THE FREE SHOP

Registered charity 1194346 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Free Shop provides grants, items and services to individuals in need and other charitable organisations. We predominately provide clothes, bedding, shoes, underwear and accessories to Syrian refugees in Lebanon through a "free shop" system. All items are given at no cost to vulnerable customers, who also have the freedom to choose the donations they need and like.

Objects

THE PREVENTION OR RELIEF OF POVERTY IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA) AND EUROPE BY PROVIDING: GRANTS, ITEMS AND SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS IN NEED AND/OR CHARITIES, OR OTHER ORGANISATIONS WORKING TO PREVENT OR RELIEVE POVERTY.

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

Causes: Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Lincoln, East Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity cleared all outstanding loans, resulting in zero debt at the end of the financial period. Unrestricted reserves increased to £5,293, moving from a negative balance in the prior year, while the trustees confirmed there are no uncertainties regarding the charity's continued operation.

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 4 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 handling
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Volunteer management

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.

Trustees · trustee networks

• Alice Rose Corriganchair · trustee of 1 other charity
• Abigail Anna Swan
• Angelica Abi-Farah
• Arthur Newton
• Elizabeth Jo Costello Tasker
• Francesco Tessari
• Mark Byrne
• Tom Page

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

Operates in: Lebanon · Syria · Throughout England

Income and spending

Common questions

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 SYRIAN REFUGEE RELIEF FUND.

• SYRIAN REFUGEE RELIEF FUND income £268k
• FREE SHOP CRAWLEY income £255k
• SHAREWEAR CLOTHING SCHEME income £155k
• CLOTHING SOLUTIONS (FOR DISABLED PEOPLE) income £110k
• MESOPOTAMIA income £126k
• BACUP FELLOWSHIP OF CHURCHES income £115k

Side by side with its peers

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