Home-Start UK
Analysis
Home-Start UK is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Leicester. It was registered in April 2005, 21 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training and other charitable purposes, which this site groups under education and training. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 05382181). It says it provides advocacy/advice/information and acts as an umbrella or resource body.
In the financial year ending March 2025, Home-Start UK reported income of £5.2m and spending of £4.5m, spending 85% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £7.0m to £5.2m (-25%), an average of -7.0% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 36%. Over the whole period it spent 98% of the income it received.
Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, Home-Start UK sits at the 97th percentile: it is larger than about 97% 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 The Lucy Faithfull Foundation (£5.2m), Princes Mead School Trust (£5.3m) and The Council of the Inns of Court (£5.2m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 66%, donations and legacies 30% and investments 1.1%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £13k. Charitable activities took 84% of spending and raising funds 15%. Grants to other organisations totalled £1.1m. Reserves of £1.8m would cover about 5 months of spending at that rate. It employed 50 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 30%
- Legacies 0.2%
- Charitable activities 66%
- Trading 0.7%
- Investments 1.1%
- Other 1.9%
In the charity's own words
Home-Start offers informal and friendly support to families with young children, providing a lifeline to thousands of parents and children in around 300 communities across the UK, and with forces families in Germany and Cyprus.Support is free, confidential and non-judgemental, and the quality of this is maintained with local schemes working to national standards.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| The Lucy Faithfull Foundation | Bromsgrove | £5.2m |
| Princes Mead School Trust | Hampshire | £5.3m |
| The Council of the Inns of Court | London | £5.2m |
| Prestfelde School Limited | Shropshire | £5.3m |