Voluntary Action LeicesterShire
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) is a Leicester-based registered charity delivering VCSE infrastructure support — including learning-disability services, volunteering, health and maternity advocacy, employability training, and office rentals — across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1966
- HeadquartersLeicester, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Voluntary Action LeicesterShire does
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL), founded in 1966 and registered as Charity No. 509300 and Company Limited by Guarantee No. 1357513, is a non-profit infrastructure body serving charities, community groups and individuals across Leicester, Leicestershire and (for select programmes) Rutland. From its renovated eco-friendly headquarters at 9 Newarke Street in Leicester — a facility housing 28 office tenants, meeting rooms and VALUES activity spaces — VAL delivers a portfolio of nine interconnected service lines: VALUES (support for adults with learning disabilities, with 100+ daily visitors and 30–40 activity types), VAL Volunteering (the accredited Volunteer Centre for Leicester and Leicestershire via volunteer.valonline.org.uk, operating since 2017 and refreshed in January 2025), VAL Spaces (office and meeting-room rentals from £450/month), Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire (health and social care feedback and Enter & View), MNVP (Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership, contract-awarded April 2026), BUILD (UKSPF-funded rural employability project), Multiply (numeracy programme), VCSE Support (funding advice, governance, training, online directory) and the annual VAL Awards.
Revenue is generated across five streams with no public disclosure: (1) government / ICB contracts for Healthwatch, MNVP and BUILD; (2) VAL Spaces rental income (subscription, from £450/month per office); (3) VALUES fees funded privately or via Social Services Direct Payments / Personal Budgets; (4) donations routed through JustGiving; and (5) training, webinar and event income (e.g. public procurement, utility aid net zero, social care reform). Distribution is multi-channel — direct delivery from headquarters, regional community outreach (including NHS sites, community venues such as Attenborough Arts Centre and Nelson Mandela Park), self-serve digital platforms (volunteer portal, VAL Spaces booking), and an event-led engagement layer (VAL Awards, training webinars). VAL's customer base spans VCSE organisations, public-sector commissioners (NHS, ICB, local councils), office tenants (NYA, Leicestershire LGBTQ+ Centre, LAMP, Trinity College London, Vita Health Group NHS LLR Talking Therapies, Rainbow Clinical Partnership, Arthritis Support Leicestershire), individual end-users of VALUES, prospective volunteers, and maternity/neonatal families.
The charity is led by Chief Executive Officer Kevin Allen-Khimani, governed by a board of trustees (including Treasurer Mohamed Esat and trustees Ajay Aggarwal, Emily Weatherer-Smith and Joanna Moore), and staffed by a workforce of 101–250. VAL operates without a parent company, has no subsidiaries, and holds no patents; its registered trademark is a licenced use of MINDFUL EMPLOYER® from Devon Partnership NHS Trust. Technology is intentionally undifferentiated — standard CMS, booking and CRM-style web platforms — with no proprietary AI/ML capability, API surface or disclosed data flywheel.
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Voluntary Action LeicesterShire
- Legal name
- Voluntary Action Leicester (registered charity No. 509300, Company Limited by Guarantee No. 1357513)
- Website
- https://valonline.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1966
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) is a Leicester-based registered charity delivering VCSE infrastructure support — including learning-disability services, volunteering, health and maternity advocacy, employability training, and office rentals — across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Voluntary and Community Sector Support Services
- NAICS
- Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services (BPAGAEAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)
Keywords
Where Voluntary Action LeicesterShire is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leicester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- VAL Spaces Rental: Revenue generated from renting office spaces (starting from £450 per month) and meeting/conference rooms to charities, small businesses, and organisations. This helps fund VAL's community support activities.
- Government Contracts: VAL manages and delivers contracts and projects including Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire, Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP), and BUILD project, funded by public sector bodies such as the ICB and local authorities.
- VALUES Programme Fees: VALUES service for adults with learning disabilities can be funded privately or through Social Services Direct Payments (Personal Budgets).
- Donations: Charitable donations through JustGiving platform and other fundraising activities, including VAL Awards event.
- Training and Events: Revenue from training sessions, webinars, and events such as public procurement training, utility aid webinars on net zero topics.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Office Space Rental |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Meeting Room Bookings |
| Other | Subscription | VALUES Activities |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels8 records
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee that delivers direct community support services and capacity-building support to the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector across Leicester and Leicestershire. Its core deliverables include learning disability day services (VALUES), affordable office and meeting space rental (VAL Spaces), volunteering infrastructure, healthcare advocacy (Healthwatch), maternity and neonatal service user engagement (MNVP), employability coaching (BUILD), adult numeracy tutoring (Multiply Project) and VCSE training, funding and governance advisory services.
