Lives of Colour

What Lives of Colour does

Lives of Colour is a community interest project operating under the Nowans Community Trust (registered charity 113.7971) and headquartered in Cheltenham, United Kingdom. Founded in 2018 by Florence Nyasamo-Thomas, the organisation delivers diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) services to schools, businesses, statutory agencies and community groups across Gloucestershire, organised around three programme pillars: Advice & Guidance (including Free Legal Advice and a Schools Racial Equity Framework), Community Voices (Culture Fest, Black History Month programming, Let's Speak On It, Young Poets Poetry Slam), and Community Engagement & Wellbeing (Mentorship After School Programme, Summer School, Mothers of Colour support group, Swimmers of Colour). It also runs a 5-day Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion Training Course for organisational leaders addressing unconscious bias and racial competence.

The organisation is not technology-led; its stack is a Wix-hosted website supplemented by YouTube, Instagram, an email newsletter, and two podcasts (Mangrove and I-MMIGRATE) hosted on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Revenue is generated through professional services — paid corporate/school training and consulting — and supplemented by grants from bodies including Reaching Communities Lottery Fund, Gloucestershire Community Foundation, Summerfield Trust and The Barnwood Trust, alongside in-kind support from over 15 named institutional partners such as Superdry, NHS Perinatal Maternity Unit, University of Gloucestershire, Cheltenham Borough Council, Diocese of Gloucester, Cheltenham Literature Festival and Everyman Theatre. Several flagship programmes (Summer School, Mothers of Colour) are offered free of charge, indicating a hybrid charitable/commercial model rather than a purely fee-for-service business.

Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: a small team (1-10 employees) secures partnerships directly with organisations seeking to embed DEI into everyday culture rather than purchasing one-off training. Distribution is overwhelmingly regional (Cheltenham and Gloucestershire, with some South West England reach), while podcasts and blog content provide global top-of-funnel awareness. Pricing for training and consulting is not publicly disclosed, and no equity funding, revenue figures or headcount growth data have been disclosed.

Name

Lives of Colour

Legal name

Lives of Colour

Website

https://livesofcolour.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lives of Colour is a Cheltenham-based community interest charity, operating under Nowans Community Trust, that delivers diversity training, cultural events and community programmes to schools, businesses, statutory agencies and minority communities across Gloucestershire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheltenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Diversity Training and Consulting Services: The organization provides training programs including a 5-day Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion Training course for organization leaders, supporting them in tackling unconscious bias, racial competence, equity and best practice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Lives of Colour is a UK community interest company that delivers diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training and consulting to businesses, schools and public sector organisations, alongside cultural events and community programmes (mentorship, summer school, support groups such as Mothers of Colour and Swimmers of Colour) for ethnically diverse communities in Gloucestershire. It operates three pillars of programmes—Advice & Guidance, Community Voices, and Community Engagement & Wellbeing—delivered as structured education, events, and direct service programmes.

Product overview

Lives of Colour operates as a community-focused charity offering a portfolio of programmes organized under three pillars: Advice & Guidance (including Free Legal Advice and Schools Framework), Community Voices (featuring Let's Speak On It, Black History Month, and Culture Fest), and Community Engagement & Wellbeing (encompassing Mentorship, Summer School, Mothers of Colour, and Swimmers of Colour programmes). The organization also provides a Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion Training Course for organizational leaders and operates content platforms including the Conversations of Colour Blog and two podcasts (Mangrove and I-MMIGRATE). These offerings work together to elevate voices of ethnically and culturally diverse communities through education, events, and training.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion Training Course A 5-day training course for organisation leaders supporting them in tackling unconscious bias, racial competence, equity and best practice, and enabling them to address structural culture issues. Sold to organisational buyers (businesses, schools, statutory agencies).
• Mentorship After School Programme (Young, Leading and Black) A mentoring programme for young people aged 12-18 in Gloucestershire that prepares them with skills needed to thrive and helps older teenagers find their dream career.
• Summer School Programme A dedicated 10-day summer school programme for young people featuring activities centred around Culture, Community, and Confidence pillars, free to attend, drawing young people from across the region.
• Mothers of Colour A support group for mums from African, Afro-Caribbean, and ethnically diverse backgrounds providing a safe space to combat isolation and cultural mismatch, covering newborn care, mental wellness, and maternal health.
• Swimmers of Colour A swimming programme for women, developed in collaboration with Active Gloucestershire and Sport England to address the statistic that 95% of black British adults cannot swim.
• Free Legal Advice Service A remote legal advice service for support workers provided in partnership with the Legal Advice Centre (University House), allowing booking of appointments and professional development on social welfare and practice areas.
• Schools Framework for Race and Equity Guidance provided to schools about race and equity, delivered in partnership with Cheltenham Education Partnership, implementing a Racial Equity Framework.
• Culture Fest An annual event celebrating the diverse cultural demographics of the region through music, food, workshops, and community voices in Cheltenham.
• Let's Speak On It A signature annual community consultation event providing a safe, open space for the community to gather, celebrate milestones, provide feedback on ongoing programmes, and connect.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 years of Black History Month celebrations in Cheltenham as of 2024

