Olton

What Olton does

Olton Friary Church is a Catholic parish church located in Olton, Solihull (West Midlands, UK), founded in 1924 and marking its centenary in 2024. It operates as a registered parish within the Archdiocese of Birmingham (Charity Number: 234216), delivering the full sacramental and liturgical life of a Roman Catholic parish to local parishioners: weekly Masses, baptisms, First Holy Communions, marriages, funerals, and ongoing faith formation. Beyond the liturgical core, the parish runs community programmes and makes its hall available for hire to third parties, positioning the friary premises as a civic as well as religious asset in the Olton neighbourhood.

The parish is supported by a staff base of 28, covering clergy, administration, music, and operational roles. Its core technology footprint is deliberately lightweight: a parish website, a YouTube live-stream channel (delivered via an installed webcam) that broadcasts Masses to homebound and remote viewers, and a WhatsApp Community Group used for internal communication and event coordination. There is no proprietary platform, no custom software, and no AI/ML component; the stack is composed of standard consumer and broadcasting tools used at a basic-utilisation level.

The economic model is that of a small UK religious charity. Income is derived from voluntary Sunday collections and other donations, Gift Aid claims on eligible giving, ad hoc fundraising activity (including the 200 Club lottery), and hall hire. There is no commercial product, no pricing model in the conventional sense, no paid customer base, and no external funding rounds. Financial sustainability rests on continued parish engagement and the institutional backing of the Archdiocese of Birmingham.

Name

Olton

Legal name

Olton Friary

Website

https://olton.r-c.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Olton Friary Church is a Catholic parish church in Solihull, UK, serving local parishioners with Masses, sacraments, and community programmes under the Archdiocese of Birmingham, funded by donations, Gift Aid, and hall hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAJAC

Religious Orders & Monastic Communities (Monasteries, Convents)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Religious & Faith-Based Organizations

Keywords

• Catholic parish services
• Religious worship services
• Sacramental preparation
• Community hall hire
• Parish community programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Solihull

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Offerings: Voluntary donations from parishioners during services and through various giving methods
2. Gift Aid: Tax-efficient charitable giving scheme allowing the parish to reclaim basic rate tax on donations
3. Fundraising Activities: Various fundraising initiatives including the 200 Club and specific project fundraising
4. Hire and Events: Hall rental and facility hire for community events and celebrations

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Olton Friary is a Catholic parish church in Olton, Solihull that provides regular Mass services, the seven sacraments (including Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Anointing of the Sick, and Funerals), faith formation through the RCIA programme, and an ecumenical community witness service. It also rents out its parish hall for community events and organises an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Product overview

Olton Friary Church is a Catholic parish within the Archdiocese of Birmingham, operated by the Sacred Heart Fathers and Brothers of Bétharram. The organization provides religious services including Mass celebrations, sacraments (Baptism, First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Weddings, Anointing of the Sick, Funerals), prayer groups, and community outreach programs. This is a religious institution, not a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mass Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Regular services at 9am, 11am, and 6pm on Sundays; daily Mass Monday-Saturday at 10:15am

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

One partnership is on record.

• Archdiocese of BirminghamcoreOthersOlton Friary is a parish within the Archdiocese of Birmingham. The Archdiocese is the parent ecclesiastical authority overseeing all Catholic parishes in the region. The parish operates under the guidance of the Archdiocese and is registered as Charity Number 234216.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Missio: The official Catholic mission charity for England and Wales, supporting parishes and faith communities. Comparable in Catholic donor mobilisation, parish-based fundraising (e.g., the Association for the Propagation of the Faith present at Olton Friary), and charity governance.
• Catholic Herald: A UK-based Catholic news and media organisation covering parish life, sacraments, and Catholic community events. Comparable in that it amplifies parish-level Catholic activity (such as Olton Friary's centenary) to a wider Catholic audience through digital and print channels.
• Aid to the Church in Need (ACN): A UK-registered Catholic charity that funds parishes, missions, and faith communities worldwide. Comparable in charity operating model, donor-base engagement, and parish-support mission, though it is grantmaking rather than a service-delivery parish.

Broad incumbents

• Archdiocese of Birmingham: The parent ecclesiastical authority of Olton Friary and operator of all Catholic parishes in the region. Comparable because it shares the same Catholic mission, charity status framework, and parish-management model, but operates at a much larger, governance-focused scale.
• EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network): A global Catholic media network that livestreams Mass, produces catechetical content, and runs digital faith communities. Comparable to Olton Friary's YouTube/webcam livestream infrastructure and digital community engagement, but at vastly greater global scale and media-broadcaster scope.
• Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW): The national assembly of Catholic bishops for England and Wales. Comparable in that it oversees the policy, communications, and shared initiatives that flow down to parishes like Olton Friary, and it operates within the same charity and ecclesiastical framework.

Direct peers

• Society of the Sacred Heart Fathers and Brothers of Bétharram (SCJ Bétharram): The international religious order (congregation) that staffs and supports Olton Friary. Comparable because Bétharram operates other parishes and houses worldwide with the same religious-community model, sacramental offerings, and community outreach programmes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@oltonfriary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olton

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 Olton