THE SICK CHILDREN'S TRUST

Registered charity 284416 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Sick Children's Trust provides essential accommodation and amenities (Homes from Home) for the families and carers of sick children undergoing treatment at a number of hospitals around the country.

Causes: The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Accommodation/housing · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£2.7m

Latest spending

£3.2m

Registered

1982

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure deficit of £451,941 for the year, resulting in a decrease in total net assets from £6.9 million to £6.5 million. Per the trustees' report, the charity utilized reserves to plug the funding gap between rising operational costs and income, though free unrestricted reserves of £1.2 million remain above the stated policy target of three months' running costs.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £70,001 - £80,000 — above the median for charities its size (£70k)

“In the band £70,001 - £80,000” — page 32

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: three to six months' running costs (held: £1.2m)

“deem that in 2025/26 such reserves should be between three and six months’ running costs. This is between approximately £793,000 and £1,586,000”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Insurance costs paid to T L Dallas Group Limited and its subsidiaries, where trustee Polly Staveley is a director.

“During the year costs of £22,103 (2024: £22,038) were paid to T L Dallas Group Limited and its subsidiaries in relation to insurance costs. Polly Staveley, trustee, is a director of these companies.” — page 38

“During the year donations totalling £140,448 (2024: £26,362) were received from the Trustees.” — page 38

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Donations received from trustees.

“During the year costs of £22,103 (2024: £22,038) were paid to T L Dallas Group Limited and its subsidiaries in relation to insurance costs. Polly Staveley, trustee, is a director of these companies.” — page 38

“During the year donations totalling £140,448 (2024: £26,362) were received from the Trustees.” — page 38

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by UNW LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 01618435

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Sick Children's Trust (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).

Red Sky Foundation — “Red Sky Foundation's £30,000 donation to Scott House will help families stay close to seriously ill children at Newcastle's Freeman Hospital…” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

CURRAN, Donna Elizabeth — director, appointed 05/06/2026on trustee list
CHENG, Man Yeung — director, appointed 05/06/2026on trustee list
ROBERTSON, Mei-Lin — director, appointed 24/03/2025on trustee list
RYAN, Aileen Mary — director, appointed 19/09/2024on trustee list
FENNELL, Darren James — director, appointed 06/07/2024on trustee list
KESTER, Deborah — director, appointed 13/12/2023on trustee list
PLANE, David Anthony — director, appointed 13/12/2023on trustee list
STAVELEY, Polly Eleanor Olivia — director, appointed 12/12/2013on trustee list
BLAKEMORE, Fiona Jane Conway — director, appointed 18/09/2012on trustee list
CUNARD, Peter John — directoron trustee list

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

9 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (2 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income

£2.7m

Total spending

£3.2m

Cost of raising funds

£1.0m

Reserves (reported)

£6.3m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~24.0 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 38.1% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (01/08/2024) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Aileen Ryan
Darren Fennell
David Plane
Deborah Kester
Donna Elizabeth Curran
FIONA JANE CONWAY BLAKEMORE
Man Yeung Cheng
Mei-Lin Robertson
PETER CUNARD
POLLY ELEANOR OLIVIA STAVELEY

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£2.7m	£3.2m
31/03/2024	£2.4m	£3.2m
31/03/2023	£2.4m	£3.0m
31/03/2022	£1.9m	£2.4m
31/03/2021	£2.0m	£2.5m

Common questions

Is THE SICK CHILDREN'S TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure deficit of £451,941 for the year, resulting in a decrease in total net assets from £6.9 million to £6.5 million. Per the trustees' report, the charity utilized reserves to plug the funding gap between rising operational costs and income, though free unrestricted reserves of £1.2 million remain above the stated policy target of three months' running costs. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by UNW LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of THE SICK CHILDREN'S TRUST earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £70,001 - £80,000 band.

