The Fountain Centre

What The Fountain Centre does

The Fountain Centre is an independent UK charity, founded in 1998 and located on Level B within the Royal Surrey Cancer Centre — the fourth largest cancer centre in the United Kingdom — with additional service delivery at Frimley Park Hospital, Ashford St Peters Hospital and a Wellbeing Hub at Surrey Sports Park. The organisation provides holistic, whole-person cancer support across four core service lines: Complementary Therapies (including acupuncture, massage, yoga, hypnotherapy, reiki, reflexology and Emotional Freedom Technique), Psychological & Family Support (counselling, coaching, and dedicated family/children's services), an Exercise Service led by oncology physiotherapists, and Groups & Workshops (including mindfulness, art therapy and sound bowl meditation). Its products and technology stack are minimal: there is no proprietary platform, and virtual delivery relies on Zoom, Microsoft Teams and standard telephone services. Operating scale reached 11,415 appointments and 1,484 referrals in 2025, managed by approximately 42 staff (4 full-time plus 8 part-time, supplemented by 100+ qualified volunteers).

The Fountain Centre's business model is donation-funded. Services are provided free to cancer patients and their families, with a suggested £10 per-session donation that is never enforced; the charity instead relies on individual donations, recurring monthly giving (£10, £25 or £40 tiers), corporate partnerships, legacy gifts, community fundraising events, and the Guildford Community Lottery to raise in excess of £300,000 annually. The primary customer segments are cancer patients within three years of diagnosis and their families/carers (including children), served across Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire. The go-to-market is community-led and partnership-led: patients self-register or are referred via NHS Single Point of Access, while revenue generation depends on grassroots fundraising, corporate sponsorship, and grant applications (notably a £350,000 Big Lottery Reaching Communities grant received in 2017).

Strategically, the organisation is deepening integration with NHS clinical pathways — it partnered with Royal Surrey in NHS England's 2024 Experience of Care Improvement Collaborative — while expanding its research footprint through collaborations with the University of Surrey (oncology exercise) and the University of Portsmouth (coaching standards). Leadership was refreshed with Nigel Hobson as Chairman in June 2023 and Penny as Manager in 2026, both bringing significant NHS operational experience. The charity has no proprietary technology or AI/ML capability; its competitive position is anchored entirely in its physical co-location within a major NHS cancer centre, its qualified volunteer base, and 25+ years of brand credibility including the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service (2004).

Name

The Fountain Centre

Legal name

The Fountain Centre

Website

https://fountaincentre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Fountain Centre is an independent UK charity, founded in 1998 and co-located within the Royal Surrey Cancer Centre, providing complementary therapies, psychological and family support, specialist oncology exercise programmes, and group workshops to cancer patients and their loved ones across Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cancer Support Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (62133), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Outpatient Mental Health Clinics & Counseling Centers (HLAFACAA)

Keywords

• Cancer support services
• Complementary therapies
• Oncology wellbeing
• Cancer counselling
• Charitable healthcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Guildford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The charity relies heavily on donations from individuals, with suggested donations of £10 per session. They conduct various fundraising events including music/theatre events and sporting events.
2. Legacy Gifts: The Fountain Centre receives legacy gifts from supporters, such as the £30,000 gift from Ferris Newton in memory of his wife Gemma.
3. Regular/Monthly Giving: Monthly standing order donations are encouraged as the most effective way to support their work, with options for £10, £25, or £40 recurring monthly donations.
4. Corporate Partnerships: Businesses support through financial donations, event sponsorship, in-kind contributions, employee fundraising, and matching gift programmes.
5. Guildford Lottery: Participation in the Guildford Community Lottery at £1 per week, which provides support while offering prize opportunities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Fountain Centre is an independent UK charity that provides free, holistic support services to cancer patients and their loved ones from diagnosis and beyond, co-located within the Royal Surrey Cancer Centre in Guildford. Its integrated offering combines complementary therapies (acupuncture, massage, yoga, hypnotherapy, reiki, reflexology, EFT), psychological and family support (counselling, coaching, family/children's counselling), an oncology-specific exercise service, therapeutic groups and workshops, and information/signposting resources, delivered face-to-face and virtually by qualified professionals and volunteers.

