The Barnstaple and North Devon Dispensary Fund

Analysis

The Barnstaple and North Devon Dispensary Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Barnstaple. It was registered in April 1961, 65 years ago. Its declared purposes cover the advancement of health or saving of lives, disability and the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under health and saving lives. It says it makes grants to individuals.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Barnstaple and North Devon Dispensary Fund reported income of £13k and spending of £16k, spending 122% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £9,421 to £13k (+39%), an average of +8.5% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2025, when income rose by 26%. Over the whole period it spent 132% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, The Barnstaple and North Devon Dispensary Fund sits at the 31st percentile: it is larger than about 31% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 36th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Fight Breast Cancer Charity (£13k), Careepilepsy (£13k) and Rebuild, the Limb Reconstruction Charity (£13k).

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.