Reading International Solidarity Centre

What Reading International Solidarity Centre does

Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC) is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 293799) and company limited by guarantee (Company Number 1987368) founded in 1984, operating as a multi-purpose community hub from its sole location at 35-39 London Street, Reading. The organization runs an integrated portfolio of community-facing programs rather than a single product: the World Shop (one of the UK's largest fair trade and ethical retail outlets selling books, crafts, and teaching resources), Global Refills (a zero-waste refill shop), Global Cafe, and meeting space facilities hosting over 150 community groups. Educational services include the Global Teacher Award, climate education curriculum, ITT programs, and teacher training delivered both in-person and virtually. Environmental programming centers on an award-winning sustainable roof garden featuring 185 species and the Food4Families community food-growing initiative.

The underlying operational platform is a physical community hub infrastructure — a single multi-use building with retail, cafe, meeting rooms, gardens, and event spaces — supported by a standard WordPress website (risc.org.uk) and Mailchimp newsletter distribution. There is no proprietary technology, software product, or digital platform; the 'technology' is fundamentally the physical co-location model that enables multiple social impact programs to share overhead and cross-leverage foot traffic. Payment processing is PCI-DSS compliant with GDPR-compliant data handling.

The business model combines diversified revenue streams: retail sales from World Shop and Global Refills, room hire to community groups, event ticket sales and donations, teacher training fees (£30+VAT per session), workshops (£20 including materials), film screenings (£4), and charitable donations with Gift Aid. The majority of events operate on a free or donation basis. Pricing is granular and community-accessible rather than market-rate. Go-to-market is community-led through newsletters, social media, partner networks, and physical storefront presence, with virtual training sessions extending reach beyond Reading. The organization is governed by trustees and operates for public benefit under charitable status, with no external equity or venture ownership.

Name

Reading International Solidarity Centre

Legal name

Reading International Solidarity Centre

Website

https://risc.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC) is a UK-registered charity operating a Reading-based community hub that combines fair trade retail, zero-waste refills, a community cafe, meeting space for 150+ groups, global education training for teachers, and an award-winning sustainable roof garden.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-profit Community Services and Global Education

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Literature & Book Clubs / Guided Reading Groups (EDAMAJAG)

Keywords

• Fair trade retail
• Global education
• Community hub
• Zero waste shop
• Volunteer programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Reading

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales: Revenue from sales at the World Shop (fair trade goods, books, teaching resources) and Global Refills (zero waste products). One of the UK's largest fair trade and ethical shops.
2. Room Hire: Meeting room rental to community groups and organizations. RISC serves as meeting space for over 150 community groups.
3. Event Revenue: Ticket sales and donations from events including film screenings, talks, workshops, and the Reading International Festival.
4. Education Services: Training programs for educators including the Global Teacher Award, climate education curriculum, and professional development sessions for teachers.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from supporters, with Gift Aid claims for UK taxpayers. Donate button prominently featured on website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC) is a registered charity operating a community hub in Reading, UK that combines fair trade retail (World Shop), a zero-waste refill shop (Global Refills), a community café, meeting room hire for 150+ community groups, global education training for schools, and environmental programs (an award-winning roof garden and the Food4Families community garden initiative). Revenue is generated through retail sales, room hire, paid events and workshops, educator training fees, and charitable donations.

Product overview

Reading International Solidarity Centre (RISC) is a community hub in Reading, UK, operating multiple interconnected programs rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include the World Shop (fair trade retail) and Global Refills (zero waste shop), supported by the Global Cafe and meeting space facilities that host over 150 community groups. Educational services provide teacher training, climate curriculum, and resources for schools. Environmental programs include the award-winning Roof Garden with 185 species, permaculture features, and the Food4Families community garden initiative. The organization also runs an active events program featuring films, talks, workshops, and the annual Reading International Festival.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• World Shop: Fair trade shop selling books, teaching resources, and ethical products
• Global Refills
• Global Cafe
• Roof Garden

