Hull Culture and Leisure

What Hull Culture and Leisure does

Hull Culture and Leisure Limited (HCAL) is a non-trading, non-profit-distributing private limited company wholly owned by Hull City Council, established in 2015 (Company No. 09451253) to manage the city's portfolio of cultural and leisure assets on behalf of the council under Section 68 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. HCAL operates 11 branch libraries, multiple leisure centres (Woodford, Ennerdale, Beverley Road Baths, Costello Stadium), Hull Ice Arena, Hull City Hall, Hull New Theatre, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull History Centre, East Park (~130 acres, opened 1887), Pearson Park, plus seven in-house café and catering outlets and event venues, making it the largest leisure and culture employer in Hull with a headcount of 251-500.

The organisation's product surface is organised under sub-brands that map one-to-one to physical service lines: Live It Hull (sports, leisure centres, swimming, parks, ice arena), Hull Libraries, Hull Museums and Gallery, Hull Theatres, Get Hull Active (public fitness campaign), and Venue Hull (catering and events). Underlying technology is standard UK public-sector tooling: a Jadu CMS website with built-in customer account (myAccount), online booking, and payment processing via CivicaPay; a mobile app (Live It Hull, built on the Innovatise platform) on iOS and Android that supports fitness class, park activity, and junior session booking plus timetable viewing; and an annual 'What's On' calendar distributed through extensive branded social media accounts on Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

HCAL earns revenue through four streams: statutory grant funding (including £1,827,000 secured in 2023-2024 and Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation status for 2 of 8 Hull NPOs); recurring leisure and culture service fees via leisure centre memberships, swimming lessons, fitness classes, and library memberships registered through the Live It Hull app; transaction-fee ticketing for theatre performances, exhibitions, and events; and transaction-fee venue hire and catering revenue for weddings, corporate events, children's parties, and conference packages accommodating 30-450 guests. The customer base is predominantly Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire residents, with secondary segments of schools and community groups (educational programming) and event bookers (weddings, corporate, private functions). Distribution is direct-to-consumer across physical venues, web, and app with no intermediated channels.

Name

Hull Culture and Leisure

Legal name

Hull Culture & Leisure Ltd.

Website

https://hcandl.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hull Culture and Leisure is a council-owned non-profit arm's-length organisation that manages Hull's public libraries, leisure centres, theatres, museums, galleries, and parks on behalf of Hull City Council, serving Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire residents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kingston upon Hull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Statutory Funding: As a wholly owned Hull City Council company with charitable objectives, HCAL receives significant grant funding from Hull City Council and other public bodies. In 2023-2024, they secured £1,827,000 in grant income. The organisation also receives funding as one of eight Arts Council National Portfolio Organisations in the city.
2. Leisure and Culture Service Fees: Revenue from leisure centre memberships, class fees, swimming lessons, fitness memberships, and library services. The Live It Hull app enables booking of fitness classes, activities, and pool/class timetables.
3. Venue Hire and Catering: Revenue from venue hire (theatres, halls, meeting rooms, banquet facilities) and catering services including weddings, corporate events, children's parties, and cafe operations at multiple venues across the city.
4. Event and Performance Ticketing: Revenue from theatre performances, exhibitions, and events at Hull Theatres venues and museum venues.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hull Culture and Leisure operates and manages public leisure and cultural facilities in Hull on behalf of Hull City Council. It runs leisure centres, swimming pools, fitness classes, a network of 11 libraries, museums and galleries (notably Ferens Art Gallery), theatres (Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall), parks (East Park and Pearson Park), the Hull Ice Arena, catering and venue hire services, and education and learning programmes. The organisation delivers these services through physical venues, its Live It Hull sub-brand, sub-brand websites, and a mobile booking app.

