Finance Score: -7
Governance Score: 8
Support Score: 8
  • Excess reserves: -4
  • Large legacies income: +2
  • Spending declining: -1
  • Multiple Deficits: -2
  • Fundraising costs high: -2
  • 12+ Trustees: -1
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +8
Overall GiG Score: 9 ?

VERSUS ARTHRITIS 

The charity funds scientific and medical research into all types of arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions. It is working to take the pain away from sufferers with all forms of arthritis and helping people to remain active. This will be achieved through funding high-quality research, providing services, information and campaigning.The charity's vision is a future free of arthritis.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
  • This charity has received more than half of its income from legacies in recent years
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • There are 14 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12
  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

  • This charity has substantial assets and unrestricted reserves of £125,506,000 available, equivalent to 50 months of spending and so may not be able to utilise additional funding
  • Spending is declining
  • On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending
  • Fundraising costs are high relative to funds raised
Established: 62 years
(73 years as a company)

www.versusarthritis.org

enquiries@versusarthritis.org

03007900400

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
31/03/23£29,425£29,996£-571£5,400£128,466£125,50650.2280590
31/03/22£30,614£46,348£-15,734£6,593£153,623£150,61339357711
31/03/21£25,438£83,897£-58,459£6,505£184,453£179,55425.7389826
31/03/20£25,244£49,131£-23,887£5,041£181,655£178,72243.734913,200
31/03/19£42,932£58,264£-15,332£5,296£210,416£207,88142.83166,500
31/03/18£33,547£50,227£-16,680£7,064£214,591£212,23450.72550
31/03/17£28,877£38,802£-9,925£8,053£206,790£205,40863.51990
31/03/16£36,677£33,774£2,903£7,343£170,389£169,18260.11870
31/03/15£39,871£35,589£4,282£7,829£161,674£157,091531790
31/03/14*£36,009£33,631£2,378£8,172£148,494£143,52651.21850
31/03/13?£25,981£21,883£4,098£7,646£131,101£131,367722050
31/07/12£40,224£42,623£-2,399£11,948£108,759£109,45230.81890
31/07/11£36,261£37,032£-771£10,470£110,868£111,061361580
31/07/10£39,265£37,554£1,711£8,502£99,885£99,29531.71350
31/07/09£37,519£31,947£5,572£6,565£84,777£83,77031.51160
31/07/08£33,956£33,694£262£4,987£47,590£46,60316.6980
31/07/07£30,031£28,009£2,022£4,356£52,433£51,32722870
31/07/06£31,973£23,347£8,626£0£0£0n/a00
31/07/05£29,417£22,502£6,915£0£0£0n/a00
31/07/04£20,327£21,430£-1,103£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 22.2%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 19.7%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 6%
Highest pay band: £130,000-£140,000
Liabilities/Assets: 26%
Liabilities/Income: 153%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 98%
Reserves/Spending: 50.2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 11 months
Quick Ratio: 1.4
Asset Split ?
Listed activities
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
How it operates
  • Makes Grants to Organisations
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Guernsey, Isle Of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • The General Public/Mankind
Who works here?
  • 280 employees
  • 590 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
Sport England£2,009,353
Masonic Trust£160,341
National Lottery Community Fund£100,000
BBC Children in Need£43,829
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Sport England - COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund
£20,000 19/12/2022
The focus of this programme of work is to help reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 and the widening of the inequalities in sport and physical activity. Target audiences are: Lower Socio-Economic ....more
DCMS - ALB-Sport England-COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund
£20,000 19/12/2022
The focus of this programme of work is to help reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 and the widening of the inequalities in sport and physical activity. Target audiences are: Lower Socio-Economic ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Young People & Families
£10,000 11/07/2022
Versus Arthritis will spend £10000 to provide activity days and a residential weekend for young people from across South Wales living with arthritis. The grant will fund workshop costs a weekend ....more
Sport England - COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund
£325,000 17/03/2022
Funding under Sport England's COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund funding programme for a Revenue project titled COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund. This project lists its main activity as Sport ....more
Foundation Scotland - Grant to Versus Arthritis
£1,000 07/01/2022
Donation from Jean Munro
Masonic Trust - MCF Matched Funding
£500 09/11/2021
Unrestricted matched funding in partnership with the local masonic province
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Versus Arthritis
£43,829 10/08/2021
Through year round activities, this grant will support young people with arthritis to feel less isolated and more hopeful and confident in their identity and ability to manage their arthritis.
Community Foundation serving Tyne & Wear and Northumberland - A grant to Versus Arthritis
£500 08/07/2021
