Wigan Youth Zone

What Wigan Youth Zone does

Wigan Youth Zone is a registered charity (Charity Number 1134451) operating a purpose-built youth facility in Wigan Town Centre since June 2013, part of the OnSide Youth Zones network. It serves young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with additional needs) across the Wigan and Leigh boroughs of Greater Manchester through a single integrated programme of centre-based activities, detached outreach, satellite sessions, and holiday provision. Core products include £5 annual membership with 50p-per-visit access to more than 20 daily activities (climbing wall, skate park, gym, music room, radio station, dance studio, sports hall, outdoor pitches, boxing/martial arts), Holiday Club childcare at £15 per day with HAF-funded free places, Duke of Edinburgh's Award delivery, employability programmes, Independent Visitor Service for looked-after children, Health & Wellbeing support, Junior Inclusion services for SEND young people, and venue hire.

The underlying operating model is community-led youth work delivered by trained staff and 500+ volunteers across multiple access points, using basic operational technology (Zoom, Smartsheet, Salesforce) with no proprietary platform or AI components. Service capacity exceeds 120 hours of weekly youth-facing support in the Rec Area alone, supported by 8,000+ outreach and 1,900+ detached engagements annually.

Revenue is overwhelmingly grant- and donation-driven. The charity reports annual running costs above £2.2 million and an independent social return of £2.19 per £1 invested. Income streams include tiered corporate patronage (Founder through Bronze), multi-year government and trust grants (DWP, Wigan Council, Eric Wright, Gabriel, Jigsaw, Prudence, OnSide, National Lottery, Burberry, Cadent, Barclays, HSBC, Miller Homes), nominal membership and Holiday Club fees, and annual fundraising events (Charity Ball, Fired Up 4, Big Night In, Christmas appeal). The beneficiary base is long-tail and diversified, with 32,000+ lifetime individual members, 730,000+ visits, and 500,000+ activity engagements since 2013.

Name

Wigan Youth Zone

Legal name

Wigan Youth Zone Charity

Website

https://wiganyouthzone.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Wigan Youth Zone is a registered charity operating a purpose-built youth facility in Wigan, UK, delivering membership-based activities, outreach, and holiday programmes for young people aged 8-19 across the Wigan and Leigh boroughs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Justice, At-Risk Youth & Violence Prevention Nonprofits (BPAGADAM), School-Age Wraparound Childcare Centers (Holiday/Break Care) (EDACAAAL), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO), Behavioral Health for Children & Adolescents (Youth Services) (HLAFACAL)

Keywords

• Youth services
• Youth development
• Community youth work
• Youth employability
• Holiday childcare

Headquarters

HQ city

Wigan

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Patron Support: Corporate and individual donations from patrons at various tiers (Founder, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) providing essential funding for operations and programmes.
2. Government and Trust Funding: Funding from government bodies including DWP, Wigan Council, and various charitable trusts for specific programmes and services.
3. Membership Fees: Low-cost annual membership (£5) and per-visit fees (50p) providing accessible entry for young people.
4. Holiday Club Revenue: Holiday club programme at £15 per day including meals and activities, with HAF-funded free places for eligible families.
5. Event Fundraising: Annual events including Charity Ball, community events, and fundraising activities raising significant funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Wigan Youth Zone is a registered charity (Charity Number 1134451) that operates a purpose-built youth facility in Wigan Town Centre, providing a comprehensive programme of youth work services for young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with additional needs). Its core offer combines affordable membership access (annual membership with per-visit fees) to state-of-the-art facilities including a climbing wall, skate park, gym, dance studio, sports hall and outdoor pitches, together with over 20 daily activities spanning sports, arts, music, employability, wellbeing, and youth voice programmes. The charity also delivers detached youth work, satellite sessions, a Holiday Club for school holidays, and targeted support for SEND, looked-after children, and young benefit claimants.

Product overview

Wigan Youth Zone is a single-site youth charity offering a unified programme of youth services and activities from its purpose-built town centre facility. The core offering centres on membership-based access (annual £5 membership, 50p per visit) for young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with additional needs), providing state-of-the-art facilities including a climbing wall, radio station, skate park, gym, dance studio, sports hall, and outdoor pitches. The organisation delivers over twenty daily activities both on-site and across the borough via outreach teams. Key service modules include: Holiday Club (affordable childcare at £15/day with meals and activities), Step Up (transition programme for Years 6-8), Duke of Edinburgh's Award, Employability programmes, Health & Wellbeing support, Inclusion services for young people with additional needs, Independent Visitor Service for looked-after children, and Youth Voice participation forums. Additional revenue streams include venue hire services. The organisation is open seven nights a week with activities spanning sports (football, boxing, martial arts, basketball), creative arts (music, media, art, dance, drama), and youth support services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Zone Membership
• Holiday Club
• Step Up Programme
• Duke of Edinburgh's Award
• Independent Visitor Service
• Employability & Pathway 2 Employment
• Members with Additional Needs
• Health & Wellbeing Support
• Youth Voice
• Outreach & Detached Youth Work
• Venue Hire
• Martial Arts Mentoring Programme (UFC Partnership)

