CAMBRIDGE AID

Registered charity 204327 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as CAMBRIDGE CENTRAL AID, CAMBRIDGE CENTRAL AID SOCIETY, CAMBRIDGE CENTRAL AID SOCIETY AND SURGICAL AID ASSOCIATION

Assess the need and give appropriate support in individual cases of social distress or financial difficulty.

Objects

THE MAIN OBJECTS OF THE SOCIETY SHALL BE THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE CONDITIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE BY SUCH MEANS AS - A) CONDUCTING ENQUIRIES AND STUDIES THAT WILL LEAD TO SOCIA IMPROVEMENT. B) SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE WORK. C) TRAINING SUTIABLE PERSONS FOR CHARITABLE AND SOCIAL WORK.

Area of benefit: CAMBRIDGE

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

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

Registered contact address: Cambridge, East of England, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£135k

Latest spending

£140k

Registered

1962

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total income was £135,497 against total expenditure of £139,022, resulting in a net deficit for the year. Despite this, unrestricted reserves remained healthy at £130,786, providing 12 months of expenditure cover against the trustees' prudent policy target of 6 months. The charity maintains significant restricted endowment funds valued at over £300,000 to support future investment income.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: 6 months reserves against annualised expenditure (reserves figure: £131k)

“the Trustees consider that 6 months reserves against annualised expenditure to be prudent and appropriate.” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee referred 16% of clients to Citizens Advice Bureau where they are a Supervisor.

“One Trustee is a Supervisor at the Cambridge and District Citizens Advice Bureau who referred 16% (2024:18%) of our clients. This Trustee does not vote on any client applications sponsored by Citizens Advice.” — page 11

“One Trustee is an employee of Rathbones Investment Management in Cambridge who manage our ethical and Fulbourn Fund investments.” — page 11

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee employed by Rathbones, which manages the charity's investments.

“One Trustee is a Supervisor at the Cambridge and District Citizens Advice Bureau who referred 16% (2024:18%) of our clients. This Trustee does not vote on any client applications sponsored by Citizens Advice.” — page 11

“One Trustee is an employee of Rathbones Investment Management in Cambridge who manage our ethical and Fulbourn Fund investments.” — page 11

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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
Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
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.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 6
Government income: £11,249 — grants £11,249 (2); 8% of the £135,497 total gross income on the same return
Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 10
Government income: £13,600 — grants £13,600 (1); 8% of the £167,841 total gross income on the same return
Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 9
Government income: £14,568 — grants £14,568 (1); 8% of the £178,403 total gross income on the same return
Grant-making is its main activity

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

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Cambridge Aid (matched by registered charity number).

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

Register events

Received assets from another charity (15/07/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

JOEL LIMMERchair
Dr Anna Stevenson
Edward John Rodney Stanford
Karen Sheila Gower Isaac
Ken Smith
LAUREN JANE ALLIN
Maria Esther Lamb
Paul Alastair Ray · trustee of 1 other charity
RACHEL JANE WINTER
Rachel Kay Norridge
Susan Anne Gilbey

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

Operates in: Cambridgeshire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£135k	£140k
31/12/2024	£168k	£178k
31/12/2023	£178k	£190k
31/12/2022	£129k	£146k
31/12/2021	£171k	£141k

Common questions

Is CAMBRIDGE AID financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that total income was £135,497 against total expenditure of £139,022, resulting in a net deficit for the year. Despite this, unrestricted reserves remained healthy at £130,786, providing 12 months of expenditure cover against the trustees' prudent policy target of 6 months. The charity maintains significant restricted endowment funds valued at over £300,000 to support future investment income. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds CAMBRIDGE AID?

Funders whose own accounts filings name CAMBRIDGE AID as a grant recipient include UNITED CHARITIES OF CAMBRIDGE, THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUST, THE COLE CHARITABLE TRUST, THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY THE LESS, CAMBRIDGE.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
UNITED CHARITIES OF CAMBRIDGE	FY2025	£40k	Support for emergency purchases of white goods, food and clothing
UNITED CHARITIES OF CAMBRIDGE	FY2023	£30k	Relief in Need Branch grant
UNITED CHARITIES OF CAMBRIDGE	FY2022	£18k	Relief in Need Branch - general relief of poverty/hardship
THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUST	FY2024	£5k	Secondary
THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUST	FY2025	£5k	Secondary
THE COLE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£3k	Care and Social Welfare
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY THE LESS, CAMBRIDGE	FY2022	£1k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST MARY THE LESS, CAMBRIDGE	FY2021	£50

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	01/07/2020	£5k	VSCE CMC Fund

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£255k
MONDAY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£119k
NORWICH CONSOLIDATED CHARITIES	1	£25k
HOPESTEAD	1	£18k
KING'S CHURCH MILDENHALL	1	£15k
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION OF ALDERMAN JOHN NORMAN	1	£13k
Norwich Freemen's Charity	1	£10k
THE STRANGWARD TRUST	1	£10k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with PUBLISH WHAT YOU FUND.

PUBLISH WHAT YOU FUND income £781k
CAMBRIDGE WOMEN'S AID income £605k
CRITICAL SUPPORT income £592k
GAMLEARN income £310k
ASSIST TRUST income £1.4m
COMMUNITY MONEY ADVICE LTD income £512k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
CAMBRIDGE AID	£135k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
PUBLISH WHAT YOU FUND FY2025	£781k	£80,001 - £90,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
CAMBRIDGE WOMEN'S AID FY2025	£605k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
CRITICAL SUPPORT FY2025	£592k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
GAMLEARN FY2024	£310k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ASSIST TRUST FY2025	£1.4m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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