Bankside Open Spaces Trust

What Bankside Open Spaces Trust does

Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST) is a UK-registered environmental charity (Registered Charity No. 1085454), founded in 2000 and headquartered in London, that protects and preserves parks and gardens in the Bankside and Waterloo SE1 area while delivering community-facing health, wellbeing, and youth programmes. The organization stewards eight physical venues: Marlborough Sports Garden, Living Space Community Centre, The Ecohouse, BOST Community Space, Crossbones Graveyard, Red Cross Garden, Waterloo Millennium Green, and Winchester Palace Gardens. Its programmes include Future Gardeners horticultural training, the Green Hub estate gardening support scheme, Green Team corporate volunteering days, and a free afterschool sports programme for children aged 5-11 covering rugby, football, dance, beach tennis, boxing, volleyball, basketball, and cricket.

The charity delivers no proprietary technology product and operates no software platform; its digital surface is limited to the bost.org.uk website (built and hosted by Create Better Things), a Zeffy donation page, and presence on venue-aggregator platforms conveenie.com and playfootball.net for venue and pitch hire. Revenue is generated through a hybrid non-profit model: charitable donations (facilitated through Zeffy and direct giving), venue and sports-pitch hire, corporate volunteering day fees, and partner-delivered youth sports. Distribution is direct at physical sites, with booking routes spanning the charity's own website, third-party venues, and online registration forms for afterschool sports.

BOST serves multiple distinct customer segments: urban communities in SE1 seeking access to green space; children aged 5-11 and their families using free youth sports; corporate partners seeking CSR volunteering experiences; and local estate residents receiving Green Hub gardening support. The trust is controlled by trustees and operates on a non-profit basis with 11-50 staff and no external investment ownership.

Name

Bankside Open Spaces Trust

Legal name

Bankside Open Spaces Trust

Website

https://bost.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bankside Open Spaces Trust is a UK environmental charity that protects and maintains eight parks, gardens, and community venues across London's Bankside and Waterloo area, delivering free youth sports, horticultural training, and corporate volunteering programmes for urban communities in SE1.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Environmental Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Urban green space management
• Community gardening programs
• Environmental volunteering charity
• Youth sports facility hire
• Horticultural training services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Charitable donations from supporters and the public to fund open space maintenance, programmes, and community activities
2. Space and Facility Hire: Hiring out gardens, sports pitches, community centre space, and the Ecohouse for events and sports activities

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Bankside Open Spaces Trust is an environmental and volunteering charity that manages a portfolio of urban green spaces, gardens, and community/sports facilities in the Bankside and Waterloo area of London. It sells venue hire for events and sports, runs free afterschool sports programmes for children aged 5-11, delivers the Future Gardeners horticultural training programme, supports estate residents through the Green Hub community gardening project, and hosts corporate volunteering work days.

Product overview

Bankside Open Spaces Trust is an environmental and volunteering charity that provides outstanding green spaces and outdoor activities enhancing urban community health and wellbeing. The organization operates a portfolio of community facilities including Marlborough Sports Garden (sports pitches and afterschool programs), Living Space Community Centre, The Ecohouse, and various historic garden sites. Their services include space hire for events, afterschool sports programming, horticultural training (Future Gardeners), community gardening support (Green Hub), and corporate volunteering opportunities. The organization manages multiple green spaces across the Bankside and Waterloo areas of London, including Crossbones Graveyard, Red Cross Garden, Waterloo Millennium Green, and Winchester Palace Gardens. The charity is NOT a technology company and does not offer software products, APIs, or AI-powered solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Marlborough Sports Garden

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 minor.

• Ballers AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Touch Rugby sessions for ages 8-11 as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Tuesdays
• Girls UnitedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Girls' Football sessions for ages 6-11 (girls only) as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Tuesdays
• Cruz SportsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Street Dance sessions for ages 6-11 as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Tuesdays
• Deuce Beach TennisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Beach Tennis sessions for ages 5-11 as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Wednesdays
• Bogus BoxingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Boxing & Fitness sessions for ages 8-11 as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Wednesdays
• Samba Soccer SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Samba Soccer sessions for ages 5-11 as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Wednesdays
• SideoutminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Beach Volleyball sessions for ages 5-11 as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Thursdays
• Rise3x3minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Basketball sessions for ages 6-11 as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Thursdays
• Surrey Cricket FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDelivers Cricket sessions for children as part of the free afterschool sports programme at Marlborough Sports Garden on Thursdays
• Create Better ThingsminorOthersDigital agency that created and hosts the Bankside Open Spaces Trust website

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Thrive: UK charity using gardening and horticulture for social and therapeutic benefit; comparable programming overlap with BOST's Future Gardeners training and Green Hub estate gardening initiatives.
• Sustrans: UK sustainable transport charity that combines infrastructure stewardship, community engagement, and corporate volunteer programmes — adjacent but partially overlapping operational model in urban community spaces.

Direct peers

• Trees for Cities: Urban tree-planting and greening charity that works with communities, corporates, and local authorities to improve London's green infrastructure — comparable urban environmental focus, corporate volunteering model, and community engagement approach.
• Groundwork UK: National federation of environmental charities that mobilise volunteers to improve urban green spaces, deliver community programmes, and run corporate volunteering days — directly comparable to BOST's community-led green-space stewardship model.
• London Wildlife Trust: London-based charity managing nature reserves and urban wildlife sites, delivering community engagement and environmental education — comparable geographic remit, venue portfolio model, and educational programming to BOST.
• The Conservation Volunteers: UK-wide charity that engages volunteers in practical conservation, manages community green spaces, and runs outdoor wellbeing programmes — closely overlapping BOST's volunteer-driven, urban green-space focus.
• Capital Growth (London Food Link): London network supporting community food growing — directly comparable to BOST's Green Hub and Future Gardeners programmes that promote community gardening and horticultural skills in urban estates.

Others

• City Bridge Trust: London grant-making charity funding charitable projects across the capital — relevant not as a direct peer but as a potential funder for BOST, given shared London operating geography and charitable mission.

Broad incumbents

• Keep Britain Tidy: Established national environmental charity focused on public space quality, community engagement, and greening programmes — overlaps with BOST in urban green-space stewardship and volunteer mobilisation, but at national rather than neighbourhood scale.
• The Royal Parks: Larger established charity managing London's eight royal parks; overlaps with BOST in operating and maintaining significant London green spaces for public benefit, though at substantially larger scale and remit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BOSTSE1
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bankside-open-spaces-trust

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Bankside Open Spaces Trust