Finance Score: 11
Governance Score: 6
Support Score: 14
  • Liabilities <10%: +3
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Future income +5
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +14
Overall GiG Score: 31 ?

RELEASE LEGAL EMERGENCY AND DRUGS SERVICE LIMITED

Release is the national centre of expertise on drugs and drugs law providing free and confidential specialist advice to the public and professionals via our national legal and drugs helpline. The charity also provides the following frontline services: therapeutic counselling, expert witness (reports and testimony) and legal outreach surgeries, as well as a number of free publications.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • This charity has a robust balance sheet
  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers and there are significant future grants due to be received
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • This charity is not recognised by HMRC for Gift Aid according to its latest published return
  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£939£751£188£20£651£63210.11620
31/03/22£589£634£-45£15£463£4177.91420
31/03/21£803£707£96£25£508£3656.21420
31/03/20£766£742£25£16£412£3585.81425
31/03/19£843£627£216£0£387£4027.71425
31/03/18£602£620£-18£14£171£1212.3130
31/03/17£579£600£-21£16£189£871.7120
31/03/16£712£608£104£18£210£1032120
31/03/15£699£676£23£27£107£861.5150
31/03/14£511£529£-18£24£84£641.4120
31/03/13£498£571£-73n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/12£653£582£71£33£175£1192.5120
31/03/11£923£968£-45£14£105£1051.3150
31/03/10£955£972£-18£48£149£1141.4140
31/03/09*£649£831£-182£35£167£1382130
31/03/08£768£420£347£12£349£3309.480
31/03/07*£365£375£-10n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/06*£372£405£-33n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/05*£349£383£-34n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/04*£316£300£16n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 2.1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 2.6%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 3%
Liabilities/Income: 2%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 97%
Reserves/Spending: 10.1 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 10 months
Quick Ratio: 33.1
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 39 years

www.release.org.uk

admin@release.org.uk

02073242979

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
  • General Charitable Purposes
  • Human Rights/Religious Or Racial Harmony/Equality Or Diversity
  • Other Charitable Purposes
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
GiG Classification
  • Legal & financial advice
How it operates
  • Acts as an umbrella or resource body
  • Other charitable activities
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides human resources
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Elderly/Old People
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • Other Defined Groups
  • People Of A Particular Ethnic Or Racial Origin
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

