Spare Tyre

What Spare Tyre does

Spare Tyre Theatre Company is a registered UK charity (Charity Number 273418, Company Number 1301049) founded in 1979 in Camden, London, and headquartered at The Albany in Deptford. It operates as an artist-led participatory theatre company producing multi-sensory performances, co-created projects and training programmes for three primary underserved groups: learning disabled adults, older people living with dementias and their carers, and people with long-term health conditions such as Long Covid. Its core product portfolio comprises touring sensory shows (notably 'On The Beach', remounted nationally in 2023 and 2024), co-created theatre projects ('We Will Be Happy Here', 'What Will Happen to the Cat?'), care-home workshop programmes ('It All Makes Sensory'), an online sessions stream ('Chronically Creative' / Covid Café / Shielders' Stage delivered via Zoom), and a portfolio of artist training programmes ('Tyre Change', 'Sensory Training', 'Artist Training'). Underlying methodology is human-led: sensory theatre techniques, co-creation with participants, and inclusive facilitation, with no proprietary software platform or AI components.

The business model is a not-for-profit multi-stream funding model rather than a conventional commercial revenue model. Core income is an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation grant for the 2023-2026 cycle, supplemented by trust and foundation grants (Heritage Lottery Fund, People's Postcode Trust, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, Morris Beneficent Fund, ACE Thriving Communities Fund), individual donations via platforms such as The Big Give, performance fees from touring venues, and training delivery. Programmes are delivered free or low-cost to participants. Go-to-market is community-led: direct engagement with disability organisations (Mencap affiliates such as Lewisham and Kingston Mencap, BPCA), care homes (Haynes Dementia Centre, Croydon Dementia Sessions), and arts venues (Queen Theatre Hornchurch, Stephen Joseph Theatre, The Albany), with marketing via an email newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, blog content and Eventbrite ticketing.

Governance is by a Board of Trustees with a small permanent staff (1-10) supplemented by freelance artists. Senior leadership comprises Rebecca Manson Jones (Artistic Director and co-CEO) and Amanda Castro (Executive Producer, joined September 2023), with Rose Chorlton as General Manager. The company is independent, with no parent or external investment, and operates in a single market (United Kingdom) across London, the South East, and selected touring locations including Southampton, Norfolk, Scarborough, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Suffolk.

Name

Spare Tyre

Legal name

Spare Tyre Theatre Company

Website

https://sparetyre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Spare Tyre is a UK registered charity founded in 1979 that delivers participatory, multi-sensory theatre programmes and artist training for learning disabled adults, people living with dementia and their carers, and people with long-term health conditions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Arts Council England Funding: Spare Tyre is part of the Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) for 2023-2026, receiving regular funding as a core revenue stream.
2. Individual Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from individuals through campaigns like The Big Give, with specific fundraisers targeting £6,000 for participatory projects.
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations including Heritage Lottery Fund (for ST40 project), People's Postcode Trust, Royal Victoria Hall Foundation, Morris Beneficent Fund, and Arts Council England's Thriving Communities Fund.
4. Performance Fees: Fees received from hosting performances at arts venues, theatres, and care homes for touring sensory shows.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Spare Tyre is a registered charity and artist-led participatory theatre company that creates and delivers multi-sensory theatrical performances, workshops, and training programmes for learning disabled adults, older people living with dementias, and people with long-term health conditions. Core offerings include touring sensory shows such as 'On The Beach', online creative sessions ('Chronically Creative'), co-created projects like 'We Will Be Happy Here', care home workshops, and artist training programmes in sensory and participatory practice.

Product overview

Spare Tyre is a participatory arts charity offering a portfolio of sensory theatre programmes and creative training services. Their core offerings include 'On The Beach' (a touring multisensory show for people with dementia), 'Chronically Creative: Online Sessions' (virtual creative sessions for those with long-term health conditions), and 'We Will Be Happy Here' (multi-sensory theatre for learning disabled people). Supporting these are training programmes ('Tyre Change', 'Sensory Training', 'Artist Training') that develop artists in participatory practice, and 'It All Makes Sensory' (care home workshops). The portfolio is connected through their inclusive, co-creation methodology focused on underserved communities including people with disabilities, dementia, and long-term health conditions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• On The Beach A multisensory participatory theatre show for older people living with dementias and their carers, exploring the myth and magic of the beach through immersive, interactive experiences.
• Chronically Creative: Online Sessions Online creative sessions for people living with Long Covid or other long-term health conditions, providing an inclusive space for connection, creativity, and mutual support through virtual gatherings.
• We Will Be Happy Here A multi-sensory theatre project made with and for learning disabled people, exploring what makes somewhere a good place to live through workshops and immersive performances.
• It All Makes Sensory A programme of workshops and activities for people living with dementias, delivered in care homes, exploring sensory engagement and reminiscence.
• What Will Happen to the Cat? A co-created production based on lived experiences of elder abuse, developed through participatory workshops with communities.
• Shielders' Stage

