Catalyst Support

What Catalyst Support does

Catalyst Support is a registered charity (Charity No. 1075892; Company No. 3689561) headquartered in Woking, Surrey, that delivers more than 20 community health and wellbeing services to Surrey residents aged 16 and above. Founded in 1989 as the Southern Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service (SADAS) and rebranded to Catalyst Support in 2015, the organisation now operates a multi-service portfolio spanning mental health (Safe Havens, Community Connections, GP Integrated Mental Health Service, Recovery and Connect), a 24-week subsidised counselling programme, drug and alcohol recovery, the Women's Support Centre Surrey, the Outline Surrey LGBTQ+ listening service, the Shifa Network, and specialist outreach programmes including Surrey Cuckooing, Liaison & Diversion, and Bridge the Gap. It also runs the A Novel Idea Book & Record Shop in Godalming as a charity retail arm.

Services are delivered free at point of use across North West Surrey, Guildford and Waverley, Surrey Heath and Farnham, Spelthorne, Runnymede, and Woking through community venues, GP surgeries, co-located partner sites, and online channels. The organisation employs 150+ staff and draws on 100+ volunteers including 40+ qualified volunteer counsellors, with lived-experience practitioners embedded across service lines. Technology footprint is modest: the only documented proprietary capability is a website accessibility suite (text resizing, high-contrast, grayscale, readable fonts); no app, API, or AI capabilities are disclosed.

The revenue model is publicly funded rather than commercial. Core income derives from commissioned contracts with Surrey County Council, NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board, NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and Clinical Commissioning Groups, with a flagship 5-year Community Connections contract awarded in 2024 alongside Mary Frances Trust and Waythrough. Supplementary income comes from charitable donations, fundraising events, the charity retail shop, and grants including a 2025 Mental Health Investment Fund award for pop-up community hubs. All services to end users are free; there is no transactional pricing layer, and the organisation is governed by a board of trustees rather than equity holders.

Name

Catalyst Support

Legal name

Catalyst Support

Website

https://catalystsupport.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Catalyst Support is a Surrey-based registered charity delivering more than 20 free mental health, addiction, domestic abuse, LGBTQ+, and community wellbeing services to residents aged 16+, funded primarily through NHS and Surrey County Council contracts with supplementary donations and charity retail.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Services

NAICS

Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians) (62133), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Domestic Violence & Abuse Support Services (BPAGAEAD), LGBTQ+ Rights & Advocacy Organizations (BPAGAFAE)

Keywords

• Community mental health
• Charity counselling services
• Substance misuse support
• Domestic abuse support
• Crisis safe haven

Headquarters

HQ city

Woking

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations: Individual donations from supporters. One-off donations support groups, counselling programmes, venue costs, refreshments, and volunteer training across Surrey.
2. Government and NHS Funding: Funded by Surrey County Council, NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care Board, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, NHS Frimley Integrated Care Board, and Clinical Commissioning Groups.
3. Charity Retail: A Novel Idea Book & Record Shop generates revenue through sale of donated books and vinyl records. Recognized as one of the Top 14 bookshops in Surrey and South West London.
4. Fundraising Events: Various fundraising activities including half marathon participation and other community fundraising events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Catalyst Support delivers free, community-based mental health, counselling, drug and alcohol, domestic abuse, LGBTQ+, and specialist outreach services to Surrey residents aged 16+. The portfolio spans more than 20 distinct programs including Safe Havens (out-of-hours crisis support), GP-integrated mental health consultations, Catalyst Counselling (24-week subsidised counselling), Women's Support Centre Surrey, Outline Surrey LGBTQ+ listening service, Shifa Network, Community Connections Surrey partnership, and Specialist Outreach (Surrey Cuckooing, Liaison & Diversion, Bridge the Gap). Operations are funded through NHS and Surrey County Council commissioning, charitable donations, and charity retail at A Novel Idea Book & Record Shop in Godalming.

Product overview

Catalyst Support is a Surrey-based charity (Charity No. 1075892) offering over 20 different services as a unified portfolio of community health and wellbeing support programs. The organization operates a multi-service model encompassing Mental Health Services (including Safe Havens, Community Connections, and GP-integrated mental health), Drug and Alcohol Support, Women's Support Centre Surrey, Specialist Outreach (Cuckooing, Liaison & Diversion, Bridge the Gap), LGBTQ+ support through Outline Surrey, Shifa Network for Muslim communities, and charitable retail through A Novel Idea Book & Record Shop. All services are provided free to clients and delivered through a combination of professional staff and over 100 volunteers across North West Surrey, Guildford, Waverley, Surrey Heath, Spelthorne, Runnymede, and Woking areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Community Connections Surrey: Partnership mental health support service delivered alongside Mary Frances Trust and Waythrough, offering free mental health support to Surrey residents aged 16+.
• Outline
• Shifa Network
• Safe Havens

