Charity in a Box

Prepared for Harrogate and District 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.

Harrogate and District 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 (Harrogate & District Community Action | Harrogate & District Community Action) and your public channels.

  • “Our directory of local charity services, support groups & activities.” (hadca.org.uk)
  • “Our Volunteering Directory offers a wide range of opportunities to give time and help out in the local area.” (hadca.org.uk)
  • “Our HELP services support people to live safe and well and to stay connected with their communities.” (hadca.org.uk)

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

2. North Yorkshire’s charities, from outside

North Yorkshire's charities at a glance. 841 charities are based here: 13.7 for every 10,000 residents. 18% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 26% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in North Yorkshire in 2 of 25 fields of charity work.

841 charities are based in North Yorkshire, 13.7 for every 10,000 residents, where 15% of residents are on low incomes. 18% 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 26% of the area’s charity income.

The 25 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where North Yorkshire 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: 2 of 25.

Homelessness: 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 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 24% of England's areasCommunity foundations: 3.3 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 30% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 26.0 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 40% of England's areasMental health: 1.9 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 40% 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 50% of England's areasCadets: 1.0 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 51% of England's areasKidney patients: 0.3 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 53% of England's areasFood aid: 1.4 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 57% 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 57% of England's areasFamilies with young children: 0.7 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 57% of England's areasVeterans: 2.0 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 57% of England's areasYoung people with SEND: 18.7 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 58% of England's areasDrug and alcohol services: 4.9 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 60% of England's areasBefriending: 0.2 per 10,000 Befriending: people living alone as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 70% of England's areasLearning disability: 5.7 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 71% of England's areasDyslexia: 4.1 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 72% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 1.3 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 80% of England's areasCommunity transport: 3.5 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 87% of England's areasRiding for the disabled: 1.3 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 88% of England's areasAlmshouses: 33.5 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 94% of England's areasOlder people living alone: 2.4 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 94% of England's areasYoung people: 1.5 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 95% of England's areasDisability services: 2.2 per 10,000 Disability services: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.5 in England's median area; higher than 96% of England's areas
Homelessness
Youth centres
Rural communities
Community foundations
Local infrastructure
Mental health
Hospice care
Cadets
Kidney patients
Food aid
Legal help
Families with young children
Veterans
Young people with SEND
Drug and alcohol services
Befriending
Learning disability
Dyslexia
Unpaid carers
Community transport
Riding for the disabled
Almshouses
Older people living alone
Young people
Disability services

North Yorkshire: 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: 396 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 238 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 170 charitiesAmateur sport: 161 charitiesReligious activities: 145 charitiesDisability: 138 charitiesHealth: 121 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 119 charitiesRecreation: 116 charitiesEnvironment: 105 charitiesPoverty relief: 99 charitiesOther purposes: 66 charities
North Yorkshire841 charities
Education/training396
General charitable purposes238
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…170
Amateur sport161
Religious activities145
Disability138
Health121
Economic/community developme…119
Recreation116
Environment105
Poverty relief99
Other purposes66

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 North Yorkshire.

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.

841 charities are based in North Yorkshire

Bluesky / X: 841 charities are based in North Yorkshire: 13.7 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/harrogate-and-district-community-action.html

LinkedIn: 841 charities are based in North Yorkshire: 13.7 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/harrogate-and-district-community-action.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

18% of North Yorkshire's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 18% of North Yorkshire'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/harrogate-and-district-community-action.html

LinkedIn: 18% of North Yorkshire'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/harrogate-and-district-community-action.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

North Yorkshire is thin in 2 of 25 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in North Yorkshire in 2 of them: homelessness, youth centres. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/harrogate-and-district-community-action.html

LinkedIn: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in North Yorkshire in 2 of them: homelessness, youth centres. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/harrogate-and-district-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.