READING FORCE

Registered charity 1159890 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

We help improve communication within families experiencing the unique challenges of Forces life whether at home together or separated by tours of duty or postings, by encouraging shared reading and scrapbook/journaling. It is a fun and practical activity for all British Forces families living in the UK and overseas, reservists, veterans, and their close and extended families including grandparents

Objects

THE FOLLOWING OBJECTS ARE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT FOR ALL BRITISH ARMED FORCES FAMILIES AND CHILDREN LIVING IN THE UK AND OVERSEAS:-1) TO ADVANCE EDUCATION BY ENCOURAGING FAMILIES TO READ TOGETHER FOR PLEASURE AND TALK ABOUT A BOOK BY PROVIDING ADVICE AND ASSISTANCE AND MATERIALS TO SUPPORT SHARED READING ACTIVITIES; AND2) TO PROMOTE AND PROTECT GOOD HEALTH BY USING READING AS A MEANS OF MITIGATING STRESS AND INCREASING COMMUNICATION AND GOOD FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS FOLLOWING SEPARATION DUE TO TRAINING, DEPLOYMENT, POSTINGS AND MOBILITY.

Area of benefit: UK AND OVERSEAS

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: Education/training · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Kingston upon Thames, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income increased by 89% to £437,592, resulting in a net income of £146,342 and unrestricted reserves of £142,140. The trustees note that while reserves are currently below the six-month policy target, the charity aims to maintain sufficient headroom despite a difficult fundraising climate. The independent examiner confirmed that no material matters were identified during the examination of the accounts.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

• Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• 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

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

• Reading Force launches partnership with RAF Benevolent Fund at RAF High Wycombe - Cobseo cobseo.org.uk · 22/02/2018

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

• Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity — “This initiative continues to be supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and Annington Trust.” (source page)
• Annington Trust — “This initiative continues to be supported by the Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity and Annington Trust.” (source page)
• RAF Benevolent Fund — “During 2018, a grant from the RAF Benevolent Fund has enabled Reading Force to be offered to several Ben Clubs children and families” (source page)
• ABF The Soldiers’ Charity — “The national army charity has been a supporter of Reading Force since 2014” (source page)

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Trustees · trustee networks

• NICHOLAS WILLIAM NEVILLE JONES BA OXONchair
• Alison Hill
• Amanda Rowley
• Elizabeth Brown
• LINDSEY TAYLOR
• Louise Sarah Radakin
• Paul Collard BEM ACMA
• Rev Alison Baverstock
• SHAHID AZEEM · trustee of 2 other charities
• Sarah Helen Bradshaw

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Akrotiri · Brunei · Canada · Cyprus · Dhekelia · Falkland Islands · Germany · Gibraltar · Italy · Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Common questions

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Grants marked “Unverified read” were flagged by automated checks as possibly misread from the funder’s filed accounts. They are listed, but left out of the totals, counts and funder relationships this site computes.

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 READING FAMILY CHURCH.

• READING FAMILY CHURCH income £1.5m
• READ - THE READING AGENCY income £2.8m
• LITTLE TROOPERS income £170k
• COMBAT STRESS income £14.3m
• THE READER ORGANISATION income £4.6m
• VETERANS OF WAR income £10k

Side by side with its peers

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.