Product overview

Hull Culture and Leisure is a leisure and culture services provider offering a portfolio of interconnected services as a single unified offering rather than a modular platform. The core portfolio consists of Live It Hull (sports, leisure centres, swimming pools, parks, and ice arena), Hull Libraries (11 branch libraries with loan services and events), Hull Museums and Gallery (exhibitions, collections, and education), and Hull Theatres (performance venues). Supporting services include Catering and Hospitality (cafe outlets, venue catering, banquets, and events), Venue Hire, Education and Learning programmes, and the Live It Hull Customer App for booking management. The organisation also operates Customer Account (myAccount) and myPayments systems for online service management and invoice payments. All services are delivered across multiple physical locations throughout Hull and are accessible via the central website and mobile application.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live It Hull (sports, leisure and parks) Sub-brand service covering leisure centres, swimming pools, fitness classes, parks (including East Park and Pearson Park), and Hull Ice Arena across Hull. Offered to the general public, fitness members, and casual users.
• Hull Libraries Network of 11 libraries providing materials for loan, computers, internet access, events, activities, school support services, and home library service. Free to join for residents.
• Hull Museums and Gallery Museum and gallery services including exhibitions, collections, education programmes, and venue hire. Anchored by Ferens Art Gallery and the wider Hull Museums portfolio. Open to the general public, schools, and event bookers.
• Hull Theatres Theatre venues including Hull New Theatre and Hull City Hall, offering performances, events, and venue hire to the general public, promoters, and event bookers.
• Live It Hull Customer App Mobile application enabling customers to book fitness classes, park activities (including East Park Water Play), junior sessions (Disco Skate and Disco Dive), and view pool, class and session timetables. Free to download; casual bookings available without membership. Available on iOS and Android.
• Catering and Hospitality Catering and hospitality services managing cafes, venues for private functions, corporate events, and children's parties across multiple HCAL venues including Hull City Hall, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull New Theatre, and leisure centres.
• Venue Hire Venue hire services across theatres, leisure centres, museums, and libraries for events, meetings, and functions for event bookers and corporate clients.
• Weddings Wedding venue hire and catering services at Hull City Hall and Central Library, accommodating 30 to 450 guests, with civil ceremony licensing. For couples planning weddings and receptions.
• Children's Parties Children's party packages at Hull Ice Arena including ice skating and party food for 12 to 30 children. For families booking children's parties.
• Banquets, Events and Meetings Catering and venue hire for banquets, events and meetings across Hull City Hall, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull New Theatre, Hull Central Library, Woodford Leisure Centre, Hull Ice Arena, and Hull History Centre. For event bookers and corporate clients.
• Education and Learning Educational programmes across museums, libraries, and leisure facilities including school sessions, self-guided tours, community projects, and fitness classes. For schools, community groups, families, and adult learners.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hull City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Hull City Council is the sole shareholder of Hull Culture and Leisure Ltd. HCAL was established in 2015 as a limited company wholly owned by the Council with charitable objectives. The company manages, develops and delivers museums, galleries, libraries, parks, sport, leisure centres, theatres, and civic catering on behalf of Hull City Council.
• NHS / NHS Hull CCGcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS and NHS Hull CCG were co-developers of the 'Towards an Active Hull' strategy (2018-28) alongside Hull City Council and HCAL, aiming to improve the health and wellbeing of the city by making Hull a place where people choose to be active.
• Hull Collaborative PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHCAL works with the Hull Collaborative Partnership, which provides services, advice and resources for safeguarding and community support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Places Leisure: Places Leisure is a charitable leisure trust operating leisure and cultural facilities for local authorities across the UK. Directly comparable to HCAL as a non-profit council-commissioned leisure operator with community focus.
• Fusion Lifestyle: Fusion Lifestyle is a UK non-profit that manages leisure centres, sports facilities, libraries, and cultural venues for local authorities. Closely comparable trust-style operating model to HCAL with shared focus on public service delivery.
• GLL (Better): GLL is a charitable social enterprise that operates leisure facilities, libraries, and cultural venues on behalf of UK local authorities under the 'Better' consumer brand. It is the closest direct peer to HCAL in terms of council-commissioned, multi-vertical leisure/culture delivery model.
• Active Tameside: Active Tameside is a council-owned leisure and wellbeing trust operating leisure centres, sports facilities, and cultural venues in Tameside. Directly comparable in structure (council-owned charitable operator) and service mix to HCAL, though serving a different local authority area.
• 1Life Management Solutions: 1Life operates leisure centres, swimming pools, and health facilities on behalf of UK councils. Comparable to HCAL in managing public leisure infrastructure under a trust/operator model, with focus on community health and active-living outcomes.
• Brio Leisure: Brio Leisure is a charitable leisure trust operating leisure centres, swimming pools, and health facilities in Cheshire West. Comparable to HCAL in trust-based governance, multi-venue operations, and council-commissioned service delivery.
• Everyone Active: Everyone Active operates more than 200 leisure and cultural facilities on behalf of UK local authorities. Highly comparable to HCAL in running council-owned leisure centres, swimming pools, and community health programmes as a commissioned operator.

Others

• National Trust: The National Trust is a UK charitable conservation body operating heritage properties, parks, gardens, and museums. Comparable to HCAL in the museum, gallery, and parks portion of its portfolio, with a similar charitable/cultural-preservation mandate, though at national scale.
• English Heritage: English Heritage operates historic sites, museums, and cultural venues across the UK. Comparable to HCAL's museum and heritage operations in operating publicly-accessible cultural sites with educational programming, though focused on built heritage rather than community leisure.

Broad incumbents

• Serco Group: Serco is a large UK public-services contractor that operates leisure and culture facilities for several local authorities. Comparable to HCAL in delivering council-commissioned leisure services, but as a broadly diversified outsourcing incumbent rather than a focused charitable operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/LiveItHull
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@liveithull6724/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/LiveItHull
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hull-culture-and-leisure-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/liveithull

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Hull Culture and Leisure