The Charity Show

Why are so many young people with special educational needs and disabilities missing out on activities outside school? In episode 54 of The Charity Show, Tim Beynon and Piers Townley talk to Tom Mansell, Senior Grants Manager at John Lyon’s Charity, about Game Changer, the funder’s new research into SEND provision in North and West London. Backed by a survey of 75 organisations and 350 families, it sets out what is holding charities back and what the sector can do about it.In this episode:The headline findings: 87% of parents and carers say there isn’t enough provision, and 46% of their children aren’t doing any activities outside of schoolWhy John Lyon’s Charity chose to listen first, through a year of surveys and in-person focus groups, rather than simply fund more grantsWhat really stops charities being more inclusive: staffing and resources, plus fear of getting it wrong on language, safety and governanceWhy families value honesty about what a charity can and can’t offer over a promise of “welcome to everyone”Practical first steps for stretched organisations, from sensory resources and social stories to partnerships and referral networks with specialist providersHow the findings are changing the funder’s own grant making, including accepting the cost of inclusive delivery, and what Horniman’s Adventure Playground achieved in year oneAlso in this episode, our Small Charity Spotlight shines a light on Towcester Christmas Toy Bank and Cabaret vs Cancer.Guest links and resources:John Lyon’s CharityGame Changer ReportTom Mansell on LinkedInSmall Charity SpotlightTowcester Christmas Toy Bank: www.towcesterchristmastoybank.co.ukCabaret Vs Cancer: www.cabaretvscancer.co.uk/Get involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

AI-generated content is everywhere in charity comms right now, and most organisations are using it without really understanding how it works or how to be transparent about it. In episode 53 of The Charity Show, Tim and Piers are joined by Emma Bracegirdle, founder of The Saltways, to unpack new research into how UK charities are actually using AI generated content, and where it's going badly wrong.In this episode...Why over half of charities using AI generated content aren't labelling it, and don't understand why they shouldThe crucial difference between using AI to enhance an image and using it to generate one entirely, and why the EU AI Act treats them the sameHow AI models can reproduce harmful stereotypes and "poverty porn" style imagery, and practical prompting techniques to challenge and undo thisWhy transparency, consent and updated image release forms are now essential parts of any charity's AI approachHow authentic, unpolished, phone-shot storytelling is becoming charities' best defence against a trust deficit fuelled by AI scepticismReal examples of AI used well (and badly) in the charity sector, plus where the technology can genuinely save time on admin and researchThe conversation also covers The Saltways' first Charity Film Festival, held in Bethnal Green, London, celebrating films made by and for the charity sector on every budget.Links and resources:The Saltways: https://thesaltways.com/The Saltways Charity Film Festival: https://thesaltways.com/charityfilmfestival/This episode's Small Charity Spotlights:Hastings Furniture Service: https://hfs.org.uk/HFS 100 Homes Project Crowdfunder: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/hastingsfurnitureserviceFuture First: https://www.futurefirst.org.uk/Get involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

James Brindle spent nearly 20 years as a journalist before taking the helm at one of the UK's oldest charities. In this episode, the CEO of the Journalists' Charity joins Tim and Piers to unpack an extraordinary history, one that starts with Charles Dickens in 1864 and now carries the patronage of Queen Camilla. From financial hardship to online abuse, James explains what modern journalism support really looks like.In this episode...The Journalists' Charity was founded in 1864 by Charles Dickens, who served as its first chairman, with a royal charter granted by Queen Victoria in 1890James Brindle's journey from nearly two decades in broadcast journalism, including setting up television channels, to becoming a charity CEOThe realities driving journalists to seek support, from freelance financial instability and redundancy to rising online abuse and mental health pressureHow the charity's "Lockdown Without Journalism" campaign during COVID reconnected the public with the value of the profession and drove tens of thousands of pounds in donationsThe newly launched Queen Camilla Future of Journalism Awards, offering cash support, mentoring and recognition to journalists starting their careersWhy pride and the word "charity" itself can be a barrier to journalists asking for help, and how the sector is working to change thatGuest linksThe Journalists' Charity: https://journalistscharity.org.uk/James Brindle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamesbrindleceo/Get involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

