AMITABHA BUDDHIST CENTRE

What AMITABHA BUDDHIST CENTRE does

Amitabha Buddhist Centre, operating legally as Kadampa Meditation Centre Bristol, is a UK-registered charity (Registered Charity Number 1026683) and a member of the New Kadampa Tradition – International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU), a worldwide association of more than 1,200 Buddhist centres. From its main premises at the Old Vicarage on Gloucester Road in Bishopston, Bristol, and five satellite locations in Bath, Clevedon, Weston-super-Mare, Chippenham, and Chepstow, the centre offers drop-in guided meditation classes six days a week at a £7 flat fee (in-person or online), weekend courses, residential away retreats (including at Nagarjuna Kadampa Meditation Centre in Naseby, Northamptonshire), structured study programmes on Modern Buddhism, family classes, and chanted prayer sessions.

Its core products combine the resident teaching programme of Gen Kelsang Lamchen with the volunteer-run World Peace Cafe (a vegetarian cafe open Monday–Saturday, 11am–3pm, serving Clifton Coffee and Bristol Tea) and an active capital campaign to build a new dedicated meditation room. The teaching methodology is rooted in the Kadampa Buddhist tradition as developed by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche, adapted into a modern, accessible format for contemporary Western practitioners. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, self-serve drop-in or advance-booked, with no intermediaries.

Revenue is generated through a diversified mix: per-class fees, retreat and course fees (residential retreats priced £80–£230 depending on room type), annual membership subscriptions, charitable donations with 25% Gift Aid, World Peace Cafe sales, and variable-amount eGift cards. The organisation operates with five paid staff and a substantial volunteer base that staffs the cafe front-of-house and kitchen on weekly shifts.

Name

AMITABHA BUDDHIST CENTRE

Legal name

Kadampa Meditation Centre Bristol

Website

https://meditationinbristol.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kadampa Meditation Centre Bristol (Amitabha Buddhist Centre) is a UK-registered charity operating drop-in Buddhist meditation classes, retreats, study programmes, and a volunteer-run vegetarian cafe across six South West England locations, as part of the New Kadampa Tradition network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Buddhist Meditation & Spiritual Wellness Services

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Meditation Retreats, Workshops & Immersive Programs (HSADAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wellness Retreats & Immersions (Multi-day, Digital Detox, Mind-Body Programs) (THAJAHAB), Guided Meditation Instruction (1:1 & Group) (HSADAJAA), Wellness Retreat Centers (Yoga, Meditation & Mindfulness) (THAGAMAB)

Keywords

• Buddhist meditation classes
• Meditation retreats
• Buddhist study programmes
• Community meditation centre
• Mindfulness wellness services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Class fees: Drop-in meditation classes charged at £7 per session for in-person or online attendance. Classes available Monday through Saturday at various times.
2. Retreat and course fees: Residential retreats with accommodation priced from £80-£230 depending on room type. Includes meals and all retreat sessions. Weekend and half-day courses have separate pricing.
3. Membership subscriptions: Annual membership option providing ongoing access to classes and community benefits. Helps keep classes accessible.
4. Donations and fundraising: Charitable donations including Gift Aid for UK taxpayers. Currently running fundraising campaign for new meditation room with £25,000 goal. Registered charity No. 1026683.
5. World Peace Cafe: Volunteer-run cafe generating revenue through sale of vegetarian food, coffee (Clifton Coffee), and tea (Bristol Tea). Open Monday-Saturday 11am-3pm.
6. Gift cards: eGift cards available in variable amounts for purchase, allowing customers to give meditation classes or cafe visits as gifts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Amitabha Buddhist Centre (Kadampa Meditation Centre Bristol) delivers drop-in guided meditation classes, weekend courses, residential retreats, and study programmes on Modern Buddhism, alongside a volunteer-run vegetarian cafe (World Peace Cafe). Services are offered to the general public at multiple physical locations across South West England and online, priced affordably to remain accessible to beginners and experienced practitioners alike.

