Finance Score: -9
Governance Score: 5
Support Score: 8
  • Liabilities <10%: +3
  • Excess reserves: -5
  • Large legacies income: +1
  • Multiple Deficits and declines: -5
  • Fundraising costs high: -3
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Mainly male board: -1
  • Grant maker support: +8
Overall GiG Score: 4 ?

BRITISH LIMBLESS EX-SERVICE MEN'S ASSOCIATION (BLESMA) 

Blesma supports all serving and ex service men and women who lose limbs or the use of limbs, or one or both eyes in service or as a result of service. It also supports those ex service men and women who lose limbs not as a result of service or loss of use of limbs as a result of a traumatic incident. Blesma also supports widows and dependents of the above.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
  • This charity has a robust balance sheet
  • This charity has received considerable income from legacies in recent years
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • One or more trustees receive payments or benefits from the charity for providing services to the charity
  • The Board is predominantly male

Financial issues to consider:

  • This charity has substantial assets and unrestricted reserves of £38,081,435 available, equivalent to 72 months of spending and so may not be able to utilise additional funding
  • Income has been volatile and on several occasions in recent years less than spending
  • Fundraising costs are extremely high relative to funds raised
Established: 23 years

www.blesma.org

info@blesma.org

02085483512

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/12/22£3,956£6,355£-2,398£935£38,629£38,08171.95286
31/12/21£4,226£5,399£-1,173£983£44,429£43,73697.250287
31/12/20£4,758£5,232£-474£953£42,165£41,37994.948307
31/12/19£9,836£6,230£3,605£952£41,308£40,35577.748306
31/12/18£8,803£5,973£2,830£941£34,330£33,22466.845254
31/12/17£9,497£4,406£5,091£771£33,258£32,23087.8340
31/12/16£6,663£5,343£1,319£785£26,902£26,53859.6550
31/12/15£5,777£4,666£1,111£919£23,610£23,22959.7590
31/12/14£4,683£4,851£-167£1,052£23,002£22,61856670
31/12/13£4,823£4,197£627£662£23,465£23,17166.3710
31/12/12£4,488£4,768£-280£402£20,414£20,13350.7860
31/12/11£4,924£4,592£332£390£19,359£18,98349.61020
31/12/10*£5,109£3,902£1,208£259£19,740£17,85154.91010
31/12/09*£4,081£3,832£249£295£17,865£15,92549.9980
31/12/08£3,878£3,991£-113£276£16,696£14,67144.11040
31/12/07£5,044£3,893£1,151£263£19,772£13,55341.8930
31/12/06£4,019£3,511£508£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/05£3,058£3,065£-7£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/04£3,216£3,151£65£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 33%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 16.7%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 6%
Highest pay band: £90,000-£100,000
Liabilities/Assets: 1%
Liabilities/Income: 13%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 99%
Reserves/Spending: 71.9 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 5 months
Quick Ratio: 6.2
Asset Split ?
Listed activities
  • Armed Forces/Emergency Service Efficiency
  • Disability
  • General Charitable Purposes
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
How it operates
  • Makes Grants to Individuals
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Northern Ireland, Scotland,
Who it helps
  • Elderly/Old People
  • Other Defined Groups
  • People With Disabilities
Who works here?
  • 52 employees
  • 86 volunteers

