The Diocese Of Southwell and Nottingham Educational Trust

What The Diocese Of Southwell and Nottingham Educational Trust does

The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham is a constituent diocese of the Church of England, legally embodied as the Southwell and Nottingham Diocesan Board of Finance (a charitable company limited by guarantee, Charity No 249359, Company No 34165). It serves over one million people across the city and county of Nottinghamshire plus two parishes in South Yorkshire through a network of approximately 300 parish churches, 73 church schools managed via the wholly-owned Southwell and Nottingham Multi Academy Trust, and chaplaincy partnerships with four NHS trusts (Bassetlaw General Hospital, Nottingham University Hospitals, Sherwood Forest Hospitals, and Nottinghamshire Healthcare). The cathedral is Southwell Minster, and governance is led by Bishop Paul (Diocesan Bishop) and Bishop Andy (Suffragan Bishop), with a Diocesan Synod currently in its 2024-27 Triennium.

Core service lines are spiritual, educational, and social: worship, sacraments and life-event services (christenings, weddings, funerals); safeguarding services supported by an INEQE Safeguarding Audit and an online reporting form; education services across 73 church schools including admissions guidance, inspections, and governor resources; and a Social Transformation portfolio covering debt advice, housing and homelessness, mental health, refugee and asylum seeker support, rural ministry, and modern-slavery initiatives delivered with partners such as Notts Refugee Forum and the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Anti-Slavery Partnership. Underlying technology is a conventional stack: a shared Diocesan Database linking the Bishop's office, Archdeacons, Board of Finance, the Multi Academy Trust and clergy; an Online Faculty System for church-building approvals; a Learning Hub; a Resources Portal; and a Report a Concern system, all GDPR-compliant under the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Revenue is generated through Parish Share contributions from parishes (with a 4% budgeted uplift for 2025 and a stated goal of financial sustainability by 2035), donations and Gift Aid, Church Commissioners funding including £1.3m annual Lowest Income Community (LInC) Funding through 2030 and a share of the £11m Building for Mission fund (2023-2025), and income routed through the Multi Academy Trust for school operations. No specific income figure is publicly disclosed. The diocese is ranked 8th/9th most deprived in England, qualifying it for continued LInC support and shaping its missional priorities around urban, suburban, estate, rural village, market town, and post-industrial contexts.

Name

The Diocese Of Southwell and Nottingham Educational Trust

Legal name

The Southwell and Nottingham Diocesan Board of Finance

Website

https://southwell.anglican.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham is a Church of England diocese serving over one million people across Nottinghamshire and two South Yorkshire parishes through approximately 300 churches, 73 church schools, and NHS chaplaincy partnerships, with governance via its charitable Board of Finance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious and Faith-Based Services

NAICS

Religious Organizations (8131), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Denominational & Ecclesiastical Governance Bodies (Dioceses, Synods, Conferences) (BPAGAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Congregations & Worship Communities (Churches, Mosques, Temples, Synagogues) (BPAGAJAA), Faith-Based (Religious) K–12 Schools (EDAJABAC), Faith-Based Healthcare Ministries (Hospitals, Clinics, Medical Missions) (BPAGAJAH)

Keywords

• Religious services
• Church schools
• Pastoral care
• Hospital chaplaincy
• Community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Southwell

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Parish Share: Parishes contribute Parish Share to support diocesan ministry costs. The 2025 budget assumes a 4% increase in Parish Share received with a goal of financial sustainability by 2035.
2. Donations and Gift Aid: The diocese processes gift aid applications and receives donations from parishes and individuals for various diocesan activities.
3. Church Commissioners Funding: The diocese receives £1.3 million annually from Church Commissioners for Lowest Income Community (LInC) Funding until 2030. This funding helps offset the gap between ministry costs and Parish Share for the 25% most deprived parishes.
4. Building for Mission Fund: Church Commissioners' £11 million Building for Mission fund, administered by Archbishops' Council over 2023-2025, provides funding for church building repairs and specialist advice. The diocese received funding to employ a Church Buildings Support Officer.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham operates as a Church of England diocese that provides religious worship, sacramental services, and pastoral care across parishes in Nottinghamshire and surrounding areas. It runs a network of 73 church schools delivering faith-based education and offers hospital chaplaincy services to provide spiritual support to patients, families, and staff.

