Aisling Project

What Aisling Project does

Aisling Project (legally Aisling Return to Ireland) is a registered charity in England and Wales (Charity Number 1084971), founded in 1994 by community workers at the London Irish Centre and Arlington House hostel in Camden Town. The organisation provides supported return trips to Ireland for vulnerable, isolated, long-term Irish emigrants living in London, many of whom experience homelessness, alcohol dependency, family estrangement, or poor health. Core services comprise outreach assessments delivered by a small team of specialist workers (one qualified nurse, one alcohol counsellor), five structured trips per year (Summer, Spring, Christmas, Dry/recovery, St. Patrick's Day), and partnership-mediated access to accommodation and recovery support on the Ireland side.

The organisation operates with a deliberately low-cost model: approximately 5 staff in total, a voluntary management committee, and less than 10% of income spent on administration. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is human-led and field-based. Funding comes primarily from an annual grant under the Irish Government's Emigrant Support Programme (administered by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin), supplemented by corporate donations (Irish Post, Gallagher Group, Murphy's, etc.), proceeds from annual fundraising events (comedy benefits, race nights, the Green Tie Ball, the London Irish Business Society ball), and recurring individual donations via direct debit.

The organisation is governed independently with no parent entity and is patronised by comedian Ardal O'Hanlon. Its primary beneficiary segment is a narrow, socially vulnerable cohort, and its go-to-market is community-led, relying on referrals from Irish agencies, hostels, word-of-mouth, and earned media in Irish press. Strategic posture is defensive-consolidation rather than expansion: the 2024 move back to the London Irish Centre, retirement of the Volunteer Coordinator, and loss of founder John Glynn indicate a small organisation maintaining its core mission rather than scaling.

Name

Aisling Project

Legal name

Aisling Return to Ireland

Website

https://aisling.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aisling Project is a London-based registered charity that organises supported return trips to Ireland and community outreach for vulnerable, isolated long-term Irish emigrants, providing health and alcohol-counselling support free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charity Outreach Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), All Other Traveler Accommodation (721199)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Campground & Overnight Facilities Operations (Campsites, Cabins, Backcountry Huts) (THAAAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Adventure Base Camps (Trek/Climb/Expedition Camps) (THAGAOAG)

Keywords

• Charity outreach services
• Supported return trips
• Community health outreach
• Alcohol recovery support
• Repatriation assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants: Outreach worker and coordinator salaries funded by the Irish Government's Emigrant Support programme. Annual grants from the Emigrant Servicers Programme distributed by Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin.
2. Corporate and Organizational Donations: Regular donations from organizations including The Irish Post, Gallagher Group, Murphy's, Lloyds Trust, Supporting Irish Abroad Fund, British and Irish Trading Alliance, The Green Tie Ball, London Irish Business Society, and Camden and Inner London Licensees Association. Less than 10% of income goes on administration.
3. Individual Donations and Fundraising Events: Donations from hundreds of regular donors, direct debit monthly contributions (as little as £5), comedy benefit events, race nights, and marathon fundraising.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aisling Project provides community outreach services and organized supported return trips to Ireland for vulnerable, isolated long-term Irish emigrants living in London. Services are delivered free to beneficiaries by two specialist outreach workers (a qualified nurse and a trained alcohol counsellor) and include health assessments, alcohol counseling, trip preparation, family reconnection, transportation, accommodation, and aftercare. Approximately five structured trips are organized annually, including summer, spring (Donegal), Christmas, dry (alcohol recovery), and St. Patrick's Day trips.

Product overview

The Aisling Project is a charitable organization that provides supported return trips to Ireland for vulnerable and isolated Irish emigrants in London. The organization offers community outreach services including specialist health and substance misuse support, and organizes approximately five return-to-Ireland trips annually (Summer, Spring, Christmas, Dry trip, and St. Patrick's Day trips). The service includes pre-trip assessments, family reconnection support, and aftercare. The organization also hosts fundraising events including comedy benefits and race nights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Supported Return Trips to Ireland Five organized return trips to Ireland annually (Summer, Spring/Donegal, Christmas, Dry/alcohol recovery, and St. Patrick's Day) for vulnerable and isolated long-term Irish emigrants living in London. Each trip includes pre-trip assessments, family reconnection support, transportation, accommodation, professional support staff, and aftercare. Free of charge to clients.
• Community Outreach Services Direct community outreach delivered by two specialist outreach workers (a qualified nurse and a trained alcohol counsellor) in London. Includes health assessments, alcohol counseling, harm minimization advice, referrals to appropriate services, and assessment of clients for participation in return trips. Free of charge to beneficiaries.
• Dry Trips (Alcohol Recovery Support) Specialized return trips to Ireland for Irish emigrants recovering from alcohol dependency, organized in partnership with Kairos Community Trust. All returnees have been through detoxes and rehabs. The dry trip provides a sober-supported environment for individuals to visit Ireland for the first time in sobriety while reconnecting with family.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25 years of continuous service helping vulnerable Irish emigrants
• +1 more outcomes

