What Pete's Dragons does

Pete's Dragons is a UK registered charity (Charity Reg No: 1187394) founded in 2010 by Alison Jordan following the suicide of her brother Pete. The organisation provides specialist suicide bereavement support, postvention services, and mental-health/suicide-prevention training across Devon, Plymouth, Torbay, and North Somerset. Its core delivery model is human-led one-to-one and group support (including counselling, Grief Recovery Method, THRIVE approach, peer support, and weekend retreats) delivered through four physical offices (Exmouth HQ, Barnstaple, Torquay, Plymouth), online channels (Zoom, Teams, FaceTime, WhatsApp, Skype), telephone, and email, with no waiting lists and contact initiated within 48 hours of referral.

The product portfolio comprises five direct-support service lines (Devon bereavement support, Children and Young People, Professionals and Organisations, Schools, and a Torbay drug-related bereavement pilot), a Training Services division offering ten accredited courses including LivingWorks ASIST, safeTALK, Connect 5, and 4MH modules, the Retail Therapy boutique charity shop in Exmouth (also on eBay and Vinted), and the Real-Time Suicide Surveillance System operated on behalf of Devon. Specialist staff include Grief Recovery specialists, EFT practitioners, prolonged grief disorder therapists, and a LivingWorks master trainer, many of whom are personally bereaved by suicide.

The business model is a hybrid charity model. Direct bereavement support is free to beneficiaries, cross-subsidised by training-course revenue (quote-based organisational bookings plus Eventbrite-listed open courses), donations (JustGiving, legacies, community and challenge events, workplace fundraising), lottery programmes (Torbay and North Devon lotteries at £1/week with 50% to the charity), retail (Retail Therapy plus EasyFundraising affiliate commission), and commissioning income from Public Health Devon. The organisation is commissioned to deliver specialist support and operate the Real-Time Suicide Surveillance System across Devon, providing the primary revenue anchor. All staff and volunteers adopt dragon-themed names, reflecting the brand identity derived from the founder's brother.

Name

Pete's Dragons

Legal name

Pete's Dragons

Website

https://petesdragons.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pete's Dragons is a UK registered charity providing free specialist suicide bereavement support across Devon, Plymouth, Torbay, and North Somerset, plus accredited suicide-prevention training and the Retail Therapy charity shop. It is commissioned by Public Health Devon and serves individuals, schools, and organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Suicide Bereavement Support Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Other Individual and Family Services (624190), Individual and Family Services (6241)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Hospice-Affiliated/Independent) (HLADAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI), Trauma-Informed Mindfulness & Somatic Mind-Body Practices (HSADAJAI), Grief, Trauma & PTSD-Focused Teletherapy Platforms (HLALAEAL)

Keywords

• Suicide bereavement support
• Mental health training
• Grief recovery services
• Suicide prevention courses
• Postvention support

Headquarters

HQ city

Exmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: One-time and recurring donations via JustGiving, legacy gifts in wills, community fundraising events, challenge events (skydiving, wing walking, endurance events), and workplace fundraising campaigns.
2. Lottery Programs: Torbay Lottery and North Devon Lottery tickets at £1 per week, with 50% of ticket sales coming to Pete's Dragons.
3. Training Services: Revenue-generating training courses including LivingWorks ASIST, safeTALK, bereavement training, and mental health awareness programs that also benefit the charity's mission.
4. Retail Therapy Charity Shop: Boutique charity shop in Exmouth selling pre-loved clothing, shoes, accessories, and new wellbeing products. Also operates eBay shop and Vinted store.
5. Commission from Retail Platforms: EasyFundraising mechanism where retailers donate a percentage of sales when customers shop online through their platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Pete's Dragons is a registered charity providing specialist suicide bereavement support services free of charge to anyone in Devon, Plymouth, Torbay, and North Somerset who has been impacted by suicide loss, alongside a portfolio of accredited fee-paying mental health and suicide prevention training courses. Core services include one-to-one listening, practical advice (wills, probate, benefits, inquests), counselling, alternative therapies, peer support groups, Grief Recovery 8-week courses, and specialist support for children and young people, delivered face-to-face, online, by phone, or by email with no waiting lists and no session limits. Revenue-generating training covers LivingWorks ASIST/safeTALK, Bereavement and Loss, Connect 5, Suicide Bereavement, and other modular workshops, supplemented by donations, lottery tickets, and a boutique charity shop (Retail Therapy).

