FREE 2 TALK COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY

What FREE 2 TALK COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY does

Free2Talk CIC is a Community Interest Company (non-profit) founded in 2008 and headquartered in Northampton, UK, with 9 employees. The organisation delivers youth services to children and young people aged 8-24 — primarily those experiencing disadvantage across Northamptonshire communities including Blackthorn, Bellinge, Thorplands, Kings Heath, Far Cotton and the Town Centre. Its core offerings comprise youth mentoring (True Knowledge Mentoring), community-based youth groups, creative workshops spanning music, podcasting, arts, gaming and sports, a podcast network, and a contextual-safeguarding Safety Mapping programme that has engaged over 580 young people across six localities.

The underlying delivery model combines peer-led methodologies with evidence-based frameworks (notably the '10 Keys to Happier Living') and is operationalised through a portfolio of community venues (Bellinge Community Centre, Kings Heath 'Our Living Room', Thorplands Cage, St Mary's Far Cotton, Inspiration FM studio) plus school, college and online channels. Digital assets include the Rekordshop music production and broadcasting platform, the Free2Talk Podcast Network, online courses, and a Knowledge Bank of participation and safety reports. The Training Centre (launched around 2024) extends the platform by delivering CPD and qualifications at levels 1 to 7 to practitioners.

Free2Talk is primarily grant-funded, with the West Northants Council (Community Mental Health Provision Grant) and the National Youth Agency (Routes to Community Success 2023-25) as anchor commissioners. Supplementary income comes from charitable donations via LocalGiving, paid training services through the Training Centre, and youth consultancy delivered by the Young Ambassadors programme. The go-to-market is community-led: direct engagement at venues, referral pathways from parents/schools/professionals, and social media presence on Facebook, X and Instagram. The end users (young people) receive services free of charge; the paying counterparties are public-sector grantors and training customers.

Name

FREE 2 TALK COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY

Legal name

Free2Talk CIC

Website

https://free2talkcic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Free2Talk CIC is a Northampton-based Community Interest Company, founded in 2008, delivering peer-led youth mentoring, community youth groups, music and podcast programmes, and contextual-safeguarding Safety Mapping to disadvantaged young people aged 8-24 across Northamptonshire, funded primarily by West Northants Council and National Youth Agency grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth and Community Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Support Hotlines & Digital Wellbeing Tools (EDAJAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth mentoring services
• Community youth work
• Youth training programs
• Music broadcasting workshops
• Youth wellbeing support

Headquarters

HQ city

Northampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: Primary funding from grants including Community Mental Health Provision Grant (WNC), Routes to Community Success programme funded by National Youth Agency and West Northants Council. Operational since 2008 through grant funding.
2. Donations: Charitable donations accepted through LocalGiving platform. Community donations support youth services and interventions.
3. Training Services: Youth and community training and qualifications delivered through Free 2 Talk Training Centre. CPD training and education from levels 1 to 7 for practitioners, available bespoke for teams or individuals.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Free2Talk CIC delivers free Youth Mentoring, community-based Youth Groups, Creative Workshops (music, podcasting, arts, gaming, sports), and the True Knowledge Music & Broadcasting programme through the Rekordshop platform to disadvantaged young people aged 8-24 across Northamptonshire. It also runs the Young People's Safety Mapping contextual safeguarding programme, a Young Ambassadors youth consultancy, a Podcast Network, and a Training Centre that provides CPD and qualifications (levels 1-7) for youth and community practitioners.

Product overview

Free2Talk CIC is a youth and community organisation offering a portfolio of interconnected services focused on enabling young people and communities. The core offerings include Youth Mentoring programmes (individual and group support), Youth Groups across multiple Northampton locations, and the True Knowledge Music & Broadcasting initiative delivered via the Rekordshop platform. The organisation provides a Podcast Network for young people, Creative Workshops spanning music, arts, gaming and sports, and the Young People's Safety Mapping programme. Additionally, the Training Centre delivers qualifications for youth practitioners. These services are designed around informal education, co-production with young people, and social justice principles, working towards improved mental health, employability, and community cohesion for disadvantaged young people across Northamptonshire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• True Knowledge - Music & Broadcasting: Rekordshop: Music production, podcasting and broadcasting program with young people in Northampton, delivered through a peer-led, strengths-based approach using the Rekordshop platform.
• Young Ambassadors: Routes to Community Success

