The Yard
The Yard is a Scottish charity operating four inclusive adventure play centres across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Fife, providing sensory and accessible play facilities, family support, and school programmes for disabled children, young people, and their families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1986
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Yard does
The Yard (legally Scotland Yard Adventure Centre) is a registered Scottish charity (SC002538) and Private Limited Company founded in 1986 in Edinburgh, operating four purpose-built adventure play centres across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Fife. It provides inclusive indoor and outdoor adventure play — including sensory rooms, soft play, water play, accessible bikes, art rooms, and fully accessible Changing Places facilities — for disabled children and young people aged 0–25 and their families, with no diagnosis or medical evidence required to access services. Core offerings comprise family play sessions, early years sessions, age-segmented clubs, school visit programmes for SEND cohorts, the EDAN Hub partnership supporting neurodivergent families, and a dedicated Family Worker support service bundled into membership at no extra charge.
The Yard operates a hybrid revenue model combining a low-friction subscription product (Young Adventurer membership at £8 per family per month, valid across all four sites, plus a Visiting Membership at £20/£30 for 5 or 10 visits) with diversified charitable funding streams: individual donations (Gift Aid eligible), challenge fundraising events (Kiltwalks, marathons, abseils, zipslides), corporate partnerships (with Deloitte at Major tier and several GTM-aligned partners), and project grants from the Scottish Government, Dundee City Council, NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation, and the Robertson Trust. Under CEO Celine Sinclair since 2006, the organisation has grown from supporting around 50 children to more than 3,600–4,000 disabled children and families annually, employs 80+ staff (149 per firmographics), and completed a £1.5M Dundee centre transformation alongside a newly renovated Glasgow centre in 2025. Underlying technology is intentionally minimal — Stripe for payments, MindBody Online for booking, and Google Maps for locations — with no disclosed AI, API, or proprietary platform components.
The Yard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Yard
- Legal name
- Scotland Yard Adventure Centre
- Website
- https://theyardscotland.org.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1986
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- The Yard is a Scottish charity operating four inclusive adventure play centres across Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Fife, providing sensory and accessible play facilities, family support, and school programmes for disabled children, young people, and their families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Yard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Disability and Family Support Services
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities (62321)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Adventure Therapy & Therapeutic Wilderness Programs (THAAAOAG), Outdoor / Nature-Based Nursery & Forest Playgroups (EDACACAH)
Keywords
Where The Yard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
The Yard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membership fees: Monthly membership at £8 per month per family provides recurring revenue. Visiting memberships at £20 for 5 visits or £30 for 10 visits offer flexibility for occasional users. All memberships are valid at all four locations.
- Donations: One-off and monthly donations from individuals, with suggested amounts of £10, £30, £50, and £100. Gift Aid eligible for UK taxpayers.
- Fundraising events: Challenge events including marathons, zipslides, Kiltwalks, and abseils. Corporate teams can participate in fundraising activities.
- Corporate partnerships: Long-term corporate partnerships providing funding, volunteering, and employee engagement opportunities. Includes charity of the year relationships and Business Diplomacy Course sponsorship.
- Government and trust funding: Project funding from Scottish Government, Dundee City Council, NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation, Robertson Trust, and other grant-making bodies for capital developments and service delivery.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Young Adventurer membership at £8/month for unlimited access |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Visiting Membership for occasional visitors |
| Other | Other | Membership Assistance for families facing financial challenges |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels6 records
The Yard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Yard is a Scottish charity operating four purpose-built adventure play centres across Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife, and Dundee) that provides inclusive play and family support services for disabled children, young people aged 0-25, and their families. The core offering consists of adventure play sessions with sensory rooms, outdoor playgrounds, soft play, water play areas, and activity spaces, complemented by dedicated Family Workers offering practical and emotional support. Access is delivered through a Young Adventurer monthly membership at £8 per month covering all four sites, with no diagnosis or medical evidence required.
Product overview
The Yard is a Scottish charity operating four adventure play centres across Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife, and Dundee) that provides inclusive play and support services for disabled children, young people, and their families. The core offering consists of adventure play sessions with sensory rooms, outdoor playgrounds, and activity spaces, supported by dedicated Family Workers. The service portfolio also includes school visit programmes, the EDAN Hub (Edinburgh Disability and Neurodiversity Hub) for neurodivergent families, and membership programmes (Young Adventurer monthly and Visiting Membership options). Funding comes through the membership programme (£8/month), donations, corporate partnerships, fundraising events, and a Membership Assistance Programme for families with financial barriers. No medical diagnosis or referral is required to access services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- EDAN Hub: Edinburgh Disability and Neurodivergence Hub - a collaborative partnership supporting families with children and young people with disabilities or neurodivergence.
Products and services
- Adventure Play Sessions Indoor and outdoor adventure play sessions for disabled children and young people aged 0-18, featuring sensory rooms, water play areas, art rooms, soft play, accessible bikes and trikes, and outdoor adventure playgrounds across four centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Fife.
- Family Support Service Dedicated Family Workers at each centre provide tailored practical and emotional support to families, including help with Child Disability Payment applications, sleep habits, and navigation of Additional Support Needs (ASN) systems. Included in membership at no additional charge.
- School Visits Programme Term-time play sessions for special schools, speech and language units, support bases, and mainstream schools. Activities include messy play, water play, sand play, sensory play, and loose-parts play tailored to children's needs.
- EDAN Hub (Edinburgh Disability and Neurodiversity Hub) A collaborative partnership providing information, workshops, and one-to-one support for families with children and young people with disabilities or neurodivergence across Edinburgh postcodes.
