What Steel Warriors does

Steel Warriors is a UK-registered charity (Charity Commission number 1175317) founded in 2017 by Ben Wintour and Pia Fontes, operating an unusual knife-to-gym transformation model in which seized knives supplied by London's Metropolitan Police are melted and forged into outdoor calisthenics gym equipment. The organisation runs six physical sites across London — Ruskin Park (Lambeth), Finsbury Park (Haringey), Langdon Park (Tower Hamlets), Carpenters Estate (Newham), a facility inside HMP Brixton, and an installation at Gymshark's Regent Street flagship — and is currently pursuing a Co-op UK-supported ambition of 20 gyms across the UK. At these sites the charity delivers free calisthenics classes, school and alternative-provision youth programmes, and prison-based rehabilitation sessions, with all services provided at no cost to participants.

Core products include the outdoor gym network itself, free community classes, structured school and youth intervention programmes, and an online calisthenics video library. Reported outcome metrics from 2024 youth programmes include 94% of young people learning something new, 73% feeling physically stronger, 76% building stronger relationships with adults, and 100% of community class participants reporting improved physical and mental wellbeing.

The business model is donation- and partnership-funded rather than commercially transacted. Revenue streams comprise: recurring monthly donations via the Team 100 programme (£20/month target of 100 donors), additional subscription donation tiers at £10/£20/£50 per month, one-time and recurring gifts processed through JustGiving, merchandise sales through the Steel Warriors x Gymshark e-commerce shop (apparel priced £14–£55), event fundraising through TCS London Marathon charity places with £2,500 minimum targets per runner, and corporate partnerships led by the Gymshark flagship deal (announced 2024-09-18). Coaching labour is delivered via zero-hours sessional contracts at £25.50/hour, and the registered office is at 184-192 Drummond Street, London. Current executive leadership comprises CEO Jenny Oklikah and COO Zoe Byrne, with Ben Wintour and Pia Fontes continuing as co-founder trustees and Harry Edwards as Chair of Trustees.

Name

Steel Warriors

Legal name

Steel Warriors

Website

https://steelwarriors.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Steel Warriors is a UK charity founded in 2017 that melts seized knives into outdoor calisthenics gyms across London, delivering free fitness, youth intervention, and school programmes to young people affected by knife crime and social exclusion.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership Subscriptions: Recurring monthly donations via Team 100 (£20/month) and one-time/recurring donations via JustGiving platform. Powers free community classes and gym operations.
2. Merchandise Sales: E-commerce sales of Steel Warriors x Gymshark branded merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, socks, and boxers. All proceeds support the mission.
3. Event Fundraising: Charity places in London Marathon with minimum £2,500 fundraising target per runner. Generates significant donations while promoting mission awareness.
4. Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorship: Long-term partnerships with companies like Gymshark providing funding, platform access, and support for gym openings. Includes pro bono support from legal and business supporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Steel Warriors is a UK-registered charity that melts down seized knives and recycles the steel into outdoor calisthenics gym equipment. It operates a network of six outdoor gyms across London and delivers free community classes, school-based programmes, and targeted youth intervention initiatives for young people affected by crime, violence, and social exclusion. The charity funds its mission through donations, corporate partnerships (Gymshark, Co-op UK), merchandise sales, and monthly giving programmes.

Product overview

Steel Warriors is a UK-based anti-knife crime charity operating a network of six outdoor calisthenics gyms constructed from recycled knife steel. The core offering consists of free community classes and targeted youth programmes at these gym locations, complemented by an online video library for remote training. The charity generates revenue through a merchandise line developed in partnership with Gymshark, a monthly giving programme (Team 100), and charity marathon places. All programmes support young people affected by crime, violence, and social exclusion through fitness, mentorship, and community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Outdoor Gyms Network A network of six outdoor calisthenics gyms made from recycled knife steel located across London at Ruskin Park (Lambeth), Finsbury Park (Haringey), Langdon Park (Tower Hamlets), Carpenters Estate (Newham), HMP Brixton, and Gymshark Regent Street. All gyms offer free access to the public or designated communities.
• Community Classes Free, open-access calisthenics and street workout classes offered at gym locations for all ages and levels, including teen-specific sessions and female-only sessions.
• School and Youth Programmes Targeted calisthenics coaching and mentorship programmes delivered in schools and alternative provision (AP) settings, supporting young people affected by crime, violence, and social exclusion.
• Steel Warriors x Gymshark Merchandise Collaborative fitness apparel line including T-shirts, Hoodies, Shorts, Socks, and Boxers, co-developed with Gymshark, with proceeds funding gym builds and youth programmes.
• Team 100 Monthly Giving Programme Monthly giving programme where supporters contribute £20 per month to fund free community classes and youth programmes at the outdoor gyms.
• London Marathon Charity Places Annual charity places in the TCS London Marathon, with participants committing to a minimum £2,500 fundraising target to support free community fitness classes.
• Online Training Videos Free street workout tutorials and calisthenics instruction videos featuring professional calisthenics pioneers and fitness coaches, accessible online.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94% of young people learned something new
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting, minor and flagship.

