Five Lamps
Five Lamps is a UK non-profit charity based in Stockton-on-Tees delivering integrated social, financial, and economic inclusion services — including youth programmes, home care, enterprise support, and FCA-regulated responsible lending (Conduit) — to vulnerable communities across the Tees Valley.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2002
- HeadquartersStockton-on-tees, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Five Lamps does
Five Lamps Organisation is a UK charity registered with the Charity Commission (No. 702314) and operating from Stockton-on-Tees in the Tees Valley of North East England, with a secondary retail location in Dunfermline under the Conduit Scotland brand. The organisation delivers an integrated portfolio of social, economic, and financial inclusion services targeted at financially excluded individuals, vulnerable young people, elderly and disabled adults, NEET youth, and aspiring entrepreneurs. Core service lines include youth programmes delivered through The Youthy facility (All Stars for ages 7-11, YUSA for ages 11-18, and VIBE for young people with disabilities aged 7-21), CQC-rated 'Good' domiciliary and home-from-hospital care, an enterprise and business advisory team supporting 1,000+ people into self-employment annually, and an FCA-regulated responsible lending operation (Conduit / Conduit Scotland) that has disbursed over £15 million in affordable personal loans to more than 25,000 individuals over the past five years.
The underlying operating model is a dual-entity structure: Five Lamps Organisation holds the charitable activities and an FCA permission (FRN 656112), while its wholly-owned trading subsidiary Five Lamps Trading Limited (FRN 791848) carries out regulated consumer lending, with profits gifted back to the charity. Revenue is generated through a blend of UK and EU public-sector grants and contracts (DWP New Enterprise Allowance, European Social Fund, European Regional Development Fund, Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Care at Home contract), lottery and charitable trust funding (National Lottery Community Fund, Children in Need), corporate donations (Warburtons, CF Fertilisers, Persimmion Homes), enterprise loan interest, and service fees. Distribution is community-based via physical locations, telephone helplines, partner referral networks, and online enquiry forms.
In October 2025 Five Lamps Trading Ltd applied to withdraw its FCA permissions, and in May 2026 the parent charity paused all new lending to reposition itself as a smaller, community-focused lender, marking a strategic retreat from the 2018-2023 scaled UK lending proposition that had been backed by a £5 million social-investment round.
Five Lamps firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Five Lamps
- Legal name
- The Five Lamps Organisation
- Website
- https://fivelamps.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2002
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Five Lamps is a UK non-profit charity based in Stockton-on-Tees delivering integrated social, financial, and economic inclusion services — including youth programmes, home care, enterprise support, and FCA-regulated responsible lending (Conduit) — to vulnerable communities across the Tees Valley.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Five Lamps industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Community Social and Financial Inclusion Services
- NAICS
- Social Assistance (624), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Loan Brokers (6163)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building) (BPAGALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)
Keywords
Where Five Lamps is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stockton-on-tees
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Five Lamps business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Affordable Personal Loans (Conduit/Conduit Scotland): Five Lamps Trading Limited operates as a responsible lender offering fair and affordable personal loans as an alternative to high-cost credit providers. Loans enable people excluded from mainstream banking to access credit and improve their credit score over time. Any profits are gifted back to the charity to support charitable activities.
- Government Grants and Contracts: Five Lamps receives funding from government sources including DWP (New Enterprise Allowance), European Social Fund, European Regional Development Fund, and local authority contracts for care services.
- Donations: Charitable donations from individuals, local businesses, and grant-making organisations to support various community programmes including home care, youth services, and financial inclusion activities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Enterprise loans from £250 to £100,000 |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Five Lamps product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Five Lamps delivers an integrated range of social, economic and financial inclusion services for vulnerable and financially excluded residents of the Tees Valley and North East England. Through its charity arm it provides youth clubs at The Youthy, domiciliary home care (CQC-rated Good) and Home from Hospital support, while its trading subsidiary historically offered affordable personal loans under the Conduit and Conduit Scotland brands as a responsible alternative to high-cost credit. Enterprise and business startup support, employment coaching and financial inclusion advice round out the offering, with profits from lending gifted back to the charity.
Product overview
Five Lamps is a charity organization operating as a dual-entity structure comprising Five Lamps Organisation (the charity arm) and Five Lamps Trading Limited (the financial services subsidiary). The charity provides an integrated range of social, economic, and financial inclusion services including youth clubs (The Youthy with All Stars, YUSA, and VIBE programmes), home care services, and enterprise/business support. The trading subsidiary operates consumer lending brands Conduit and Conduit Scotland, offering affordable personal loans as an alternative to high-cost credit. In May 2026, Five Lamps announced a strategic shift from large-scale UK-wide lending to becoming a smaller, community-focused lender.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Five Lamps Organisation (Charity) Main charity entity providing integrated social inclusion activities including youth services, home care, financial inclusion, and enterprise support across the UK.
- Conduit Responsible Personal Loans Fair and affordable personal loans offered by Five Lamps Trading Ltd as a responsible alternative to high-cost credit providers, enabling people excluded from mainstream banking to access credit and improve their credit score over time.
- Conduit Scotland Personal Loans Personal loan service operating in Scotland, offering affordable loans as an alternative to high-cost credit providers for financially excluded Scottish customers.
- The Youthy Youth Facility Purpose-built youth facility opened in 2002 providing evening activities for young people aged 7-21 years to raise confidence and aspiration.
- All Stars Youth Club Youth club for young people aged 7 to 11 years, open on Wednesdays with onsite tuck shop.
