Community Action Northumberland
Community Action Northumberland is a UK registered charity, founded 1951, serving rural Northumberland communities through free services including village hall advisory, Warm Hubs, rural employment support, energy advice, digital inclusion, and community-owned solar installations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1951
- HeadquartersPegswood, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Community Action Northumberland does
Community Action Northumberland (CAN) is a UK registered charity (no. 1144604) and company limited by guarantee (no. 07805401) founded in 1951, headquartered in Pegswood, Northumberland, and operating with 16 staff across rural Northumberland. It serves as a long-standing rural community development body and is one of 38 member charities of the ACRE national network of Rural Community Councils. Its portfolio of free-to-user services is organised across three pillars: Supporting Individuals (Rural Employment Hubs in six towns, Warm Hubs at 55 venues, OilCAN bulk-buying scheme for heating oil and LPG, EARN energy advice, and digital support sessions), Empowering Organisations (village halls and community buildings advisory, the Northumberland Village Halls Portal, Town & Parish Council support under NALC contract, the Wingates Wind Farm Community Grants Scheme, and NCEL solar installations), and Promoting Rural Issues (climate action programmes CAIRN and REACH, the Powering People off-grid project, rural housing enablement, and policy advocacy).
The underlying technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: a content website, a self-serve village hall booking portal (northumberlandvillagehalls.org.uk) launched in 2021, email newsletters, social media channels, and Google Analytics for site measurement. NCEL operates a separate not-for-profit Community Benefit Society that finances, installs, and manages solar PV and battery systems on community buildings, with participating buildings purchasing solar electricity at a fixed 15p/kWh rate. There is no software platform, API, mobile app, or proprietary technology asset. Service delivery is fundamentally people-intensive — community development officers, advisers, and trained volunteers running in-person sessions across a wide rural geography.
The business model is grant-funded philanthropy, not commercial. Revenue derives from restricted and unrestricted grants — primarily from The National Lottery Community Fund (£1.5M awarded May 2025), the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland, Northern Gas Networks VCMA, the Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme, Northumberland County Council, North East Combined Authority, wind-farm community benefit funds (Wingates, Ray), and individual donations via JustGiving. All end-user services are provided free at the point of use. The only quasi-commercial stream is OilCAN, a collective bulk-buying scheme for heating oil and LPG where CAN aggregates member orders for delivery by A F Affinity Ltd; no transaction fee is documented. Customer concentration sits with funders, not beneficiaries, and beneficiary reach is broad (435,000 Warm Hub visits in 2023, 95+ community buildings supported, 324 people via Solid Foundations).
Community Action Northumberland firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Community Action Northumberland
- Legal name
- Community Action Northumberland
- Website
- https://ca-north.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1951
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Community Action Northumberland is a UK registered charity, founded 1951, serving rural Northumberland communities through free services including village hall advisory, Warm Hubs, rural employment support, energy advice, digital inclusion, and community-owned solar installations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Community Action Northumberland industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Rural Community Development Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Social Advocacy Organizations (81331), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Environmental Education & Outreach (BPAGAGAH), State/Provincial Housing, Urban/Regional Planning & Community Development (BPAIABAM)
Keywords
Where Community Action Northumberland is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pegswood
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Community Action Northumberland business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Grants and Funding: Primary revenue stream from grants from government agencies, lottery funds (National Lottery Community Fund), and charitable foundations. Services are free to beneficiaries.
- OilCAN Bulk Buying Scheme: OilCAN is a collective buying scheme for heating oil and LPG. Members join the scheme and place orders monthly. Data is shared with A F Affinity Ltd for delivery. The scheme facilitates bulk purchasing for members but the organization does not appear to take a transaction fee.
- Donations: Accepts donations via JustGiving and cheque. Tax-effective giving through Gift Aid scheme.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Community Action Northumberland product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Community Action Northumberland is a charity that delivers free, community-based services to rural Northumberland residents and community organisations. Core offerings include energy advice and bulk fuel buying (OilCAN, Warm Hubs, EARN), employment support through drop-in Rural Employment Hubs, digital inclusion sessions, and advisory/support services for village halls, community buildings and parish councils. The organisation also runs climate action and rural issue programmes such as CAIRN, REACH, NCEL solar installations, and community grants administration.