Products and services

• Mental Health Services Comprehensive free mental health support for Surrey residents including Safe Havens for crisis, Wellbeing Groups, GP-integrated 30-minute consultations (telephone, video, face-to-face), Recovery and Connect programmes, and one-to-one support.
• Catalyst Counselling 24-week confidential counselling service for individuals and families, available face-to-face and online, delivered with an affordable subsidised fee structure. Also includes Families, Friends and Carers support.
• Drug and Alcohol Support Specialist support for individuals dealing with drug and alcohol issues, including outreach programmes and family support, with the OMNI dual-diagnosis pathway for co-occurring mental health needs.
• Women's Support Centre Surrey Comprehensive support for women affected by domestic abuse including dedicated Counselling Service, Recovery Service, Drop-In, Probation Breakfast Club, SMART groups, and Art Fridays from a Woking-based centre serving all of Surrey.
• Specialist Outreach Services Specialist programmes including Surrey Cuckooing support (victims of home exploitation), Liaison & Diversion Service, and the Bridge the Gap alliance supporting adults facing multiple disadvantages.
• Outline Surrey LGBTQ+ Confidential LGBTQ+ listening service delivered via chat, offering support on gender identity and sexuality alongside self-help resources covering gender identity, health, mental health, and sexuality.
• Shifa Network Community support network for the Muslim community in Surrey offering drop-in support, ESOL classes, yoga, and cultural support from Trinity Methodist Church, Brewery Road, Woking.
• Community Connections Surrey Free mental health support partnership service delivering peer support groups, wellbeing activities, one-to-one goal-setting sessions, Community Gardens, and practical advice on debt, housing, and benefits across Surrey.
• Safe Harbour Daytime crisis prevention service providing a six-week tailored support programme for Surrey adults at risk of recurring mental health crises, with pilot locations in Woking and Epsom.
• Lived Experience Practitioners Peer support service staffed by practitioners with lived experience of mental health or addiction challenges, providing authentic understanding and support alongside professional clinicians.
• A Novel Idea Book & Record Shop Volunteer-run charity book and vinyl shop on Godalming High Street, recognised as one of the Top 14 bookshops in Surrey and South West London; sales proceeds support the charity.
• Alpha Community Outreach Community outreach programme delivered via Catalyst's wholly-owned social enterprise subsidiary Alpha Community Outreach Ltd, providing support and engagement with local communities across Surrey.

Quantifiable outcome

• Safe Haven Crisis Café won national award for 'Improving Care for people experiencing Mental Health Crisis' at Positive Practice in Mental Health 2015 Awards

Named customers4 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Surrey County CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Main commissioning partner for community mental health services. Funded Community Connections contract along with NHS partners for 5-year term from 2024.
• NHS Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-commissioner of Community Connections mental health services covering Surrey Heartlands area.
• NHS Frimley Integrated Care BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-commissioner of Community Connections mental health services covering Frimley area.
• Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024NHS foundation trust partner in the Community Connections Surrey partnership providing mental health services.
• Mary Frances TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024One of three lead providers in Community Connections Surrey partnership. Delivers services in Mid Surrey (Banstead, Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell, Mole Valley).
• Waythrough (formerly Richmond Fellowship)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024One of three lead providers in Community Connections Surrey partnership. Delivers services in East Surrey (Tandridge, Redhill, Reigate, Horley).
• Clinical Commissioning GroupscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Funded GP Integrated Mental Health Service (GPIMHS) and Mental Health Integrated Community Services (MHICS) through CCG commissioning.
• Surrey Heath NHSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with Surrey Heath NHS and Surrey County Council for Safe Haven services in Camberley.
• Surrey Homeless AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership for Managing Emotions Workshop series delivered at supported housing locations.
• The Welcome ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Co-location partnership at The Welcome Project in Camberley for Safe Haven services.
• Surrey HeartlandscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS partnership for mental health service delivery and GP referral coordination.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Change Grow Live: One of the UK's largest VCSE providers of drug and alcohol, mental health, and criminal justice services. Directly competes for NHS and local-authority substance misuse contracts and overlaps with Catalyst's specialist outreach and recovery service lines.
• Turning Point: Large national provider of substance misuse, mental health, and learning disability services, heavily NHS-commissioned. Directly comparable in drug & alcohol and mental health service lines, with overlapping commissioners and similar contract-based revenue model.
• Rethink Mental Illness: National mental health charity providing community-based support, crisis services, and group programmes. Comparable in service mix (counselling, peer support, community groups) and reliance on local authority and NHS commissioning, though at significantly larger national scale.
• Samaritans: National emotional support and suicide prevention charity. Comparable as a UK-wide, volunteer-driven mental health listening/crisis service; serves the same end-user population as Catalyst's Safe Havens but at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Others

• Alzheimer's Society: Major UK charity delivering community-based support services (dementia rather than mental health). Comparable as a large, multi-service, NHS and donation-funded charity operating through local presence and volunteer networks.
• Surrey County Council (commissioner perspective): Not a competitor but the principal commissioner of Catalyst's services. Listed because Catalyst's commercial trajectory is tightly coupled to this single local authority's commissioning priorities, so it functions as the most consequential counterparty for the company's revenue.

Direct peers

• Mind (Surrey): UK national mental health charity with Surrey local branches. Offers counselling, peer support, and wellbeing services funded by a similar mix of NHS contracts, local authority commissioning, and donations — direct overlap in mental health service delivery and customer segments.
• Together for Mental Wellbeing: UK mental health charity delivering community-based support, recovery services, and crisis alternatives. Comparable in service model (community-led, lived-experience practitioners, NHS/LA funded) and customer segments.
• Waythrough (formerly Richmond Fellowship): National mental health and substance misuse charity. Direct co-lead on Catalyst's Community Connections Surrey partnership, so operates an identical place-based mental health support model in East Surrey — directly comparable in service mix, funding sources, and customer base.
• Mary Frances Trust: Surrey-based mental health charity and the third lead provider in the Community Connections Surrey partnership. Delivers peer support, wellbeing groups, and one-to-one mental health services to the same Surrey population with the same NHS/commissioner relationships as Catalyst.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CATALYSTethos
• Facebookfacebook.com/Catalyst-Support-100078802814261
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/catalystsupport

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Catalyst Support