What WeMindTheGap does

WeMindTheGap is a UK-registered charity (no. 1161504) founded in 2014 in Wrexham, Wales, by Rachel Clacher (co-founder of Moneypenny) and Diane Aplin. The charity delivers holistic youth development programmes for young people aged 11–25 who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming so, combining work experience, life coaching, mentoring, skills qualifications, and adventure experiences. Operating across North Wales, Cheshire, and the North West of England, it currently supports more than 160 young people per week through five integrated programmes: WeDiscover (3-month virtual mentoring for ages 16–25), WeGrow (12-month paid employability programme offering four 6-month work placements at minimum wage plus coaching for ages 18–25), WeBelong (lifetime alumni community), WeInspire (school-based nurturing support for ages 11–15), and WeBridge (roll-on/roll-off employability support for ages 16–25). Two additional initiatives — Discovery City, a gamified digital platform co-created with young people, and Power 10,000, a connections campaign — were launched in 2025 to mark the charity's 10th anniversary.

The core delivery model is human-coaching-led and relationship-centric rather than technology-native; no AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or data flywheels are evidenced. Revenue is generated through three streams: donations and corporate/individual fundraising (including "Charity of the Year" partnerships), government and institutional grants (UK Shared Prosperity Fund in partnership with Wrexham and Flintshire councils, The National Lottery Community Fund, Westminster Foundation), and commissioned programmes where organisations contract delivery into new communities. All programmes are provided free of charge to young people; the entity is community-owned with no equity shareholders, no parent company, and no M&A activity. Distribution is regional and partner-driven, relying on referrals from social services, schools, and job centres for participant recruitment and on an employer partner network (Theatre Clwyd, ClwydAlyn, RedRow, Aura Leisure, Moneypenny) for work placements. The charity was founded in 2014, scaled from 8 participants in its first year to 160+ weekly in 2025, has produced £7.9m in cumulative social value, and was awarded the national CSJ Award by the Centre for Social Justice in November 2025.

Name

WeMindTheGap

Legal name

WeMindTheGap

Website

https://wemindthegap.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WeMindTheGap is a UK-registered charity founded in 2014 in Wrexham, Wales, delivering holistic youth development programmes (work experience, coaching, mentoring, skills training) to 160+ young people aged 11–25 weekly across North Wales and North West England who are NEET or at risk.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development and Social Mobility Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

Keywords

• Youth development programmes
• Employability training
• Social mobility charity
• Mentoring and life coaching
• NEET support services

Headquarters

HQ city

Wrexham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals, community groups, and organizations. Fundraising activities including events, corporate partnerships, and charity of the year programs.
2. Government Grants: Part funded by UK government through UK Shared Prosperity Fund in partnership with local authorities (Flintshire County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council). Also funded by The National Lottery Community Fund and Westminster Foundation.
3. Commissioned Programs: Organizations can commission the charity's programs to deliver in their communities, providing contracted revenue for program delivery.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WeMindTheGap is a UK-registered charity that delivers holistic youth development programmes to under-served young people aged 11-25 across North Wales, Cheshire and North West England. Its offerings combine paid work placements, life coaching, mentoring, qualifications (maths, English, first aid), interview preparation, and adventure experiences, delivered free of charge to participants and funded through donations, government grants, and commissioned programmes.