• Populo LivingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2024Newham's wholly-owned housing company. Partnered with Steel Warriors for opening of fifth gym at Carpenters Estate, Stratford in November 2024.
• London Borough of NewhamcoreOthers · 16 November 2024Local council partnered for opening of fifth gym at Carpenters Estate, Stratford in November 2024.
• Global Street ArtsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2024Partnered with Steel Warriors for Carpenters Estate gym launch. Provided vibrant live murals by acclaimed street artists for the opening event.
• Yes MakeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 November 2024Company that designed sustainably built playground using recycled materials at Carpenters Estate gym opening.
• GymsharkflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 September 2024Long-term partnership announced September 2024. Gymshark installing Steel Warriors facilities in flagship and Stratford stores. Supporting young people PT qualifications, hosting free events, providing funding for more gym openings. Joint 'Put Down, Pull Up, Show Up' campaign leveraging Gymshark's 20+ million community.
• Co-op UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Strategic partner announced via Instagram for grand ambition to create 20 Steel Warriors gyms across UK. Co-op UK supporting with pro bono assistance and shared goal of expansion.
• Herbert Smith FreeHillssupportingOthersLegal firm providing pro bono support. Listed as current supporter contributing to charity operations.
• Heyne Tillett SteelsupportingOthersListed as current supporter providing professional services to Steel Warriors.
• London's Metropolitan PolicesupportingOthersListed as current supporter. Provides seized knives for transformation into gym equipment.
• The Violence Reduction UnitsupportingOthersListed as current supporter. Government body focused on reducing violence.
• GO! LONDONminorOthersListed as current supporter of Steel Warriors programmes.
• EMRminorOthersListed as current supporter. Metal recycling company potentially involved in knife-to-gym transformation process.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Emerging players

• Sported: UK charity supporting community sport groups serving disadvantaged young people. Functions more as a capacity-builder/funder-of-charities in the same space - relevant as a peer in the youth-sport-for-development ecosystem.

Direct peers

• StreetGames: UK charity delivering sport to disadvantaged young people in underserved communities. Directly comparable sport-for-good model with measurable youth outcomes, free access provision, and local-authority partnership structure.
• Fight for Peace: UK-registered charity using combat sports (boxing, MMA) to support young people affected by crime and violence. Most direct functional peer to Steel Warriors: same sport-for-development + youth-violence-prevention model, same target demographic, same London + national footprint, free access programming.
• Access Sport: UK inclusive sport charity providing access to sport for disadvantaged young people. Comparable target beneficiary (at-risk youth), free community programming, and grant-funded operating model similar to Steel Warriors.
• Anthony Joshua Foundation: Charity founded by Steel Warriors' own patron Anthony Joshua OBE, focusing on youth development through sport. Shares celebrity patronage, youth-via-sport thesis, and London base - the closest peer on patron and thematic grounds.

Others

• Global Street Art: International mural arts charity that partnered with Steel Warriors for the Carpenters Estate gym launch. Functions as an enablement/ecosystem partner rather than competitor but appears in Steel Warriors' verified partner list and is meaningfully comparable on the outdoor-community-installation model.

Broad incumbents

• OnSide Youth Zones: Network of state-of-the-art youth centres providing sport, arts, and mentoring to young people, particularly from disadvantaged areas. Operates in the same space (free youth provision, sport-focussed) at greater infrastructure scale and with corporate-partnership funding model.
• Sport England: Statutory quango distributing public funding for community sport in England. Functions as a major grant-funder for organisations like Steel Warriors and as the policy backer for sport-for-development outcomes. Relevant as ecosystem incumbent and likely funding counterparty.
• The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth-development charity supporting 11-30 year-olds into education, training, and employment. Same age demographic and at-risk-young-person mission, with much broader career-pathway programming that overlaps with Steel Warriors' fitness-career pathways.
• Youth Sport Trust: Large established UK charity improving children and young people's wellbeing through sport and PE. Operates in the same school-based and youth-settings delivery channel but at much larger scale and broader scope (not knife-crime specific).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/steelwarriors/?hl=en
• Xx.com/steelwarriorsuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/steelwarriorsgym
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/steel-warriors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

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 Steel Warriors