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SuperdrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCheltenham-based fashion house collaborating on the Fabrics of Colour wellbeing and design initiative. Superdry opened their creative and design studios to support the project, providing space for black women to learn design and sewing skills, culminating in a fashion show at Superdry HQ.
• Cheltenham Literature FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration to host events celebrating Black stories and culture during Black History Month and throughout the year, bringing diverse literary voices to the festival.
• Everyman TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts and culture collaboration for events and immersive installations such as My Voice, My Cheltenham, supporting diverse cultural programming.
• Strike A LightminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArts organization collaborated for events and cultural installations.
• NHS Perinatal Maternity UnitcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched Mothers of Colour support group providing safe space for women of African, Afro-Caribbean, and ethnically diverse backgrounds for maternal health and wellness support.
• Active GloucestershirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Sport England for Swimmers of Colour project, addressing the statistic that 95% of black British adults cannot swim.
• Swim Design Space / Janice OliverminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for the Swimmers of Colour project focused on swimming education for black communities.
• The Barnwood TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported a project related to mental health in the community.
• University of GloucestershirecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership for education and community projects, hosting events at campus venues and supporting student engagement.
• All Saints' AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the Rising Star project supporting young people.
• Cheltenham Welcomes RefugeesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity support collaboration for refugee integration.
• Diocese of GloucestercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership promoting inclusive communities through church and faith-based initiatives.
• Cheltenham Borough CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partnership for diversity and inclusion initiatives and Culturefest.
• Gloucestershire County CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty-level government partnership for community initiatives.
• Spirex SarcominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration for Culturefest event.
• St Paul's Church / Schoolhouse CafeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership for education and outreach.
• Legal Advice Centre (University House)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHub for organisations to receive remote legal support. The portal allows booking appointments for legal support and professional development on social welfare areas.
• Cheltenham Education PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to provide guidance to schools about race and equity, implementing the Racial Equity Framework. Joint programs include Young Poets Poetry Slam and Young Designers Showcase.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• brap: A UK equality and human rights charity that supports organisations on race, faith, and inclusion through training and organisational change programmes. Comparable to Lives of Colour's B2B leadership training and racial competence offerings.
• Runnymede Trust: One of the UK's leading race equality think tanks producing research, policy work and convening on racial equity in Britain. Comparable on the policy/knowledge side of Lives of Colour's work, though it operates more nationally and at the policy level rather than community-delivery.
• Diversity UK: A UK-based diversity and inclusion consultancy and membership organisation providing training, conferences and resources to employers and public bodies. Comparable commercial/consulting model to the leadership training pillar.
• The Diversity Trust: A Bristol/South West England-based charity delivering diversity and inclusion training, consultation and community programmes across the region. Closest geographic and service-model analogue to Lives of Colour's Gloucestershire training and consulting practice.
• The Black Curriculum: A UK social enterprise working to embed Black history into the national curriculum and deliver DEI education in schools. Highly comparable to Lives of Colour's Schools Framework and Black History Month programming, also operating from a small, mission-led base.
• Race Equality Foundation: A UK charity providing race equality intelligence, resources, training and programmes to public services and communities. Peer on training, community engagement and policy translation dimensions.

Emerging players

• Kick It Out: UK's leading anti-racism charity in football and wider sport, running education, community programmes and reporting mechanisms for racial discrimination. Comparable in mission focus on racial equity in a defined sector, but specialised in sport.
• The Parents & Communities Together (PACT): A UK charity supporting diverse families and community integration through parenting programmes and family services. Comparable on the Mothers of Colour support programme and family/community engagement dimension.

Others

• Cheltenham Borough Council (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion function): The local authority with which Lives of Colour collaborates on Culturefest and inclusion initiatives. Comparable as a regional DEI commissioner but as a statutory partner rather than peer provider.
• Gloucestershire Community Foundation: The community foundation actively funding Lives of Colour's work. Comparable in geographic footprint and mission emphasis on Gloucestershire community investment, but as a funder rather than deliverer of services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCoZT_bgDUcxmi3FglI0EoNw
• Instagraminstagram.com/livesofcolour
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lives-of-colour

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 Lives of Colour