Charity in a Box

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

Durham Community Action: 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 (Durham Community Action Homepage) and your public channels.

  • “We believe County Durham is a better place for having thriving community organisations.” (durhamcommunityaction.org.uk)
  • “We provide brokerage and resources to develop volunteering opportunities and good practice in volunteer involving organisations.” (durhamcommunityaction.org.uk)
  • “We champion volunteering across all sectors in the County, and support people who are new to volunteering to find the right opportunities for them.” (durhamcommunityaction.org.uk)

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

2. County Durham’s charities, from outside

County Durham's charities at a glance. 416 charities are based here: 8.0 for every 10,000 residents. 22% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 53% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in County Durham in 4 of 25 fields of charity work, and County Durham is in the thinnest fifth of England's areas in 1 more.

416 charities are based in County Durham, 8.0 for every 10,000 residents, where 27% of residents are on low incomes. 22% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 11% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 53% of the area’s charity income.

The 25 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where County Durham 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 (4 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 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 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 areasLocal infrastructure: 14.4 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 18% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthFood aid: 0.5 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 24% of England's areasDisability services: 0.1 per 10,000 Disability services: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.5 in England's median area; higher than 27% of England's areasCadets: 0.8 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 34% of England's areasVeterans: 1.3 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 38% of England's areasAlmshouses: 3.3 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 38% of England's areasRural communities: 0.1 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 38% of England's areasDrug and alcohol services: 3.0 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 39% of England's areasYoung people: 0.2 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 40% of England's areasLearning disability: 2.3 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 40% of England's areasCommunity foundations: 7.2 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 42% of England's areasRiding for the disabled: 0.3 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 42% of England's areasLegal help: 0.1 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 50% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 0.6 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 52% of England's areasMental health: 3.2 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 54% of England's areasKidney patients: 0.4 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 58% of England's areasOlder people living alone: 0.6 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 64% 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 66% of England's areasYoung people with SEND: 28.2 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 69% of England's areasCommunity transport: 2.3 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 78% of England's areasDyslexia: 8.9 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 80% of England's areas
Befriending
Families with young children
Homelessness
Youth centres
Local infrastructure
Food aid
Disability services
Cadets
Veterans
Almshouses
Rural communities
Drug and alcohol services
Young people
Learning disability
Community foundations
Riding for the disabled
Legal help
Unpaid carers
Mental health
Kidney patients
Older people living alone
Hospice care
Young people with SEND
Community transport
Dyslexia

County Durham: 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: 235 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 189 charitiesRecreation: 111 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 99 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 97 charitiesDisability: 96 charitiesPoverty relief: 94 charitiesReligious activities: 89 charitiesAmateur sport: 83 charitiesHealth: 77 charitiesEnvironment: 51 charitiesOther purposes: 40 charities
County Durham416 charities
Education/training235
General charitable purposes189
Recreation111
Economic/community developme…99
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…97
Disability96
Poverty relief94
Religious activities89
Amateur sport83
Health77
Environment51
Other purposes40

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 County Durham.

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.

416 charities are based in County Durham

Bluesky / X: 416 charities are based in County Durham: 8.0 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/durham-community-action.html

LinkedIn: 416 charities are based in County Durham: 8.0 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/durham-community-action.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

22% of County Durham's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 22% of County Durham'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/durham-community-action.html

LinkedIn: 22% of County Durham'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/durham-community-action.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

County Durham is thin in 5 of 25 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in County Durham in 5 of them: befriending, families with young children, homelessness. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/durham-community-action.html

LinkedIn: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in County Durham in 5 of them: befriending, families with young children, homelessness. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/durham-community-action.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.