Community Futures

What Community Futures does

Community Futures, legally registered as the Community Council of Lancashire (Registered Charity Number 702233), is a community-development charity founded in 1934 in Manchester to relieve poverty during the depression era and now operating entirely within Lancashire, England. It functions as a multi-service community intermediary delivering five core programmes: regulated childcare under the Cool Kidz (Langho, Roebuck, Sacred Heart) and Jigsaw Playgroup (Burscough, Brockholes Wood) brands; a Family Support Service providing food markets, uniform banks, holiday clubs, and tailored family guidance; the Lancashire Rural Housing Enabler Service working with parish councils on affordable rural housing; the newly launched Lancashire Village Agents Service (October 2025) deploying trusted local connectors in four rural communities; and village hall support via the Lancashire Village Halls Together project, alongside management of Galloway Hall community venue and hosting of the annual Village Halls Week campaign in partnership with ACRE. The organization operates as the ACRE network member for Lancashire and convenes an ecosystem of statutory and voluntary-sector partners (Lancashire County Council, LAVCH, LRF, RSP, the multi-stakeholder Lancashire Environmental Fund co-administered with SUEZ and The Wildlife Trust).

There is no proprietary technology product; the organization's operating "platform" is its physical and institutional infrastructure — five regulated childcare settings, one venue-hire operation, a distributed village-hall network, and a small in-house team led by CEO Joe Hannett, Chair of Trustees John Hymas, and Business Director Mark Gutteridge. The charity does not publicly disclose financials, and its customer-facing pricing is predominantly free or low-cost.

Revenue is generated from four streams: competitive grant funding from Lancashire County Council, the National Lottery Community Fund (Awards for All), the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund, DEFRA, and the Landfill Communities Fund via the Lancashire Environmental Fund; childcare service fees from families across the five settings; transaction-based venue hire from Galloway Hall; and event sponsorship from partners such as Utility Aid and Hallmaster supporting Village Halls Week 2026. The operating model is community-led, with services delivered through direct facilities, partnerships with parish councils, and referral networks across the county.

Name

Community Futures

Legal name

Community Council of Lancashire

Website

https://communityfutures.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Community Futures (legally Community Council of Lancashire) is a registered UK charity founded in 1934 that delivers community development services across Lancashire through childcare settings, family support, rural housing enablement, village hall support, and village agent services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Development Services

NAICS

Child Care Services (6244), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Family & Parenting Support Services (BPAGAEAC), Affordable Housing & Community Development (Housing, Community Land Trusts) (BPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Community development services
• Rural community support
• Childcare services
• Family support programs
• Village hall management

Headquarters

HQ city

Preston

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Community Futures receives grant funding from government bodies (Lancashire County Council), lottery funds (National Lottery Community Fund, Awards for All), and charitable foundations (Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund) to fund various community projects and services.
2. Childcare Service Fees: The organization operates multiple childcare settings (Cool Kidz and Jigsaw brands) that generate revenue through childcare service fees from families.
3. Venue Hire: Galloway Hall and other community venues generate revenue through venue hire bookings for events and activities.
4. Event Sponsorship: Village Halls Week and other events receive sponsorship from companies like Utility Aid and Hallmaster.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Community Futures (Community Council of Lancashire) delivers community development services across Lancashire, operating Cool Kidz after-school clubs and Jigsaw Playgroup childcare settings, the Family Support Service (food markets, uniform banks, holiday clubs, family guidance), the Lancashire Village Agents Service (rural community connectors), the Lancashire Rural Housing Enabler Service (affordable rural housing facilitation), the Lancashire Village Halls Together project (village hall governance and sustainability support), and the Galloway Hall community venue.

