Artlink Central

What Artlink Central does

Artlink Central is a Stirling-based Scottish charity and company limited by guarantee (Scottish Charity SC008158, Company SC109852) founded in 1988 that designs and delivers socially engaged arts programmes bringing artists together with people experiencing exclusion, disability or disadvantage. Its core activities span four programme streams — People (Artspace, Artreach, Creating Connections), Place (Stirling 900, Castle Futures, Doune Together, Our Connected Neighbourhoods, Falkirk Creates), Wellbeing (CAMHS Social Prescription Pilot, Growing Old Competitively) and Creativity (Remembering Together Stirling, Everyone Everyday Evermore) — delivered across Forth Valley and Central Scotland in partnership with healthcare providers, criminal justice settings, local authorities, schools, and care homes. The organisation's only packaged product is the Creating Conversations Kit, a physical communication and activity kit for people living with dementia that was launched in June 2016 and has been tested across more than 20 care homes, day care organisations, NHS wards, and mental health units, with formal evaluation conducted by the University of Stirling's Dementia Research and Gerontology Department.

Revenue is generated through four streams: (1) restricted grant funding from public bodies including Creative Scotland's National Lottery Open Fund and Stirling Council's Place Based Investment Programme (~£350,000 capital budget across three public spaces); (2) individual donations via the website at preset £10/£20/£30/£40 tiers or custom amounts with weekly, monthly, quarterly or annual cadence; (3) commissioned artist commissions from local authorities ranging from £300–£500 micro-grants to £20,000 for major town centre commissions; and (4) product sales of the Creating Conversations Kit and participatory artworks, with proceeds reinvested in programmes. Its 17-person team is led by Director & CEO Kevin Harrison, with governance provided by a Board of Trustees, high-profile patronage (Bryan Beattie from 2025, succeeding Julia Donaldson MBE), and an expanded operational base established at Number 7, 5–7 Upper Craigs, Stirling in 2025, which also serves as the management hub for Scene Stirling, Stirling's cultural partnership.

Name

Artlink Central

Legal name

Artlink Central Limited

Website

https://artlinkcentral.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Artlink Central is a Stirling-based Scottish charity founded in 1988 that designs and delivers participatory arts programmes for people experiencing exclusion, disability, or disadvantage across Forth Valley, operating through grant-funded local authority commissions, donations, and sales of its Creating Conversations Kit for dementia care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Arts Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Art, Arts Councils & Grantmaking Programs (BPAGAHAH), Cultural, Arts & Humanities Community Education (Museums/Arts Councils) (EDAAAFAD)

Keywords

• Participatory arts programmes
• Inclusive arts services
• Community engagement programmes
• Arts in healthcare
• Public art commissions

Headquarters

HQ city

Stirling

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Artlink Central operates primarily as a grant-funded charitable organization, receiving funding from Creative Scotland, Stirling Council, and other public bodies for specific programmes and initiatives such as the Place Based Investment Programme and Falkirk Arts Initiative.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations through its website with options for one-time, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual contributions at various price points (£10, £20, £30, £40 or custom amounts).
3. Commissions and Contracts: Artlink Central receives commissioned work from Stirling Council for public art, placemaking, and creative projects. Artist commissions range from £1,500 to £20,000 for various town centre and public space projects.
4. Product Sales: Sale of Creating Conversations Kits and participatory art developed through programmes, with proceeds reinvested to support communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Artlink Central is a Scottish charity founded in 1988 that delivers inclusive participatory arts programmes for people experiencing exclusion, disability or disadvantage across Forth Valley, Central Scotland. The organisation commissions and partners with artists to deliver creative experiences in healthcare, social care, criminal justice, schools, and community settings, and produces and sells the Creating Conversations Kit, a physical communication and activity resource for people living with dementia.

Product overview

Artlink Central is an inclusive arts charity that operates as a portfolio of community-focused programs rather than a unified software platform. Its core product is the Creating Conversations Kit, a physical communication and activity resource for people with dementia. The organization delivers additional programs across categories including People (Arts space, Artreach, Creating Connections), Place (Stirling 900, Castle Futures, Doune Together, Our Connected Neighbourhoods, Falkirk Creates), Wellbeing (CAMHS Social Prescription Pilot, Growing Old Competitively), and Creativity (Remembering Together Stirling, Everyone Everyday Evermore). These programs are delivered in partnership with artists, public bodies, and communities, with a focus on health, social care, and criminal justice contexts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creating Conversations Kit A physical communication and activity kit designed for people living with dementia, their families, and carers, focused on gardening and outdoors themes to increase social engagement, personal fulfilment, enjoyment and wellbeing, and the sharing of recollections and personal history in a relaxed and natural way. Developed with participants, artists and staff, tested in over 20 care homes, day care organisations, NHS wards and mental health units, and formally evaluated by the Dementia Research and Gerontology Department at the University of Stirling.
• Public Art and Placemaking Commissions

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core, significant and minor.