Product overview

The Fountain Centre is an independent charity providing a unified portfolio of integrated cancer support services within the Royal Surrey Cancer Centre. The core offering combines Complementary Therapies (including acupuncture, massage, yoga, hypnotherapy, and reiki), Psychological & Family Support (comprising counselling, coaching, and dedicated family/children's services), an Exercise Service with oncology-specialist physiotherapy, and Groups & Workshops (including mindfulness, art therapy, and sound bowl meditation). These services are complemented by Information & Resources, plus engagement mechanisms through Fundraising, Volunteer, and Ways to Donate programmes. Services are available both face-to-face at the centre and virtually via video/telephone platforms, with a registration-first access model. The centre also extends services to partner hospitals including Frimley Park and Ashford St Peters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Complementary Therapies A range of therapeutic interventions including Acupuncture & Acupressure, Yoga Therapy, Hypnotherapy, Massage, Reiki, Reflexology, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Meditation, Exercise and Wig Service, offered face-to-face and virtually to support cancer patients through treatment and beyond.
• Psychological & Family Support Comprehensive psychological support services including 1-1 counselling, coaching, family and children's counselling, parent support, and school support for families affected by cancer diagnosis.
• Exercise Service Specialist oncology exercise programme offering 1:1 assessments with oncology physiotherapists, tailored exercise advice, Level 1 and Level 2 group classes, and referral to research trials in collaboration with the University of Surrey.
• Groups & Workshops Therapeutic groups and educational workshops including Art Group, Yoga, Mindfulness for Anxiety, Aromatherapy for Anxiety, Ayurveda for Fatigue, Meditation, Stitch and Chat, and Sound Bowl Meditation.
• Information & Resources Library of mind, body and spirit books available for borrowing, plus signposting to external charities and organisations including tumour-specific, local, age, social, bereavement, financial and gender-relevant support services.
• Counselling Service 1:1 face-to-face and virtual counselling sessions (via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, telephone), ward listening service, and rapid response service for families within 48 hours of referral.
• Coaching Service Face-to-face and virtual coaching sessions to help patients and carers live with and beyond cancer, build resilience, develop emotional intelligence, and create greater awareness of their situation.
• Family & Children's Service Specialised support for children and teenagers of parents with cancer, including children's counselling, parent support in discussing diagnosis, school support, information videos, and book resources.
• Online Mindfulness Course A 3-week online mindfulness course available to cancer patients and others, priced at £30.

Quantifiable outcome

• Referrals increased from 1,157 in 2023 to 1,484 in 2025 (28% increase over two years)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• NHS EnglandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024The Fountain Centre, in partnership with Royal Surrey Hospital, participated in NHS England's 2024 Experience of Care Improvement Collaborative, a national initiative to improve cancer care. The project aimed to ensure all cancer patients receive timely information on accessing wellbeing support through the Fountain Centre.
• Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust / Royal Surrey Cancer CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fountain Centre is an independent charity located within the Royal Surrey Cancer Centre. They work collaboratively with their charity partners providing emotional and wellbeing support along with information and signposting. The centre is integrated into the NHS cancer centre, which is the fourth largest cancer centre in the UK.
• St Luke's Cancer CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2012, the Fountain Centre opened a suite of therapy rooms on Level A in St Luke's Cancer Centre, next to the Radiotherapy Department, to reach patients receiving radiotherapy.
• University of Surrey (Ralph Manders, Sport & Exercise Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on two exercise projects: (1) An eight-week online exercise study for metastatic prostate cancer patients funded by Prostate Project and Sport England; (2) A 12-week face-to-face exercise programme for bowel cancer patients funded by Luigi Foundation.
• University of PortsmouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhD research completed at Portsmouth University exploring and developing standards for the coaching service provided to cancer patients. Funded by Portsmouth University, Health Education England and Surrey and Sussex Cancer Alliance.
• UK and International Health Coaching Association (UKIHCA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with UKIHCA to formalise coaching standards developed from the PhD research.
• Cancer Care Map (Richard Dimbleby Cancer Fund)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCancer Care Map is an online resource to help people find care and support services in their local area. The Fountain Centre is listed as a partner resource.
• Guildford Borough CouncilminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership for the Guildford Community Lottery where playing for £1 a week supports The Fountain Centre.
• Frimley Park HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtended reach across Surrey providing therapeutic services at Frimley Park Hospital.
• Ashford St Peters HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtended reach across Surrey providing therapeutic services at Ashford St Peters Hospital.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves14 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Trekstock: UK charity supporting young adults diagnosed with cancer through exercise, nutrition, and wellbeing programmes; comparable niche focus on oncology-specific exercise and psychosocial support.
• Look Good Feel Better UK: UK charity delivering skincare and make-up workshops to help manage the visible side effects of cancer treatment — overlapping in delivering in-hospital wellbeing workshops to cancer patients.
• Shine Cancer Support: UK charity focused on supporting adults in their 20s–40s with cancer through peer support, exercise, and wellbeing programmes — overlapping exercise and wellbeing offerings for cancer patients at smaller scale.

Broad incumbents

• Macmillan Cancer Support: The largest UK cancer charity, providing information, financial support, nursing services, and a national support line; broader remit and national scale but overlapping mission around holistic cancer patient support and similar NHS integration.
• Marie Curie: Major UK charity providing hospice care, nursing services, and bereavement support to people with terminal illness including cancer; comparable end-of-life and supportive care remit though operating at much larger scale.
• Hospice UK: National charity representing and supporting UK hospices that deliver palliative and end-of-life care including counselling, complementary therapies, and family support — overlapping in non-clinical supportive services for cancer patients.

Direct peers

• Young Lives vs Cancer (formerly CLIC Sargent): UK charity supporting children and young people with cancer and their families, including counselling, family services, and hospital-based support — comparable for The Fountain Centre's family and children's services programme.
• Penny Brohn UK: UK charity specialising in holistic, whole-person cancer support through complementary therapies, nutrition, exercise, and counselling — a near-direct comparison to The Fountain Centre's integrated service model.
• Maggie's: UK charity operating centres within NHS cancer hospitals providing emotional, psychological, and practical support to people with cancer; directly comparable operating model with co-location in major cancer centres and reliance on donations and volunteer professionals.

Others

• Cancer Care Map (Richard Dimbleby Cancer Fund): Online directory of cancer support services in the UK, in which The Fountain Centre is listed as a partner resource; complementary ecosystem player that helps channel patients to charities like the Fountain Centre.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FountainCentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-fountain-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/fountaincentre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles26 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 The Fountain Centre