Product overview
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) is a charity organization that operates as a platform of interconnected services supporting the voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) sector across Leicester and Leicestershire. The organization offers a unified portfolio of services centered around its core mission of helping people and communities change their lives for the better. The main product/service lines include: VAL Volunteering (volunteer recruitment platform), VALUES (learning disability support with over 40 activities), VAL Spaces (office and meeting room rentals), Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire (healthcare advocacy), MNVP (maternity services improvement), BUILD (employability support), Multiply Project (numeracy skills), VCSE Support services (funding, training, directory), and the VAL Awards (annual recognition program). These services are designed to work together to provide comprehensive support to individuals, community groups, charities, and volunteers across the region.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- VAL Volunteering Dedicated volunteering platform operating as the accredited Volunteer Centre for Leicester and Leicestershire; it allows local charities and community groups to advertise volunteer opportunities and lets individuals search for and apply to roles online.
- VALUES Daytime activity and learning programme for adults with learning disabilities in Leicester, offering more than 40 sessions (arts and crafts, cooking, drama, gardening, sports, social groups and life skills) delivered at the 9 Newarke Street centre and at partner community venues, funded privately or via Social Services Direct Payments.
- VAL Spaces (Office and Meeting Space) Affordable, flexible office space (packages starting from £450 per month excluding VAT) and pay-as-you-go meeting and conference rooms at VAL's renovated Leicester city centre headquarters, offered at preferential rates to local charities and voluntary groups with utilities, reception and meeting amenities included.
- Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire Local statutory health and social care champion delivered by VAL as part of the national Healthwatch network; gathers public experiences and feedback through outreach, surveys and Enter & View visits to help shape and improve NHS and social care services across Leicester and Leicestershire.
- MNVP (Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership) Maternity and neonatal service user partnership working with women, birthing people, partners and families (including pregnancy and baby-loss experience) across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to gather feedback and influence the design and delivery of local maternity and neonatal services.
- BUILD (Employability Project) Employability project delivered by VAL in partnership with the Rural Community Council and CASE, supporting individuals aged 19+ in rural north-west Leicestershire (Bagworth, Ibstock, Mountsorrel) who face barriers to education, training and employment through one-to-one coaching, CV support, job-search help and volunteering opportunities.
- VCSE Support (Funding, Training and Governance) Comprehensive umbrella support service for voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations across Leicester and Leicestershire, providing funding advice, training and events, governance and trustee support, and access to an online directory of services.
- Multiply Project (Adult Numeracy) Government-funded adult numeracy programme delivered as part of the Leicestershire County Council Multiply initiative, offering one-to-one guidance, peer mentoring and practical numeracy support to adults aged 19+ who want to build their confidence with numbers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 100 people visit VAL daily for VALUES support
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Voluntary Action LeicesterShire
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Integrated Care Board (ICB)coreThe ICB awarded VAL the contract to deliver the Maternity and Neonatal Voices Partnership (MNVP) across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland following a competitive tender process. This recognises VAL's ongoing commitment to ensuring family voices shape maternity services.
- Leicester RacecoursecoreLeicester Racecourse partnered with VAL as the venue for the spectacular Fireworks Event on 1 November, marking the official start of VAL's 60th anniversary celebrations. The partnership included VAL as charity sponsor, with donations collected for VALUES project supporting adults with learning disabilities.
- Hastings DirectcoreHastings Direct has been headline sponsor for VAL Awards for multiple years (2024, 2025, 2026), demonstrating consistent support for the voluntary sector in Leicester and Leicestershire. Their sponsorship helps unite the community to honour local heroes.
- Market Harborough Building SocietycoreHeadline sponsor for The VAL Awards 2023, supporting the celebration of community champions across Leicester and Leicestershire.
- Morningside Pharmaceuticals LimitedcoreHeadline sponsor for The VAL Awards 2022 and The VAL Awards 2019. Morningside Pharmaceuticals is a manufacturer and supplier of generic and branded medicines to UK and international markets.
- Healthwatch EnglandcoreVAL delivers Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire as part of the national Healthwatch network. Healthwatch England sets the framework and VAL delivers local health and social care advocacy.
- Rural Community Council (RCC)coreRCC is a partner in the BUILD project alongside VAL and CASE, supporting individuals in rural Leicestershire who face barriers to accessing education, training, or employment.
- CASEcoreCASE is a partner in the BUILD project alongside VAL and Rural Community Council, working together to support employment and training access in rural Leicestershire.
- NHS Leaders and Decision MakerscoreHealthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire works with NHS leaders and decision-makers to ensure public voices are heard and used to improve health and social care services.
- Leicester City CouncilminorVAL partnered with Leicester City Council for Learning Disabilities Week 2022 on a project gathering experiences of health and social care from people with learning disabilities and autism.
- NHS (Local)minorVAL partnered with NHS for Learning Disabilities Week 2022, collecting experiences to create instructional videos for health and social care professionals on working with people with learning disabilities.
- BID LeicesterminorIn October 2023, VAL partnered with BID Leicester for a community art installation featuring a large inflatable monster at VAL's headquarters.