- Young Adventurer Membership Monthly subscription at £8 per month per family providing unlimited free entry to family sessions at all four sites, early years sessions in Edinburgh and Dundee, school holiday access, and family events including summer fairs and Christmas parties.
- Visiting Membership Pay-per-visit membership at £20 for 5 visits or £30 for 10 visits, valid for one year from first date used. Entry to family sessions at weekends and holidays at all four sites.
- Membership Assistance Programme Financial assistance programme providing limited support packages for families facing financial challenges, assessed annually on a first-come, first-served basis, ensuring access to services regardless of ability to pay.
- Fundraising Events Challenge events including Strathclyde Zipslide, Kiltwalk events in multiple cities, Scottish Half Marathon, Great Scottish Run, Forth Bridge Abseil, and international marathon opportunities for fundraising.
- Volunteering Programme Volunteering opportunities including play support, event assistance, maintenance, bike maintenance, and office support roles available at all four centres in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, and Fife.
- Corporate Partnership Programme Corporate partnership opportunities including charity of the year partnerships, employee engagement challenges, fundraising activities, corporate volunteering, and ESG/CSR collaboration.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3,600+ children and families supported annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use The Yard
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Yard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
The Yard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- The Promise ScotlandcoreThe Promise Scotland supports Scotland in keeping its promise to care experienced people. The Yard has pledged to Keep The Promise, aligning with the five foundations of voice, family, care, people, and scaffolding.
- FoxlakeminorYear-round collaboration creating more opportunities for children and families to enjoy inclusive outdoor activities. Foxlake supports The Yard through community fundraising, prize donations, and tap-to-donate units at their venues.
- Wild Shore DundeeminorWild Shore helps families experience inclusive outdoor adventure, while also supporting The Yard through fundraising and tap-to-donate initiatives.
- Mearns & CompanyminorMearns & Company supports The Yard through volunteering and fundraising. Their team provides in-office fundraising, hands-on support, and shared commitment to children and families across Scotland.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Yard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Barnardo's: Large UK children's charity running services for disabled children, care-experienced children, and families across the UK. Broad incumbent that competes for similar government contracts, corporate partnerships, and donor pools, particularly on the care-experienced families segment that The Yard explicitly serves.
- Mencap: One of the UK's largest learning disability charities, providing services, support, and advocacy for children and adults. Broad incumbent in the inclusion and family-support space; less directly competitive on adventure play but competes for donor share and corporate partnerships.
- Together Trust: UK charity providing education, care, and community services for children and adults with disabilities, autism, and complex needs. Broad incumbent operating across multiple service lines including family support, overlapping directly with The Yard's school-visit and family-worker offerings.
- Sense: Major UK disability charity supporting people with complex disabilities including deafblindness, with multi-service programmes for children and adults. Broad incumbent in the same inclusion space, offering broader disability services but less focused on adventure play specifically.
- Contact (for families with disabled children): UK-wide charity providing advice, information, and support to families with disabled children, with a strong family-worker and benefits-navigation focus. Broad incumbent that overlaps with The Yard's family support and Child Disability Payment navigation services, but does not run adventure play centres.
Direct peers
- Capability Scotland: Scotland's largest disability charity providing a broad range of services for disabled people including children and families. Direct peer operating in the same Scottish geography with overlapping inclusive-activity and family-support missions, and competing for the same Scottish Government and trust grants.
- Kids (Disabled Children's Charity): UK charity that works directly with disabled children, young people, and their families across England and Wales through play, leisure, and family support services. Closely comparable operating model — inclusive play sessions, family support, and school partnerships — though geographic footprint outside Scotland.
- Whizz Kidz: UK charity providing mobility equipment, wheelchair services, and opportunities for disabled children and young people. Direct peer because it operates in the same inclusive-children segment, uses a similar donation-and-corporate-partnership revenue model, and competes for the same family audience across the UK.
Emerging players
- Hopscotch Children's Charity: Edinburgh-based charity providing respite, outings, and adventure experiences for children with special needs across Scotland. Emerging player with direct overlap to The Yard's inclusive adventure-play mission and overlapping geographic footprint in Scotland.
Regional players
- Scottish Autism: Scottish charity providing autism-specific services including advice, education, and family support. Regional player operating in the same Scottish geography with overlapping family-of-disabled-children audiences, particularly relevant given the CEO's autism-mission origin.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Yard social profiles
Digital presenceThe Yard compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Yard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Yard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
The Yard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Yard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Yard
What does The Yard do?
The Yard is a Scottish charity operating four purpose-built adventure play centres across Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife, and Dundee) that provides inclusive play and family support services for disabled children, young people aged 0-25, and their families. The core offering consists of adventure play sessions with sensory rooms, outdoor playgrounds, soft play, water play areas, and activity spaces, complemented by dedicated Family Workers offering practical and emotional support. Access is delivered through a Young Adventurer monthly membership at £8 per month covering all four sites, with no diagnosis or medical evidence required.
Is The Yard a public or private company?
The Yard is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Yard founded?
The Yard was founded in 1986. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is The Yard based?
The Yard is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Yard make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Membership fees are the primary driver. The others are donations, fundraising events, corporate partnerships and government and trust funding.
Who are The Yard's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Barnardo's, Mencap, Together Trust, Sense and Contact (for families with disabled children). Direct peers are Capability Scotland, Kids (Disabled Children's Charity) and Whizz Kidz. Hopscotch Children's Charity is listed as an emerging player. Scottish Autism is listed as a regional player.
Does The Yard have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Yard.
What industry is The Yard in?
The Yard's product category is Disability and Family Support Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAOAB, Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs, with a secondary code of THAAAOAG, Adventure Therapy & Therapeutic Wilderness Programs. Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8351.