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20 years of participation from artists like Ellie Mason, David Munns, and Chirag Patel
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The AlbanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Spare Tyre's home venue in Deptford, hosting performances and serving as the company's headquarters. Long-standing partnership as a key community arts venue.
• London Arts and HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 September 2023Spare Tyre Artistic Director Rebecca Manson Jones serves on the advisory panel for London Arts and Health's 'London Creative Health City: Building it Together' initiative, contributing to discussions on the intersection of health and culture.
• Queen Theatre HornchurchcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Co-production partner for On The Beach premiere, hosting the sensory dementia show as part of the summer tour in partnership with Havering Changing.
• Havering ChangingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership for On The Beach touring programme in the London Borough of Havering, bringing sensory theatre to dementia communities.
• Just Jones & TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Co-production partner for We Will Be Happy Here as part of Lewisham London Borough of Culture, with joint creative development of the participatory theatre project.
• LewishamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Borough of Culture creative partner for We Will Be Happy Here, contributing to Lewisham's cultural programme as part of the London Borough of Culture initiative.
• MencapcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Creative partner for We Will Be Happy Here, providing access to learning disabled communities for co-creation of the theatre project.
• Adult Learning LewishamcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Creative partner for We Will Be Happy Here, collaborating on educational outreach and community engagement.
• St Margaret's HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Lead organisation of The Health Tree consortium, partnering with Spare Tyre for Covid Café programme delivery as part of social prescribing initiatives in Tower Hamlets.
• Liberty FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Commissioned by Liberty Festival as part of Lewisham Borough of Culture to explore 'Freedom of Movement' through the Tyre Pressure project.
• Coney HQminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Festival organiser for The Golden Key, a one-day festival in the City of London that Spare Tyre participated in with interactive installation work.
• Bangladeshi Parents & Carers Association (BPCA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Original creative partner for We Will Be Happy Here, co-creating the project with learning disabled people and their families in Tower Hamlets. Ongoing partner for dementia sessions.
• Kingston MencapcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Co-creation partner for We Will Be Happy Here performances, hosting workshops and performances for learning disabled adults.
• Uniting FriendsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Community partner for We Will Be Happy Here, providing access to participants for the inclusive theatre project.
• The Spring Arts & Heritage CentreminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Venue partner for We Will Be Happy Here performances, hosting inclusive theatre for local communities.
• Jacksons Lane TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Five-year deep collaboration with Haynes Dementia Centre for co-creative work, including performances and artistic development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Open Theatre: London-based company creating multi-sensory theatre with learning disabled performers. Directly comparable to Spare Tyre's sensory theatre productions like On The Beach and its learning disabled adult programmes.
• Clean Break Theatre Company: UK theatre company producing work with and for women affected by the criminal justice system. Comparable to Spare Tyre as a charity-led participatory theatre company with historically marginalised communities, co-creation methodology, and Arts Council NPO funding model.
• Mind the Gap: One of the UK's longest-established learning disability theatre companies, producing touring work and learning programmes with learning disabled artists. Highly comparable to Spare Tyre's long-running work with learning disabled adults and co-creation methodology.
• Graeae Theatre Company: UK's leading disability-led theatre company, producing work with and for deaf and disabled artists and audiences. Directly comparable to Spare Tyre as a specialist participatory theatre organisation serving learning disabled and disabled communities through co-creation and touring work.
• Told by an Idiot: UK participatory/devised theatre company previously employing Spare Tyre's Executive Producer Amanda Castro. Comparable as a London-based devised theatre company with a participatory ethos and similar funding/grant operating model.
• Company Three: London-based theatre company working with young people (including those excluded from mainstream education) producing devised, participatory work. Comparable to Spare Tyre in being a small charity-led participatory company with a co-creation ethos and Arts Council NPO funding.
• Extant Theatre: UK-based touring theatre company run by visually impaired artists, producing work focused on accessibility and inclusive practice. Comparable to Spare Tyre as a small charity-led participatory theatre company serving underrepresented communities through sensory and accessible performance.

Emerging players

• Shape Arts: UK disability-led arts organisation supporting deaf and disabled artists through training, commissioning, and advocacy. Comparable to Spare Tyre in the disability arts space, though Shape focuses more on artist development and grants than on producing participatory theatre productions.

Broad incumbents

• Royal Shakespeare Company (Learning Department): Major UK theatre institution with a substantial learning and participation programme reaching disabled and older audiences. Comparable to Spare Tyre as a sensory and inclusive theatre practitioner, though operating at far greater scale and as part of a wider producing portfolio.
• English Touring Theatre: UK touring theatre company producing work for regional and community audiences, including accessible performances. Comparable to Spare Tyre as a UK touring participant in the same venues (e.g., Stephen Joseph Theatre), though ETT operates at a larger production scale with broader mainstream repertoire.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sparetyretheatre
• Instagraminstagram.com/sparetyretheatre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spare-tyre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Spare Tyre