- The Mighty Creatives (TMC)minorPartnership delivered the Creative Futures Project supporting young people in Leicester to develop skills in creative arts, combining Arts Award, volunteering, and practical experience.
- The Highfields CentreminorPartnership delivered the Creative Futures Project supporting young people in Leicester's east side with creative arts skills development.
- Leicester Employment HubminorVAL worked with Leicester Employment Hub to provide support to employers and job seekers in North West Leicestershire and Hinckley & Bosworth, funded by UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
- Leicestershire County Council Public HealthcoreVAL collaborated with Leicestershire County Council Public Health and NHS East Midlands Gambling Harms Service to host a webinar on gambling-related harms, providing education and resources for the voluntary sector.
- NHS East Midlands Gambling Harms ServicecoreNHS service partnered with VAL to deliver webinar on gambling-related harms, sharing statistics, psychological insights, and support resources for identifying and helping those affected by problem gambling.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations): NCVO is the largest national membership body for the voluntary sector in England and Wales. It overlaps with VAL's training, funding research, governance, and policy advocacy work but at national scale and without VAL's local direct-delivery programmes.
- Groundwork UK: Groundwork is a federation of regional Groundwork Trusts delivering community-environment programmes, training, and employability support — overlapping with VAL's BUILD employability programme and VCSE training offer, but at national scale across multiple regions.
- Locality: Locality is the national network of community-led organisations, providing membership support, training, and policy advocacy for community anchors across England. Overlaps with VAL's VCSE infrastructure role but at national scale rather than single-region.
- Healthwatch England: Healthwatch England is the national statutory body that commissions and frameworks the local Healthwatch network, of which Healthwatch Leicester and Leicestershire (delivered by VAL) is a member. Sets the operating standards and contract terms VAL must meet.
Direct peers
- Volunteering Matters: Volunteering Matters is a UK-wide charity delivering volunteer programmes for excluded groups (older people, disabled people, young carers). Comparable to VAL's VALUES learning disabilities work and volunteer brokerage through its accredited Volunteer Centre model.
- Voluntary Action Coventry: Voluntary Action Coventry is a Coventry-based CVS infrastructure body delivering VCSE support, training, volunteering, and direct community programmes. Same operating model as VAL in an adjacent West Midlands region.
- NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): NAVCA is the national membership body for local CVS (Council for Voluntary Service) infrastructure organisations in England. VAL operates the same model locally — providing funding advice, governance support, volunteering infrastructure, and sector advocacy to VCSE organisations — making NAVCA the closest direct peer at the national level.
- Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC): BVSC is the regional CVS infrastructure body for Birmingham, delivering an almost identical portfolio to VAL: VCSE funding and governance advice, volunteering brokerage, training, Healthwatch Birmingham (under a different contractual vehicle), and sector convening. It is the most direct operational peer.
- Manchester Community Central: Manchester Community Central is Greater Manchester's CVS infrastructure body, providing funding advice, training, volunteering, governance support, and direct community programmes. Directly comparable to VAL in scope and mission, serving a different metropolitan region.
Emerging players
- Do-it.org: Do-it.org is the UK's largest national online volunteer-matching platform, operated by the Youth Endowment Fund. It directly competes with VAL's volunteer.valonline.org.uk portal for both volunteer sign-ups and charity volunteer-recruitment advertising.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire social profiles
Digital presenceVoluntary Action LeicesterShire financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire 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 Voluntary Action LeicesterShire
What does Voluntary Action LeicesterShire do?
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire (VAL) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee that delivers direct community support services and capacity-building support to the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector across Leicester and Leicestershire. Its core deliverables include learning disability day services (VALUES), affordable office and meeting space rental (VAL Spaces), volunteering infrastructure, healthcare advocacy (Healthwatch), maternity and neonatal service user engagement (MNVP), employability coaching (BUILD), adult numeracy tutoring (Multiply Project) and VCSE training, funding and governance advisory services.
Is Voluntary Action LeicesterShire a public or private company?
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Voluntary Action LeicesterShire founded?
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire was founded in 1966. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Voluntary Action LeicesterShire based?
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire is headquartered in Leicester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Voluntary Action LeicesterShire make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. VAL Spaces Rental is the primary driver. The others are government Contracts, VALUES Programme Fees, donations and training and Events.
Who are Voluntary Action LeicesterShire's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organisations), Groundwork UK, Locality and Healthwatch England. Direct peers are Volunteering Matters, Voluntary Action Coventry, NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action), Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC) and Manchester Community Central. Do-it.org is listed as an emerging player.
Does Voluntary Action LeicesterShire have an API?
No public API is recorded for Voluntary Action LeicesterShire.
What industry is Voluntary Action LeicesterShire in?
Voluntary Action LeicesterShire's product category is Voluntary and Community Sector Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAK, Financial Assistance & Benefits Navigation Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAEAM, Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services. Its NAICS code is 813 and its SIC code is 8300.