- Youth United Stockton Alliance (YUSA) Youth club for young people aged 11 to 18 years, open on Thursdays with free entry.
- VIBE Special Needs Youth Club Youth club for young people aged 7 to 21 years with physical and learning disabilities, open on Tuesdays and Fridays with onsite cafe.
- Five Lamps Home Care Provides effective, safe, caring and responsive domiciliary care service for residents in the Stockton-on-Tees area, delivered under the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council Care at Home contract.
- Home from Hospital Service Supports individuals discharged from hospital, providing assistance during the recovery period; part-funded by the National Lottery Community Fund for 3 years.
- Enterprise and Business Support Supports individuals into self-employment through workshops, training, mentoring, one-to-one support and access to finance including enterprise loans from £250 to £100,000.
- Financial Inclusion Services FCA-regulated products and services providing financial inclusion support, including advice on debt management and affordable personal loans.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 25,000 individuals and families supported in five years
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Five Lamps
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Five Lamps technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Five Lamps partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council - Care at Home ContractcoreWon competitive tender for primary and secondary provider status on Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council's Care at Home contract.
- Start Up Loans CompanycoreDelivery Partner providing government-backed personal loans for business purposes. Loans available to businesses yet to launch or already trading across all UK regions.
- Stockton Borough CouncilcoreWorking in partnership to support young people through YES Project (Youth Employment Support) engaging 14-19 year olds NEET. Also partner for Home Care tender and other community services.
- MyBnkcorePartnership to deliver MyBnk financial education programmes including Money Twist, Enterprise-in-a-Box, and Business Battle to schools across the North East.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Five Lamps competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Toynbee Hall: London-based charity delivering a comparable multi-service model combining financial inclusion (debt advice, money coaching), youth services, and adult learning programmes. Closely analogous to Five Lamps in combining regulated financial advice with community-facing social services under one charity umbrella.
- Fair for You: Not-for-profit community lender providing affordable credit to financially excluded households as an alternative to high-cost lenders — directly comparable to Five Lamps Trading's Conduit brand before its FCA withdrawal. Both target the same vulnerable customer segment with a responsible-lending value proposition.
- Moneyline: UK Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) offering affordable loans to people excluded from mainstream credit. Direct competitor in the responsible-lending CDFI space, sharing the same regulatory regime, customer base, and impact-investor funding model as Five Lamps Trading.
- StepChange Debt Charity: UK's leading debt advice charity serving financially excluded individuals. Comparable on the financial inclusion / debt advisory mission that anchors Five Lamps' responsible lending and FCA-regulated financial inclusion services.
- Home Instead: Large UK home care provider offering domiciliary care services for older adults — directly comparable to Five Lamps Home Care, sharing the same CQC-regulated care-at-home operating model and local authority contract bidding dynamics.
Broad incumbents
- Big Issue Invest: Social investment arm of Big Issue that has directly backed Five Lamps. Operates as both an investor and a broader social-enterprise funder; comparable as the larger institutional social-investment ecosystem in which Five Lamps participates.
- Catch22: National social business delivering youth employment, education, and social justice services with significant ESF/ERDF contract exposure. Operates a similar multi-service charity model at much larger scale, comparable on the youth and NEET employment services lines.
- Locality: National membership network for community-led organisations providing infrastructure, funding access, and policy support. Comparable as a larger umbrella supporting community-based charities of the type Five Lamps operates in the Tees Valley.
- The Riverside Group: Major UK housing and care provider offering supported living, home care, and community services. Comparable as a larger organisation combining care services with community-facing programmes, including financial inclusion and youth engagement activities.
- The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity providing enterprise support, employment programmes, and personal development for young people including NEET cohorts. Comparable on the YEI/enterprise support and NEET-targeted youth employment work that Five Lamps delivers across the Tees Valley.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Five Lamps social profiles
Digital presenceFive Lamps compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Five Lamps financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Five Lamps leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
Five Lamps subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Five Lamps funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Five Lamps M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Five Lamps
What does Five Lamps do?
Five Lamps delivers an integrated range of social, economic and financial inclusion services for vulnerable and financially excluded residents of the Tees Valley and North East England. Through its charity arm it provides youth clubs at The Youthy, domiciliary home care (CQC-rated Good) and Home from Hospital support, while its trading subsidiary historically offered affordable personal loans under the Conduit and Conduit Scotland brands as a responsible alternative to high-cost credit. Enterprise and business startup support, employment coaching and financial inclusion advice round out the offering, with profits from lending gifted back to the charity.
Is Five Lamps a public or private company?
Five Lamps is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Five Lamps founded?
Five Lamps was founded in 2002. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Five Lamps based?
Five Lamps is headquartered in Stockton-on-tees, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Five Lamps make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Affordable Personal Loans (Conduit/Conduit Scotland) is the primary driver. The others are government Grants and Contracts and donations.
Who are Five Lamps's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Toynbee Hall, Fair for You, Moneyline, StepChange Debt Charity and Home Instead. Broad incumbents are Big Issue Invest, Catch22, Locality, The Riverside Group and The Prince's Trust.
Does Five Lamps have an API?
No public API is recorded for Five Lamps.
What industry is Five Lamps in?
Five Lamps's product category is Community Social and Financial Inclusion Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGALAJ, Financial Inclusion & Consumer Empowerment (Banking Access, Credit Building), with a secondary code of BPAGAEAC, Family & Parenting Support Services. Its NAICS code is 624 and its SIC code is 8300.