Changing Lives Community Services

What Changing Lives Community Services does

Changing Lives Community Services (CLCS) is a privately held, donation-funded community services organization headquartered in Harlow, United Kingdom, that delivers sports, fitness, and youth programs to local residents of Harlow and Colchester. Its service portfolio is organized around an 'Empower Through Sports' positioning and spans multiple branded sub-programs: Heartbeat Hubs (community focal points for sports, health, and social programs), Changing Lives FC (a football club initiative), CLCS Gym (a dedicated fitness facility), School Sports Provisions (delivered directly into local schools), Youth Provision (services targeting young people), Half Term Activities, and bookable Club and Community Sessions. The organization also operates a Visit Ghana cultural exchange initiative, extending its community engagement beyond the UK.

The business model is primarily charitable: CLCS is funded entirely by donations, with no publicly disclosed pricing tiers or commercial membership fees, and uses an external Acuity Scheduling platform to manage gym and session bookings. Its customer base is a single geographically defined segment, local community members including children, youth, and families. There is no evidence of enterprise customers, investor backing, a parent company, or any disclosed revenue figure, and operations appear founder-led with minimal disclosed headcount.

From a technology and operational standpoint, CLCS runs a lean digital footprint built on a Squarespace-hosted website and email newsletter, with no native mobile app, no public API, no disclosed integrations, and no proprietary software assets. Distribution is delivered physically through in-person community sessions, school-based sports delivery, and the CLCS Gym facility. The organization holds no patents or trademarks and has no disclosed awards, partnerships, M&A activity, or strategic investors.

Name

Changing Lives Community Services

Legal name

Changing Lives Community Services

Website

https://clcs.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Changing Lives Community Services is a donation-funded UK community organization that delivers sports, fitness, and youth programs to local residents of Harlow and Colchester through Heartbeat Hubs, Changing Lives FC, and the CLCS Gym.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Sports and Youth Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fitness & Wellness Operations Support (On-site Gyms/Wellness Rooms) (IMAIALAL)

Keywords

• Community sports programs
• Youth fitness services
• School sports provision
• Community youth work
• Grassroots football club

Headquarters

HQ city

Harlow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Changing Lives Community Services delivers community sports, fitness, and youth programs across Harlow and Colchester through sub-brands Changing Lives FC (grassroots football), Heartbeat Hubs (community hubs), and CLCS Gym (fitness facility). Offerings include the Visit Ghana cultural exchange program, school sports provisions, youth provisions, club and community sessions, and half-term activity programs for local residents.

Product overview

Changing Lives Community Services (CLCS) operates as a community-focused organization offering a portfolio of sports, fitness, and social programs in Harlow and Colchester. The core offerings include Heartbeat Hubs (community hubs), Changing Lives FC (football club), and Visit Ghana (cultural exchange), alongside direct service delivery through school sports provisions, youth programs, CLCS Gym facilities, and bookable community sessions. The organization uses a unified 'Empower Through Sports' approach, connecting these programs to deliver health, social, and community development outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Changing Lives FC: Football club operated under the Changing Lives Community Services umbrella
• Heartbeat Hubs
• CLCS Gym

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• UK Active: UK trade body for the fitness and leisure industry. Comparable as the wider ecosystem organization representing gyms and community leisure operators that CLCS participates in through its CLCS Gym facility.

Direct peers

• Sported: UK sport-for-development charity supporting community sport groups serving underrepresented young people. Directly comparable in supporting community-level sport organizations and youth development outcomes.
• Access Sport: UK charity expanding access to sport for underserved children and young people. Comparable in its focus on community-embedded sports delivery, multi-site hub structure, and youth development outcomes—similar programmatic DNA to CLCS.
• Greenhouse Sports: UK charity providing long-term sports coaching and mentoring to young people in disadvantaged communities, including in-school programs. Comparable in its school sports delivery channel, youth focus, and London-based regional charity model.
• StreetGames: UK charity that uses sport to engage disadvantaged young people in local communities. Closely comparable to CLCS in mission (community sport for social outcomes), target demographic (youth in underserved areas), and operating model (local delivery hubs).

Broad incumbents

• Places Leisure: UK charitable leisure trust operating leisure facilities and community sports programs on behalf of local councils. Comparable in community-focused leisure operations and gym/sport delivery model.
• Better (GLL): UK's largest charitable social enterprise operating leisure and gym facilities on behalf of local councils. Comparable as a major operator of community-accessible gyms and sport facilities, but at much larger scale and across many regions.
• Nuffield Health: UK charitable health and wellbeing organization operating gyms, fitness programs, and community health services. Comparable in its charitable/community fitness positioning and broad fitness programming, though at national scale.
• The Prince's Trust: Major UK youth charity offering personal development and training programs including sport-based activities. Comparable in addressing youth development through structured programs in underserved UK communities, though at a national scale with far larger resources.
• Everyone Active: UK leisure operator running council-leisure facilities including gyms, swimming, and sports programs. Comparable in operating community-accessible fitness and sport facilities, though as a much larger commercial-scale incumbent.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/changinglivescommunityservices

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Changing Lives Community Services