Charity in a Box

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

Rother Voluntary Action (RVA): 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 - Rother Voluntary Action).

  • “We help 1000s of volunteers and voluntary organisations get the most out of opportunities.” (rva.uk.com)

2. East Sussex’s charities, from outside

East Sussex's charities at a glance. 775 charities are based here: 14.2 for every 10,000 residents. 19% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 36% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in East Sussex in 5 of 25 fields of charity work.

775 charities are based in East Sussex, 14.2 for every 10,000 residents, where 22% of residents are on low incomes. 19% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 8% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 36% of the area’s charity income.

The 25 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where East Sussex 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: 5 of 25.

Dyslexia: 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 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 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 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 areasMental health: 1.4 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 37% of England's areasHospice care: 0.9 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 41% of England's areasLearning disability: 2.6 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 41% of England's areasDrug and alcohol services: 4.3 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 49% of England's areasCommunity foundations: 9.3 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 49% 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 52% of England's areasRural communities: 0.2 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 52% of England's areasBefriending: 0.1 per 10,000 Befriending: people living alone as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 62% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 0.8 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 66% of England's areasVeterans: 2.8 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 68% of England's areasFood aid: 1.7 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 69% of England's areasAlmshouses: 11.6 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 71% 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 74% of England's areasDisability services: 1.1 per 10,000 Disability services: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.5 in England's median area; higher than 80% of England's areasRiding for the disabled: 1.0 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 80% of England's areasCadets: 1.9 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 82% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 51.2 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 82% of England's areasYoung people with SEND: 47.9 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 89% of England's areasCommunity transport: 3.9 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 90% of England's areasHomelessness: 18.4 per 10,000 Homelessness: households found homeless as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 92% of England's areas
Dyslexia
Families with young children
Legal help
Older people living alone
Youth centres
Mental health
Hospice care
Learning disability
Drug and alcohol services
Community foundations
Kidney patients
Rural communities
Befriending
Unpaid carers
Veterans
Food aid
Almshouses
Young people
Disability services
Riding for the disabled
Cadets
Local infrastructure
Young people with SEND
Community transport
Homelessness

East Sussex: 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: 353 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 199 charitiesReligious activities: 186 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 142 charitiesHealth: 141 charitiesDisability: 134 charitiesPoverty relief: 122 charitiesAmateur sport: 100 charitiesEnvironment: 95 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 92 charitiesRecreation: 70 charitiesOther purposes: 69 charities
East Sussex775 charities
Education/training353
General charitable purposes199
Religious activities186
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…142
Health141
Disability134
Poverty relief122
Amateur sport100
Environment95
Economic/community developme…92
Recreation70
Other purposes69

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 East Sussex.

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.

775 charities are based in East Sussex

Bluesky / X: 775 charities are based in East Sussex: 14.2 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/rother-voluntary-action-rva.html

LinkedIn: 775 charities are based in East Sussex: 14.2 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/rother-voluntary-action-rva.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

19% of East Sussex's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 19% of East Sussex'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/rother-voluntary-action-rva.html

LinkedIn: 19% of East Sussex'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/rother-voluntary-action-rva.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

East Sussex is thin in 5 of 25 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in East Sussex in 5 of them: dyslexia, families with young children, legal help. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/rother-voluntary-action-rva.html

LinkedIn: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in East Sussex in 5 of them: dyslexia, families with young children, legal help. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/rother-voluntary-action-rva.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.