Charity in a Box

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

Voluntary and Community Action East Cambridgeshire (VCAEC): 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 - VCAEC) and your public channels.

  • “Our gardening service helps older, disabled, or vulnerable people take control of their overgrown gardens.” (vcaec.org.uk)

Figures you publish: “Our Helping Hands Gardening Scheme During 2025/2026 We assisted 419 people with their gardens.”

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

2. Cambridgeshire’s charities, from outside

Cambridgeshire's charities at a glance. 1,074 charities are based here: 15.8 for every 10,000 residents. 22% 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 Cambridgeshire in 4 of 25 fields of charity work, and Cambridgeshire is in the thinnest fifth of England's areas in 1 more.

1,074 charities are based in Cambridgeshire, 15.8 for every 10,000 residents, where 15% of residents are on low incomes. 22% 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 28% of the area’s charity income.

The 25 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where Cambridgeshire 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 (4 of 25) 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 areasMental health: 0 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 0% of England's areas; none recorded here, as in 51 of England's 151 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 areasHospice care: 0.3 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 3% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthUnpaid carers: 0.4 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 32% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 23.8 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 35% of England's areasLearning disability: 2.5 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 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 areasCommunity foundations: 7.9 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 45% of England's areasDrug and alcohol services: 4.0 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 46% of England's 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 46% of England's areasVeterans: 1.8 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 49% of England's areasYoung people: 0.4 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 51% 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 55% of England's areasKidney patients: 0.4 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 56% 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 61% of England's areasCadets: 1.2 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 62% of England's areasFood aid: 1.5 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 64% of England's areasOlder people living alone: 0.9 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 72% of England's areasFamilies with young children: 1.2 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 78% of England's areasCommunity transport: 2.6 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 80% of England's areasHomelessness: 13.2 per 10,000 Homelessness: households found homeless as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 87% of England's areasAlmshouses: 28.1 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 88% of England's areasRiding for the disabled: 1.6 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 94% of England's areas
Dyslexia
Mental health
Young people with SEND
Youth centres
Hospice care
Unpaid carers
Local infrastructure
Learning disability
Disability services
Community foundations
Drug and alcohol services
Rural communities
Veterans
Young people
Legal help
Kidney patients
Befriending
Cadets
Food aid
Older people living alone
Families with young children
Community transport
Homelessness
Almshouses
Riding for the disabled

Cambridgeshire: 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: 583 charitiesReligious activities: 276 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 274 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 174 charitiesPoverty relief: 163 charitiesHealth: 157 charitiesDisability: 143 charitiesEnvironment: 121 charitiesAmateur sport: 119 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 108 charitiesRecreation: 89 charitiesHousing: 69 charities
Cambridgeshire1,074 charities
Education/training583
Religious activities276
General charitable purposes274
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…174
Poverty relief163
Health157
Disability143
Environment121
Amateur sport119
Economic/community developme…108
Recreation89
Housing69

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 Cambridgeshire.

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.

1,074 charities are based in Cambridgeshire

Bluesky / X: 1,074 charities are based in Cambridgeshire: 15.8 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/voluntary-and-community-action-east-cambridgeshire-vcaec.html

LinkedIn: 1,074 charities are based in Cambridgeshire: 15.8 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/voluntary-and-community-action-east-cambridgeshire-vcaec.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

22% of Cambridgeshire's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 22% of Cambridgeshire'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-and-community-action-east-cambridgeshire-vcaec.html

LinkedIn: 22% of Cambridgeshire'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-and-community-action-east-cambridgeshire-vcaec.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

Cambridgeshire is thin in 5 of 25 fields

Bluesky / X: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Cambridgeshire in 5 of them: dyslexia, mental health, young people with send. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/voluntary-and-community-action-east-cambridgeshire-vcaec.html

LinkedIn: Across 25 fields of charity work, the national network has little or no presence in Cambridgeshire in 5 of them: dyslexia, mental health, young people with send. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/voluntary-and-community-action-east-cambridgeshire-vcaec.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.