What Hansel Foundation does

Hansel Foundation is a Scottish-registered charity (Scottish Charity Reference SC001514, Company Limited by Guarantee) founded in 1963 and headquartered at the Broadmeadows estate in Symington, Ayrshire. It delivers social care services to people with additional support needs — including learning disabilities, complex physical disabilities, and autism — across North, South, and East Ayrshire through approximately 400 staff. Its service portfolio comprises residential accommodation and home support, respite and short breaks (The Cabin and caravan park at Broadmeadows; Red Rose House in Stevenston), and the Hansel 3e social enterprise division which encompasses employability programmes (including delivery of the UK Government Work Choice programme), Hansel Laundry, Lindy's Tearoom, and Grounds Maintenance.

The organisation operates a hybrid revenue model combining donations and fundraising from individual supporters and charitable trusts, government-funded employability contracts, and trading income from its supported social enterprises. It is accredited as a Living Wage Employer (June 2024) and holds Disability Confident Employer status, and works alongside a sister charity, Hansel Alliance (SC027681). Hansel does not operate its own proprietary technology platform; its technology footprint is limited to standard web/social media properties, a Beacon CRM donation form, and conventional office systems supporting care delivery.

Commercially, Hansel is a mature, regionally-focused charity with no public funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no disclosed revenue figures. Its strategic priorities evident from recent activity are workforce quality (Living Wage accreditation, active support-worker recruitment), brand modernisation (2021 rebrand around 'Freedom to live'), and continued expansion of the Hansel 3e employability pipeline. Customer concentration is low at the individual family level, but the organisation has structural exposure to continued Scottish local-authority and UK government programme funding.

Name

Hansel Foundation

Legal name

Hansel Foundation

Website

https://hansel.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hansel Foundation is a Scottish charity founded in 1963 that delivers residential care, respite, and employability services to approximately 400 staff-strong teams supporting people with additional support needs across Ayrshire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Care Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Community Housing Services (62422)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Social care services
• Residential care
• Respite services
• Supported employment
• Disability services

Headquarters

HQ city

Symington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Hansel Foundation engages in fundraising activity from valued supporters within their community and from grant making bodies including charitable trust funders. They build long lasting relationships with supporters.
2. Government Funded Programmes: Hansel participates in Government funded programmes to develop people's employability skills and prepare them for work.
3. Social Enterprise Revenue: Hansel 3e social enterprise operations include Hansel Laundry, Lindy's Tearoom, and Grounds Maintenance services which generate revenue while providing employment opportunities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hansel Foundation is a registered charity that delivers social care services to people with additional support needs in Ayrshire, Scotland. Its offering includes residential accommodation and home support, respite and short breaks at The Cabin, the Caravan Holiday Park, and Red Rose House, and the Hansel 3e social enterprise division that runs employability programmes alongside supported businesses (Hansel Laundry, Lindy's Tearoom, and Grounds Maintenance).

Product overview

Hansel Foundation operates as a social care charity offering a portfolio of interconnected services for people with additional support needs. The core services include residential accommodation and home support, and respite and short breaks (The Cabin and Caravans, Red Rose House). The Hansel 3e social enterprise division encompasses employability programmes, supported businesses (Hansel Laundry, Lindy's Tearoom, Grounds Maintenance), and education and enterprise initiatives. Employment support services work in conjunction with the supported businesses to provide real work experience opportunities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hansel 3e (Employment, Education and Enterprise): Social enterprise business providing employment, education and enterprise opportunities for people with additional support needs. Includes Hansel Laundry, Lindy's Tearoom, and Grounds Maintenance services.
• Hansel Laundry
• Lindy's Tearoom
• Hansel Respite Services (The Cabin)
• Red Rose House

Products and services

• Residential Accommodation and Home Support

Quantifiable outcome

• 122 families use the respite service with over 1000 short breaks provided annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ayrshire BusinessescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAyrshire businesses provide work placement opportunities for people with additional support needs through Hansel's employability programmes. Hansel welcomes partnerships with local businesses who can support their work placement programme.
• UK Government Employability ProgrammescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHansel delivers the Government's Work Choice programme, helping people with disabilities prepare for and secure employment.
• Movement for Good (Benefact Group)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHansel participates in the Benefact Group Movement for Good giving programme which donates profits to charity.
• easyfundraisingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline fundraising partner allowing supporters to raise free donations when shopping online with over 7,000 participating brands.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Capability Scotland: A large Scottish disability charity providing residential, respite, and employment support services. Directly comparable to Hansel in mission, geography (Scotland), and service mix for people with additional support needs.
• Community Integrated Care: A UK social care charity providing supported living, residential, and community-based services for people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs. Highly comparable service model and target population to Hansel.
• United Response: A major UK charity providing supported living, residential care, and employment support for people with learning disabilities and autism. Directly comparable in service lines and target population to Hansel.
• Hft (Home Farm Trust): A UK-wide charity supporting people with learning disabilities through supported living, residential care, and employment services. Comparable in service portfolio and customer base, though operating at significantly larger national scale.
• Sense Scotland: Scottish arm of Sense, supporting people with complex disabilities including learning disabilities, autism, and physical disabilities through residential and community-based services — overlapping significantly with Hansel's customer segment and service model.
• The Richmond Fellowship Scotland: A Scottish charity providing personalised support for people with learning disabilities, autism, and mental health needs through supported living and community services. Closely comparable in geography (Scotland), mission, and service model.

Broad incumbents

• Leonard Cheshire: A major UK disability charity providing supported living, residential care, and employability programmes. Comparable in service categories to Hansel but with a much larger national and international footprint.
• Turning Point: A UK social enterprise providing health and social care services including learning disability support, mental health, and employment services. Overlaps with Hansel on disability employability and supported living, with broader national scope.
• Mencap: The UK's largest learning disability charity, offering a broad portfolio of services, advocacy, and information. Overlaps with Hansel on supporting people with learning disabilities but operates at far greater national scale and brand recognition.

Regional players

• Quarriers: A long-established Scottish social care charity offering residential, respite, and community-based services primarily across central and southern Scotland. Comparable in mission and service mix to Hansel, operating as a regional Scottish peer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HanselAyrshire
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@HanselAyrshire
• Facebookfacebook.com/HanselAyrshire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hansel-ayrshire
• Instagraminstagram.com/hansel_ayrshire

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Hansel Foundation