2025 Free

Spadework 2025 Impact Report Update

Spadework's 2025 Impact Report Update reviews progress against key objectives since its broader 2024 report. In 2025 the Kent charity supported 234 people affected by dementia, 122 people with learning and other disabilities, 177 carers and 104 people to improve their wellbeing. In its 2025 survey of 43 people living with dementia, 98% said they feel less isolated since coming to Spadework, 98% said they feel respected and listened to, and 95% said they have enjoyed its social opportunities. The report also covers plans for a new dementia and wellbeing hub.

Report snapshot
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About

Spadework is a Kent charity founded in 1984 that enables adults with learning and other disabilities to gain a sense of pride, purpose and belonging through meaningful activities, and provides dementia, carers, wellbeing and bereavement services. It also runs social enterprises, including Pumpkins with a Purpose.

Key Metrics

234 people affected by dementia supported in 2025
122 people with learning and other disabilities supported
177 carers supported at Spadework

Key Outcomes

  • 98% of people living with dementia surveyed say they feel less isolated since coming to Spadework
  • 98% of people living with dementia surveyed feel respected and listened to at Spadework
  • 95% of people living with dementia surveyed have enjoyed Spadework's social opportunities

Geography

South East

Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
Total income £18,180,000 and total expenditure £18,560,000 (year ended 31 December 2024, charity no. 1084958 England/Wales and SC039654 Scotland); in 2024 spent £3.8m on...
Key Metric 2
700+ members supported through in-person visits and support calls in 2025; 697 support grants allocated in 2025 for essential items including specialist clothing, cooling...
Key Metric 3
Largest global investment in EB research to date: multi-million-pound drug repurposing trial provisionally agreed with LifeArc partner at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation...
£34,000 raised in 2025 winter appeal supporting families like Darcie's with specialist items, emotional support and research; 697 support grants delivered in 2025; first Members Connect event in Northern Ireland; EB Priorities Setting Partnership study completed providing global research roadmap
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
22,507 households helped through RBL casework and specialist support services across 66 countries
Key Metric 2
22,600 grants given to those in need, totalling £11.8 million
Key Metric 3
733 beneficiaries represented at tribunals, resulting in £24.5 million in War Pensions awards
1,548 new families living with dementia supported by RBL Admiral Nurses service
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
3,600 blind veterans received support across the UK; 447 new blind veterans started receiving support in 2024/25
Key Metric 2
1,598 referrals to rehabilitation services completed; 313 veterans received assistive technology training
Key Metric 3
997 volunteers donated 26,824 hours of support; befriending service awarded Quality in Befriending Excellence — one of only 11 organisations in the UK to...
1,831 National Creative Wellbeing Project packs issued to help veterans reconnect with creativity and independence
Impact Snapshot
Key Metric 1
349,000+ people completed the Know Your Risk tool to assess their risk of type 2 diabetes in 2024
Key Metric 2
£4 million invested in 17 new research projects; total active grants portfolio worth over £45 million
Key Metric 3
32% of people completing NHS England's Path to Remission programme — which Diabetes UK campaigned for — put their type 2 diabetes into remission
Type 1 Diabetes Grand Challenge invested over £23 million in 19 projects across 161 experts from 47 institutions in 8 countries since 2022