Product overview

Kadampa Meditation Centre Bristol offers a unified portfolio of meditation and Buddhist education services. The core offerings include drop-in guided meditation classes (evening, lunchtime, afterwork), weekend courses and retreats, study programmes on Modern Buddhism, family classes, and chanted prayer sessions. The centre also operates the World Peace Cafe as a community hub providing vegetarian food and volunteer opportunities. Services are accessible through membership, one-time class fees, gift cards, and donations. Branch classes extend to multiple South West locations including Bath, Clevedon, Weston-super-Mare, Chippenham, and Chepstow.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Drop-in Guided Meditation Classes Drop-in guided meditation sessions for all levels — beginners through experienced practitioners — available in-person and online at £7 per session. Daily slots include lunchtime (12:30–1:00pm), afterwork (6–6:45pm), and evening sessions across six days per week.
• Weekend Courses and Residential Retreats Half-day Saturday courses and multi-day residential retreats for deeper meditation practice. Retreats are held at venues such as Nagarjuna KMC (Thornby Hall, Northamptonshire) with all-inclusive pricing from £80 to £230 depending on accommodation type (off-site, dorm, shared bathroom, en-suite single or double), including all sessions, accommodation, and vegetarian meals.
• Study Programmes on Modern Buddhism Structured educational programme covering Modern Buddhism for students wanting to learn about Buddhism and establish a meditation practice through systematic study.
• World Peace Cafe Volunteer-run vegetarian cafe serving healthy food, Clifton Coffee, and Bristol Tea. Open Monday–Saturday 11am–3pm with a free lunchtime meditation at 12:30pm daily and a woodburner/garden ambience. Functions as a community hub and access point for the centre.
• Family Meditation Classes Meditation and mindfulness classes designed for families to attend and practice together.
• Chanted Prayer Sessions Group sessions of chanted Buddhist prayer offered at the centre for participants wishing to engage in this traditional practice.
• Annual Membership Programme

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Kadampa Tradition (NKT-IKBU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKadampa Meditation Centre Bristol is part of the New Kadampa Tradition - International Kadampa Buddhist Union (NKT-IKBU), a worldwide Buddhist association of over 1,200 Buddhist centres and groups. The NKT was founded by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso Rinpoche and aims to preserve Kadampa Buddhism for the future, promoting Modern Kadampa Buddhism that faithfully preserves original lineage meanings while presenting them in a contemporary, accessible way.
• Clifton CoffeeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerClifton Coffee provides barista training to World Peace Cafe volunteers. This partnership enables volunteers to receive professional coffee preparation training in addition to their cafe service experience.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Gaia House: UK-based Buddhist retreat centre in Devon offering residential meditation retreats, study programmes and teacher-led intensives. Comparable in retreat programming and residential pricing, though rooted in a different (Insight Meditation) lineage.
• Tara Kadampa Buddhist Centre: Another UK NKT-IKBU centre running drop-in classes, retreats and a community cafe under the same Modern Kadampa tradition. Directly comparable in operating model, pricing structure and target audience.
• Sharpham Trust: Devon-based charity running residential mindfulness retreats, day retreats and community programmes with comparable pricing, meal-inclusive residential stays and teacher-led immersion — overlapping directly on retreat product and audience.
• Samye Dzong Manchester: Tibetan Buddhist centre offering drop-in meditation classes, study programmes and community events in a different UK city. Comparable in programming mix (classes + courses + community) and beginner-friendly positioning, but a different lineage and no cafe component.
• Kadampa Meditation Centre London: Flagship NKT-IKBU centre in London offering the same Modern Kadampa meditation classes, retreats, study programmes and community cafe model as Amitabha. Operates on a larger scale in a different geography, providing the closest direct comparability for unit economics, programming and pricing.
• Plum Village UK: UK arm of Thich Nhat Hanh's international mindfulness community offering retreats, day events and meditation practice in a Buddhist framework. Comparable retreat product and community model, though rooted in a different lineage.
• Bristol Buddhist Centre: Triratna-affiliated meditation and Buddhist study centre operating in the same Bristol market with overlapping drop-in classes, courses and community programmes. Direct local competitor for beginners and experienced practitioners in Bristol.

Broad incumbents

• Headspace: Global subscription-based meditation and mindfulness platform. Competes for the same beginner meditation audience through digital delivery; vastly larger scale, but offers no in-person community, lineage depth or residential retreat component.
• Calm: Mass-market meditation and sleep app competing for entry-level meditators who might otherwise attend drop-in classes. Strong consumer brand but no physical community, residential retreat or teacher-led programming.
• Chopra Center: US-based meditation, yoga and Ayurveda retreat operator with global digital programmes. Competes for the same wellness retreat and beginner meditation audience at a much larger international scale, though with a different spiritual framing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amitabha-buddhist-centre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 AMITABHA BUDDHIST CENTRE