New Start Highland

Name

New Start Highland

Legal name

New Start Highland

Website

https://newstarthighland.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

New Start Highland is a Scottish charity and social enterprise tackling homelessness, poverty and unemployment in the Highlands through housing support, employability training, furniture provision, energy advice and a foodbank, funded by trading income from retail shops, a removals business and a training café.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Social Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD)

Keywords

• Homelessness support services
• Charitable social enterprise
• Furniture reuse recycling
• Community employability training
• Highland foodbank services

Headquarters

HQ city

Inverness

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Retail Sales (Furniture & Homeware): Second-hand furniture and homeware is sold through physical retail outlets in Inverness, Dingwall, Thurso, Nairn and online via eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Vinted. All profits are reinvested into the charity's mission. The Unique Ness brand sells upcycled furniture creations developed in-house.
2. Removals & Storage Services: NSH Removals offers residential and commercial removals, house clearances, and storage services across the UK to/from the Highlands. Revenue-generating commercial arm that also trains participants in employability programmes. The business is fully insured and certified by the National Guild of Removers and Storers.
3. The Yard Café & Hospitality Training: The Yard Café at the Training and Reuse Village generates revenue from food and beverage sales. Running costs and staffing are supported by trainees undergoing employability training, with hospitality sector partnerships creating pathways to employment.
4. Commercial Training: Commercial training services (e.g., ITC, ITSSAR-certified training) generate revenue. Training is provided to participants with some elements funded through contracts with funders and awarding bodies.
5. Donations & Fundraising: Cash donations accepted via JustGiving page and direct financial contributions. The organisation receives Gift Aid on eligible donations. Fundraising events include marathon sponsorship, community fundraising, and charity concerts. Proceeds fund charitable services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

New Start Highland is a Scottish charity and social enterprise that tackles homelessness, poverty, and unemployment in the Scottish Highlands through an integrated model. It delivers free frontline services (Housing Support, Highland Foodbank, Employability Training & Qualifications, Furniture Provision, Energy on a Budget, and a Family Hub) alongside commercial trading arms (NSH Removals & Storage, The Yard Café, retail shops, an online shop, New Start Highland Gardens, and the Inverness Tool Library) whose surpluses are reinvested in the charitable mission.

Product overview

New Start Highland is a Scottish charity and social enterprise providing interconnected social services across the Highlands. The organisation operates as a platform of complementary services addressing homelessness, poverty, and unemployment: core services include Housing Support, Employability Training & Qualifications, Furniture Provision, Energy on a Budget, and Highland Foodbank. Commercial operations (Retail Shops, Online Shop via eBay/Facebook/Vinted, NSH Removals & Storage, The Yard Café) generate revenue to fund charitable activities. Additional programmes include New Start Highland Gardens, Inverness Tool Library, and the Family Hub life skills programme. The organisation recently launched Scotland's First Training and Reuse Village, a £500k facility combining pre-loved retail, bike repair, tool library, café, and training kitchen to increase both environmental impact and social mission capacity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Unique Ness: An upcycled furniture line that transforms donated pieces into one-of-a-kind creations, developed in-house at New Start Highland's training workshops.
• The Yard Café
• Highland Foodbank

