Questions about our finances

Where does your money come from?

Most of our money comes from charitable donations, either from individuals, schools, businesses or charitable trusts. For the year 2005-2006, over 90% of our income was from donations of money, about 18% of which was from private individuals.

Very importantly, we can claim tax back for charitable donations if a Gift Aid form has been completed. In 2000-2001, we reclaimed nearly £1000 from the taxman.

We are a small charity. Every bit of money helps. In addition to money, donations of goods or services is tremendously important to our operation - see the page on Helping for more details.

How much does it cost to run the charity?

In money terms, about £8,000 - £10,000 per year. In human terms, around 240 volunteer days, in addtion to the work of the charity organisers.

Where does the money go?

We have no paid staff, so all the money goes to running the service, not on salaries. For the year covering Christmas 2000, the breakdown of expenditure was as shown in the following pie-chart.

Hire Charges

This includes hire of generators, cooking equipment, fire extinguishers, refrigeration equipment etc.

Trailer storage and maintenance

We stable the trailer outside of London while the charity is not operating. During this time, it doubles as storage for all the charity's supplies and equipment.

Insurance

Insurance is one of our major costs, and looks set to rise even further this year. It covers vehicle insurance, and also public liability insurance.