London LGBTQ+ Community Centre

What London LGBTQ+ Community Centre does

The London LGBTQ+ Community Centre is a registered charity (Charity number 1201531) operating London's first dedicated sober and intersectional LGBTQ+ community space from a permanent ground-floor location at 60-62 Hopton Street, Blackfriars, under a five-year lease from Southwark Council. The organisation was founded as a grassroots volunteer project in 2017, raised £100,000 from individual community donations in 2018, opened as a six-month pop-up in December 2021 in response to post-lockdown LGBTQ+ isolation, secured its permanent site in 2022, and formally registered as a charity in January 2023. It is led by a part-time Chief Executive, a five-person part-time staff team, and a board of trustees with cross-sector experience spanning Deloitte, Climate-KIC, the Mayor of London's office, and Southwark Council.

The Centre's core products are the physical community space and an associated café, an extensive weekly and monthly events programme (yoga, ballet, Muay Thai, coworking, language meetups, meditation, neurodiverse and refugee support groups), wellness services delivered through hired practitioners (counselling, Thai Yoga, chiropractic, HIV testing drop-ins), venue hire on Mondays and Tuesdays, an online merchandise shop via SumUp, and a weekly newsletter. The technology stack is non-proprietary and consumer-grade: a standard website with iCal/Google/Outlook calendar export, Eventbrite for ticketing, SumUp for e-commerce, and active social media presence across Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. Pricing is intentionally accessible, with most events free or pay-what-you-can, coworking at £5, workshops at £10-£20, counselling at £60 per session, and a café price cap of £2 with a Pay it Forward board.

Revenue derives primarily from individual donations, monthly Friends-of-the-Centre giving, and grants from sources including Southwark Council, The National Lottery Community Fund, corporate sponsors Bain & Company and Taylor Wessing, and a high-profile 2018 crowdfunding campaign backed by the band The 1975. This is supplemented by earned income from ticketed events, space hire, counselling, massage, chiropractic, and café sales. The Centre has welcomed more than 50,000 visitors and hosted more than 3,500 events since opening, building an ecosystem of more than 20 partner organisations and hosted community groups that together form the operational backbone of the programming.

Name

London LGBTQ+ Community Centre

Legal name

London LGBTQ+ Community Centre

Website

https://londonlgbtqcentre.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The London LGBTQ+ Community Centre runs London's first dedicated sober LGBTQ+ community hub from a permanent site in Blackfriars under a Southwark Council lease. A registered charity, it hosts weekly events, wellness services, and a café for LGBTQ+ people, funded primarily through donations, grants, and space hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Centre Services

NAICS

Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Community centre services
• LGBTQ+ support services
• Community event programming
• Charity fundraising
• Venue hire services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

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: Primary revenue stream from individual donations, monthly giving programme (Friends of the Centre), and community fundraising events. In 2018, raised £100,000 from individual community donations. Received funding from Southwark Council and The National Lottery Community Fund.
2. Event Tickets and Space Hire: Revenue from paid events and workshops. Space hire for LGBTQ+ organisations costs £40 per hour. Various events have tiered pricing from free to £15-20 for premium workshops. Counselling sessions charged at £60 per 50-minute session.
3. Cafe Sales: Affordable tea, coffee, and soft drinks. Maximum drink price is £2. Pay-what-you-can system with Pay it Forward board allowing anyone to have a hot drink regardless of ability to pay.
4. Space Rental for Private Events: Monday and Tuesday hire rates of £40 per hour for LGBTQ+ organisations. Capacity of 110 standing, 55 seated.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The London LGBTQ+ Community Centre operates a physical sober community space and café at 60-62 Hopton Street, Blackfriars, London, which serves as a hub for a diverse, intersectional events programme. It hosts weekly classes (yoga, ballet, Muay Thai, coworking), monthly meetups for marginalised LGBTQ+ sub-groups, health and wellbeing services (counselling, massage, chiropractic, HIV testing), and provides private venue hire. The Centre is funded primarily through donations, grants, and community fundraising, with paid events, café sales, and merchandise contributing additional revenue.

