Serve

Analysis

Serve is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Northamptonshire. It was registered in January 1995, 31 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and disability, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 02951827). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Serve reported income of £1.4m and spending of £1.6m, spending 113% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £1.6m to £1.4m (-7.0%), an average of -1.8% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income rose by 30%. Over the whole period it spent 96% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Serve sits at the 91st percentile: it is larger than about 91% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 95th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Colchester United Community Foundation (£1.4m), Age UK Bromsgrove Redditch and Wyre Forest (£1.4m) and The Society of Occupational Medicine (£1.4m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 17%, charitable activities 17% and trading 6.5%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £3,182. Charitable activities took 36% of spending and raising funds 0.8%. Reserves of £548k would cover about 4 months of spending at that rate. It employed 73 people.

Data notes from the register: The latest annual return was received after its deadline. Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.