Products and services

• World Shop Fair trade and ethical retail shop offering books, teaching resources, crafts and gifts from producers worldwide, including suppliers such as Zaytoun (Palestine), Hope Jewellery (Peru), Just Trade UK, Women in Hebron, and Weaving Hope (Sri Lanka). Targeted at ethically-minded consumers.
• Global Refills Zero waste refill shop allowing customers to refill household products in reusable containers, reducing single-use plastic. Located inside the RISC community hub, open Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-18:00.
• Global Cafe Community cafe operated within the RISC hub, serving food and beverages to visitors, shoppers, and event attendees.
• Meeting Space and Room Hire Meeting room and conference hall hire for over 150 community groups, voluntary organizations, and event organizers. Provides an affordable, centrally located venue for meetings and events in Reading.
• Education Programs Global education services for schools and educators, including the Global Teacher Award, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programs, climate education curriculum, and resource toolkits. Training is delivered in-person and virtually via Zoom.
• Roof Garden Award-winning sustainable rooftop garden with 185 species, perennial planting, an edible forest, water harvesting, and use of renewable/recycled/reused materials. Open for self-guided drop-in tours and seasonal programming such as RISC Roof Garden Summer Events 2026.
• Food4Families Food-growing gardens program developing and maintaining food-growing gardens in schools and communities across Reading, linked from the RISC Gardens section.
• Events Programming Annual events program including film screenings (e.g., Palestine 36 at £4), talks, workshops (e.g., TATREEZ Palestinian Embroidery Workshop at £20), a book club, and the Reading International Festival. Most events are free or donation-based.
• Volunteer Program Volunteering opportunities and internship positions supporting RISC's various programs, including the World Shop, Global Refills, Roof Garden, events, and education activities.

Named customers3 records

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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food4FamiliescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative food-growing gardens program in schools and communities. RISC hosts the Food4Families initiative and links to the program from their gardens section.
• Reading Fair Trade NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRISC is the main coordinator of Reading Fair Trade Network consisting of local autonomous groups and voluntary organizations involved in annual joint events.
• Reading International Development ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRISC as main coordinator of Reading International Development Forum, working with local groups on international development and solidarity activities.
• British Islamic Gardens (BIG)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of TATREEZ Palestinian Embroidery Workshop and Women of Hebron events. Joint programming partnership for cultural events.
• Global Justice ReadingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint event organizer for global justice themed events including The Future Of Food and other justice-related talks.
• Zaytoun (Fair Trade Palestine)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFair trade supplier for Palestinian products including olive oil, crafts, and Zaytoun CTAs. Featured in aFAIRnoon Tea event and Women of Hebron events.
• Weaving HopeminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFair trade supplier from Sri Lanka featured in aFAIRnoon Tea event and fair trade product offerings.
• Hope Jewellery PeruminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFair trade jewellery supplier from Peru featured in 'From Peru to The World Shop' events.
• Just Trade UKminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEthical jewellery supplier from UK featured in 'From Peru to The World Shop' event and fair trade product range.
• Women in HebronminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPalestinian fair trade cooperative producing traditional embroidery. Multiple events hosted featuring their work and products available for sale.
• Double-Barrelled BreweryminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal brewery collaboration for late night shopping events at the World Shop, providing food and drink tasting experiences.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Alternative Technology: CAT is a Welsh sustainability education charity offering courses, visitor experiences, and demonstration gardens. It is comparable to RISC in combining sustainability education, award-winning gardens, and community programming.
• Toynbee Hall: Toynbee Hall is a historic London community hub combining meeting space, education programs, social justice initiatives, and public-facing services under one roof. It is the closest direct comparison to RISC's integrated community hub model.
• War on Want: War on Want is a UK charity fighting poverty through challenging global trade structures and corporate power. It is comparable to RISC in advocacy focus on international solidarity and global justice themes.
• Traidcraft Exchanges: Traidcraft was the UK's pioneering fair trade retailer and wholesaler, offering ethically sourced crafts, foods, and gifts. Despite restructuring, its brand and channels remain comparable to RISC's World Shop in product range and ethical sourcing.
• Global Justice Now: Global Justice Now is a UK-based activist organization campaigning on global justice, trade, and corporate accountability. It shares RISC's mission focus on global solidarity and runs overlapping event and education programming.

Broad incumbents

• Mary's Meals: Mary's Meals is a UK-founded international charity addressing hunger through school feeding programs. It shares RISC's global development mission and donor-supported funding model, though at much larger international scale.
• Oxfam GB: Oxfam is the UK's largest fair trade and global justice charity, operating retail shops combined with advocacy and education programs. It overlaps with RISC across fair trade retail, global justice mission, and educator resources, but at far greater national scale.
• CAFOD: CAFOD is the Catholic aid agency for England and Wales, focusing on international development, climate justice, and education. It shares RISC's global justice and educator-engagement activities at significantly larger scale.

Regional players

• Holly Lodge Community Centre: Holly Lodge is a London-based community centre offering meeting rooms, education, and community programs for local groups. It is comparable to RISC's meeting-space and community-group service model in a different UK geography.

Emerging players

• People & Planet: People & Planet is a UK student network campaigning on climate, social justice, and ethical trade. It overlaps with RISC's education programming and global justice event programming for schools and young audiences.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RISC_Reading

Compliance2 records

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 Reading International Solidarity Centre