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35,847 claims
Debra provided £174,674 in Community Support grants to third parties.
There were 697 (2024: 552) Community Support grants totalling £174,674 (2024: £144,654) made through the Community Support programme
Financial · Funding statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 66
Debra committed £1,118,775 for research grants over three years.
the Trustees had authorised a commitment to support research grants over the next three years to the sum of £1,118,775 (2024: £1,544,889)
Financial · Commitment statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 66
Debra's retail contribution has stabilised in 2025.
Retail contribution has stabilised in 2025 and there is greater certainty on the bottom line in 2026 including a focus on online and ensuring store perform at their highest level
Operational · Observational claim · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 59
Debra expects fundraising activity to exceed the level of 2025 in future years.
Fundraising activity is expected to exceed 2025, with an increased programme of events and challenges, investment in marketing and cultivation of major donors via a specific programme
Strategic · Commitment statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 59
Debra's cash flow from operating activities improved in 2025 compared to 2024.
Net cash (used in) / provided by operating activities 228,279 (234,863)
Financial · Observational claim · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 58
The auditor assesses the risk of material misstatement due to fraud and designs procedures accordingly.
In identifying and assessing risks of material misstatement in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations
Governance · Procedural statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 51
The auditor's role is to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements are free from material misstatement.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error
Governance · Procedural statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 51
The trustees are responsible for ensuring the financial statements give a true and fair view.
the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view
Governance · Procedural statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 51
DEBRA's trustees have implemented various security measures to protect against cyber-attacks and data loss.
Access controls including MFA, network perimeter protection, antimalware endpoint protection. Cyber insurance policy Email scanned before reaching DEBRA servers Remote user’s hard drives are encrypted
Governance · Procedural statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 43
DEBRA's trustees have appointed six new members and three resigned in the year ending December 2025.
Six Trustees were appointed: Laura Briggs – 12 February 2025 Katy Hinchcliffe – 12 February 2025 Gareth Jones – 12 February 2025 Sandrine Letellier – 22 September 2025 Jaspreet Jhaj – 20 October 2025 Zoe Bailey – 19 November 2025 Three Trustees resigned: Christo Kapourani – 7 May 2025 Jo Merchant – 10 May 2025 Jim Irvine – 30 September 2025
Governance · Commitment statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 44
DEBRA's trustees consider it appropriate to prepare accounts on a going concern basis due to expected fundraising and retail improvements.
The Trustees consider it is appropriate to prepare the 2025 accounts on a going concern basis on the basis that: Fundraising activity is expected to exceed 2025, with an increased programme of events and challenges, investment in marketing and cultivation of major donors via a specific programme;
Financial · Policy statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 44
DEBRA's governance includes a board with at least 50% of trustees having EB themselves or a close family member/partner affected by EB.
We are also proud to maintain a board with no less than 50% of trustees either having EB themselves or having a close family member or partner with EB.
Governance · Policy statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 35
DEBRA aims to grow cash-backed free reserves in line with planned growth in fundraising and recovery of retail operations.
The trustees’ aim is to grow cash-backed free reserves in line with planned growth fundraising and recovery of retail operations.
Financial · Commitment statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 39
DEBRA increased charitable expenditure by 2% in 2025 compared to the previous year.
We spent £3.9m on charitable activities in 2025, compared with £3.8m in 2024, a 2% increase.
Financial · Observational claim · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 38
DEBRA introduced a new performance framework in 2025 to balance results with cultural alignment.
The ‘What & How’ framework was introduced as part of a refreshed approach to performance management. This new model recognises that true success is measured not only by what is achieved but also by how it is delivered, ensuring that outcomes are aligned with our organisational values and culture.
Operational · Policy statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 30
DEBRA conducted two organisation-wide surveys to assess colleague engagement and culture.
Two organisation-wide surveys were conducted via the Empowered Engagement platform. These surveys provided valuable insights into how our people experience the workplace.
Operational · Observational claim · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 30
DEBRA Academy provided leadership training to over 150 colleagues.
Over 150 colleagues participated in a structured programme of workshops focused on strategic leadership, financial acumen, and team performance.
Operational · Observational claim · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 30
Digital innovation, including AI-driven tools and the Retail Power BI dashboard, improved operational efficiency and decision-making.
To reduce the operational burden of online selling and to enhance efficiency, several AI-driven automations were introduced including AI listing tools that enabled our stores to create optimised eBay listings from a single image, saving valuable time. Automated eBay promotions have also helped improve listing visibility and have driven sales. AI also now handles the high volume of customer messages we receive which helped improve our eBay feedback rating from 98.4% to 99.4%. Additionally, the implementation of the Retail Power BI dashboard provided real-time visibility of retail KPIs, which enabled more agile decision making and performance management across the portfolio.
Operational · Procedural statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 23
The introduction of a new 'One Best Way' approach aimed to drive operational consistency across all stores.
In May we held a series of Retail Roadshows. These events brought our store managers together to share ideas and best practice, and it also saw the introduction of a new ‘One Best Way’ approach designed to drive operational consistency across all our stores.
Operational · Procedural statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 22
The retail management team restructure reduced the number of Area Manager roles from six to four, improving geographical efficiencies.
The retail management team restructure was completed in April and reduced the number of Area Manager roles from six to four. This was a strategic move that helped realign the store numbers per Area Manager improving geographical efficiencies, enhancing accountability across the estate, and reducing unnecessary cost.
Operational · Procedural statement · From Debra — annual report and accounts, year ending 31 December 2025, page 22