St Mary's Church

What St Mary's Church does

St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish established in 1830 on Bramall Lane in Sheffield, United Kingdom, registered as a charity (No. 1094204) and Company Limited by Guarantee (No. 4317500). It operates a dual mission combining Anglican worship with an integrated community centre. Core religious offerings include Sunday services, baptisms, weddings, funerals, and youth and children's ministry, while the community centre operates weekly programs including an Over 60's Lunch Club (£4/head), a Toddler Group (50p/child, serving 30–35 children weekly), a Community Meal (£1/head), English Conversation Classes, an Art Group, a Warm Space, and a Volunteer Gardening Group. Specialized advisory services include a Community Money Advice (CMA) debt-counselling service operating under Financial Services Authority guidelines — the only readily accessible in-person debt advice in the local area — plus a Support Buddies volunteer program assisting with benefit applications, and a live video-link portal to Citizens Advice Sheffield.

The organization operates 13+ hireable spaces for meetings, conferences, and events, ranging from a 3-capacity 1:1 meeting room at £40/half-day to a 220-capacity Nave and North Aisle combined at £450/day. Facility technology is standard commercial: stable WiFi, an integrated lighting and AV suite in the Nave with roving microphones, and a catering kitchen holding a 5-star Food Hygiene Rating. The Holy Toast Café operates Wednesdays 10am–3pm as a community hub and first-contact space. Revenue is generated through room hire (pay-as-you-go, publicly listed rates), donations via a Give a Little portal, grants from a diversified base of nine charitable trusts and Sheffield City Council, and nominal program fees. The organization employs 11 paid staff, deploys 52 volunteers described as the operational 'lifeforce', and welcomed a new CEO, Jess Thomas, in mid-2026.

Name

St Mary's Church

Legal name

St Mary's Church

Website

https://stmarys-church.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1830

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St Mary's Church is a Sheffield-based Church of England parish and registered charity operating worship services alongside a community centre delivering debt advice, benefit assistance, family programs, and venue hire to local residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious & Community Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300), Operators Of Nonresidential Buildings (6512)

akta.pro primary industry

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Community support
• Room hire
• Debt advice
• Social enterprise

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Room Hire and Conferencing: Social enterprise meeting and conferencing facilities generating revenue through hiring out various rooms and spaces for events, meetings, and conferences
2. Donations and Giving: Financial contributions from congregation members and supporters, both to the church and community centre
3. Program Fees: Nominal fees for community programs such as Lunch Club (£4), Toddler Group (50p per child), and Community Meal (£1)
4. Funding for Community Programs: Grant funding from supporters and funders for community support programmes

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St Mary's Church is a Church of England parish and registered charity operating a community centre in Sheffield that delivers Sunday worship services, pastoral sacraments (baptisms, weddings, funerals), and a portfolio of community support programs including debt advice (Community Money Advice), benefit assistance (Support Buddies), senior services, toddler groups, and English classes. The organization runs a social enterprise venue-hire business across multiple rooms (The Nave, Hall, Garden Room, Conference Room, etc.) and operates the Holy Toast community café, with all commercial revenue funding its charitable mission to address poverty, injustice, and isolation.

