THE LOWDOWN

Registered charity 1197273 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Lowdown is a Mental Health Charity, providing free and confidential support services for 8- 25 year olds in Northamptonshire. Our services include Counselling, Information, Guidance, Wellbeing, LGBTQIA, Youth Groups and Sexual Health.

Objects

FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT, TO PROMOTE THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE LIVING IN THE AREA OF BENEFIT, REGARDLESS OF RACE, RELIGION, OR SOCIO ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES THROUGH:A. PROVIDING A WIDE RANGE OF FREE OF CHARGE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES FOR CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE, ADULTS AND FAMILIES TO SUPPORT YOUNG PEOPLE IN IMPROVING THEIR MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL WELLBEING. B. PROVIDING COUNSELLING AND SUPPORT SERVICES COVERING WELLBEING, SEXUAL HEALTH AND LGBTQ MATTERS, SIGN POSTING AND PROVISION OF EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION. C. THE PROVISION OF ADVOCACY AND PARTICIPATION IN COMMUNITY AND OTHER EVENTS TO RAISE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE ISSUES AFFECTING YOUNG PEOPLE AND MARGINALISED/MINORITY GROUPS. D. PROVIDING SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE IN TRAINING VOLUNTEERS AND COUNSELLORS IN ORDER TO ENHANCE PROVISION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

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

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

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

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income increased to £1.9m, driven by capital grants, while unrestricted funds rose to £621k. Staff costs increased by 15% to £883k, and fixed assets grew significantly due to a new building extension. The charity reports that cash balances are well managed at £876k.

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

What the accounts disclose

Discloses 3 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
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Investing charity funds policy and procedures
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Trustee expenses 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.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Lowdown (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 Places Trust — “Postcode Places Trust is a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Our organisation received £25,000 f…” (source page)
• People's Postcode Lottery — “Postcode Places Trust is a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Our organisation received £25,000 f…” (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 31/03/2026)

Reported reserves equal ~4.9 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.7 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: 0.1% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.3%) (benchmarks).

Register events

• Received assets from another charity (18/05/2022) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

• STEPHEN EDMONDSchair · trustee of 2 other charities
• Alice Smyth
• Alisa Moore
• Andre Gore
• Brendan Dunphy
• Claire Harisson-Breed
• Damon Boughen · trustee of 3 other charities
• Will White

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

Operates in: Northamptonshire

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 MAKING A DIFFERENCE.

• MAKING A DIFFERENCE income £30k
• THE COUNSELLING HUB income £118k
• THE SPACE income £279k
• NO.5 YOUNG PEOPLE income £581k
• YORK DOWN SYNDROME SUPPORT GROUP income £18k
• CHAT YOUTH COUNSELLING income £173k

Side by side with its peers

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