Product overview

The Diocese of Southwell & Nottingham operates as a religious organization within the Church of England, serving over a million people through approximately 300 churches across Nottinghamshire and two parishes in South Yorkshire, with 73 church schools. The organization provides a unified portfolio of spiritual, educational, and community services rather than a technology product platform. Core offerings include safeguarding services, educational resources through the Learning Hub, a comprehensive Diocesan Database for managing clergy and church records, an Online Faculty System for church building approvals, social transformation programs addressing community needs, and various ministry support services. These services are delivered through both digital platforms and direct pastoral care, with no technology product architecture in the traditional sense.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Southwell Minster: The cathedral church of the diocese
• Living Hope
• FUEL
• Diocesan Investment Programme (DIP)

Products and services

• Parish Worship Services
• Church Schools Education
• Hospital Chaplaincy Services
• Community Outreach Programs

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Church Urban Fund (Near Neighbours)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative between Church of England and Church Urban Fund bringing people together to build relationships and improve local communities through small grants administered through hubs.
• Bassetlaw General HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital chaplaincy services provided through partnership with the NHS trust.
• Nottingham University Hospitals TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChaplaincy services at QMC and City Hospital campuses.
• Sherwood Forest HospitalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChaplaincy services at King's Mill Hospital and Newark Hospital.
• Nottinghamshire Healthcare TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health chaplaincy and spiritual care services.
• Notts Refugee ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing advice, support, and friendship to asylum seekers and refugees through wide range of support services.
• Welcome BoxminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChristian charity supporting local churches to deliver welcome boxes with small gifts and local information to newly arrived asylum seekers and refugees.
• Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Anti-Slavery PartnershipminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership between city, county, boroughs, Police and Gang Masters Licensing Association to combat modern slavery.
• Southwell and Nottingham Multi Academy TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti Academy Trust managing church schools within the diocese, sharing data through the Diocesan Database.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Regional players

• Catholic Diocese of Nottingham: The Roman Catholic diocese covering Nottinghamshire and parts of the East Midlands. Serves the same regional population with parallel worship, education, and chaplaincy activities, making it a regional faith-organization peer rather than a direct Church of England competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Diocese of York: Northern Province Church of England diocese covering a much larger geographic area. Operates the same governance, Parish Share, and LInC-style funding mechanisms, but at significantly greater scale; a useful broad incumbent peer.
• Diocese of London: The largest Church of England diocese by population, operating with a broadly similar Parish Share and church schools model but on a much larger urban scale. Useful as a broad incumbent reference for governance and funding structures.
• Church of England (National Church Institutions): The parent body that funds Southwell and Nottingham via the Church Commissioners (LInC and Building for Mission). Not a peer in the competitive sense but a structurally relevant body that determines diocesan funding flows.

Direct peers

• Diocese of Leicester: East Midlands Church of England diocese with comparable size, parish network, and city/county footprint. Operates the same Parish Share funding model with church schools and chaplaincy services, making it a closely aligned peer.
• Diocese of Sheffield: Church of England diocese covering South Yorkshire (where Southwell and Nottingham has two parishes). Comparable in urban-rural mix, church school portfolio, and Parish Share funding model, with shared regional NHS chaplaincy relationships.
• Diocese of Lichfield: A larger Midlands diocese covering Staffordshire, northern Shropshire, and parts of the Black Country. Shares the Church of England governance and Parish Share model, with a comparable mix of church schools and chaplaincy partnerships.
• Diocese of Derby: A neighbouring Church of England diocese covering Derbyshire with a similar mix of urban, suburban, and rural parishes, plus church schools. Directly comparable in operating model, revenue structure (Parish Share), and demographic profile to Southwell and Nottingham.
• Diocese of Lincoln: East Midlands diocese covering Lincolnshire with a predominantly rural parish structure similar in character to Southwell and Nottingham's mixed urban-rural geography. Operates the same Church of England funding and governance framework.
• Diocese of Bath and Wells: Church of England diocese covering Somerset with comparable rural-urban parish mix and a strong church schools presence. Operates under the same synodical governance and Parish Share funding framework as Southwell and Nottingham.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@SouthwellMinster
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-diocese-of-southwell-and-nottingham-educational-trust

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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