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

Major supporters in last 5 years
National Lottery Community Fund£307,986
Esmee Fairbairn£290,000
The Legal Education Foundation£220,481
Access to Justice Foundation£172,816
Trust for London£118,668
City Bridge Trust£95,800
Lloyds Bank Foundation£62,144
AB Charitable Trust£50,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
The Legal Education Foundation - Community Care reaching the needs of young people and vulnerable adults
£130,481 23/05/2024
Expanding the legal services to vulnerable groups, including young people at risk of drug dependency, through the establishment of a Community Care team at the organisation.
London Legal Support Trust - Centres of Excellence 2023
£10,000 28/12/2023
Long term core funding for specialist free legal advice organisations, along with in-kind help and support with ongoing development. Aiming to support a sustainable and robust specialist advice sector.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Release
£25,000 04/07/2023
An unrestricted grant of £25,000 for 3 years (This grant is renewable - year 1 of up to 3 years). Release provides legal assistance and specialist drug advice to those at risk of drug dependency and those affected by drug laws.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Release
£15,000 30/01/2023
Towards unrestricted core costs as a Cost of Living Uplift
London Legal Support Trust - Centres of Excellence 2022
£10,000 22/12/2022
Long term core funding for specialist free legal advice organisations, along with in-kind help and support with ongoing development. Aiming to support a sustainable and robust specialist advice sector.
Lloyds Bank Foundation - One off gift towards cost of living crisis to Release
£2,250 14/12/2022
One off gift to support with the cost of living crisis
Access to Justice Foundation - Community Justice Fund Wave Three
£12,196 22/11/2022
Wave three of the Community Justice Fund aims to support organisations delivering social welfare advice services to people most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.
Trust for London - Release Legal Emergency and Drugs Services
£6,350 29/09/2022
This is a cost of living uplift for grant reference 360G-trustforlondon-MAIN-S2-02.02.2021-8967
Access to Justice Foundation - Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS)
£90,000 13/09/2022
Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS) is a programme of The Access to Justice Foundation with the Ministry of Justice. We are working with organisations to sustain and improve access to early social welfare and family legal advice, to enable users ....more
The Legal Education Foundation - JFF Host 2022
£90,000 15/06/2022
A grant to Release to fund one Justice First Fellowship as part of cohort 9.
National Lottery Community Fund - Sex drugs & homelessness: Legal welfare services for marginalised populations
£307,986 04/05/2022
The project is using funding to provide a legal welfare service for people experiencing or at risk of drug dependency and/or are at greater risk of drug-related death homelessness housing insecurity and other legal and health problems. The aim is to ....more
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Release
£50,000 25/03/2022
24
Unrestricted grant over two years towards the core costs of Release
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Release
£25,000 20/01/2022
An unrestricted grant of £25,000. Release provides specialist legal services for people across the UK affected by drugs and drug laws and undertakes advocacy around improving the system, with a focus on the disproportionate impact of drug laws on ....more
London Legal Support Trust - Centres of Excellence 2021
£10,000 14/12/2021
Long term core funding for specialist free legal advice organisations, along with in-kind help and support with ongoing development. Aiming to support a sustainable and robust specialist advice sector.
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Release Legal Emergency and Drugs Service Ltd
£95,800 07/09/2021
24
£95,800 over two further and final years (£47,200; £48,600) for the salary of a full-time Solicitor, NI, Pension and on-costs.
Trust for London - Release Legal Emergency and Drugs Services
£95,000 09/06/2021
36
The funding is for the continuation and development of Release's enhanced specialist social security legal advice service for people who have a history of drug/alcohol dependency; providing casework, representation, and additional wellbeing support ....more
Barrow Cadbury Trust - Reducing racial disparity in drug diversion schemes
£44,600 24/10/2020
23
To develop good practice in the implementation of diversion schemes, with reference to racial over-representation in the justice system.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Release
£250,000 15/09/2020
60
Towards Unrestricted core costs of an organisation seeking to address the harmful impacts of drugs and drug policy.
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Release
£29,100 14/09/2020
Empowerment of people who use drugs problematically to assert their legal rights, and challenge decisions, in relation to their drug treatment.
Trust for London - Release Legal Emergency and Drugs Services
£17,318 02/09/2020
6
The funding is for salary costs to support the legal and advocacy needs of people who are drug dependent and/or homeless. It will also contribute to expenditure related to returning to the office that would ensure it is COVID19 secure.
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Variation grant to Release
£9,894 23/07/2020
Grant to Release meeting the additional costs of adapting services, premises or implementing other safety measures in response to the Covid pandemic.
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£70,620 16/07/2020
A flexible grant as part of wave 1 of the Community Justice Fund. A pooled fund to support the specialist legal welfare advice sector in its response to COVID19
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Release
£25,000 05/05/2020
6
towards unrestricted core costs as a COVID-19 Fast Response grant
The London Community Foundation - Grant to Release Legal Emergency and Drugs Service
£11,992 01/05/2020
The funding is to support people who are drug dependent, this a highly vulnerable group, who are a high risk category in relation to COVID-19 - we will advocate for their health and legal rights. We are also seeking support to ensure our IT systems ....more
Trust for London - Release Legal Emergency and Drugs Services
£67,437 10/10/2019
24
The funding is for a new enhanced specialist social security legal advice service for people who have a history of drug and/or alcohol dependency, providing casework and representation at the First-tier and Upper Tribunal.
Barrow Cadbury Trust - Y-Stop - a harm reduction approach to stop and search
£30,200 20/10/2018
24
To Improve young adult interactions with Police Officers through better communications enabling encounters to be managed confidently.
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Release
£60,580 18/10/2018
36
Release is seeking funding for its community legal service programme to increase its fortnightly services in Brent and Ealing to weekly and to extend them from women with dependency histories to anyone affected by substance misuse
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Release Legal Emergency and Drugs Service Ltd
£136,000 02/05/2018
36
£136,000 over three years (£43,500; £45,500; £47,000) for the salary of a part-time Advice Worker, on-costs; and costs associated with supervision of the post.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Release
£200,000 14/09/2016
48
Towards unrestricted core costs to support the expansion of its services in relation to the harmful effects of drugs and drugs laws.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Youth led action for stop and search reform.
£50,000 19/04/2016
24
The grant will fund the salaries of the Advocacy Manager, Youth Peer Trainers, resources and publication costs, for Release to develop and roll out the Y-Stop campaign to young people around the UK. Y-Stop will benefit young people affected by ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Release Legal Outreach Surgeries
£185,936 13/03/2013
49
This project by Release Legal Emergency and Drugs Service Limited will improve the wellbeing and life chances of people suffering from substance misuse through the provision of twelve legal advice outreach surgeries over four years in drug treatment ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Release
£160,000 05/07/2012
Towards core costs of an organisation that provides legal advice and assistance to problematic drug users in order to establish a more stable environment.
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Release
£36,600 24/11/2011
the costs of the four pilot legal outreach advice clinics including salaries, office, administration and support costs
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (10)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 31-69
  • AMBER MARKS Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Academic
  • ANDREW HORNE Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Consultant
  • BISOLA AKINTOYE Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Solicitor
  • DAVID ROWNTREE Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Solicitor
  • DONNCHADH GREENE Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Barrister
  • IMANI ROBINSON Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Writer, Artist, Curator
  • NATASHA DHUMMA Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Campaigns And Advocacy Manager
  • PETER KRYKANT Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Project Lead
  • PROFESSOR TOBY SEDDON Appointed: 2022, Occupation: University Professor
  • ROGER GOLLAND Appointed: 2012, Occupation: Consultant/Trainer
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 31/05/1985, number: 801118
  • Registered at Companies House on 28/11/1985, number: 01966619
Gift Aid
  • NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Other Regulators
  • Financial Conduct Authority
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
20 returns made; AR09: 12 days late, AR07: 7 days late, AR06: 49 days late, AR05: 17 days late, AR04: 38 days late,
Main office

61 Mansell Street
LONDON
E1 8AN

Objectives

(1) THE RELIEF OF PERSONS SUFFERING FROM POVERY, SICKNESS AND DISTRESS INCLUDING BUT NOT RESTRICTED TO THOSE SUFFERING FROM DRUG ABUSE, BY THE PROVISION OF FREE LEGAL AND WELFARE ADVICE, AND ASSISTANCE AND ALL OTHER SERVICES NECESSARY FOR THE RELIEF OF SUCH PERSONS, AS DEFINED HEREIN. (2) THE ADVANCEMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN THE AREAS OF WORK ABOVE-MENTIONED AND IN PARTICULAR WITH REGARD TO NEW TRENDS IN THOSE AREAS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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