Charity in a Box

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

Tower Hamlets Friends and Neighbours: 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 (Tower Hamlets Friends & Neighbours – Improving lives through befriending services).

  • “Since 1947, we have been visiting older people across Tower Hamlets — listening, helping, and making sure they know someone is there.” (thfn.org.uk)
  • “We go with people to GP and hospital appointments, help with letters and benefits, and speak up alongside them when something goes wrong.” (thfn.org.uk)

2. Tower Hamlets’s charities, from outside

Tower Hamlets's charities at a glance. 618 charities are based here: 19.9 for every 10,000 residents. 26% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 28% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in Tower Hamlets in 8 of 24 fields of charity work, and Tower Hamlets is in the thinnest fifth of England's areas in 1 more.

618 charities are based in Tower Hamlets, 19.9 for every 10,000 residents, where 42% of residents are on low incomes. 26% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 10% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 28% of the area’s charity income.

Befriending in Tower Hamlets

In Tower Hamlets, the national network for your field (befriending) sits above the middle of England's areas for the number of people counted there (gold in the chart below where a field has none recorded here or is in the thinnest fifth). Across England, 5,929 charities outside the field say in their own reports that they serve the same people, against 139 in it.

The 24 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where Tower Hamlets 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 (8 of 24) and those in the thinnest fifth of areas (1).

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 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 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 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 areasCadets: 0.3 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 7% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthCommunity transport: 0.1 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 23% of England's 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 34% of England's areasAlmshouses: 3.0 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 34% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 35.9 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 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 59% of England's areasLegal help: 0.2 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 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 68% of England's areasLearning disability: 5.6 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 69% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 1.1 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 75% of England's areasHospice care: 1.4 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 78% of England's areasBefriending: 0.3 per 10,000 Befriending: people living alone as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 79% of England's areasMental health: 7.7 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 84% of England's areasCommunity foundations: 35.9 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 94% of England's areasVeterans: 25.9 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 97% of England's areas
Dyslexia
Families with young children
Homelessness
Kidney patients
Older people living alone
Riding for the disabled
Youth centres
Young people
Cadets
Community transport
Disability services
Almshouses
Local infrastructure
Young people with SEND
Drug and alcohol services
Legal help
Food aid
Learning disability
Unpaid carers
Hospice care
Befriending
Mental health
Community foundations
Veterans

Tower Hamlets: 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: 419 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 253 charitiesPoverty relief: 217 charitiesHealth: 174 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 169 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 163 charitiesReligious activities: 142 charitiesDisability: 97 charitiesHuman rights, equality: 81 charitiesOther purposes: 75 charitiesAmateur sport: 69 charitiesEnvironment: 57 charities
Tower Hamlets618 charities
Education/training419
General charitable purposes253
Poverty relief217
Health174
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…169
Economic/community developme…163
Religious activities142
Disability97
Human rights, equality81
Other purposes75
Amateur sport69
Environment57

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 Tower Hamlets.

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.

Befriending in Tower Hamlets

Bluesky / X: Befriending in Tower Hamlets: the national network's presence, for the people counted here, sits above the middle of England's areas. Who else does the work: https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/tower-hamlets-friends-and-neighbours.html

LinkedIn: Befriending in Tower Hamlets: the national network's presence, for the people counted here, sits above the middle of England's areas. Who else does the work: https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/tower-hamlets-friends-and-neighbours.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

618 charities are based in Tower Hamlets

Bluesky / X: 618 charities are based in Tower Hamlets: 19.9 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/tower-hamlets-friends-and-neighbours.html

LinkedIn: 618 charities are based in Tower Hamlets: 19.9 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/tower-hamlets-friends-and-neighbours.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

26% of Tower Hamlets's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 26% of Tower Hamlets'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/tower-hamlets-friends-and-neighbours.html

LinkedIn: 26% of Tower Hamlets'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/tower-hamlets-friends-and-neighbours.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, with your own field first: how thin the known network is here for the people you work with, who else does the work, how exposed the area's charities are, what the money looks like. A page like this one, in full, refreshed each quarter.£600 once, or £1,200 a year with four refreshes
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.