Finance Score: -2
Governance Score: -15
Support Score: 6
  • Deficit on unrestricted reserves: -2
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Deficit latest year: -2
  • 2 Trustees: -2
  • Narrow trustee age band: -2
  • Very static board: -5
  • All female board: -3
  • Multiple returns filed late: -2
  • Overall weighted support: +6
Overall GiG Score: -11 ?

FIRSTLIGHT TRUST

A grass-roots charity enabling ex-Service and ex-Emergency personnel and their families rebuild their lives.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • One or more trustees receive payments or benefits from the charity for providing services to the charity
  • Why are there only 2 trustees?
  • Why is the Board completely female?
  • Why is the Board composition very static and has little diversity in terms of age?
  • Returns have been filed late on 2 occasions over the last 5 years and the current period appears to have been extended

Financial issues to consider:

  • This charity has an endowment fund which generates much of its income. Its latest spending amounts to only -599.3% of total funds
  • There was a deficit on unrestricted reserves of £205,829 at the last year end after deducting the value of own use assets
  • Income was significantly lower than spending in the latest year

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*£671£1,015£-344£40£-169£-206-2.4300
31/03/22*£1,156£1,049£108£56£175£1591.8230
31/03/21*£671£675£-4£28£67£90.2260
31/03/20£758£715£43£74£71£400.7261
31/03/19£613£633£-20£87£29£290.5258
31/03/18£553£582£-29£60£48£410.8160
31/03/17£485£417£68n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/16£225£216£9n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/15£121£120£1n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/14£106£111£-4n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/13*£17£13£4n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 1972%
Liabilities/Income: 27%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 121%
Reserves/Spending: -2.4 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: -2 months
Quick Ratio: 0
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 12 years

www.firstlighttrust.co.uk

office@firstlighttrust.co.uk

0207 730 7545

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Armed Forces/Emergency Service Efficiency
  • General Charitable Purposes
GiG Classification
  • Legal & financial advice
How it operates
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • People With Disabilities

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
Ministry of Defence£55,000
National Lottery Community Fund£38,080
Rank Foundation£12,975
Westminster Foundation£8,582
Sport England£7,763
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
WCIT Charity - Grant to FirstLight Trust
£5,000 06/09/2023
Funding for a GDPR compliant database for casework, appointments and impact reporting.
National Lottery Community Fund - Action for Health
£9,300 09/06/2023
The funding will be used to deliver a programme of activities including cycle rides walks and mindfulness sessions for Veterans of the Armed Forces and Blue Light services. The project aims to reduce loneliness isolation and improve the physical and ....more
Rank Foundation - Col Core FirstLight Trust 2023 Part
£10,000 27/04/2023
The FirstLight Trust received a Cost of Living Core Grant to be allocated toward offsetting clinical supervision costs.
Rank Foundation - Col Small Grant FirstLight Trust 2023
£2,975 27/04/2023
FirstLight Trust received a Cost of Living Small Grant to help cover the cost of utilities.
Sport England - Mission Active
£7,763 22/03/2023
This project aims to provide a dedicated programme of activities over a 12-month period for veterans of the armed forces community and blue light services and their partners. This project of activities will contribute to reducing loneliness and ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Be Active Be Healthy
£9,000 31/10/2022
This group will use the funding to run additional group sessions facilitated by support workers. Sessions will include gardening walk and talk and coffee and chat all in response to demand from existing members and new veterans.
Westminster Foundation - Offices grant - FirstLight Trust - 06/04/2022
£8,582 04/06/2022
21
Rent reimbursement
National Lottery Community Fund - Adventure Retreats
£9,780 21/01/2022
The funding will be used to support the most dysfunctional and 'hard to reach' veterans from the armed services. The project aims to provide an escape from the stress and strains of everyday life helping them to reflect understand and share ....more
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 - £10M Veterans' Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund
£20,000 15/05/2020
to provide immediate support for vulnerable veterans with reduced social contact
National Lottery Community Fund - Covid Support
£10,000 15/05/2020
12
The funding will be used to employ a paid support worker to support veterans and those from emergency services who are struggling with mental health and financial hardship due to COVID-19. They will offer debt advice and emotional support via ....more
Herefordshire Community Foundation - Grant to FirstLight Trust
£1,000 04/05/2020
additional cost of delivering services to veterans remotely
Two Ridings Community Foundation - Covid19
£2,000 29/04/2020
Funding to support vulnerable veterans with utility tokens, basic furniture and food/medicine deliveries.
National Lottery Community Fund - Therapeutic Activities Pilot Programme
£10,000 09/10/2019
12
Therapeutic Activities Pilot Programme
National Lottery Community Fund - Stepping Stones
£349,286 21/03/2019
36
This funding is for a project providing therapies and activities for local veterans and former members of the armed forces. Independent, accredited clinicians will provide therapeutic services. Activities such as walking groups, cooking classes, ....more
The Clothworkers Foundation - Grant to FirstLight Trust
£18,000 28/04/2017
Building refurbishment for a charity which works with disabled people in Scarborough
National Lottery Community Fund - Therapeutic Activities 3-month Pilot Programme
£10,000 22/03/2016
12
The organisation will use the funding to deliver a three month pilot programme of holistic and therapeutic activities for hard to reach military veterans. This will provide personalised activities and signposting to support services, voluntary work ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (2)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 59-67
  • DORINDA WOLFE MURRAY Appointed: 2012, Occupation: Consultant
  • IDA BEERHALTER Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Manager
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 25/10/2012, number: 1149496
  • Registered at Companies House on 24/09/2012, number: 08226711
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Fundraising Regulator
First registered: 04/03/2017, current status: Small charity
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
  • 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
11 returns made; AR23: 94 days late, AR22: 29 days late, AR21: 1 days late, AR13: 104 days late,
Main office

FirstLight Trust
34 Grosvenor Gardens
London
SW1W 0DH

Objectives

TO RELIEVE, PROMOTE AND PROTECT THE HEALTH, AND THEREBY REHABILITATE LEAVING AND FORMER MEMBERS OF HER MAJESTY'S SERVICES AND EMERGENCY SERVICES AFFECTED BY PHYSICAL WOUNDS AND INJURY, POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES OF DISEMPOWERMENT RESULTING FROM SERVICE LIFE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC IN SUCH WAYS THAT ARE EXCLUSIVELY CHARITABLE IN LAW (AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING) BY THE PROVISION OF ADVICE AND THE PROVISION OF RECREATIONAL FACILITIES WITH THE OBJECT OF IMPROVING THEIR CONDITION OF LIFE.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
Charizone

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