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

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• The Irish PostmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor media partner that has run fundraising campaigns for Aisling, including mini-bus campaign and artwork campaigns.
• Safe-Home ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational repatriation scheme in Ireland finding sheltered accommodation. Aisling works closely with Safe-Home, staying at Mulranny which is home to the Safe-Home programme, and collaborates with chair Dr. Jerry Cowley TD.
• Kairos Community TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for organizing 'dry trips' to Ireland for clients recovering from alcohol abuse. All returnees have been through detoxes and rehabs.
• London Irish Business SocietyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNetworking group for young Irish professionals whose annual ball benefits Aisling.
• British and Irish Trading Alliance (BITA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIrish networking organisation that named Aisling among beneficiaries of their annual masters golf classic.
• The Green Tie BallminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual fundraising ball benefiting Aisling.
• London Irish CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAisling was founded by workers at London Irish Centre in Camden Town. Aisling now operates from and maintains close ties with the Centre.
• Arlington HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe largest homeless hostel in Europe, historically home to more Irish men than any other building outside Ireland. Aisling was founded by workers at Arlington House.
• Sheephaven Bay PubmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPat Logue's pub in Camden Town hosts fundraising events, race nights, and provides free accommodation in family home for Donegal trips.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Arlington House (Camden Association): Arlington House is the largest homeless hostel in Europe, historically home to many Irish men in London, and is where Aisling was founded. It serves a substantially overlapping client population of vulnerable Irish emigrants dealing with homelessness and addiction.
• Irish Community Services (UK): Irish Community Services provides welfare, outreach, and information services to Irish people in Britain. Like Aisling, it is a UK-based charity focused on supporting vulnerable Irish emigrants with social services and resettlement support.
• London Irish Centre: The London Irish Centre is Aisling's host organization and a fellow London-based charity serving the Irish community. Both share overlapping client bases, mission focus on Irish migrants, and operate community outreach services in the same geographic area.
• Irish Chaplaincy in Britain: The Irish Chaplaincy provides pastoral and welfare support to Irish emigrants across Britain, including prisoners and the elderly. It targets overlapping demographics and draws on similar Irish government and diaspora funding streams.
• Kairos Community Trust: Kairos Community Trust runs supported sober living houses and partners with Aisling on the 'dry trips' for clients recovering from alcohol abuse. Both organizations serve overlapping populations of recovering Irish emigrants in addiction recovery.
• Safe-Home Programme: Safe-Home is Ireland's national repatriation scheme finding sheltered accommodation for returning Irish emigrants. It is a direct operational partner of Aisling and works on the same repatriation journey, just at the Ireland-side accommodation stage.
• London Irish Welfare & Information Centre: A London-based charity providing welfare advice, outreach, and support services to Irish people in Britain. It serves a similar client base of vulnerable Irish emigrants and competes for Emigrant Support Programme funding.
• Crosscare (Irish Emigrant Support): Crosscare delivers emigrant support services funded by the Irish Government's Emigrant Support Programme, addressing similar themes of welfare, family reconnection, and resettlement for Irish emigrants abroad. Aisling receives similar ESP funding.

Regional players

• Centre for Irish Emigrants (Mayo): County-level Irish emigrant support services, including Mayo's outreach to emigrants abroad. These programs complement Aisling's repatriation work on the Ireland-side receiving end of the journey.
• St. Patrick's Centre (Community Action): UK-based Irish community support and cultural centres that provide outreach and welfare services to Irish emigrants. They operate comparable volunteer-driven support models in different UK regions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Aisling_Project
• Facebookfacebook.com/205836579462025
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aisling-project

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Aisling Project