British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (Blesma)

Analysis

British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (Blesma) is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Essex. It was registered in December 2000, 26 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, the advancement of health or saving of lives, disability and armed forces/emergency service efficiency, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 04102768). It says it makes grants to individuals, provides services and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending December 2025, British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (Blesma) reported income of £4.3m and spending of £6.5m, spending 152% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £4.2m to £4.3m (+1.6%), an average of +0.4% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2023, when income rose by 36%. Over the whole period it spent 127% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, British Limbless Ex-Service Men's Association (Blesma) sits at the 96th percentile: it is larger than about 96% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include City Harvest (£4.3m), Julian Support Limited (£4.3m) and International Road Assessment Programme (£4.3m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 82% and investments 17%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £1.0m. Charitable activities took 80% of spending and raising funds 20%. Reserves of £41.0m would cover about 75 months of spending at that rate. It employed 54 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.