Product overview
Community Action Northumberland (CAN) is a charity providing a portfolio of interconnected services addressing rural community needs in Northumberland. The core offerings include energy support services (OilCAN bulk buying scheme, Warm Hubs, Energy Advice), employment support (Rural Employment Hubs), and community building empowerment (Village Halls & Community Buildings Support). Key initiatives include the Rural Digital Inclusion Project linking Digital Champions with village halls, the Northumberland Village Halls Portal for online bookings, and NCEL (Northumberland Community Energy Limited) which installs solar panels and batteries on community buildings. The CAIRN programme provides climate action support while REACH offers retrofit energy assessments. These services are delivered through partnerships with NALC, NICRE, village halls, parish councils, and funding bodies like the National Lottery Community Fund.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- OilCAN: A county-wide bulk buying fuel scheme which helps individuals and companies keep down the cost of fuel through collective purchasing of heating oil and LPG.
- Northumberland Village Halls Portal
- Warm Hubs
- Northumberland Rural Employment Hubs
- EARN (Energy Advice Rural Northumberland)
- CAIRN (Climate Action in Rural North East)
- REACH (Retrofit and Energy Assessments for Community Halls)
- Northumberland Community Energy Limited (NCEL)
Products and services
- OilCAN Bulk Buying Scheme
Quantifiable outcome
- 435,000 Warm Hubs visits recorded in 2023 across 55 venues
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Community Action Northumberland
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Community Action Northumberland technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
Community Action Northumberland partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- Groundwork YorkshiremajorREACH (Retrofit and Energy Assessments for Community Halls) collaboration. Two-year programme delivering energy audits and retrofit support.
- ACRE (Action with Communities in Rural England)coreCAN is one of 38 community support charities forming the ACRE network across England. ACRE provides national policies, resources, information sheets, and the Hallmark quality standard scheme for community buildings.
- Durham Community Action (DCA)coreCAIRN (Climate Action in Rural North East) project partnership between CAN and DCA to deliver climate action support across Northumberland and Durham.
- Rural Design CentrecorePartner in CAIRN project and NCEL solar-powered buildings project. Provides expertise in community energy project development and design.
- National Innovation Centre for Rural Enterprise (NICRE)corePartner in Rural Digital Inclusion project and CAIRN. Hosted national conference at Shard in London showcasing rural innovation. Collaborating on wind farm community funding mapping.
- Northumberland County CouncilmajorCommissioned partner for Getabout transport scheme. Supported village halls broadband installation. Partner in Rural Digital Inclusion project with £22m full-fibre broadband investment.
- West Northumberland Community Buildings ConsortiummajorPartnered with CAN to launch Northumberland Village Halls Portal in 2021 for public bookings and hall promotion.
- North Northumberland Village Halls ConsortiummajorPartnered with CAN to launch Northumberland Village Halls Portal in 2021 for public bookings and hall promotion.
- A F Affinity LtdcoreDelivery partner for OilCAN bulk buying scheme. Processes heating oil and LPG orders. CAN shares member data with A F Affinity to deliver the service. Data processing agreement in place.
- ReheatmajorWon competitive tender to deliver Haydon Bridge District Heating feasibility study. Potential for UK's largest community-owned renewable heat initiative.
- Northumberland Off-Grid Task ForcecoreMulti-partner task force addressing off-grid energy challenges in Northumberland. CAN leading Powering People project under this umbrella.
- CommsworldmajorPartner in Rural Digital Inclusion project. Part of 20-year programme providing better connectivity to 120,000+ properties in Northumberland.
- iNorthumberlandmajorPartner in Rural Digital Inclusion project. Organised broadband installation drop-in events for village halls.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Community Action Northumberland competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Community Action Northumberland social profiles
Digital presenceCommunity Action Northumberland financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Community Action Northumberland leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
Community Action Northumberland funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Community Action Northumberland M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Community Action Northumberland
What does Community Action Northumberland do?
Community Action Northumberland is a charity that delivers free, community-based services to rural Northumberland residents and community organisations. Core offerings include energy advice and bulk fuel buying (OilCAN, Warm Hubs, EARN), employment support through drop-in Rural Employment Hubs, digital inclusion sessions, and advisory/support services for village halls, community buildings and parish councils. The organisation also runs climate action and rural issue programmes such as CAIRN, REACH, NCEL solar installations, and community grants administration.
Is Community Action Northumberland a public or private company?
Community Action Northumberland is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Community Action Northumberland founded?
Community Action Northumberland was founded in 1951. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Community Action Northumberland based?
Community Action Northumberland is headquartered in Pegswood, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Community Action Northumberland make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grants and Funding is the primary driver. The others are oilCAN Bulk Buying Scheme and donations.
Does Community Action Northumberland have an API?
No public API is recorded for Community Action Northumberland.
What industry is Community Action Northumberland in?
Community Action Northumberland's product category is Rural Community Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGAEAL, Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAGAH, Environmental Education & Outreach. Its NAICS code is 81341 and its SIC code is 8300.