Overall GiG Score: 7 ?
Finance Score: -1
Governance Score: 1
Support Score: 7
  • Poor Liquidity: -1
  • Accounts overdue -5
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Only 3 Trustees: -2
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Grant maker support: +7

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
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • Fundraising costs are low relative to funds raised

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • There are only 3 trustees

Financial issues to consider:

  • Liquidity appears to have been slender at the latest year end
  • Latest accounts are overdue for filing
Established: 11 years

www.firstlighttrust.co.uk

office@firstlighttrust.co.uk

0207 730 7545

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
31/03/22*£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£410.81620
31/03/17£485£417£68£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/16£225£216£9£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/15£121£120£1£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/14£106£111£-4£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/13*£17£13£4£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 6%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 5.4%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 37%
Liabilities/Income: 9%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 91%
Reserves/Spending: 1.8 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 2 months
Quick Ratio: 3.6
Asset Split ?
What it does
  • Armed Forces/Emergency Service Efficiency
  • General Charitable Purposes
Who works here?
  • 23 employees
Who it helps
  • People With Disabilities
How it operates
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,

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£55,000
National Lottery Community Fund£48,080
Rank Foundation£12,975
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 ....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 ....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 ....more
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 ....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 ....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. ....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 ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (3)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 36-66
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
Policies in force
  • Complaints handling
  • Conflicting interests
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
10 returns made; 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
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

Tips for Selecting Charities

Which areas of philanthropy are most effective?
The text of this post is taken from an article on the Effective Altruism forum. It suggests that you can achieve the most impact by supporting causes that fight extreme poverty, improving animal welfare....more
Our Top Tips for Philanthropy
Here are some ideas to help you gain more satisfaction from your philanthropy and confidence that the causes you have selected are impactful. Engage your brain, as well as your heart You....more
How to become a Philanthropist
In this Blog we outline a strategy to help people who are new to philanthropy and for those who feel dissatisfied with the impact they are having. Effective philanthropy is immensely rewarding for donors,....more

Giving is Great