Finance Score: 7
Governance Score: 6
Support Score: 10
  • Liabilities <10%: +3
  • Positive trading contribution: +2;Strong growth: +2
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +10
Overall GiG Score: 23 ?

WILTSHIRE LAW CENTRE

Provides free legal advice in housing, debt, and welfare benefits
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
  • This charity has a robust balance sheet
  • More than half of total income was derived from trading and fees in the latest year
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£635£467£168£0£449£3498.9110
31/03/22£291£315£-24n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/21£213£146£67n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/20£119£130£-11n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/19£139£126£14n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/18£172£157£15n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/17£139£147£-8n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/16£200£166£34n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/15£158£175£-17n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/14£159£175£-16n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/13£306£272£34n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/12£317£293£24n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/11£303£337£-34n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/10£309£318£-9n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/09£289£285£5n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/08*£241£261£-20n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/07£240£231£9n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/06£250£221£29n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/05£210£212£-2n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/04*£212£198£14n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 7%
Liabilities/Income: 5%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 78%
Reserves/Spending: 8.9 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 12 months
Quick Ratio: 7.3
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 34 years
(40 years as a company)

www.wiltslawcentre.org.uk

info@wiltslawcentre.co.uk

01793486926

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies House
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Accommodation/Housing
  • Economic/Community Development/Employment
  • General Charitable Purposes
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
GiG Classification
  • Legal & financial advice
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
Where it operates
  • Swindon, Wiltshire,
Who it helps
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
Access to Justice Foundation£118,500
The Legal Education Foundation£80,000
DCMS£33,910
AB Charitable Trust£20,000
Wiltshire Community Foundation£16,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Wiltshire Community Foundation - Grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£1,000 22/02/2023
Wiltshire Law Centre provides low cost legal services. Grant to help with running costs.
Access to Justice Foundation - Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS)
£112,500 13/09/2022
Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS) is a programme of The Access to Justice Foundation with the Ministry of Justice. We are working with organisations to sustain and improve access to early social ....more
The Legal Education Foundation - Strategic expansion in housing law
£80,000 15/06/2022
Supporting development of the Law Centre through expanding its advice and representation to expand housing and develop welfare benefits legal services.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£20,000 20/01/2022
A restricted grant of £20,000 towards the salary and related costs of the expansion of Wiltshire Law Centre's housing work into Hampshire. Wiltshire Law Centre delivers specialist housing advice and ....more
Wiltshire Community Foundation - Grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£15,000 25/08/2021
Wiltshire Law Centre provides low cost legal services. The grant will help meet the cost of expanding their services to provide advice on Discrimination & Equalities and Family Law
Access to Justice Foundation - Joint Initiative Flexible COVID-19 Grant
£6,000 19/10/2020
A flexible grant as part of wave 1 of the Community Justice Fund. A pooled fund to support the specialist legal welfare advice sector in its response to COVID19
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£33,910 05/08/2020
"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more
Wiltshire Community Foundation - Grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£6,953 13/07/2016
36
Wiltshire Law Centre offers free legal advice to the disadvantaged people of Swindon and Wiltshire most of whom are in poverty and are reliant either completely on benefit income or on low pay, ....more
Nationwide Foundation - Grant to Wiltshire Law Centre
£5,000 14/06/2012
Provision of advice on housing and finance to survivors of domestic abuse
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 32-72
  • ANDREW JOHN ANGUS ALLAN Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Company Director
  • GORDON FORBES ROBERTSON Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Retired
  • HEATHER EDWARDS Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Solicitor
  • MICHELLE LOUISE FERRIS Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Admin
  • NICHOLAS CHARLES EDWARD ST JOHN MELLIS Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Lawyer
  • RICHARD PETER COMPLIN HAZELL Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Retired
  • WILLIAM ADAM JOHNSON Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Solicitor
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 13/11/1990, number: 1000950
  • Registered at Companies House on 01/03/1984, number: 01796532
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Other Regulators
  • Financial Conduct Authority
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
20 returns made; AR08: 28 days late, AR04: 1 days late,
Main office

SANFORD HOUSE
SANFORD STREET
SWINDON
SN1 1HE

Objectives

The Charity?s objects (?Objects?) are the relief of poverty, suffering, and distress among persons resident, studying, or working in England and Wales, in particular, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, and the surrounding areas by:? The provision of legal services that could not otherwise be obtained because of a lack of means.? The education of beneficiaries on their legal rights and responsibilities and on the operation of the law and legal system.The Advancement of other such charitable purposes as are beneficial, including the support and assistance to community groups for persons resident or working in the designated area.The undertaking of legal research for the benefit of persons resident, studying or working in the designated area, and publishing the useful results of that research.

Defined Area of Benefit:

SWINDON AND ITS ENVIRONS

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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