Who funds THE SICK CHILDREN'S TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE SICK CHILDREN'S TRUST as a grant recipient include THE BAND TRUST, MICHAEL CRAWFORD CHILDRENS CHARITY, E B M CHARITABLE TRUST, THE RASCHE FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST, THE MARIE CELESTE SAMARITAN SOCIETY.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE BAND TRUST	FY2023	£320k	Children and Young People
THE BAND TRUST	FY2024	£130k	Children and Young People
MICHAEL CRAWFORD CHILDRENS CHARITY	FY2025	£80k
E B M CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£75k
E B M CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£65k
THE RASCHE FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£60k	Providing accommodation to families across Yorkshire with a seriously ill child being treated at Leeds Children’s Hospital, offering them practical and emotiona
MICHAEL CRAWFORD CHILDRENS CHARITY	FY2023	£58k
THE RASCHE FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£53k	helps provide families with a sick child in hospital with a ‘Home from Home’
THE MARIE CELESTE SAMARITAN SOCIETY	FY2025	£50k	Stevenson House
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITY	FY2024	£50k	Medical
MICHAEL CRAWFORD CHILDRENS CHARITY	FY2024	£50k
THE KIRBY LAING FOUNDATION	FY2022	£40k	Health & Medical Welfare
E B M CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£27k	Grant paid to institution
THE MARIE CELESTE SAMARITAN SOCIETY	FY2023	£20k	Stevenson House
THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUST	FY2023	£20k	Primary
THE HARRISON FOUNDATION	FY2022	£20k
THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUST	FY2024	£20k	Secondary
E B M CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£20k
THE BAND TRUST	FY2022	£20k	Specific grantee
PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£10k
THE ADINT CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£10k
THE JAN AND CATHERINE NASMYTH CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2025	£10k
CHARLES S FRENCH CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£10k
BNA CHARITABLE INCORPORATED ORGANISATION	FY2025	£10k
PEACOCK CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£10k
THE ADINT CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£10k
THE JAN AND CATHERINE NASMYTH CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	FY2024	£10k
THE ADINT CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£10k
THE THOMAS J HORNE MEMORIAL TRUST	FY2024	£9k
THE THOMAS J HORNE MEMORIAL TRUST	FY2023	£8k
THE THOMAS J HORNE MEMORIAL TRUST	FY2022	£8k
THE FRANK LITCHFIELD GENERAL CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£8k
PHILIP KING CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£7k	Arts therapy centre based in Jerusalem
THE HARRISON FOUNDATION	FY2023	£6k
THE BOLTINI TRUST	FY2025	£6k
THE BOLTINI TRUST	FY2024	£6k
THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUST	FY2025	£5k	Secondary
THE WILLIAM ALLEN YOUNG CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£5k
MICHAEL CRAWFORD CHILDRENS CHARITY	FY2022	£5k
THE VALIANT CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£5k	enable them to support sick children in hospital
THE W A HANDLEY CHARITY TRUST	FY2024	£5k
CHARLES S FRENCH CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£5k
THE CATHERINE COOKSON CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£5k	Medical, Health and Sickness
THE W A HANDLEY CHARITY TRUST	FY2023	£5k	One-off grants - Social Care
THE LAWSON TRUST CIO	FY2023	£5k
DAVID LISTER CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£5k
THE BOLTINI TRUST	FY2023	£5k	Disadvantaged I Disabled I Children & Young People Care Institution
THE BORROWS CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£5k
THE LIGHT FUND COMPANY	FY2023	£5k
THE DYERS' COMPANY CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£5k	Health and Welfare

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
Community Foundation North East	19/03/2026	£500	Grant to The Sick Children's Trust
Community Foundation North East	27/02/2025	£500	Grant to The Sick Children's Trust
Community Foundation North East	12/01/2023	£500	Grant to The Sick Children's Trust
Community Foundation North East	04/11/2021	£500	A grant to Sick Children's Trust
Community Foundation North East	09/01/2018	£500	Towards core costs
Community Foundation North East	02/10/2017	£500	Towards Crawford House running costs
Community Foundation North East	07/10/2016	£500	Donation towards running costs - Crawford House, Newcastle
Community Foundation North East	13/09/2016	£10k	Towards Crawford House Refurbishment Project
Community Foundation North East	16/08/2016	£1k	Towards Scott House - Fridge/Freezers
Community Foundation North East	30/09/2015	£500	Towards running costs - Crawford House, Newcastle

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 PENNIES FOUNDATION	2	£1.1m
PETER HARRISON FOUNDATION	2	£110k
THE GEOFF & FIONA SQUIRE FOUNDATION	2	£31k
MAY HEARNSHAW CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£17k
SKIPTON BUILDING SOCIETY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	2	£4k
THE THOMPSON FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£670k
THE CADOGAN CHARITY	1	£500k
THE CHARIS TRUST	1	£431k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHARITY.

THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHARITY income £5.4m
EAST ANGLIA'S CHILDREN'S HOSPICES income £22.4m
ALEXANDER DEVINE CHILDREN'S CANCER TRUST income £2.8m
SINCERE SUPPORT income £122k
THE CHILDREN'S FAMILY TRUST income £9.7m
FAMILY IN TRUST income £146k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE SICK CHILDREN'S TRUST	£2.7m	£70,001 - £80,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL CHARITY FY2025	£5.4m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
EAST ANGLIA'S CHILDREN'S HOSPICES FY2025	£22.4m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
ALEXANDER DEVINE CHILDREN'S CANCER TRUST FY2025	£2.8m	£80,001 - £90,000	3	below	—	no doubt
SINCERE SUPPORT FY2025	£122k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE CHILDREN'S FAMILY TRUST FY2025	£9.7m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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