HOME-START UK
Registered charity 1108837 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as HOME-START, HOME-START CONSULTANCY · also registered in Scotland as SC039172 (OSCR)
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.
Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £665k for the year, with total income rising 36% to £5.24m. Free reserves stood at £1.75m, which is just below the stated target of £1.76m but above the minimum threshold of £1.24m. The trustees confirmed adequate resources to continue as a going concern with no material uncertainties.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £1.8m)
“The current target set is £1.76m, the holding at 31 March 2025 were £1.75m.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustee Pearly Siffel is a director of the subsidiary Home-Start Consultancy Limited.
“The trustee Pearly Siffel is also a director of the subsidiary.” — page 41
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Home-Start Consultancy Limited
“Home-Start UK owns 100% of the issued equity share capital of Home-Start Consultancy Limited, a company incorporated in England. The subsidiary undertaking commenced trading during 2020-21.” — page 15
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Price Bailey LLP. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
HOME-START CONSULTANCY LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Home-Start UK (matched by registered charity number).
Funders the charity credits
Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).
- Postcode Lottery — “Funding from Postcode Lottery players enables Home-Start UK to provide vital support across our national network, helping to strengthen fami…” (source page)
- Pears Foundation — “Pears Foundation is a generous supporter of Home-Start; most recently investing 750,000 in our Compassionate Communities project to strength…” (source page)
- The Sainsbury Family Charitable Trusts — “We're delighted to receive continued support from the Headley Trust and the Tedworth Charitable Trust.” (source page)
- Comic Relief — “Comic Relief is generously supporting Home-Start UK’s work to grow inclusive practice across the network.” (source page)
- The Henry Smith Charity — “The Henry Smith Charity is a generous supporter of our local Home-Start network with an emphasis on improving lives in local communities.” (source page)
- BBC Children in Need — “BBC Children In Need are generous supporters of our local Home-Start network across the UK.” (source page)
- The National Lottery Community Fund — “The National Lottery Community Fund is a generous supporters of our local Home-Start network across the UK.” (source page)
- The Army Central Fund — “The Army Central Fund is a generous supporter of our local Home-Start network across the UK.” (source page)
- Corra Foundation — “We acknowledge the support of the Scottish Government through a CYPFEIF and ALEC Fund Grant.” (source page)
- Garfield Weston Foundation — “As well as being a generous funder to the network, Garfield Weston Foundation support Home-Start UK’s work developing volunteering.” (source page)
Company officers (Companies House)
Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.
- WAHEED, Faiza — director, appointed 20/03/2024on trustee list
- SPENCE, Tara — director, appointed 20/03/2024on trustee list
- DUXBURY, Sarah Elizabeth — director, appointed 20/03/2024on trustee list
- WILMSHURST, Euan — director, appointed 20/03/2024on trustee list
- SIFFEL, Gyongyi — director, appointed 08/12/2021on trustee list
- AYIVOR, Raymond — director, appointed 08/12/2021on trustee list
- HINNIGAN, Lin — director, appointed 14/09/2021on trustee list
- GOLLEDGE, Natalie — secretary, appointed 01/02/2024
Official officers record.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£676k
Reported reserves equal ~4.8 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (66% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 12.9% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (26/08/2022) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (12/12/2016) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Lin Hinniganchair
- Euan Wilmshurst · trustee of 4 other charities
- Faiza Waheed
- Gyongyi Siffel
- Raymond Ayivor · trustee of 1 other charity
- Sarah Duxbury
- Tara Spence
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is HOME-START UK financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £665k for the year, with total income rising 36% to £5.24m. Free reserves stood at £1.75m, which is just below the stated target of £1.76m but above the minimum threshold of £1.24m. The trustees confirmed adequate resources to continue as a going concern with no material uncertainties. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Price Bailey LLP.
Who funds HOME-START UK?
Funders whose own accounts filings name HOME-START UK as a grant recipient include THE PEARS FAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, THE BAND TRUST, GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION, THE BROOK TRUST, THE AIM FOUNDATION.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with HOME-START NORTH AND WEST GLOUCESTERSHIRE.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.