Voluntary Action Stoke on Trent

What Voluntary Action Stoke on Trent does

Voluntary Action Stoke on Trent (VAST) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee (Company No. 2000818, Charity No. 1049663), founded in 1920 and headquartered at The Dudson Centre in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, with between 51 and 100 employees. The organisation operates as a regional infrastructure body for the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector across Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire, delivering capacity-building services (accountancy and payroll, training, funding-opportunity databases via VAST Vault, community development and empowerment), volunteering services (inVOLved platform, Volunteer Managers Network, Volunteer Voices Forum, Volunteering Quality Standards), and direct community projects including Door2Door community transport, Community Health Champions, the Stoke-on-Trent Food Partnership, Healthy Communities Alliance, and the government-commissioned Pride in Place programme in Bentilee and Ubberley. The Dudson Centre, a former working pottery site with an accredited on-site museum, functions as both physical HQ and a separate heritage/culture product line.

Name

Voluntary Action Stoke on Trent

Legal name

VAST Services (1920)

Website

https://vast.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VAST is a registered charity and regional infrastructure body serving the VCSE sector in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire, delivering capacity building, volunteering services, and community programmes including transport, health, and heritage at the Dudson Centre.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development and VCSE Sector Support

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Charity capacity building
• Voluntary sector support
• Community transport services
• Volunteer management networks
• VCSE infrastructure support

Headquarters

HQ city

Hanley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees and service charges: VAST provides paid services including accountancy, payroll, training, and capacity building services to VCSE organizations for a fee.
2. Grants and commissioned services: As a charity, VAST receives grant funding and is commissioned by local authorities (Stoke-on-Trent City Council) to deliver specific projects and services.
3. Donations: The organization accepts donations through JustGiving platform to support the VCSE sector in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VAST is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee providing capacity building, accountancy and payroll, training, volunteering infrastructure, advocacy, and community project delivery to the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. It also delivers direct community services including the Door2Door transport scheme, Community Health Champions, Food Partnership, and the Dudson Centre heritage venue.

Product overview

VAST (Voluntary Action Stoke on Trent) is a charity supporting the VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) sector in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire. The organisation offers a portfolio of interconnected services including capacity building (accountancy, payroll, training, funding databases), volunteering support (recruitment platforms, Volunteer Managers Network, Volunteer Voices Forum), community transport (Door2Door), health initiatives (Community Health Champions, Food Partnership), and advocacy/leadership services (Networks and Forums, VCSE City Alliance). The Dudson Centre serves as VAST's physical hub and accredited museum. VAST functions as a membership organisation providing practical support, resources, and networking opportunities to strengthen the local charity and community sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Dudson Centre: A former working pottery site with an original bottle kiln at its heart, now serving as VAST's headquarters and an accredited museum showcasing the heritage of Stoke-on-Trent's pottery industry.
• Door2Door
• Community Health Champions

Products and services

• Door2Door Transport Service

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

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, moderate and minor.

• Stoke-on-Trent City CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAST works closely with Stoke-on-Trent City Council on various commissioned services and projects including the Carers Support Service procurement, Local Youth Transformation Pilot, and housing customer engagement strategy. The council is a key statutory partner for VAST's mission to support the VCSE sector.
• The Dudson CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Dudson Centre is a former working pottery site that serves as VAST's headquarters. It is now an accredited museum and hosts VAST's services, events, and community activities. VAST manages this heritage site as a core part of its operations.
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCVO CEO Kate Lee visited The Dudson Centre to learn from local VCSE leadership, indicating an ongoing relationship and knowledge-sharing between VAST and the national voluntary sector body.
• Support StaffordshiremoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAST works with Support Staffordshire on safeguarding self-assessment surveys and cross-county voluntary sector initiatives, indicating a regional partnership network.
• Stoke-on-Trent VCSE City AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAST hosts and facilitates the Stoke-on-Trent VCSE City Alliance, a city-wide partnership of voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations working together on shared priorities.
• Community Health Champions programme partnersmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAST operates the Community Health Champions programme (chc.vast.org.uk) in partnership with health organisations to improve community health outcomes.
• Stoke-on-Trent Food PartnershipmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAST hosts the Stoke-on-Trent Food Partnership, a collaborative initiative addressing food security and nutrition in the local community.
• Pride in Place Programme partnersmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAST coordinates the Pride in Place Programme in Bentilee and Ubberley, working with the Independent Chair, Neighbourhood Board, local residents, local authority, and community partners on community-led development.
• Youth Focus West MidlandsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAST partners with Youth Focus West Midlands to deliver Level 2 Youth Work qualifications in partnership with Stoke-on-Trent Youth Collective.
• Severn TrentmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAST shares information about Severn Trent Community Fund funding opportunities (£5,000-£20,000 grants) to VCSE organisations in the region.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Liverpool Charity and Voluntary Services (LCVS): LCVS provides VCSE infrastructure support in Liverpool with a similar portfolio of capacity building, training, and community development services. It mirrors VAST's model of being a convening body for local voluntary action and a delivery partner for council-commissioned services.
• Birmingham Voluntary Service Council (BVSC): BVSC is a directly comparable local CVS-style infrastructure body supporting VCSE organizations in Birmingham. It offers the same mix of capacity building, volunteering infrastructure, advocacy, and statutory partnerships that VAST delivers in Stoke-on-Trent, making it the closest functional analogue.
• Voluntary Action Leeds (VAL): VAL supports VCSE organizations in Leeds with training, funding advice, volunteering infrastructure, and policy advocacy. Direct functional peer with comparable services and similar membership-based charity structure.
• Macc (Manchester Voluntary and Community Sector): Macc is the Manchester equivalent of VAST, supporting the local VCSE sector with capacity building, networks, training, and advocacy. Same mission, same customer base (local charities and community groups), same statutory interface model.
• Sheffield Voluntary Sector Council: Sheffield's equivalent CVS body, providing VCSE support, advocacy, and capacity building to local voluntary organizations. Highly comparable operating model and customer segment to VAST in Stoke-on-Trent.

Broad incumbents

• NAVCA (National Association for Voluntary and Community Action): NAVCA is the national membership body for local VCSE infrastructure organizations like VAST. It represents the network of CVS bodies nationally, making it the sector-level peer that VAST is a constituent member of.
• National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO): NCVO is the national umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England. VAST has a documented knowledge-sharing relationship with NCVO (CEO visit in 2026). Operates in the same space at national scale, providing policy, research, and infrastructure support that VAST delivers locally.
• Groundwork UK: Groundwork is a national federation of trusts delivering community-based environmental and regeneration projects, including capacity building for local organizations. Comparable mission area (community-led development, partnerships with local authorities), though with a stronger environmental focus.
• Locality: Locality is a national membership network for community-led organizations, social enterprises, and community anchor bodies. It overlaps with VAST's capacity-building and community development remit, though with a stronger social-enterprise focus and broader geographic reach.

Regional players

• Support Staffordshire: Support Staffordshire is the equivalent VCSE infrastructure body for Staffordshire (broader county), where VAST operates within North Staffordshire. Documented partnership on safeguarding surveys and cross-county initiatives; operates in adjacent geography with overlapping services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCVd68z3QTC4FuYB4ilNd9IQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/VASTstaffordshire
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vast-staffordshire

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Voluntary Action Stoke on Trent