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Ministry of Defence£175,935
DCMS£125,000
Cabinet Office£50,000
National Lottery Community Fund£39,325
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Cabinet Office - Blesma (co-applicant Veterans and Families Institute for Military Social Research, Anglia Ruskin University)
£50,000 01/01/2023
To explore the lived experience of limbless/injured veterans who are wheelchair/electronic powered vehicle users (EPV aka mobility scooters) and to provide a comparison of the effectiveness of ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Blesma Outreach Activities in Yorkshire and North East England
£9,922 06/05/2022
The funding will be used to deliver a series of social activities for limbless or limb injured veterans and their families which will include days out coffee mornings and physical activities. The ....more
Foundation Scotland - Grant to BLESMA
£250 12/07/2021
Donation from Alan Findlay
Ministry of Defence - £10M Veterans' Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund
£35,000 12/02/2021
The Positive Pathways programme funded projects that develop and run activities supporting the mental health and wellbeing of ex-Forces.
Ministry of Defence - Covenant Fund
£15,935 12/02/2021
For community projects that reduce isolation and promote integration
National Lottery Community Fund - Blesma Creative and Therapeutic Activities in Northern Ireland
£9,557 27/08/2020
12
The British Limbless Ex Service Men’s Association is using a £9557 grant to provide activities for members aged over 50 their widows and families during the pandemic and beyond. The project ....more
DCMS - COVID IMPACT FUND
£125,000 25/06/2020
NET, Comic Relief and Children in Need will use this funding to provide: increased support to vulnerable people and hidden groups, thus reducing the burden on public services; reach local grassroots ....more
Ministry of Defence - Covid-19 Impact Fund
£125,000 15/06/2020
To maintain services and activities where organisations' finances had been impacted by Covid
Foundation Scotland - Grant to BLESMA
£120 14/05/2020
Donation from Alan Findlay
National Lottery Community Fund - The Blesma Brunch and Digital Inclusion Project in Wales
£9,984 18/03/2020
11
British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association will use the grant to bring limbless and limb-injured veterans and their communities together from across South Wales, to help build strong relationships ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - The Blesma Brunch Project
£9,862 23/08/2019
12
The funding will be used to deliver a series of informal mealtime and social events for veterans living without limbs or limb injuries, their families and widows. The project aims to bring people ....more
Ministry of Defence - Financial Assistance/Support
£342,000 01/04/2019
Banking fines - Treasury to direct to various Armed Forces causes
Ministry of Defence - Financial Assistance/Support
£71,044 01/04/2019
Banking fines - Treasury to direct to various Armed Forces causes
Ministry of Defence - Financial Assistance/Support
£69,048 01/04/2018
Banking fines - Treasury to direct to various Armed Forces causes
Ministry of Defence - Financial Assistance/Support
£342,000 01/04/2018
Banking fines - Treasury to direct to various Armed Forces causes
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£5,000 03/05/2017
Community Programme
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (11)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 39-66
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 19/12/2000, number: 1084189
  • Registered at Companies House on 06/11/2000, number: 04102768
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Event History
Policies in force
  • Complaints handling
  • Conflicting interests
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
19 returns made; AR10: 18 days late, AR09: 1 days late,
Recent reorganisation events:
  • Asset transfer in from OPEN DOORS on 20/06/2022
  • Asset transfer in from THE QUEEN'S LANCASHIRE REGIMENT VETERANS CHARITY. on 05/05/2023
  • Asset transfer in from THE H J CHARITABLE TRUST on 06/07/2023
Main office

British Limbless Ex-Service Mens
Association
115 New London Road
Chelmsford
Essex
CM2 0QT

Objectives

TO PROMOTE THE WELFARE AND WELL-BEING OF ALL SERVING AND EX-SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN WHO HAVE LOST A LIMB OR LIMBS OR ONE OR BOTH EYES AS A RESULT OF SERVICE IN ANY BRANCH OF HER MAJESTY'S FORCES OR AUXILIARY FORCES AS MAY FROM TIME TO TIME BE DEFINED. 2)TO PROMOTE THE WELFARE AND WELL-BEING OF ALL THOSE SERVING AND EX-SERVICE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SUFFER LOSS OF A LIMB, PERMANENT LOSS OF SPEECH, HEARING; OR THE LOSS OF SIGHT IN ONE OR BOTH EYES; OR THE USE OF A LIMB. 3) TO ASSIST NEEDY WIDOWS AND WIDOWERS AND NEEDY DEPENDANTS OF THE ABOVE

Defined Area of Benefit:

NATIONAL AND OVERSEAS

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

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