• Falkirk DeliverscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 March 2026Strategic partnership between Artlink Central and Falkirk Delivers (Business Improvement District) to deliver Falkirk: From Place to Creative Space, a £100,000 Creative Scotland-funded arts and cultural initiative for Falkirk town centre. Includes public art installations, capacity building for local artists, and community engagement.
• Scene StirlingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerScene Stirling is Stirling's cultural partnership managed by Artlink Central from its Number 7 premises. A collaborative initiative by Stirling's leading arts and cultural partners, bringing together cultural strategy and coordination for the region.
• University of Stirling - Dementia Research and Gerontology DepartmentsignificantStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Stirling conducted formal evaluation of the Creating Conversations Kit, including 21 people with dementia, 9 healthcare professionals and 7 volunteers across 10 observation sessions at two venues, providing academic validation of the product.
• Transition StirlingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtlink Central's previous home was at Stirling's Reuse Centre based with Transition Stirling and Good Green Futures. Transition Stirling contributed to the refurbishment of the new Number 7 premises using reused materials from the Hub and donations from social enterprises.
• Julia Donaldson MBEsignificantOthersFormer Patron (2006-2025) of Artlink Central, acclaimed children's author who curated exhibitions, performed Story Safari, and brought her late husband Malcolm Donaldson (musician and composer) to perform at community spaces, schools, and hospitals. Left an enduring legacy after 19 years of patronage.
• Bryan BeattiesignificantOthersNew Patron since 2025, founder and director of Creative Services Scotland (longest-established specialist cultural consultancy) and Big Sky production and publishing arm. Co-authored Arts and Cultural Assets report (British Council / Creative Scotland 2022) and completing professional doctorate on cultural rights at Queen Margaret University.
• Visit FalkirkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage, tourism and place body involved in identifying potential locations for public art in Falkirk town centre, ensuring visibility and placemaking considerations are reflected in project development.
• The Piccolo ProjectminorOthersDesigned and created the Artlink Central website, with the site design and creation credit attributed to The Piccolo Project.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mind the Gap: England's largest learning disability performance company, producing inclusive theatre and arts opportunities. Direct peer in disability-led participatory arts delivery and socially engaged practice.
• Sense Scotland: Scottish charity supporting disabled people, including through arts and wellbeing programmes. Direct peer given Artlink Central's disability-focused inclusive arts work and the CEO's prior leadership role at Sense Scotland.
• Heart of Glass: St Helens-based social arts agency commissioning collaborative, community-led work. Direct peer in socially engaged arts practice, public-realm commissions, and place-based cultural strategy delivery.
• Shape Arts: London-based disability-led arts organisation advancing access to creative opportunities. Direct peer in inclusive arts delivery and disability-focused creative engagement, with overlapping leadership history (Kevin Harrison worked at Shape Arts).
• Luminate: Scotland's creative ageing organisation supporting arts and cultural engagement with older people. Direct peer in arts-and-health delivery in Scotland, particularly relevant given the Creating Conversations Kit's dementia focus.
• Drake Music Scotland: Scottish charity creating disability-led music and inclusive artistic opportunities. Direct peer in the Scottish inclusive arts sector with comparable grant-funded delivery and beneficiary overlap.
• Impact Arts: Scottish arts charity working with disadvantaged communities across health, employability, and place-making. Direct comparable in mission, model, and Scottish geography, with similar grant-funded delivery into councils and health settings.
• Birds of Paradise Theatre Company: Scotland's leading disabled-led theatre company producing accessible, inclusive professional work. Direct peer in Scotland's disability arts ecology with comparable mission and public-body commissioning model.

Others

• Creative Scotland: Scotland's public-sector arts funding and development body. Not a peer in delivery but the dominant funder in Artlink Central's ecosystem and a primary commissioner of its programmes, shaping its strategic context.

Emerging players

• Open Theatre: Midlands-based inclusive theatre company creating learning-disabled-led performance. Emerging peer with narrower artistic scope but directly comparable inclusive, participatory delivery model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artlink-central

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Artlink Central