Changing your charity's name is never just a logo refresh. On this episode of The Charity Show, Tim Beynon and Piers Townley are joined by Zoe Conn (Fundraising and Development Director) and Keira Park (Marketing and Comms Manager) from Alongside, formerly Julian House, to unpack how the Bath-based charity rebuilt its identity from the ground up after a legal dispute forced a name change.From stakeholder research to donor retention, this is a masterclass in how to lead a rebrand from inside a small charity team, without a big agency and without losing the trust you've spent decades building.In this episode:Why Alongside chose to treat a legally forced name change as a strategic opportunity, not just a compliance problemHow the team ran stakeholder consultation with donors, staff and trustees at every stage of the naming and design process, checking back in repeatedly rather than asking once and moving onWhy they decided to lead the rebrand in-house, using targeted external support from a specialist agency rather than a full-service consultancyThe practical challenges of a charity rebrand rollout: budgeting, running down old stock, IT systems, and keeping "formerly Julian House" visible during the transitionHow the comms and fundraising teams managed donor anxiety around the change, including direct debit continuity and stewardship of long-standing supportersAdvice for any charity considering a rebrand: do the brief work before you touch a single name, and be ready to article your due diligence to a nervous boardLearn more about Alongside's work supporting people facing social exclusion across the South West of England, and follow their journey as the new brand continues to roll out.If you're leading, or thinking about leading, a charity rebrand of your own, we'd love to hear from you. Get in touch at [email protected] a small charity doing brilliant work that deserves a shout out on the show? Drop us a line at the same address, we'd love to feature them.If you enjoy the show, please follow, rate and review us wherever you get your podcasts. It really does help other charity people find us.Guest links:Alongside: alongsidecharity.org.uk/DCHS: boost-dchs.orgAlex, The Leukodystrophy Charity: alextlc.org/Get involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

One in three charity comms professionals is currently burnt out, and an equal number are planning to leave the sector altogether. In their landmark 50th episode, Tim Beynon and Piers Townley are joined by returning guest Adeela Warley, Chief Executive of CharityComms, to unpack what her organisation's latest Salary and Organisational Culture Survey reveals about burnout across charity communications teams, and why the values-driven nature of our sector makes it so hard for people to say no.In this episode:Why 33% of charity comms professionals are experiencing burnout, and what's driving middle managers to feel the squeeze hardestHow values-driven work in the charity sector can tip commitment into overwork and self-sacrifice, and the warning signs to watch forWhy burnout isn't confined to senior leaders, and how junior and entry-level comms staff are equally at riskPractical first steps for CEOs and senior teams wanting to build a burnout-resistant organisational cultureAdvice for small charities working with limited resources and no dedicated HR functionSector news: the proposed under-16 social media ban and its implications for charity communicators, plus new Charity Commission findings on threats and intimidation faced by charity staff and trusteesGuest links and resources:Adeela Warley LinkedInCharityComms: charitycomms.org.ukCharityComms Salary and Organisational Culture Survey: charitycomms.org.uk/salary-and-organisational-culture-survey-2025CharityComms Wellbeing Guide for communicators: charitycomms.org.uk/wellbeing-guideCharityComms "signal template" resource: charitycomms.org.uk/the-signal-frameworkBank The Food (app connecting food donors to local food banks): bankthefood.com/Slade Gardens Community Play Association, Stockwell and Lambeth: sladeadventure.co.uk/Get involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

Sally Williams returns to The Charity Show to talk governance, not philanthropy this time. As chair of trustees at Veterans With Dogs, she's spent two and a half years learning what it really takes to lead a small charity through a founder-to-CEO transition, all while holding down her day job as Head of Philanthropy at the Royal College of Physicians. Tim and Piers dig into the realities of trusteeship, the impact of assistance dogs on veterans living with PTSD and other trauma-related conditions, and why being small doesn't mean being unambitious.What's in this episode:Sally's 24 years in the British Army and how that experience shaped her move into charity governanceThe origin story of Veterans With Dogs, founded after one veteran noticed his own assistance dog helping an entire support groupWhat it's really like governing a small charity through a leadership transition, including stepping into operational gaps without a CEO in placeHow the charity balances demonstrating impact for funders with protecting the privacy and dignity of veterans and their dogsThe "magic formula" for building an effective board of trustees, and why lived experience matters as much as governance experienceThird sector news: the London Marathon's move to a two-day event in 2027, and the Big Give's Summer Campaign for Small Charity WeekPlus the usual small charity shoutouts, this week featuring Roundabout Drama Therapy and MK Cat Rescue.Useful links:Veterans With Dogs: veteranswithdogs.org.uk/Roundabout Dramatherapy: roundaboutdramatherapy.org.uk/MK Cat rescue: mk-cat-rescue.org/Get involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

Air ambulances are among the most trusted charities in the UK, but most people have no idea how they're funded, what it costs to keep them flying, or the sheer scale of engagement needed to make it all happen.In this episode, Tim and Piers sit down with Keith Wilson, Director of Income and Engagement at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, to find out exactly that.Keith spent a decade at a children's hospice before joining HIOWAA, and in the years since, he's overseen a major transformation in how the charity thinks about fundraising — or rather, why it doesn't call it fundraising at all. He's also led one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the charity's history: a brand new operational airbase near Southampton Airport, complete with a public visitor centre.It's a fascinating conversation about leadership, engagement, legacy income, volunteers, and the very human reality of funding a life-saving emergency service entirely through charitable support.In this episodeHow Keith stumbled into the charity sector via a ghost hunt at a Winchester theatreHow air ambulances actually work and why every one is differentWhy HIOWAA doesn't use the word "fundraising" and what they do insteadThe sim van: a flight simulator in a transit van that opened unexpected doorsThe new airbase and visitor centre and how it creates year-round engagementWhat it costs to keep an air ambulance operational (the answer might surprise you)The role of regular giving, legacy income, and why one major gift can change everythingVolunteers: why 80% of HIOWAA's community events are entirely volunteer-ledThe toughest leadership lesson Keith has learnedLooking ahead: what the next five years hold for the charity, hopes and honest concernsFind out moreHampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance: hiowaa.orgHIOWAA on Facebook: facebook.com/hiowaaHIOWAA on LinkedIn and Instagram: @HIOWAAGet involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

