BLACKBURN AND DARWEN DISTRICT WITHOUT ABUSE LIMITED
Registered charity 1116444 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BLACKBURN AND DARWEN DISTRICT WOMEN'S AID LIMITED, The Wish Centre
Provision of support, advice and accommodation to adults and children who have suffered or at risk of suffering domestic abuse.
Causes: Education/training · Accommodation/housing · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity incurred a net deficit of £84,258 for the year ended 31 March 2025, a reversal from the previous year's surplus, which the trustees attribute to planned investment in future growth. Despite this deficit, the charity holds total funds of £2,457,954, comprising £2,157,954 in designated reserves and £300,000 in unrestricted reserves. The trustees confirm the organisation remains in a stable financial position and is a going concern with adequate resources to continue operating.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: sufficient level of reserves to enable The Wish Centre to enter into its next development stage of looking to build a portfolio of 'move-on' properties (held: £300k)
“The Trustees have a stated long-term strategy to build up a sufficient level of reserves to enable The Wish Centre to enter into its next development stage of looking to build a portfolio of 'move-on' properties in the 2025-26 financial year.” — page 17
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by KM. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.
Year-over-year changes
- Going concern: going-concern doubt noted (FY2024) → no going-concern doubt (FY2025).
Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.
Leadership, per the charity’s website
- Shigufta Khan — Chief Executive Officer (source)
- Steph Sayers — Head of People & Culture (source)
Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.
Funders the charity credits
Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).
- Haydock Finance — “We are very grateful to Haydock Finance for their many years of support. Their generous donations have been instrumental in providing vital…” (source page)
Public-sector contracts awarded
From the official Contracts Finder and Find a Tender notices (supplier matched by exact registered name). Contract income is distinct from grants.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£18k
Reported reserves equal ~19.2 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (92% 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: 1.3% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).
- PAULINE GERAGHTY MBEchair
- ANGELA MARY MCDONAGH-KELLY
- CHRISTINE MARIE SOUTHWORTH
- Gillian Clarke
- JOAN WHITTAKER
- Jonathan Phillip Atkinson
- Rabiya Gangreker
- Sarah Jane Miranda Lynas
- Sophia Isa
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Blackburn With Darwen · Lancashire
Income and spending
Common questions
Is BLACKBURN AND DARWEN DISTRICT WITHOUT ABUSE LIMITED financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity incurred a net deficit of £84,258 for the year ended 31 March 2025, a reversal from the previous year's surplus, which the trustees attribute to planned investment in future growth. Despite this deficit, the charity holds total funds of £2,457,954, comprising £2,157,954 in designated reserves and £300,000 in unrestricted reserves. The trustees confirm the organisation remains in a stable financial position and is a going concern with adequate resources to continue operating. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by KM.
Who funds BLACKBURN AND DARWEN DISTRICT WITHOUT ABUSE LIMITED?
Funders whose own accounts filings name BLACKBURN AND DARWEN DISTRICT WITHOUT ABUSE LIMITED as a grant recipient include Brian Mercer Trust.
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 NORTHAMPTONSHIRE DOMESTIC ABUSE SERVICE.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.