Charity in a Box

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

YMCA Manchester: 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 (YMCA Manchester | Welcome to YMCA Manchester. We are one of the oldest YMCA’s in the world and proud to advocate the needs of the most vulnerable children and y) and your public channels.

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

2. Manchester’s charities, from outside

Manchester's charities at a glance. 750 charities are based here: 13.6 for every 10,000 residents. 24% show under three months' reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return. 68% of the area's charity income is held by its five largest charities. The records show no presence of the national network in Manchester in 2 of 24 fields of charity work, and Manchester is in the thinnest fifth of England's areas in 1 more.

750 charities are based in Manchester, 13.6 for every 10,000 residents, where 38% of residents are on low incomes. 24% show under three months’ reserves or three years of deficits on their latest return; 11% take half or more of their income from government. The five largest hold 68% of the area’s charity income.

Young people in Manchester

In Manchester, the national network for your field (young people) sits below 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, 19,728 charities outside the field say in their own reports that they serve the same people, against 2,789 in it.

The 24 fields, against England

For each field of charity work we have mapped, where Manchester 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 (2 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 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 areasAlmshouses: 1.0 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 15% of England's areas; in the thinnest fifthCadets: 0.6 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 20% of England's areasUnpaid carers: 0.3 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 25% of England's areasCommunity 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 34% of England's areasVeterans: 1.3 per 10,000 Veterans: veterans (Census 2021 TS071) as a share of residents here, against 1.8 in England's median area; higher than 37% of England's areasLearning disability: 2.0 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 39% 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 44% of England's areasLocal infrastructure: 30.2 per 10,000 Local infrastructure: local charities as a share of residents here, against 31.8 in England's median area; higher than 47% 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 49% of England's areasFamilies with young children: 0.6 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 53% 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 53% of England's areasYoung people with SEND: 18.2 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 56% of England's areasCommunity foundations: 12.1 per 10,000 Community foundations: local charities as a share of residents here, against 9.4 in England's median area; higher than 61% of England's areasOlder people living alone: 0.5 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 61% of England's areasDrug and alcohol services: 5.2 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 62% of England's areasMental health: 4.2 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 65% of England's areasKidney patients: 0.6 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 67% of England's areasHomelessness: 2.8 per 10,000 Homelessness: households found homeless as a share of residents here, against 0 in England's median area; higher than 67% 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 75% 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 82% of England's areasFood aid: 2.6 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 83% of England's areasYouth centres: 0.5 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 94% of England's areas
Dyslexia
Riding for the disabled
Almshouses
Cadets
Unpaid carers
Community transport
Veterans
Learning disability
Disability services
Local infrastructure
Young people
Families with young children
Legal help
Young people with SEND
Community foundations
Older people living alone
Drug and alcohol services
Mental health
Kidney patients
Homelessness
Hospice care
Befriending
Food aid
Youth centres

Manchester: 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: 407 charitiesGeneral charitable purposes: 284 charitiesReligious activities: 279 charitiesPoverty relief: 252 charitiesHealth: 174 charitiesEconomic/community development, employment: 162 charitiesArts, culture, heritage, science: 141 charitiesDisability: 136 charitiesAmateur sport: 83 charitiesOther purposes: 82 charitiesHuman rights, equality: 78 charitiesRecreation: 73 charities
Manchester750 charities
Education/training407
General charitable purposes284
Religious activities279
Poverty relief252
Health174
Economic/community developme…162
Arts, culture, heritage, sci…141
Disability136
Amateur sport83
Other purposes82
Human rights, equality78
Recreation73

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 Manchester.

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.

Young people in Manchester

Bluesky / X: Young people in Manchester: the national network's presence, for the people counted here, sits below the middle of England's areas. Who else does the work: https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/ymca-manchester.html

LinkedIn: Young people in Manchester: the national network's presence, for the people counted here, sits below the middle of England's areas. Who else does the work: https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/ymca-manchester.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

750 charities are based in Manchester

Bluesky / X: 750 charities are based in Manchester: 13.6 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/ymca-manchester.html

LinkedIn: 750 charities are based in Manchester: 13.6 for every 10,000 residents. We've read what they say they do. https://www.charityinabox.uk/offers/ymca-manchester.html

Built from public information; no charity is named.

Download the picture (1200 by 630)

24% of Manchester's charities are running thin

Bluesky / X: 24% of Manchester'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/ymca-manchester.html

LinkedIn: 24% of Manchester'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/ymca-manchester.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.