You've heard of match funding. But do you really know how to make it work for your charity?In this episode, we sit down with Alex Day, Managing Director of Big Give, the UK's largest digital match funding platform, to find out what separates the charities that smash their targets from those that don't, and why this tool is far more accessible than many smaller charities assume.From the origins of Big Give to a bold goal of raising £1 billion by 2030, this is a conversation packed with practical insight for fundraisers of every size.What you'll hear in this episodeHow match funding actually works and why it's simpler than you thinkWhat smaller charities need to have in place before applying to Big GiveThe most common mistake charities make with match funding campaignsWhat the charities that consistently smash their targets do differentlyHow Big Give is evolving as the fundraising landscape shiftsUseful linksBig Give: https://donate.biggive.org/Alex Day on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-day-63b97b62/Big Give Christmas Challenge: https://biggive.org/blog/2026/02/09/reflecting-on-the-2025-christmas-challenge/Love Oliver: https://loveoliver.org.ukHartcliffe City Farm: https://hartcliffecityfarm.org.ukGet involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

We often talk about the power of giving. But what if the way we give is part of the problem?In this episode, we sit down with Professor Niki Banks, co-founder of One World Together, to explore a bold challenge to the traditional charity model, and why ensuring that more of your money helps the people and projects you want it to, may mean giving differently.From funding flows to frontline impact, this is a conversation that might just change how you think about donations.What you’ll hear in this episodeThe hidden complexity behind big charity funding modelsWhy small, community-led organisations can outperform larger charitiesThe case for unrestricted funding and why flexibility mattersHow One World Together claims to make donations up to 40x more impactful.Useful links:One World Together: https://oneworldtogether.org.uk/Niki on LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicola-banks-03249459/From Me To You: https://www.frommetoyouletters.co.uk/Ailsa's Aim: https://www.ailsasaim.co.uk/Get involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠⁠

In episode 45 of The Charity Show, Tim and Piers sit down with Martin Bisiker, founder of Legasee Educational Trust, for a fascinating conversation about one of the most quietly urgent missions in the heritage sector: capturing the testimonies of veterans before their stories are lost forever.Martin's path to founding Legasee is an unconventional one. A career in television - including filming Julia Bradbury from a microlight over Victoria Falls - gave him both a love of storytelling and a growing unease about what was disappearing. When the last surviving First World War veteran passed away, something clicked. Armed with a camera and a sense of urgency, he began interviewing Second World War veterans, and what started as a personal project became a registered charity in 2012. Legasee Educational Trust now holds an archive of over 700 filmed interviews, freely available to view online, spanning conflicts from the Second World War through to more recent campaigns.Together, Tim, Piers and Martin explore:How Legasee grew from a nagging feeling that something important was about to be lost, and the chance encounter with a former Age UK executive that helped turn a personal project into a charityWhy Martin insists the archive is freely accessible to everyone - not just researchers and academics - and the thinking behind that decision from the very beginningThe art of the veteran interview: why open questions matter, how you create the conditions for people to open up on camera, and the moments that stay with you long after the recording endsThe new Aden Emergency Project - a forgotten conflict from 1963 to 1967, now the subject of a National Lottery Heritage Fund-backed project based in Blackpool, including a remarkable collaboration with a drama college to bring veteran testimony to the stageLegasee's growing podcast output, from the acclaimed five-part D-Day series to the Berlin Airlift, and how volunteer expertise has shaped the quality of every episodeThe Local Heroes programme - Martin's plan to teach young people how to build their own archives, and why that feels like the natural next step for Legasee's missionUseful links:Legasee Educational Trust – https://www.legasee.org.ukNational Literacy Trust / National Year of Reading – https://www.literacytrust.org.ukSheppey Pulse Network – https://www.sheppeypulsenetwork.co.uk/HANAH – Help Against Bullying and Mental Health – https://www.hab-antibullying.com/The Good Studio – Great content for good causes – https://www.thegoodstudio.co.ukGet involved:Listen to The Charity Show on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or your favourite platformEmail us at ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠Send a voice message to TheCharityShowFind every link you need: ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/thecharityshow⁠⁠Enjoyed the episode? Leave a five-star review and follow/subscribe to support the show!💡 If you enjoyed this episode, hit follow or subscribe on your podcast app, and please leave us a five-star rating — it helps more people find conversations with real charity experts across the UK.This episode is produced by The Good Studio – Creating great content for good causes. From podcasts and campaigns to film and copywriting, The Good Studio helps charities tell powerful stories that make people care.👉 Find out more at ⁠⁠www.thegoodstudio.co.uk⁠⁠