Products and services

• Housing Support

Quantifiable outcome

• 164,526 people in the community used New Start Highland services this year
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TrussellcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Highland Foodbank operates as part of the Trussell community of food banks. Trussell is a leading national food charity working to ensure no one faces hunger alone. New Start Highland took over management of Highland Foodbank from Blythswood Care in partnership with Trussell.
• Care and Learning Alliance (CALA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partnership with CALA to deliver The Family Hub — free work experience sessions (woodwork, cooking, employment preparation) with onsite play and support for children, enabling parents to access training while children are nurtured in the same building.
• Ri CrudenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Ri Cruden, an Inverness-based renewable energy company, created nine solar-powered table tennis tables from donated solar panels and gave them to New Start Highland to sell in its retail outlets. New Start Highland's removals team collected the tables, retail team sells them, and logistics team organises delivery.
• Inverness Coffee Roasting CompanyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Supplier of the coffee blend served at The Yard Café. Own blend of coffee is used at the café as part of its hospitality offering.
• Tailormade MovesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Commercial partnership offering Tailormade Moves clients bespoke pricing on New Start Highland's removals, house clearance, and storage services. Brings social impact to a new audience through a co-marketing arrangement.
• Innes & MackayminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Commercial partnership offering Innes & Mackay clients bespoke pricing on NSH Removals services, including removals, house clearance, and storage.
• Harper MacleodminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Commercial partnership offering Harper Macleod clients bespoke pricing on NSH Removals services, extending New Start Highland's social impact through legal sector partnerships.
• Acclaim ChoirminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Inverness's largest Christian choir selected New Start Highland as its partner charity for its 2025 Christmas Concert, raising funds and awareness through the charity concert 'singing praises of New Start Highland'. Acclaim has raised around £80,000 for sponsored charities since 2012.
• Loch Ness MarathoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegistered charity partner of the Loch Ness Marathon, providing large-scale fulfilment services and raising vital funds and awareness through participation in one of the Highlands' most iconic sporting events.
• Etape Loch NesscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegistered partner of the Etape Loch Ness cycling event, providing event support and community engagement.
• Inverness Half MarathoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegistered charity partner of the Inverness Half Marathon, supporting the event and raising funds through community participation.
• Highland CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding strategic partner working with New Start Highland to implement local and national policy objectives addressing unemployment, homelessness, isolation, and climate crisis. Delivers the Scottish Welfare Fund and contributes to health, housing, and homelessness strategies for Highland.
• Inverness Tool LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFirst partner to join the Training & Reuse Village, taking up residence within New Start Highland's reconfigured retail outlet to expand access to tools and support sustainable living in the community.
• NHS HighlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorks closely with NHS Highland on health, housing, and homelessness strategies. Health professionals refer patients to Highland Foodbank and other New Start Highland services.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Social Bite: Scottish social enterprise tackling homelessness through café operations, housing, and employment programmes. Directly comparable social enterprise model combining hospitality training, retail, and homelessness support in Scotland.
• FareShare: UK charity redistributing surplus food to frontline community organisations. Comparable as a UK food poverty charity addressing food insecurity through community distribution, though operating at national logistics scale.
• Blythswood Care: Scottish charity focused on aid, development, and social support. Directly comparable as the previous operator of Highland Foodbank and a fellow Scotland-based social services charity with housing and welfare support missions.
• Cyrenians: Scottish social enterprise addressing homelessness, food insecurity, and social exclusion through integrated services. Highly comparable to NSH as a Scotland-based multi-service social enterprise combining housing, food, and training.
• The Trussell Trust: National network of foodbanks that NSH's Highland Foodbank operates within. Direct operational peer in foodbank distribution, referral-based service delivery, and emergency food parcel provision across UK communities.
• Crisis UK: UK charity tackling homelessness through housing, education, and employment support. Directly comparable in mission and integrated service model (housing + training + support), though operating at national scale.
• Emmaus UK: UK charity supporting people out of homelessness through 'home, work, and community' integrated model including second-hand retail and training. Closely comparable to NSH's furniture reuse retail plus housing support plus training combination.

Emerging players

• The Big Issue: UK social enterprise tackling poverty and homelessness through vendor programmes and commercial activities. Comparable social enterprise model combining charitable mission with revenue-generating commercial operations.

Broad incumbents

• The Salvation Army UK: Major UK charity providing integrated homelessness housing, food programmes (through foodbanks and meals), employment training, and retail (charity shops). Comparable in its multi-service integrated social enterprise model, though operating at vastly larger national scale.
• Shelter (UK): National UK charity dedicated to housing and homelessness, providing advice, support, and advocacy. Directly comparable to NSH's housing support and homelessness mission, but operates at national scale rather than regionally focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/carsegateroadstock
• Xx.com/new_start_high

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 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 New Start Highland