Product overview

St Mary's Church and Community Centre is a Church of England parish in Sheffield offering a unified portfolio of spiritual, community, and commercial services. The core offerings include Sunday worship services and pastoral sacraments (baptisms, weddings, funerals), combined with a comprehensive community support ecosystem comprising debt advice (CMA and Citizens Advice portal), benefit assistance (Support Buddies), senior services (Over 60's Lunch Club), and family programs (Toddler Group). Commercial operations center on room hire and conferencing facilities, with The Nave as the flagship venue seating up to 220, alongside the Holy Toast community café. All revenue-generating activities (room hire, donations) directly fund the charitable community mission to address poverty and social isolation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Church Services & Worship Weekly Sunday worship services at 10.30am, Holy Communion using Common Worship formats, Baptisms, Weddings, and Funerals for congregation members and the wider community. Includes children's and youth groups.
• Room Hire & Conferencing Venue hire service offering multiple rooms including The Nave, North Aisle, Hall, Garden Room, Pavilion Room, Conference Room, Training Room, Dance Studio, and kitchen facilities for events, meetings, conferences, and training sessions. Capacities range from 3 (1:1 Meeting Room) to 220 (Nave and North Aisle Combined).
• Community Support Services Community programs including Older People's Lunch Club, Support Buddies, Community Meal, Warm Space, English Conversation Classes, Art Group, and Volunteer Gardening Group for local Sheffield residents.
• Holy Toast Café Community café open Wednesdays 10am-3pm offering affordable food including baked potatoes, paninis, tea, coffee, and meals for children. Serves as a community hub and first-contact space for newcomers.
• Community Money Advice (CMA) - Debt Advice Face-to-face debt advice service providing independent, non-judgemental support for managing debt, complying with Financial Services Authority requirements. Licensed debt advice service, the only in-person service readily available in local communities.
• Citizens Advice Portal Live video link to Citizens Advice Sheffield advisors providing assistance with debt management, housing, money advice, energy, PIP/DLA benefits, immigration, and legal advice. Support Buddies can assist clients during sessions.
• Toddler Group Weekly toddler and parent group meeting Wednesdays 10am-11.30am during school term, serving 30-35 children with diverse families from various ethnic backgrounds. 50p per child per session.
• Over 60's Lunch Club Weekly Monday lunch club for seniors offering 2-course hot meals, activities, entertainment, and trips out at £4 per person. Designed to combat isolation and loneliness.
• Support Buddies Volunteer service helping with benefit applications (PIP, universal credit, LWCRA), administrative tasks, online forms, telephone calls, and accessing Citizens Advice.
• Kitchen Hire Catering kitchen available for hire with 5-star food hygiene rating, at £20 per hour, requiring public liability insurance and induction session.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30-35 children attend weekly Toddler Group with families from diverse ethnic backgrounds
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Diocese of SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent ecclesiastical organisation providing spiritual oversight, funding through Small Sparks Grants, and connection to wider Anglican network. The church is part of the Church of England and Diocese of Sheffield.
• Church of EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent denomination providing safeguarding policies, guidance through 'Promoting a Safer Church', and liturgical frameworks (Common Worship)
• Sheffield MENCAPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal MENCAP branch providing support for people with learning disabilities
• Citizens Advice SheffieldcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLive video link portal providing access to Citizens Advice advisors for debt management, housing, money advice, PIP/DLA, benefits, immigration and legal advice. Support Buddies can assist clients during sessions.
• Porter Croft Church of England Primary AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal school with strong church links. Church provides fortnightly assemblies, Open the Book assemblies, weekly Wonder Club, school choir support, and hosts festival services. Three foundation governors from church including Chair.
• Financial Services Authority (FSA)coreOthersRegulatory body whose guidelines the Community Money Advice service must comply with, ensuring confidential handling of client information
• South Yorkshire Sustainability CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer employer of new CEO Jess Thomas. £5 million place-based partnership focused on climate action through research and regional collaboration across South Yorkshire.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• St Martin-in-the-Fields: Historic London parish church operating a parallel model of worship, community programmes for the homeless and vulnerable, a café (Café in the Crypt) and commercial venue hire — the closest UK analogue to St Mary's combined worship + community + venue model.
• Methodist Central Hall Westminster: Central London Methodist church running worship alongside a large programme of hireable rooms, a community café and outreach activities — comparable as a heritage place of worship that funds mission through venue hire and community engagement.
• Christ Church Spitalfields: Historic East London CofE church running worship alongside community programmes, a café and venue hire in a heritage building — comparable to St Mary's in combining worship, community service and commercial use of a listed space.
• All Souls Langham Place: London CofE church with a significant community programme (including the Langham Partnership and social outreach) and venue hire; comparable as a mid-sized CofE parish blending worship, social services and commercial activity.

Regional players

• Sheffield Cathedral: The main civic church in Sheffield, also offering worship, community programmes, a café and venue hire; the most direct geographic peer and a potential collaborator/competitor for local congregation and grant funding.
• St Luke's Sheffield: Inner-city Sheffield CofE church with active community outreach and worship; operates in the same city and demographic catchment as St Mary's, making it a directly comparable regional peer.

Broad incumbents

• Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB): One of the largest Church of England parishes with extensive community outreach, Alpha course network and multiple sites; relevant as a benchmark for what a large, professionally-run CofE parish charity can achieve in social impact and earned income.

Others

• Citizens Advice Sheffield: Local advice charity already partnered with St Mary's via a live video-link portal; an adjacent/ecosystem peer delivering the same advice lines (debt, benefits, housing) that St Mary's Support Buddies and CMA wrap around.
• Together for Sheffield: Local Sheffield interfaith and community coalition; comparable as a coordinating/partner body that helps channel volunteers, grants and referrals to neighbourhood organisations like St Mary's.
• Church Urban Fund: The CofE's national poverty-focused charity; an ecosystem enabler that funds and supports church-led community projects like those run by St Mary's Community Centre.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• Xx.com/marys_church

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St Mary's Church