What Hope Support Services does

Hope Support Services is a UK-registered charity (Charity No 1135680) founded in 2009 and headquartered in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. It supports children and young people aged 5-25 who have a close family member diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, MND, or another life-threatening condition. The organisation describes itself as the UK's leading registered charity in this specific niche, and its services are designed and shaped by its Y-Team (Youth Management Team) of young people with lived experience.

Service delivery is split between a UK-wide online channel (video sessions, voice calls, email and Messenger chats, age-segmented online video groups for 18-25s, and a Facebook peer support group for 13-25s) and regional face-to-face delivery in Herefordshire and the Forest of Dean, including a dedicated Children and Young People's Service at St Michael's Hospice in Hereford. Additional offerings include a School Support Programme, parent and carer resources, and a referral system accepting self, family, and professional referrals. All services are free, confidential, and available from diagnosis onwards for as long as the young person needs them.

The charity operates with 19 employees and has no proprietary technology platform; its infrastructure comprises a WordPress website, Mailchimp newsletters, and Facebook. Revenue is generated entirely through donations, corporate partnerships, and grants from trusts and foundations including BBC Children in Need, Comic Relief, The National Lottery, Garfield Weston Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, Dulverton, Postcode Local Trust, Herefordshire Community Foundation, and Rank Foundation. Corporate supporters include Tesco, Nationwide, Sainsbury's Ross-on-Wye, Marks & Spencer, and KPMG. The charity holds the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service, the Diana Award, and a Macmillan Excellence Award, and was selected for the BBC Radio 4 Appeal in 2026.

Name

Hope Support Services

Legal name

Hope Support Services

Website

https://hopesupport.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hope Support Services is a UK-registered charity that provides free emotional and peer support to children and young people aged 5-25 when a close family member is diagnosed with a serious illness, delivered online UK-wide and face-to-face in Herefordshire and the Forest of Dean, including at St Michael's Hospice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Bereavement and Family Illness Support Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Youth support services
• Bereavement support
• Peer support groups
• Family illness support
• Emotional wellbeing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ross-on-Wye

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations and fundraising activities from supporters, including one-time and recurring donations through the website.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate supporters including charity of the year partnerships, workplace giving, and corporate donations from organizations such as Tesco, Nationwide, Sainsbury's Ross-on-Wye, and others.
3. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable foundations including Herefordshire Community Foundation, Postcode Local Trust, The Garfield Weston Foundation, Dulverton, Lloyds Bank Foundation, and The National Lottery.
4. Major Donor and Legacy Giving: Legacies and in-memory donations from individuals who support the charity's work through legacy bequests.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hope Support Services is a UK-registered charity providing free emotional support for young people aged 5-25 when a close family member is diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, MND, or other life-threatening conditions. It delivers online support UK-wide via video sessions, voice calls, and chat, and provides in-person youth sessions, one-to-one support, residential trips, and hospice-based services in Herefordshire and the Forest of Dean.

Product overview

Hope Support Services is a UK-registered charity offering a unified support service for young people aged 5-25 when a loved one has a serious illness (cancer, MND, or other). The core offering consists of Hope Online (UK-wide digital support via video sessions, voice calls, email/Messenger chats, and online groups), face-to-face support in Herefordshire and the Forest of Dean, and specialist services at St Michael's Hospice. Additional offerings include school support programmes, parent/carer resources, and a referral service. The service also includes peer support via Facebook for ages 13-25 and video groups for 18-25s. All services are free and confidential, providing low-level support from diagnosis through to any outcome.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hope Online Support

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of young people supported annually across the UK
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Macmillan Cancer SupportcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecognized with Macmillan Excellence Award. Partnership focused on supporting those affected by cancer.
• KPMGminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional services firm providing corporate support to the charity.
• NationwideminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBuilding society providing corporate support and donations.
• TescominorGTM or Marketing PartnerMajor retailer providing corporate donations and in-store fundraising support.
• Marks & SpencerminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRetailer providing corporate support and donations.
• PilotlightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity helping other charities through skilled volunteer support.
• PGL Alton CourtminorGTM or Marketing PartnerActivity holiday provider that selected Hope as charity of the year, organizing staff auctions, Christmas jumper day, and donating Easter eggs.
• SiltbusterminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCompany that selected Hope as charity of the year, organizing Christmas raffle and summer fair.
• Sainsbury's Ross-on-WyeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal Sainsbury's store that chose Hope as charity of the year multiple times, with in-store fundraising and donations of goods for youth sessions.
• Broome FarmminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership donating proceeds from farm events and Yew Tree Inn, and providing venues for youth trips.
• Harrison Clark RickerbysminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLaw firm providing pro-bono legal advice and organizing fundraising quizzes.
• HSBCminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal HSBC branches mentored Y-Teams in budgeting and financial management, provided volunteering days and fundraising support.
• Matt Bedford - Web DevelopmentminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFreelance web developer who designed and built the charity's website on a voluntary basis over 3 months.
• The Royal HotelminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHotel providing conference suites at no cost and refreshments for charity events.
• The Studio with TashaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStudio that hosted a party with profits donated to local charities including Hope.
• Thorne & CominorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAccountancy firm providing extensive pro-bono accountancy services.
• Hereford College of ArtsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEducational institution providing creative and artistic support.
• CAMRAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCampaign for Real Ale providing corporate support.
• St Michael's HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver Children and Young People's Support Services at the hospice in Hereford. Services include monthly clubs for different age groups, school holiday activities, trips, and one-to-one support.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Young Lives vs Cancer: UK charity (formerly CLIC Sargent) supporting children and young people with cancer and their families. Closely comparable in youth-and-serious-illness framing, though focused on the patient rather than the family member.
• Rainbow Trust Children's Charity: UK charity providing practical and emotional support to families with a seriously ill child. Comparable in delivering family-facing support across regions in the UK funded by donations and grants.
• Together for Short Lives: UK charity supporting children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Comparable family-centred, serious-illness mission with overlapping hospice and clinical partnerships.
• Child Bereavement UK: UK charity helping children, young people, and families facing bereavement. Directly comparable mission and beneficiary segment, with similar reliance on family referrals, schools, and healthcare professionals.
• Winston's Wish: UK charity supporting bereaved children and young people. Highly comparable to Hope as both serve youth (and their families) navigating loss and serious illness, with peer-support, one-to-one, and group-based delivery models.
• Grief Encounter: UK charity supporting bereaved children and young people. Comparable peer-support and activity-based programmes, serving a similar beneficiary cohort to Hope with overlapping funding sources (BBC Children in Need, Comic Relief, National Lottery).

Broad incumbents

• Macmillan Cancer Support: Large UK cancer charity that has awarded Hope a Macmillan Excellence Award. Operates broadly across cancer support where Hope operates specifically on the youth-and-family-member segment.
• Marie Curie: Major UK charity for people with terminal illness and their families. Comparable in hospice-linked bereavement and family support, but at substantially greater scale and breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hopesupport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hope-support-services

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Hope Support Services