organisations' fields, so a member sees where it stands beside the rest of its field in your area.from £1,500 a year, by your income band
A campaign from the findingsThree to five posts a month in your voice, each with its picture, from your area's own figures.£250 a month

The first month: a twenty-minute call, your page in full within a week, and the first campaign posts the week after. Prices are set by income band from the public register and are the same for everyone in the band.

5. How to say yes

Reply to the email with a day that suits, call or text Adrian on the number in the email (it is on the Contact page too), or write to adrian@charityinabox.uk.

What this can and cannot say. These are counts over groups of charities and places from their own returns and reports and from national statistics. They do not rank any charity, name any, or say why. A thin field is one where the known network is thin for the people counted here, not one where nobody is helped.

Built from public information: the Charity Commission for England and Wales register and the annual reports charities file with it (OGL v3.0); Census 2021 (ONS); the English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); the Claimant Count (ONS). Privacy.