What Strut Safe does

Strut Safe is a volunteer-run, non-profit Community Interest Company (CIC) registered in Glasgow, Scotland, that operates a free telephone support line for people walking alone in the UK at night. The service pairs callers with trained volunteers who remain on the line during the journey, providing a check-in point and continuous verbal contact; it is explicitly positioned as inclusive rather than women-only, with documented outreach to marginalised groups including LGBTQ+ communities and deaf or hard-of-hearing users via British Sign Language interpretation delivered through a partnership with SignVideo. The phoneline operates Thursday 19:00-01:00, Friday and Saturday 19:00-03:00, and Sunday 19:00-01:00, with leadership publicly indicating intent to extend coverage to additional days.

The operating model is asset-light: 17 paid staff (comprising four directors, four heads of administrative teams including a Technology Manager, and supporting roles) coordinate a volunteer base of more than 100 trained responders. The core technology is a telephone-forwarding system; there is no mobile application, no disclosed software-as-a-service surface, and no monetised product. Strut Safe supplements the phoneline with community outreach at events such as Pride and festivals, which functions as a low-cost channel for both user acquisition and volunteer recruitment.

The business model is donations-only. Reported monthly operating costs are approximately £800, implying an annualised cost base of roughly £9,600, and there is no earned revenue, no enterprise or B2B customer segment, and no disclosed institutional funders. There is no evidence of external investment, grant concentration, or commercial expansion plans. Strategic direction is set by the four directors and operational execution by the four administrative team heads, with the volunteer base functioning as the principal scalable asset of the organisation.

Name

Strut Safe

Legal name

Strut Safe

Website

https://strutsafe.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Strut Safe is a Glasgow-based non-profit Community Interest Company that runs a free, volunteer-staffed UK-wide phone support line for people walking alone at night, with BSL access and outreach to marginalised communities, funded entirely by donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Safety Helpline

NAICS

Telephone Answering Services (561421)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Workplace/On-the-Job Lone Worker Duress & Personal Safety Alert Services (HSAHAHAK)

Keywords

• Volunteer helpline services
• Personal safety companion
• Community support phone line
• Night-time travel safety
• BSL interpretation access

Headquarters

HQ city

Remote/Virtual

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Strut Safe operates as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (Company number SC736453) relying entirely on donations to cover operational costs. Monthly operating cost is £800. Donations fund call forwarding service, secure online systems, printing of materials, travel costs for volunteers, and DBS background checks.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Strut Safe operates a UK-wide volunteer-run phone line that anyone can call when walking alone, particularly at night. Trained, DBS-checked volunteers stay on the line with callers, providing friendly conversation and reassurance until the caller arrives safely at their destination. The service is free for callers, available Thursday through Sunday evenings, and accessible to deaf British Sign Language users via SignVideo video interpretation.

Product overview

Strut Safe is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company offering a single core service: a volunteer-operated phone line for people walking alone at night. The service provides a friendly voice to keep callers company until they reach their destination safely. The offering consists of the core phone line (accessible via 0333 335 0026), supplemented by a BSL interpretation module via SignVideo for deaf users, and printable awareness materials (posters and flyers). The company also provides a curated resources directory connecting users to specialized support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strut Safe Phone Line A UK-wide volunteer-operated support phone line (0333 335 0026) that stays on the call with users until they arrive safely at their destination, providing friendly companionship and reassurance during nighttime travel. Available Thursday 19:00-01:00, Friday and Saturday 19:00-03:00, and Sunday 19:00-01:00. Callers require no personal information; if no volunteer is available, callers can leave a message or hear a list of alternative helplines.
• BSL Interpretation Service (via SignVideo)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SignVideocoreTechnology or IntegrationSignVideo provides British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation services for Strut Safe, enabling deaf BSL users to access the support line via video call. When users connect through SignVideo, they are linked to a professional BSL interpreter who interprets their conversation with a Strut Safe volunteer. This service is particularly valuable for accessibility and is available during the same operating hours as the standard phone line (Thursdays 7pm-1am, Fridays & Saturdays 7pm-3am, Sundays 7pm-1am). Strut Safe pays SignVideo for this service, so there is no cost to the caller.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Women's Aid Federation of England: UK federation supporting women's aid charities and survivors of domestic abuse. Comparable to Strut Safe in addressing women's personal safety concerns in the UK and providing phone-based information and support, though focused on abuse rather than travel anxiety.
• Refuge: UK national domestic violence charity operating the National Domestic Abuse Helpline. Adjacent to Strut Safe in providing UK-wide phone support for personal safety and against the threat of violence, but specializing in domestic abuse rather than solo-travel companionship.
• Mind (UK): UK mental health charity operating an information line and network of local services. Comparable to Strut Safe in offering UK-wide phone-based confidential support with signposting to specialist services, though focused on mental health rather than personal safety.

Direct peers

• Galop: UK LGBT+ anti-violence charity providing helpline support to LGBTQ+ people experiencing abuse, hate crime, or sexual violence. Closely comparable to Strut Safe in serving LGBTQ+ communities and offering phone-based confidential non-police-aligned support.
• Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline: UK LGBTQ+ helpline providing confidential support by phone and online. Shares Strut Safe's volunteer phone model, LGBTQ+ community focus, anonymous confidential conversations, and non-emergency companionship-style support.
• Nightline: UK student listening and support helpline operated by student volunteers at university listening services. Shares Strut Safe's volunteer phone-line model, anonymous non-judgmental support ethos, and out-of-hours operating window focused on evenings and weekends.
• Samaritans: UK-wide volunteer-operated emotional support helpline reachable by phone at any hour. Highly comparable to Strut Safe in volunteer-driven phone-support model, anonymous caller experience, and UK charity/non-profit structure, though serving a broader emotional-support rather than personal-safety use case.

Regional players

• Citizen: US-based personal safety and neighborhood crime-alert app. Comparable to Strut Safe in addressing lone-walker and personal safety concerns, but operates as a tech platform in the US rather than a UK volunteer helpline.

Emerging players

• bSafe: Personal safety app offering live location sharing, SOS alerts, and follow-me walking features. Competes with Strut Safe for the same lone-walker-at-night use case through a mobile app rather than a volunteer voice line.
• Hollie Guard: UK personal safety smartphone app that shares location with designated contacts and can alert emergency services. Comparable to Strut Safe as a personal safety companion for lone walkers, but tech-enabled with location-based escalation rather than voice companionship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/strutsafely
• Instagraminstagram.com/strutsafe
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strut-safe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Strut Safe