Charity in a Box

Prepared for Community Action: MK by Adrian Taylor, 2026-10-05. If you work there and would rather this page came down, say so and it comes down.

Community Action: MK: 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 (Community Action: MK – Supporting the voluntary and community sector of Milton Keynes) and your public channels.

  • “We strengthen communities, support voluntary organisations, grow volunteering, and bring partners together to create long-term change across The City.” (CommunityActionMK.org/about)
  • “We bring people together and support them to take effective, collective action in their communities.” (CommunityActionMK.org/about)
  • “We support charities and community groups with information, advice and good practice about governance, funding and organisational development, and provide training and networking opportunities.” (CommunityActionMK.org/about)

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

2. Milton Keynes’s charities, from outside

Milton Keynes's charities at a glance. 291 charities are based here: 10.1 for every 10,000 residents. 15% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 60% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in Milton Keynes in 10 of 25 fields of charity work, and Milton Keynes is in the thinnest fifth of England's areas in 1 more.

291 charities are based in Milton Keynes, 10.1 for every 10,000 residents, where 21% of residents are on low incomes. 15% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 7% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 60% of the area’s charity income.

The 25 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where Milton Keynes 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 (10 of 25) 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 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 areasDyslexia: 0 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 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 104 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 areasMental health: 0 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 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 51 of England's 151 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 areasRiding for the disabled: 0 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 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 46 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 areasCadets: 0.6 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 16% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthYoung people with SEND: 10.0 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 39% of England's areasCommunity transport: 0.5 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 42% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 0.5 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 43% of England's areasFamilies with young children: 0.6 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 51% of England's areasLearning disability: 5.4 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 68% of England's areasHospice care: 1.2 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 68% of England's areasAlmshouses: 11.9 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 72% of England's areasVeterans: 3.0 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 72% of England's areasYoung people: 0.8 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 78% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 53.2 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 84% of England's areasRural communities: 0.5 per 10,000 Rural communities: people in rural neighbourhoods as a share of residents here, against 0.1 in England's median area; higher than 85% of England's areasDisability services: 1.9 per 10,000 Disability services: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.5 in England's median area; higher than 92% of England's areasCommunity foundations: 35.5 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 93% of England's areasFood aid: 3.9 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 96% of England's areas
Befriending
Drug and alcohol services
Dyslexia
Homelessness
Kidney patients
Legal help
Mental health
Older people living alone
Riding for the disabled
Youth centres
Cadets
Young people with SEND
Community transport
Unpaid carers
Families with young children
Learning disability
Hospice care
Almshouses
Veterans
Young people
Local infrastructure
Rural communities
Disability services
Community foundations
Food aid

Milton Keynes: 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

Education/training: 139 charitiesReligious activities: 107 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 102 charitiesPoverty relief: 60 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 50 charitiesAmateur sport: 50 charitiesDisability: 44 charitiesHealth: 40 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 37 charitiesOther purposes: 34 charitiesHousing: 24 charitiesOverseas aid: 24 charities
Milton Keynes291 charities
Education/training139
Religious activities107
General charitable purposes102
Poverty relief60
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…50
Amateur sport50
Disability44
Health40
Economic/community developme…37
Other purposes34
Housing24
Overseas aid24

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 Milton Keynes.

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.

291 charities are based in Milton Keynes

Bluesky / X: 291 charities are based in Milton Keynes: 10.1 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/community-action-mk.html

LinkedIn: 291 charities are based in Milton Keynes: 10.1 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/community-action-mk.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

15% of Milton Keynes's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 15% of Milton Keynes'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/community-action-mk.html

LinkedIn: 15% of Milton Keynes'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/community-action-mk.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

Milton Keynes is thin in 11 of 25 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Milton Keynes in 11 of them: befriending, drug and alcohol services, dyslexia. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/community-action-mk.html

LinkedIn: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Milton Keynes in 11 of them: befriending, drug and alcohol services, dyslexia. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/community-action-mk.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.