Product overview

WeMindTheGap is a social mobility charity operating a suite of five integrated youth support programmes spanning North Wales and North West England. Its portfolio includes WeDiscover (a 3-month virtual skills and mentoring programme for ages 16-25), WeGrow (a 12-month paid employability programme offering six months of work placements followed by six months of support for ages 18-25), WeBelong (a lifelong alumni community for programme graduates), WeInspire (a school-based nurturing programme for ages 11-15 struggling with traditional education), and WeBridge (a 'roll on roll off' employability programme for ages 16-25). Together, these programmes form a progression pathway from early intervention and confidence-building through to sustained employment and ongoing community belonging, underpinned by consistent relational support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WeDiscover A three-month virtual programme for 16-25 year-olds, providing online interactive sessions, mentoring, confidence-building, and career path planning through dedicated one-to-one support and inspirational guest speakers. Targeted at young people aged 16-25 who are NEET or at risk.
• WeGrow A 12-month face-to-face employability programme for 18-25 year-olds, offering six months of paid work experience (minimum 30 hours/week at minimum wage) across four different employer placements, life coaching, and skills qualifications, followed by six months of dedicated ongoing support.
• WeBelong The lifelong alumni community for programme graduates (Gappies), providing ongoing support, care, friendship, and connection after formal programme completion, ensuring participants remain part of the WeMindTheGap family indefinitely.
• WeInspire A supportive and nurturing programme for 11-15 year-olds who are struggling with traditional education, focused on building confidence, resilience, and a sense of belonging within the school environment.
• WeBridge A 'roll on roll off' employability programme for 16-25 year-olds who are ready to work but need nurturing support to find the right opportunity, offering assistance with job applications, interview preparation, mentoring, confidence building, and connections to local employers.
• Discovery City (Dinas Darganfod) A gamified digital platform developed in partnership with young people, offering 24/7 access to personal development and life skills content. Launched in 2025 as part of the charity's 10-year anniversary new initiatives.
• Power 10,000 A campaign launched in 2025 to create 10,000 meaningful personal and professional connections for young people who lack the networks that typically lead to opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of graduates remain in successful employment or education within one year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Theatre ClwydcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer partner providing 6-month work placements for WeGrow participants. Theatre Clwyd offers young people experience in the arts and cultural sector as part of their holistic development.
• ClwydAlyncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHousing association and employer partner providing work placements for WeGrow participants in the housing sector.
• RedRowcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer partner providing work placements for WeGrow participants, offering experience in the construction/home building sector.
• Aura LeisurecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployer partner providing work placements for WeGrow participants in the leisure and recreation sector.
• MoneypennycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded by Rachel Clacher (co-founder of Moneypenny). Moneypenny provides ongoing support including hosting work placements and hiring Gappies as permanent employees.
• Sir John TimpsonminorOthersPatron of WeMindTheGap, lending his name and reputation to support the charity's mission.
• High Legh Golf ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdopted WeMindTheGap as their charity of the year and held a golf day to raise money for programmes.
• Momentum WinesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdopted WeMindTheGap as their charity of the year, raising funds and awareness.
• Grosvenor Insurance BrokersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSupporting WeMindTheGap with fundraising activities and community engagement.
• Alpine Fire EngineersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProviding professional support and expertise to WeMindTheGap.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Catch22: National social business delivering employability, education and social justice services for young people and vulnerable adults. Comparable as a commissioned-provider of NEET and youth employment programmes across multiple UK regions.
• The Prince's Trust: UK's largest youth charity, supporting 11-30 year-olds into education, training and employment through programmes like Get Into, Get Started and Enterprise. Directly comparable in mission and target demographic (NEET youth), but operates at national scale with substantially larger funding base.

Direct peers

• Movement to Work: Coalition of UK employers committed to providing work opportunities for young people facing barriers to employment. Highly comparable mission and shares the same employer-partnership GTM model that WeMindTheGap uses for WeGrow placements.
• Street League: UK charity using sport to engage and move NEET 16-24 year-olds into education, training and employment. Comparable target cohort, sport/activity-based engagement model, and employer partnerships for work placements.
• Career Connect: UK charity providing careers information, advice and guidance to young people, including NEET prevention and re-engagement programmes. Directly comparable in serving 16-25 year-olds in education-to-employment pathways.
• Foyer Federation: UK charity providing integrated housing, learning and employment support for young people aged 16-25. Comparable holistic 'wraparound' model combining accommodation, skills training and employment outcomes.
• Smart Works: UK charity helping unemployed women into work through coaching, interview preparation and workwear. Comparable target cohort (women facing barriers to employment), coaching-led methodology, and similar geographic expansion strategy across UK cities.
• Resurgo: UK charity running Spear (now Spear London) and similar coaching-focused employability programmes for NEET 16-24 year-olds. Closely comparable in mission, target cohort, and the use of mentoring + work placements to move young people into sustained employment.
• Transformation Trust: UK charity partnering with schools and employers to prepare young people for work through employer engagement and inspirational programmes. Closely comparable in school-based (WeInspire-equivalent) and employer-partnership delivery.

Regional players

• KeyFund: Yorkshire and Humber-focused youth charity funding and delivering employability programmes for disadvantaged young people. Comparable in regional focus and youth-employment mission, with similar funder diversification challenges.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WeMindTheGapUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/wemindthegapp/?hl=en
• Facebookfacebook.com/WeMindTheGapUK

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 WeMindTheGap