Supporting the Alnwick branch to carry out the charity's purposes
Sport England - RG Physical Activity Project
£1,139,633 15/06/2021
64
Funding under Sport England's Tackling Inactivity funding programme for a Revenue project titled RG Physical Activity Project. This project is a Sport participation and capacity building project, ....more
Foundation Scotland - Grant to Versus Arthritis
£1,000 17/12/2020
General charitable donation from Jean Munro
National Lottery Community Fund - Keeping Connected Argyll & Bute
£80,000 20/10/2020
23
This group will use the funding to establish a network of self-management support for people with arthritis and other long-term health conditions. The 2-year project will establish clear pathways ....more
Sport England - COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund
£150,000 01/10/2020
5
Funding under Sport England's COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund funding programme for a Revenue project titled COVID-19 Tackling Inequalities Fund. This project lists its main activity as Sport ....more
Sport England - RG Physical Activity Project
£374,720 07/07/2020
28
Funding under Sport England's Tackling Inactivity funding programme for a Revenue project titled RG Physical Activity Project. This project is a Sport participation and capacity building project, ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Young People Versus Arthritis
£10,000 29/08/2019
12
Young People Versus Arthritis
Masonic Trust - MCF Medical Research
£159,841 12/06/2019
A grant to fund 1 PhD studentships to conduct research into Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
Sport England - RG Physical Activity Project
£97,000 11/02/2019
28
Funding under Sport England's Tackling Inactivity funding programme for a Revenue project titled RG Physical Activity Project. This project is a Sport participation and capacity building project, ....more
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Culcheth Branch of Arthritis Research UK
£5,462 19/11/2018
We want to give a presentation and provide afternoon tea to a group of older people on the causes, treatment and management of arthritis.
Masonic Trust - MCF Medical Research
£159,842 14/11/2018
A grant to fund 1 PhD studentships to conduct research into Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
National Lottery Community Fund - Get Active for Arthritis
£169,184 20/02/2018
24
Get Active for Arthritis
National Lottery Community Fund - Staying Connected
£134,569 06/02/2018
71
Staying Connected
Masonic Trust - Investigating the role of the microbiome in rheumatoid arthritis
£90,000 19/10/2016
Understanding the role of bacteria and microorganisms in the body (the biome) in rheumatoid arthritis.
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Versus Arthritis
£61,516 11/10/2016
36
The project will build the independence of children and young people experiencing juvenile arthritis by developing their self-confidence, peer-relationships, and sense of shared community during ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (14)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 12/14 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 31-77
  • CAITRIONA ROBERTS Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Governance And Business Planning Manager
  • JOHN ISAACS Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Professor Of Rheumatology
  • LILIAN ROSE Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Deputy Fundraising Director
  • SUKWHANT BACHADA Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Associate Director -Strategic Pharma Communication
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 22/09/1962, number: 207711
  • Registered at Companies House on 13/01/1951, number: 00490500
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Event History
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Campaigns and political activity 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
  • 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; AR14: 362 days late,
Recent reorganisation events:
  • Asset transfer in from LOUTH AND DISTRICT ARTHRITIS GROUP on 16/03/2023
  • Asset transfer in from SLEAFORD AND DISTRICT TALKING NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION on 01/08/2023
Main office

VERSUS ARTHRITIS
COPEMAN HOUSE
ST. MARYS COURT
ST. MARYS GATE
CHESTERFIELD
S41 7TD

Objectives

(1) TO ADVANCE THE STUDY OF AND RESEARCH INTO THE CAUSES, TREATMENT AND CURE OF ARTHRITIS AND RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AND DISSEMINATE THE USEFUL RESULTS OF THAT RESEARCH,(2) TO RELIEVE THE NEEDS OF THOSE SUFFERING FROM ARTHRITIS AND RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS, INCLUDING BY(I) PROMOTING THE TEACHING OF MATTERS RELATING TO, AND THE FURTHER UNDERSTANDING OF, ARTHRITIS AND RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS AMONG HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS AND OTHER PERSONS INVOLVED IN THE TREATMENT OF SUCH DISORDERS,(II) IMPROVING THE TREATMENT AND CARE OF PERSONS SUFFERING FROM ARTHRITIS AND RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS,(3) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN ALL MATTERS RELATING TO ARTHRITIS AND RELATED MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDERS INCLUDING THOSE PERSONS SUFFERING FROM SUCH DISORDERS

Defined Area of Benefit:

NATIONAL AND BRITHISH COMMONWEALTH

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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