Quantifiable outcome

• 730,000+ visits from 32,000+ members since opening in 2013
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• StreetGames and Matchroom BoxingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership bringing the power of boxing to young people, supporting delivery of non-contact boxing activity and training workforce in safe boxing delivery.
• UFC - Martial Arts Mentoring ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmpowering mentoring programme for young people aged 11+ built around martial arts discipline, with expert UFC-trained coaches and one-to-one mentoring.
• Leigh Sports VillagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership hosting Leigh Youth Hub at Leigh Sports Village, enabling delivery of comprehensive youth services in Leigh community.
• Worsley Hall AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of local organisations led by Wigan Athletic Community Trust delivering bespoke mentoring, youth clubs, sports, outreach and family provision.
• OnSide Youth ZonescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Youth Zones across the UK providing shared resources, leadership programmes, best practices, and collective advocacy for youth work.
• Wigan Athletic Community TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership through Dave joining the team in 2016, providing community football coaching and sports provision.
• Plan International - Period Peers ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPeer-led period education programme designed by young people to provide relevant information and support around menstrual health.
• UK Youth - Summer Jobs ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of study funded by Youth Endowment Fund, Youth Futures Foundation and DCMS, evaluated by IFF Research, supporting most vulnerable young people.
• Wigan, Wrightington and Leigh Hospital Trust (WWL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership providing proactive and creative youth worker supporting young people in Rainbow Ward, A&E and onsite at WYZ, helping shape hospital youth voice spaces.
• Little Dreams FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational initiative by Phil and Orianne Collins supporting young talent in music, arts and sports. Supported WYZ teens with extraordinary opportunities including performing with Phil Collins in Miami.
• Evolve (IT Partnership)coreTechnology or IntegrationFully funded, ongoing IT support completely free of charge. More than two years of partnership through Gold patronage, now elevated to Platinum. Technology support helping organization focus on supporting young people.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• StreetGames: UK charity using sport to engage disadvantaged young people, including through detached and outreach delivery. Wigan Youth Zone is a StreetGames/Matchroom Boxing partner; directly comparable sport-based, outreach-led youth engagement model.
• OnSide Youth Zones: Network of 15+ UK Youth Zones of which Wigan Youth Zone is a member. Same purpose-built youth zone model, shared brand and shared corporate partnerships (Burberry, Cadent, UFC etc.); effectively the peer network.
• Bolton Lads and Girls Club: Established 1889 youth club cited as the direct historical inspiration for Wigan Youth Zone; offers comparable youth activities, sports, arts and outreach in a neighbouring Greater Manchester borough.

Broad incumbents

• National Citizen Service (NCS): Government-backed programme for 16-17 year olds delivering personal development, employability and social action outcomes. Highly comparable target demographic and outcomes focus to WYZ's employability and youth voice work.
• Girlguiding UK: National youth organisation delivering structured activities, life skills and personal development programmes for girls and young women. Comparable youth-development mission and similar age-band (8-19+) engagement model.
• The Prince's Trust: National UK charity focused on employability and personal development for disadvantaged young people aged 11-30. Comparable mission and beneficiary overlap, particularly with WYZ's DWP-funded employability and enterprise programmes.
• YMCA England & Wales: Large national youth and community charity operating membership-based centres with sports, health and wellbeing programmes. Comparable membership-based access model and youth-activity offering, but at much greater scale and breadth.
• Boys' Brigade: Long-established UK uniformed youth organisation providing activity programmes for children and young people aged 5-18+. Comparable youth engagement and life-skills focus, though delivered through a chapter-based rather than centre-based model.
• UK Youth: National umbrella body supporting a network of youth organisations across the UK. Wigan Youth Zone is a partner via UK Youth Active Futures and the Summer Jobs Programme; comparable youth-development focus and grant-funding channels.
• Scout Association: UK-wide uniformed youth organisation delivering adventure, skills and DofE-style programmes to children and young people. Comparable DofE-adjacent, life-skills and youth-development outcomes to Wigan Youth Zone, but national footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/WiganYouthZone
• Facebookfacebook.com/WiganYouthZone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wigan-youth-zone
• Instagraminstagram.com/wiganyouthz

Compliance6 records

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 Wigan Youth Zone