Charity in a Box

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

Lewisham Local: 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 (Lewisham Local) and your public channels.

  • “We offer a range of support for community groups looking to develop as well as promote partner support services for individuals, community groups and businesses.” (lewishamlocal.com)

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

2. Lewisham’s charities, from outside

Lewisham's charities at a glance. 343 charities are based here: 11.4 for every 10,000 residents. 23% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 39% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in Lewisham in 10 of 23 fields of charity work.

343 charities are based in Lewisham, 11.4 for every 10,000 residents, where 29% of residents are on low incomes. 23% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 6% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 39% of the area’s charity income.

The 23 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where Lewisham 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 23.

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 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 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 areasYoung people with SEND: 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 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 41 of England's 151 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 areasYoung people: 0 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 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 54 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 areasDisability services: 0.2 per 10,000 Disability services: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.5 in England's median area; higher than 32% of England's areasHospice care: 0.8 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 37% of England's areasRiding for the disabled: 0.2 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 40% of England's areasAlmshouses: 4.9 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 47% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 31.7 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 49% 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 areasLearning disability: 4.5 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 58% of England's areasFood aid: 1.8 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 70% of England's areasMental health: 5.6 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 77% of England's areasDyslexia: 10.0 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 84% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 1.5 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 88% of England's areasDrug and alcohol services: 10.8 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 90% of England's areasOlder people living alone: 2.1 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 90% of England's areas
Befriending
Community transport
Families with young children
Kidney patients
Legal help
Community foundations
Young people with SEND
Youth centres
Young people
Veterans
Disability services
Hospice care
Riding for the disabled
Almshouses
Local infrastructure
Cadets
Learning disability
Food aid
Mental health
Dyslexia
Unpaid carers
Drug and alcohol services
Older people living alone

Lewisham: 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: 184 charitiesReligious activities: 144 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 121 charitiesPoverty relief: 94 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 76 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 62 charitiesDisability: 48 charitiesHealth: 42 charitiesAmateur sport: 35 charitiesOther purposes: 28 charitiesHuman rights, equality: 25 charitiesRecreation: 25 charities
Lewisham343 charities
Education/training184
Religious activities144
General charitable purposes121
Poverty relief94
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…76
Economic/community developme…62
Disability48
Health42
Amateur sport35
Other purposes28
Human rights, equality25
Recreation25

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 Lewisham.

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.

343 charities are based in Lewisham

Bluesky / X: 343 charities are based in Lewisham: 11.4 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/lewisham-local.html

LinkedIn: 343 charities are based in Lewisham: 11.4 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/lewisham-local.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

23% of Lewisham's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 23% of Lewisham'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/lewisham-local.html

LinkedIn: 23% of Lewisham'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/lewisham-local.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

Lewisham is thin in 10 of 23 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 23 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Lewisham in 10 of them: befriending, community transport, families with young children. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/lewisham-local.html

LinkedIn: Across 23 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Lewisham in 10 of them: befriending, community transport, families with young children. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/lewisham-local.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.