Charity in a Box

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

Voluntary Action Rotherham: 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 - Voluntary Action Rotherham) and your public channels.

  • “Our first in the VAR Chronicles series where we interview different members of the VAR team about their work.” (varotherham.org.uk)

Figures you publish: “The nominations are now open for the 2026 awards and you can choose one of the following categories: Under 25 years volunteer Over 25 years volunteer Project You can make more than one nomination.”

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

2. Rotherham’s charities, from outside

Rotherham's charities at a glance. 159 charities are based here: 6.0 for every 10,000 residents. 24% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 48% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in Rotherham in 7 of 25 fields of charity work, and Rotherham is in the thinnest fifth of England's areas in 1 more.

159 charities are based in Rotherham, 6.0 for every 10,000 residents, where 30% of residents are on low incomes. 24% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 13% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 48% of the area’s charity income.

The 25 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where Rotherham 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 (7 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 areasDyslexia: 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 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 areasFood aid: 0.2 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 10% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthCommunity transport: 0.4 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 35% 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 40% of England's areasDisability services: 0.4 per 10,000 Disability services: disabled people as a share of residents here, against 0.5 in England's median area; higher than 41% of England's areasAlmshouses: 5.1 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 49% of England's areasDrug and alcohol services: 4.5 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 52% of England's areasRiding for the disabled: 0.4 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 53% 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 53% of England's areasMental health: 3.7 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 59% of England's areasVeterans: 2.4 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 63% of England's areasLearning disability: 5.2 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 64% 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 64% of England's areasYoung people with SEND: 29.1 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 70% of England's areasCommunity foundations: 16.9 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 76% of England's areasRural communities: 0.4 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 79% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 50.8 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 81% of England's areasYoung people: 1.0 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 84% of England's areasKidney patients: 1.2 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 84% of England's areas
Befriending
Dyslexia
Families with young children
Homelessness
Legal help
Older people living alone
Youth centres
Food aid
Community transport
Hospice care
Disability services
Almshouses
Drug and alcohol services
Riding for the disabled
Cadets
Mental health
Veterans
Learning disability
Unpaid carers
Young people with SEND
Community foundations
Rural communities
Local infrastructure
Young people
Kidney patients

Rotherham: 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: 89 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 64 charitiesReligious activities: 42 charitiesDisability: 41 charitiesPoverty relief: 39 charitiesHealth: 38 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 38 charitiesAmateur sport: 32 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 27 charitiesRecreation: 23 charitiesOther purposes: 20 charitiesEnvironment: 18 charities
Rotherham159 charities
Education/training89
General charitable purposes64
Religious activities42
Disability41
Poverty relief39
Health38
Economic/community developme…38
Amateur sport32
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…27
Recreation23
Other purposes20
Environment18

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 Rotherham.

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.

159 charities are based in Rotherham

Bluesky / X: 159 charities are based in Rotherham: 6.0 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/voluntary-action-rotherham.html

LinkedIn: 159 charities are based in Rotherham: 6.0 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/voluntary-action-rotherham.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

24% of Rotherham's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 24% of Rotherham'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/voluntary-action-rotherham.html

LinkedIn: 24% of Rotherham'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/voluntary-action-rotherham.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

Rotherham is thin in 8 of 25 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Rotherham in 8 of them: befriending, dyslexia, families with young children. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/voluntary-action-rotherham.html

LinkedIn: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Rotherham in 8 of them: befriending, dyslexia, families with young children. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/voluntary-action-rotherham.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.