Product overview

The London LGBTQ+ Community Centre operates as a single, unified community hub offering a physical space combined with programming and services. The core offering is the community centre and sober café located at 60-62 Hopton Street, which serves as the central venue for all activities. The product portfolio includes: the physical Community Centre and Café providing a welcoming space; an Events Programme with weekly classes (yoga, ballet, Muay Thai, strength conditioning) and monthly meetups; Quiet Room Bookings for wellness practitioners; Venue Hire for private events; a Community Shop selling LGBTQ+ merchandise; and a Newsletter for community updates. The Centre also facilitates community groups and health services including HIV testing and counselling. The space operates Wednesday through Sunday with accessible pricing and a 'pay it forward' scheme to ensure financial inclusivity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ people welcomed since opening in 2021
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southwark CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Local government partner providing five-year lease for the Centre premises at 60-62 Hopton Street. Has shown strong support from local residents and the wider queer community.
• Opening DoorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGBTQ+ charity whose over 50s groups (50+ Friday Social, Bi the Way, Trans and Non-Binary Group, Melanin Vybz) are now hosted at the Centre.
• Queer Walking GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly walking group across London hosted at the Centre, expanding LGBTQ+ programming to outdoor activities.
• Ace and Aro LondonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts monthly meetups for aromantic and asexual people at the Centre.
• Dope Black QueersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlack LGBTQIA+ community group hosting Town Hall meetings at the Centre providing grounding and connection.
• LGBTQ Indian Network UK (GIN)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMonthly sober space for LGBTQ+ people of South Asian heritage hosted at the Centre.
• Jewish Autonomous QueersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts Queer Weekday Minyan (weekly Monday service) and Queer Minyan (monthly Tuesday service) at the Centre.
• Queer with OCDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer-led support group for LGBTQ+ people with OCD or related disorders meeting at the Centre.
• ProudMinds LGBTQIA+ ADHDminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNeurodiverse LGBTQIA+ community group hosting ADHD meetups at the Centre.
• Queer Refugees UniteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup for LBT+ women and nonbinary asylum seekers and refugees meeting monthly in a closed confidential space at the Centre.
• East London Strippers CollectiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCentre Coordinator Izzy MacCallum is part of this collective; they run weekly life drawing classes and events at the Centre.
• The Blacker The Berry ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective highlighting Black LGBTQ+ artists founded by Events and Outreach Lead Jesualdo Lopes, hosting exhibitions, club nights, workshops and residencies.
• Ballet in the ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRuns weekly LGBTQ+ beginner and intermediate ballet classes at the Centre.
• Queer MindsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer support service for LGBTQIA+ people in Lambeth and Southwark hosting monthly Trans Drop-in and movement sessions (salsa) at the Centre.
• Sappho EventsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts 40 and Up LGBTQI+ Women's Social meetups for queer women, trans and non-binary people over 40 at the Centre.
• LGBTQ+ Language Meetup GroupsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple language groups hosted at the Centre: BSL Practice, Chinese, French, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Welsh. Past groups included Arabic, Bengali, Punjabi, Hindi, Urdu.
• Healthcare Organisations (HIV Testing)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organisations providing HIV testing drop-in services at the Centre in collaboration with healthcare organisations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Los Angeles LGBT Center:

Direct peers

• LGBT Foundation: Manchester-based LGBTQ+ charity operating a community centre, helpline and wellbeing services. A direct UK regional peer running a comparable physical community space, programmes and support offering in a different city.
• Switchboard LGBT+: Long-running London LGBTQ+ helpline and information service operating since 1974. Comparable as a London-based LGBTQ+ community support provider offering listening, information and referral services that overlap with the Centre's signposting function.
• Consortium (LGBT+ Consortium): UK membership body supporting LGBTQ+ voluntary and community organisations. Directly comparable as an infrastructure player for the same UK LGBTQ+ charity ecosystem, with overlapping beneficiary community organisations.
• London Friend: London-based LGBTQ+ charity providing counselling, support groups and social services. Operates a community-focused service model in the same London geography with overlapping mental health and community-support offerings, including the 50+ social group ecosystem the Centre now hosts.
• Stonewall Housing: UK LGBTQ+ charity providing housing advice and supported accommodation. A directly comparable London-headquartered LGBTQ+ support organisation with similar beneficiary population and signposting mandate, focused on a different sub-need (housing vs community space).
• Birmingham LGBT: Long-established regional LGBTQ+ community centre offering support services, groups, counselling and a physical hub in Birmingham. The most direct UK regional analogue of a physical LGBTQ+ community centre model, serving a similar beneficiary population outside London.
• Albert Kennedy Trust (AKT): UK charity supporting LGBTQ+ young people facing homelessness. Comparable as a UK LGBTQ+ youth support charity operating in a similar intersectional support space, though specialised on housing rather than community space.

Broad incumbents

• NYC LGBTQ+ Center (The Center): Large, established LGBTQ+ community centre in New York City offering programming, health services and advocacy. A much larger and older global benchmark of the dedicated LGBTQ+ community centre model that the London Centre follows.

Regional players

• The Kite Trust: Cambridgeshire-based LGBTQ+ youth charity providing support groups, counselling and training. Comparable as a regional LGBTQ+ support charity operating community programming but serving a different geography to the London Centre.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ldnlgbtqcentre
• Facebookfacebook.com/ldnlgbtqcentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/london-lgbtq-community-centre-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/ldnlgbtqcentre
• TikToktiktok.com/@ldnlgbtqcentre

Compliance3 records

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 London LGBTQ+ Community Centre