Product overview

Community Futures is a charity organization (registered as Community Council of Lancashire) offering a portfolio of community services. The core offerings include: childcare services under the 'Cool Kidz' and 'Jigsaw Playgroup' brands providing before/after school and holiday care; a Family Support Service offering food markets, uniform banks, and family guidance; a Lancashire Village Agent Service connecting rural residents to support; a Lancashire Rural Housing Enabler Service facilitating affordable housing development; and management of Galloway Hall community venue. The organization also runs the Lancashire Village Halls Together project supporting village halls across the county, and hosts the annual Village Halls Week campaign in partnership with ACRE.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cool Kidz: After school club childcare settings operating at multiple locations (Langho, Roebuck, Sacred Heart).
• Jigsaw Playgroup
• Lancashire Village Agent Service
• Lancashire Rural Housing Enabler Service
• Family Support
• Galloway Hall

Products and services

• Cool Kidz After School Clubs

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 80 families received Christmas food parcels in 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core, major and support.

• Utility AidminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 March 2026Utility Aid provides energy help and advice to communities and sponsors Village Halls Week 2026. They help rural organizations reduce energy costs and reclaim overcharges.
• HallmasterminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 13 March 2026Hallmaster provides innovative venue booking systems and sponsors Village Halls Week 2026, helping village halls manage calendars and bookings.
• Lancashire County CouncilcoreOthers · 13 October 2025Lancashire County Council funds the Lancashire Village Agents Service, providing commissioning support for community connectivity initiatives in rural areas.
• Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerACRE is the national charity for rural communities and the only national body working with a network of 37 member charities supporting village halls. Community Futures is the ACRE member for Lancashire and collaborates on Village Halls Week campaigns, policy advocacy, and rural community support.
• Lancashire Association of Village & Community Halls (LAVCH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLAVCH is a key partner for aligned expertise and avoiding duplication in supporting village halls across Lancashire. The partnership enables clearer pathways of support for hall committees.
• Lancashire Environmental Fund (LEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLEF is a partnership between SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK Ltd, Lancashire County Council, The Wildlife Trust, and Community Futures. The Fund has distributed over £25m of Landfill Communities Fund grants to community and environmental projects since 1998.
• Lancashire Resilience Forum (LRF)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLRF brings together organizations for emergency preparedness and community resilience. Community Futures participates in LRF events and initiatives, including Preparedness Day conferences.
• Rural Services Network (RSN)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSN campaigns for rural services and shares funding digests and government consultations. Community Futures is featured in RSN's Spotlight publications and participates in Rural Services Partnership activities.
• Thrive SomersetsupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerThrive Somerset provided guidance and experience in delivering a Village Agents model, helping shape Community Futures' Lancashire Village Agents Service.
• Lune Valley Community Land TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnering on affordable housing development in Silverdale, working with landowners, parish council, and planning officers to create affordable homes in perpetuity.
• Help in PrestonsupportStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for winter wellbeing support services, connecting Preston residents with energy support, household support funds, warm spaces, and food support.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Home-Start UK: UK family support charity operating volunteer-led, place-based family support services — directly comparable to Community Futures' Family Support Service model of compassionate, tailored in-community family guidance.
• Rural Action: UK rural community development charity delivering village agent, community transport, and rural services programmes — directly comparable to Community Futures' rural community support and Village Agents work, though operating across a different region.
• Plunkett Foundation: National UK charity supporting rural community businesses including village halls and community-owned enterprises — directly comparable to Community Futures' village hall support and rural development remit.

Regional players

• CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England): National charity advocating for rural England on housing, planning and services — thematically comparable to Community Futures' Rural Housing Enabler and rural-services advocacy work, though primarily a campaigning rather than service-delivery body.

Broad incumbents

• Action for Children: Major UK national children's charity providing childcare, family support and children's services — comparable to Community Futures' childcare and family support portfolio, though at substantially greater national scale and resources.
• Locality: UK national membership body supporting community organisations and social enterprises — comparable as a sector peer providing capacity-building support, though operating at a much larger national scale than Community Futures.
• Power to Change: UK trust funding and supporting community businesses — adjacent peer given Community Futures' role in supporting village halls and community-led rural enterprise, though operating as a funder rather than direct service provider.
• Groundwork UK: Federated national network of environmental and community regeneration charities operating similar community-and-environmental programmes including grant administration — directly comparable to the Lancashire Environmental Fund model, though at significantly larger national scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/comfuturesuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/communityfuturesuk/?ref=bookmarks
• Instagraminstagram.com/communityfuturesuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/communityfuturestrust

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Community Futures