Activities

As described by the charity on the register

The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global network of volunteers, responding to natural disasters, conflicts and individual emergencies.We enable vulnerable people at home and overseas to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help people to recover and move on with their lives.

Latest income

£287m

Expenditure

£310m

Financial year end

2024-12-31

Income & spending history

As reported to the Charity Commission, by financial year end

Year end Income Expenditure income spend
2020-12-31 £306m £295m
2021-12-31 £227m £235m
2022-12-31 £439m £367m
2023-12-31 £331m £323m
2024-12-31 £287m £310m

Latest detailed return

Year end 2024-12-31 · consolidated (group) figures

Income mix

Donations & legacies £133m
Charitable activities £109m
Trading £39.3m
Investment income £4.7m
Total income £287m

Spending

Charitable spend £238m
Raising funds £72.3m
Grants to institutions £82.9m
Governance £2.9m
Total expenditure £310m

Balance sheet

Reserves £64.5m
Total funds £254m
— restricted £147m
— unrestricted £107m
— endowment £0
Total assets £254m
Cash £40.2m

People

Employees 3,286

Classification

The charity's own register classification

What it does

  • General Charitable Purposes
  • Education/training
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
  • Disability
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
  • Overseas Aid/famine Relief

Who it helps

  • Children/young People
  • Elderly/old People
  • People With Disabilities
  • Other Defined Groups
  • The General Public/mankind

How it works

  • Makes Grants To Organisations
  • Provides Human Resources
  • Provides Services
  • Provides Advocacy/advice/information

Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales register, 2026-07-28. Detailed figures as filed in the charity's annual return. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.