The Hive Youth Zone, Wirral

What The Hive Youth Zone, Wirral does

The Hive Youth Zone, Wirral is a registered charity (Charity Number 1163183) located in Birkenhead, Wirral, UK, and a member of the national OnSide network of youth zones. Opened in 2017, it operates a state-of-the-art indoor facility for young people aged 8–19 (up to 25 for those with additional needs), with 82% of members drawn from the most deprived communities in its catchment. The site offers sports, arts, creative, and media provision including a sports hall, fitness suite, dance studio, climbing wall, boxing ring, music and media rooms, outdoor football pitch, and 4G kick pitch, supported by 100+ volunteers and 3,000+ young people engaged annually.

The Hive's product surface is fundamentally a physical venue plus a growing set of attached programmes — the Young Leaders Programme (with Vinspired accreditation) for youth leadership, the Hive Minds Podcast for content extension, and a Summer Holiday Club launched for 2026. There is no proprietary technology platform underpinning operations; member access is mediated through affordable annual memberships (£5) and small per-visit fees (50p), with participation, safety, and safeguarding managed on-site rather than via a digital product.

The revenue model is a diversified charity mix rather than a commercial transaction model: low-cost individual membership fees, donations, corporate partnerships via the "Hive 100" scheme, grants and trusts, lottery funding, and paid Holiday Club sessions. Annual operating costs exceed £1.3 million, supported by the cumulative 19,500+ memberships since opening, recurrent corporate and grant fundraising, and a development function that has secured multi-year institutional backing.

Name

The Hive Youth Zone, Wirral

Legal name

The Hive Youth Zone

Website

https://thehiveyouthzone.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Hive Youth Zone, Wirral is a registered charity and OnSide-affiliated youth centre in Birkenhead serving 3,000+ young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with additional needs) annually through affordable sports, arts, and media programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Youth Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAK), Youth Multi-Sport Camps (General Athletics, Summer Camps) (MPAKAJAA), Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA)

Keywords

• Youth services
• Community youth center
• Youth development programs
• Youth mentoring services
• Inclusive youth activities

Headquarters

HQ city

Birkenhead

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Annual operating costs: The Hive costs more than £1.3m each year to run the building and deliver youth work. Most of this is fundraised through a combination of patrons, Hive 100 members, corporate and project partners, grant and trust funders, and individual membership fees.
2. Membership fees: Annual membership fee of £5 per young person, plus 50p per visit. Low-cost entry point to make services accessible to all backgrounds across Wirral.
3. Individual donations and patrons: Patrons and individual donors who provide ongoing financial support to sustain operations.
4. Corporate partnerships: Corporate partners who support The Hive through financial contributions and strategic partnerships.
5. Hive 100 membership: A community of supporters who contribute regular donations to The Hive.
6. Holiday Club paid sessions: Summer Holiday Club sessions at £10 per session for paid places, with funded places available through HAF programme.
7. Lottery: The Hive Lottery - a fundraising lottery programme for supporters.
8. Grants and trust funding: Funding from grant-making organisations and trusts to support specific programmes and operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Hive Youth Zone is a charity-operated youth center that provides a state-of-the-art facility in Birkenhead offering more than 20 activities per session — including sports, arts, media, music, cooking, and wellbeing services — for young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with additional needs). Core paid offerings include an annual membership (£5/year + 50p per visit), a Summer Holiday Club (£10/session), a Mentoring Programme, and a Young Leaders Programme, supported by dedicated HiveAbility sessions for young people with additional needs.

Product overview

The Hive Youth Zone is a single-site youth center operating as an independent charity and part of the OnSide national network. The organization offers a unified membership-based service providing structured youth activities across five key areas: Get Active (sports and fitness), Get Creative (arts, media, music), Get Sorted (wellbeing and skills), Get Social (café and social spaces), and Get Involved (youth leadership). Core programs include regular themed sessions for Juniors, Seniors, and HiveAbility (for additional needs), plus seasonal Holiday Clubs and structured Mentoring and Young Leaders programmes. The Hive Minds Podcast represents a media content offering. All services are accessible through a single £5 annual membership with 50p per-visit fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 19,500 memberships since opening in 2017
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 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 core and minor.

• Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to create education, skills, and employment pathways for young people across Wirral and the wider Liverpool City Region. LJMU will provide placement opportunities for sports science, health and youth work students; internship opportunities in asset management, HR, IT strategy, and digital transformation; outreach activity to engage young people with higher education pathways; and support development of a maritime employability programme for young people aged 10-16.
• OnSide Youth ZonescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Hive is an independent charity and proud to be part of the national OnSide network of youth zones. OnSide raises funds to build youth zones and establishes these spaces filled with highly skilled youth workers who believe in young people. The Hive has access to OnSide Talent Academy for staff development.
• Duke of Edinburgh's AwardminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDuke of Edinburgh award programme delivered on-site at The Hive as part of project groups and activities for young people.
• Liverpool FC Foundation (LFC Kicks)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPremier League Kicks football programme delivered at The Hive for 8-11 year olds (5-6pm) and 12-15 year olds (6-7pm) - currently on hold.
• Cheshire Raptors BasketballminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBasketball programme delivered at The Hive as part of project groups and external partner activities.
• Shadow DanceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDance programme delivered at The Hive on Tuesday evenings, 5:00pm - 8:00pm.
• Lord's Taverners (Super-1s Cricket)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSuper-1s cricket programme delivered at The Hive as part of project groups for young people.
• VinspiredminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Leaders Programme is accredited by Vinspired, the UK's leading youth volunteering charity. Provides pathway to National Game Changer programme with opportunities to travel across the UK.
• Co-op Academy BebingtonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSchool partnership for outreach programmes including the Lemonade Project which develops social and emotional skills, and other educational workshops.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• OnSide Youth Zones: The national charity that builds and supports the network of youth zones of which The Hive is a member. Functions as an ecosystem enabler rather than a direct competitor - it provides funding for new builds, the Talent Academy for staff development, and shared standards, but does not operate youth zones itself.

Direct peers

• The Way Youth Zone: A fellow OnSide network youth zone serving young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with additional needs) in Wigan. Operates on the same membership model with similar £5 annual fee + per-visit charges, comparable facilities (sports hall, climbing wall, arts spaces), and the same youth-led governance approach - making it the closest operational peer to The Hive.
• Liverpool FC Foundation: Charity arm of Liverpool FC delivering youth development, education, and health programmes across Merseyside - including the Premier League Kicks programme that The Hive previously hosted. Operates with comparable geography, target demographic, and sport-led youth engagement model.
• Manchester Youth Zone (The Factory): An OnSide network youth zone in Harpurhey, Manchester, providing the same membership-based, 20+ activities-per-session model for 8-19 year olds. Comparable facility footprint, youth worker staffing model, and youth-led governance framework make it a highly comparable operational peer.
• Everton in the Community: Sport-anchored charity delivering youth development programmes across Merseyside, including sports participation, education, and health programmes. Directly comparable to The Hive in serving disadvantaged Liverpool City Region youth through a mix of sport, education, and personal development.
• Bolton Lads & Girls Club: An OnSide-affiliated youth zone in Bolton offering membership-based access to sports, arts, and personal development activities for young people aged 8-19+. Operates an identical facility-led, multi-activity delivery model as The Hive and shares the national youth zone brand and standards.

Broad incumbents

• UK Youth: National infrastructure body supporting a network of youth organisations across the UK. While not a direct facility operator, it is a key funder and convening body for the youth sector that The Hive operates within, and its grants programme is a comparable funding stream.
• The Prince's Trust: National charity supporting 11-30 year-olds through education, training, and personal development programmes. Shares The Hive's target demographic and youth development mission but delivers primarily through structured courses and programmes rather than open-access youth centre facilities.
• YMCA England & Wales: Large national youth and community development charity operating across the UK with housing, health, and youth programmes. Overlaps with The Hive in youth services and personal development but operates at much larger scale and across a broader portfolio.

Regional players

• Wirral Leisure Services (e.g., Europa Pools, Leasowe Leisure Centre): Local authority-operated leisure facilities serving the same Wirral geography as The Hive. While their core offer is paid sports and fitness access rather than youth development, they partially overlap as alternative out-of-school activity venues for the same demographic in the same region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCITnO8tJBKDTNaxUSh_v_rQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/WirralYouthZone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-hive-youth-zone-wirral
• Instagraminstagram.com/thehive_yz

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 The Hive Youth Zone, Wirral