Product overview

Pete's Dragons operates as a single integrated service model rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture, providing a comprehensive portfolio of suicide bereavement support services and mental health training. The core offering consists of direct support services for those impacted by suicide loss (including Devon support, drug-related bereavement, children & young people, professionals/organisations, and schools), supported by a Training Services division offering 10 distinct training courses covering suicide awareness, intervention skills, bereavement, and emotional resilience. The charity also operates Retail Therapy, its boutique charity shop, and conducts research through the Real-Time Suicide Surveillance System. The Surviving Suicide Project serves as an awareness campaign. All services are interconnected through a shared mission of suicide prevention and postvention, with training revenue supporting the delivery of direct support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Devon Suicide Bereavement Support Service Bespoke support service for anyone affected by suicide loss within Devon, providing one-to-one listening, practical advice, counselling, peer support and Grief Recovery courses with no waiting lists and no session limits. Delivered face-to-face across Devon offices plus online, phone, email and correspondence.
• Drug-Related Bereavement Support (Torbay Pilot) Pilot project providing non-judgmental sudden bereavement support for those impacted by drug-related deaths in the Torbay area, including listening services and access to specialised therapies.
• Children & Young People Support One-to-one specialist support for children and young people in Devon, Plymouth and Torbay who have been impacted by suicide, including play therapy, mindfulness through play, the THRIVE approach, and parent/professional advice sessions, with no waiting lists or session limits.
• Professionals & Organisations Support Organisation-wide postvention support including initial consultation, face-to-face support sessions, ongoing advice, and training for workplaces and professionals supporting those affected by suicide.
• Schools Support Service Postvention support resource for schools and colleges with online guidance, editable checklists, staff training, and face-to-face student and parent support sessions following a suicide in the school community.
• 4MH - Emotional Resilience Training Self-care course developing participants' ability to cope with emotional distress through wellbeing understanding, emotional literacy and personal resilience planning. Delivered online in 3-4 hours.
• 4MH - Community Suicide Awareness Training Evidence-based modular training program covering mental health awareness, suicide prevention, myths, stigmas, and developing common language between community and services. Delivered online in 3 hours.
• 5 Steps to Suicide Awareness Training Short workshop providing an overview of suicidality and the impact of suicide, demonstrating simple steps to help someone experiencing suicidal thoughts. Delivered online in 1.5-2 hours.
• Bereavement and Loss - Beginner Training Entry-level course providing an overview of bereavement and loss theory translated into a framework for identifying grief pattern behaviours. No previous training required. Delivered online in 3 hours.
• Bereavement and Loss - Advanced Training Advanced course covering preferred language, impact of attachment, coping and adapting, and unique aspects of suicide deaths with case studies. Prerequisite: some previous bereavement knowledge. Delivered online in 3 hours.
• Connect 5 Training Evidence-based mental health promotion training programme with three incremental modules covering conversations about mental wellbeing. Modules must be completed in order. Delivered online as 3 x 3.5-hour sessions.
• LivingWorks - Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) Award-winning 2-day interactive workshop preparing caregivers to provide life-assisting suicide first-aid intervention using the Pathway for Assisting Life (PAL) model. Delivered face-to-face over 2 consecutive days.
• LivingWorks - safeTALK Training 3-4 hour course preparing participants to recognise invitations from people with thoughts of suicide and connect them to intervention resources. Suitable for anyone 15 or over. Delivered face-to-face.
• Suicide Bereavement Training Workshop taking a focused look at what makes suicide bereavement unique, providing case studies and practical skills when supporting people impacted by suicide. Designed as an addition to the Bereavement and Loss course. Delivered online in 2 hours.
• Supporting the Supporter Training Course for carers in personal or work/voluntary positions, providing advice, tools and strategies to sustain wellbeing while supporting others. Delivered online in 3 hours.
• Retail Therapy Charity Shop Boutique charity shop in Exmouth selling pre-loved clothing, shoes, accessories, and new wellbeing products, with parallel eBay and Vinted online stores. All proceeds support Pete's Dragons suicide bereavement services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Support begins within 48 hours of contact
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Alrightmate?coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Surviving Suicide Project - an awareness campaign featuring wet plate photography by Stephen Raff and video interviews with people who have accessed Pete's Dragons support. The project gives voice to what it means to lose someone to suicide and was co-produced with beneficiaries.
• Balloons (Child Bereavement Service)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginally donated over £1,500 to Balloons and now work alongside them supporting young people in Devon bereaved by suicide. Joint service delivery for child bereavement support.
• Devon and Cornwall PolicecoreOthersProvided initial funding that gave credibility and much-needed support. Police saw the value of the service and helped the charity along in its early stages.
• Public Health DevoncoreOthersEvaluated the service provided with Devon and Cornwall Police funding and found the breadth of work essential and life-saving. Now commissions Pete's Dragons to deliver specialist suicide bereavement support throughout Devon.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Winston's Wish: UK charity supporting bereaved children and young people — directly comparable to Pete's Dragons' Children & Young People service line, including similar postvention work with schools.
• The Compassionate Friends: UK charity supporting bereaved parents and families after the death of a child — comparable bereavement support model (peer support, listening) but focused on parental rather than suicide-specific bereavement.
• Amparo: UK charity providing one-to-one suicide bereavement support and postvention services, primarily in the North East. Operates a very similar service model to Pete's Dragons (face-to-face, listening, practical support) but in a different geography.
• Child Bereavement UK: UK charity providing specialist bereavement support for children and families, including training for professionals. Overlaps significantly with Pete's Dragons' Children & Young People service and school postvention work.
• Cruse Bereavement Support: UK's largest bereavement charity, offering support for any type of bereavement including suicide loss. Comparable in service model (one-to-one, peer support, training) but covers all bereavement types rather than specializing in suicide.
• Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS): UK national charity dedicated to supporting those bereaved by suicide — the closest direct peer to Pete's Dragons in terms of mission and beneficiary population, but operating at a national scale rather than regional.

Others

• LivingWorks: International suicide prevention training organization whose ASIST and safeTALK programmes are delivered by Pete's Dragons as licensed training. Functions as a content/curriculum supplier rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Mind: UK's leading mental health charity offering information, support and local services. Overlaps with Pete's Dragons' mental health and wellbeing training portfolio but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a suicide-bereavement specialist.
• Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): UK charity addressing suicide and mental health, primarily through a helpline and campaigns. Operates broadly in mental health/suicide space rather than Pete's Dragons' specific bereavement/postvention niche.
• PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide: UK national charity focused on suicide prevention among young people through HOPELINEUK and training. Broader prevention focus rather than Pete's Dragons' postvention/bereavement specialty, but overlapping beneficiary base and training offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/petesdragonspage
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pete's-dragons
• Instagraminstagram.com/petesdragonscharity

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Pete's Dragons