Products and services

• Youth Mentoring

Quantifiable outcome

• 67-87% of participants showed improvement in mental health and wellbeing (WEMWBS scores) from baseline to completion
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• West Northants Council (WNC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Funded True Knowledge Music & Broadcasting project through Community Mental Health Provision Grant. Routes to Community Success programme partner shaping WNC Youth Offer and 11-19 outcomes. Free 2 Talk led the initiative on behalf of Young Northants and West Northants Council.
• National Youth AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partners in Routes to Community Success (RtCS) programme 2023-25 alongside Cornwall and Norfolk local areas. Programme designed to strengthen youth sector by co-designing services with young people and building capacity of grassroots providers. Quarterly Communities of Practice facilitated.
• Young NorthantscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership in Routes to Community Success programme. Free 2 Talk led the initiative on behalf of Young Northants to scope the Youth Offer with young people directly.
• RekordshopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic production platform partnership delivering peer-led music, podcasting and broadcasting with young people. Underpinned by community development values, delivering mentoring, ideas and skill sharing between artists across generations.
• Inspiration FMminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for music and broadcasting sessions. Open access youth music sessions delivered Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Inspiration FM studio location.
• The 10 Keys to Happier LivingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvidence-based methodology embedded in True Knowledge Mentoring and peer-led wellbeing support groups to increase happiness and socio-emotional development.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Barnardo's: The UK's largest children's charity, supporting disadvantaged children and young people across safeguarding, mental health and community services. Comparable in mission and beneficiary group, but operates nationally with thousands of staff and broader service portfolio.
• The Prince's Trust: The UK's largest youth-focused charity supporting 11-30 year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds with mentoring, skills training and enterprise programmes. Highly comparable mission and target demographic to Free2Talk, but operating at national scale with much larger resources.
• YMCA England & Wales: Major UK charity providing youth programmes, community services and training for young people including disadvantaged groups. Comparable in community-based delivery, mentoring and skills development, but at national scale with residential and broader programme portfolio.
• Catch22: UK social business delivering youth services, employability programmes and community-based interventions for vulnerable young people. Comparable in working with disadvantaged 8-24 year-olds through community venues and direct engagement, but operates nationally as a much larger entity.
• National Citizen Service (NCS): Government-backed UK youth programme for 16-17 year-olds delivering skills development, community engagement and wellbeing outcomes. Comparable in target demographic and personal development outcomes, though NCS is a national programme with substantially larger scale and funding.

Direct peers

• Groundwork: UK federation of community charities delivering youth programmes, environmental projects and wellbeing support in disadvantaged areas. Comparable in community-embedded, local-authority-funded youth delivery model serving similar beneficiary groups.
• UK Youth: National membership body supporting the youth sector through training, advocacy and capacity-building for grassroots youth organisations. Directly comparable as a UK youth sector infrastructure organisation, though UK Youth operates at national umbrella level while Free2Talk delivers services directly.
• YoungMinds: UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health, providing advice, training and campaigning on youth wellbeing. Highly comparable in addressing anxiety, depression and self-esteem issues in 8-24 year-olds, though YoungMinds focuses more on advocacy and direct mental health services.
• Centre for Mental Health: UK mental health charity working on youth mental health, community wellbeing and evidence-based practice. Comparable in embedding mental health methodologies (similar to Free2Talk's 10 Keys approach) and producing impact evidence, though focused on policy and research rather than direct delivery.

Others

• Locality: UK membership organisation supporting community-led organisations, including CICs delivering youth services. Comparable as an ecosystem peer and infrastructure support for community-based organisations of Free2Talk's type and scale, though focused on community development rather than youth-specific delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Free2TalkCic
• Facebookfacebook.com/Free2TalkCic
• Instagraminstagram.com/Free2TalkCic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/free-2-talk-community-interest-company

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 FREE 2 TALK COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY