Overall GiG Score: 17 ?
Finance Score: 2
Governance Score: 6
Support Score: 9
  • Strong growth: +2
  • No PartB
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Large volunteers +3
  • Grant maker support: +6

OUR SPECIAL FRIENDS 

1.Help people at a vulnerable time in their lives to benefit from the companionship of animals through the provision of practical and emotional support.2.Increase the awareness and understanding of the benefits of the human-companion animal relationship and the impact of bereavement. 3.Facilitate the effective collaboration between human and companion animal organisations and support networks.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • This charity has been successful in attracting volunteers relative to its size
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Financial issues to consider:

  • A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data
Established: 10 years

www.ourspecialfriends.org

office@ourspecialfriends.org

01284 247077

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookX
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
30/04/23£223£239£-17n/an/an/an/an/a110
30/04/22£237£205£33n/an/an/an/an/a152
30/04/21£240£140£100n/an/an/an/an/a81
30/04/20£144£122£22n/an/an/an/an/a80
30/04/19£92£95£-3n/an/an/an/an/a80
30/04/18£81£58£22£0£0£0n/a00
30/04/17£42£35£7£0£0£0n/a00
30/04/16£28£19£9£0£0£0n/a00
30/04/15£13£7£6£0£0£0n/a00

Highest pay bracket: less than £60,000
What it does
  • Animals
  • Education/Training
  • Other Charitable Purposes
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
Who works here?
  • 110 volunteers
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Elderly/Old People
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • Other Defined Groups
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind
How it operates
  • Other charitable activities
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides human resources
  • Provides other finance
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Suffolk,

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
Suffolk Community Foundation£50,700
DCMS£30,000
Co-Operative Group£10,681
National Lottery Community Fund£9,560
Charles Hayward Foundation£4,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Our Special Friends (OSF)
£2,016 21/10/2023
Our Special Friends increases and maintains the mental health of people who love animals, by helping to keep pets in their lives when health, age or a crisis threatens this vital relationship.
National Lottery Community Fund - Mid Suffolk Animal Companionship Coordinator
£9,560 12/05/2023
The funding will be used to appoint a new Animal Companionship Coordinator to expand this pet therapy service. The project aims to support the health and wellbeing of residents through animal ....more
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Our Special Friends (OSF)
£2,701 22/10/2022
Volunteers and their pets will make weekly visits to isolated and lonely people in their own homes, so they can enjoy the company of an animal and benefit from vital human social interaction.
Sir Jules Thorn Charitable Trust - Our Special Friends - 31/03/22
£1,500 07/04/2022
Core Funding
Charles Hayward Foundation - Grant to Our Special Friends
£4,000 30/03/2022
Animal-Assisted Activity for older people
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Our Special Friends
£3,118 23/10/2021
Volunteers and their pets will make regular visits to vulnerable and isolated people at home, increasing wellbeing through the joy of animal companionship and human social interaction.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Core Funding
£5,000 27/01/2021
6
Towards the core costs of the organisation.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Animal Assisted Activity
£5,000 04/11/2020
11
To suport Animal Assisted Activity.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Core Costs
£5,000 19/09/2020
2
Towards core running costs of OSF during the Covid 19 pandemic.
DCMS - VSCE CMC Fund
£5,000 19/09/2020
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
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£25,000 02/09/2020
"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more
Suffolk Community Foundation - Our Special Friends Core Funding
£5,000 10/07/2020
8
Towards running costs.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Core Funding
£5,000 24/04/2020
3
To enable Our Special Friends to continue to provide their services during the Covid 19 lock down.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Core Service Delivery in Mid-Suffolk.
£5,000 02/12/2019
11
Core service delivery in Mid Suffolk.
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Our Special Friends
£2,846 15/11/2019
We want to maintain and enhance our service so that more people can experience the benefits of animal companionship.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Animal Assisted Activity
£5,000 13/11/2019
11
To suport Animal Assisted Activity.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Animal Companionship Practitioner
£15,700 11/10/2019
14
Towards an Animal Companionship Practitioner.
Masonic Trust - MCF Small Grant
£9,200 08/03/2019
Unrestricted core funding for small charities
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Our Special Friends
£2,801 19/11/2018
With the increased demand for our services, we need funds to help pay for recruitment, training and support costs.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Continuing and Enhancing our service provision 2018/2019 (rural communities)
£4,000 20/06/2018
8
To support delivering services to socially isolated, vulnerable people and to recruiting more volunteers in 2018/2019.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Continuing and enhancing our service provision 2018/2019
£2,500 15/06/2018
8
Towards running costs so that they can continue to deliver companion animal support services to vulnerable people.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Grant to Our Special Friends
£7,500 18/09/2017
12
Towards salary costs of their Volunteer Support Officer.
Henry Smith Charity - Grant to Our Special Friends
£7,500 07/09/2017
12
towards one year's salary of a Volunteer Support Officer at a project helping pair vulnerable people with companionship animals in Suffolk
Suffolk Community Foundation - Enhancing our service provision
£5,000 21/08/2017
11
Towards the cost of a person centred assessor/practitioner in the community.
Suffolk Community Foundation - Enhancing our service provision
£3,560 19/06/2017
Towards a laptop, printer and branded gazebo for use at events to highlight the organisations services.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (6)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 50-82
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 23/04/2014, number: 1156778
  • Registered at Companies House on 11/11/2013, number: 08769892
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management 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
9 returns made; all on time
Main office

West End House
Upper Green
Higham
Bury St. Edmunds
IP28 6PA

Objectives

TO RELIEVE THE MENTAL AND PHYSICAL SICKNESS OF THE ELDERLY AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES BY HELPING THEM TO MAINTAIN THEIR RELATIONSHIPS WITH AND HAVE ACCESS TO COMPANION ANIMALS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH SERVICES OR FACILITIES CALCULATED TO RELIEVE THE NEEDS OF SUCH PEOPLE.TO RELIEVE ELDERLY AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES WHO ARE IN NEED OF HELP AND SUPPORT WITH THEIR ANIMALS BY PROVIDING THEM WITH SERVICES OR FACILITIES CALCULATED TO RELIEVE THE NEEDS OF SUCH PEOPLE AND TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF THE ELDERLY AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE BY PROVIDING THEM WITH ACCESS TO ANIMAL COMPANIONSHIP.TO PROMOTE HUMANE BEHAVIOUR TOWARDS ANIMALS BY PROVIDING HELP TREATMENT AND GUIDANCE IN THE CARE AND WELFARE OF ANIMALS BELONGING TO THE ELDERLY AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND TO ASSIST WITH THE RESETTLEMENT OF ANIMALS THAT CAN NO LONGER BE ADEQUATELY CARED FOR BY AN ELDERLY OR VULNERABLE PERSON. TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC IN THE BENEFIT TO THE ELDERLY AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE OF ANIMAL COMPANIONSHIP AND IN MATTERS PERTAINING TO THE PROPER CARE AND WELFARE OF ANIMALS BY THE ELDERLY AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE AND THE EFFECT THAT THE DEATH OF AN ANIMAL CAN HAVE ON AN ELDERLY OR OTHER VULNERABLE PERSON.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
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