Rotherham Families First publishes Annual Report for 2025-26
Rotherham Families First supported more families and individuals than ever during 2025–26, as demand for essential items continued to grow across the borough.
Our charity’s latest Trustees Annual Report for the financial year ending 31st March 2026 highlights another incredibly busy year for our volunteer-led team, with 965 referrals for emergency support, compared with 867 the previous year.
Referrals came from 38 different partner agencies, up from 30 in 2024, with support provided to 353 adults and 1,525 children.
Rotherham Families First provides essential items including clothing, baby equipment, household goods and toys to families and individuals experiencing difficult circumstances. Families are referred anonymously by professionals, helping ensure support is provided with dignity, care and compassion.
Making Christmas special for over 2,000 children
The Rotherham Christmas Toy Appeal was once again a huge success, with 2,051 children and young people receiving a brand-new gift to open on Christmas morning.
Alongside the presents, children also received stocking fillers, selection boxes, knitted items and pre-loved teddy bears, thanks to the generosity of local businesses, community groups and the public.
Supporting families all year round
Our charity’s work goes far beyond Christmas. During the year, volunteers sorted and distributed thousands of donated items to help families with everything from individual essentials to the resources needed for a fresh start.
We also distributed 97 new safety gates and, through our work with the SYMCA Beds for Babies project, provided 228 brand-new moses baskets, cots, cot beds and toddler beds, together with new bedding, over a nine-month period. A further 18 bed-related items, including bed guards, bunk beds and mattresses, were also provided.
Our charity also strengthened its work around electrical safety. Six volunteers were trained in Portable Appliance Testing, allowing Rotherham Families First to accept and safely redistribute pre-loved electrical items. By the end of March, 122 electrical items had been tested and 45 had been distributed, including lamps, kettles, toasters and microwaves.
Growing support — and growing space
With demand increasing and donations continuing to arrive from the local community, the charity also needed to expand its own capacity.
Volunteers and sponsors helped secure additional warehouse space, purchase new racking and refurbish the working area. The improvements have made it safer and easier for volunteers to sort donations and match resources with families who need them.
Volunteers remain at the heart of everything Rotherham Families First does. The charity now has 20 regular volunteers, with many more joining during the Christmas period. Together they contribute hundreds of hours to keep the charity’s services running.
Our financial review
The Annual Report also sets out how we have managed the financial support entrusted to us.
During the financial period of 1st March 2025 to 31st March 2026, Rotherham Families First generated £34,599.61 in new income from more than 15 independent funding sources. A total of £21,075.29 was spent, with almost all restricted funding used for its intended purposes.
We carried £24,398.28 into the next financial year. The report explains that this higher balance reflected funding being held while the charity secured additional storage space and completed its refurbishment. Plans are now in place to use funding for new resources, Christmas toys and improvements to the larger unit.
The accounts were independently examined, with no areas of concern raised.
The difference donations make
Behind the figures are families and individuals facing some of the most challenging periods of their lives.
Feedback received through referral agencies shows the difference practical support can make. One young girl receiving bedroom items told the family support worker: “It will feel like MY bedroom now.”
Another referral agency told us that our support had helped a family make a fresh start and move forward with their lives. “My client is incredibly grateful for the kindness and care you showed.”
Thanks must also go to everyone who donated their pre-loved items during this year as this has enabled us to keep working towards our promise of alleviating poverty for Rotherham families and individuals.
Looking ahead
Rotherham Families First receives no statutory or public-sector funding and relies on local businesses, voluntary-sector organisations and members of the public to continue its work. Our future plans are to explore new sources of funding as demand grows.
One area we are looking to explore is extending the Beds for Babies work to support children over the age of five, addressing what we have identified as a significant gap in provision.
The 2025–26 Annual Report demonstrates what can be achieved when a community comes together — from the volunteers giving their time, to businesses and funders providing financial support, and members of the public donating the essential items families need.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Rotherham Families First over the past year. We could not do this work without you.