Yorkshire Mesmac

What Yorkshire Mesmac does

Yorkshire MESMAC is a registered charity (Charity Number 1040407, Company Number 2958336) founded in 1990 and headquartered in Leeds, UK, delivering free sexual and mental health services to LGBTQ+ and other marginalised communities across Yorkshire. It operates from four regional offices in Leeds, Bradford, Hull and Rotherham, with outreach across South Yorkshire including Sheffield and Barnsley, and describes itself as one of the country's oldest and largest sexual health organisations.

The service portfolio spans rapid finger-prick HIV point-of-care testing (POCT) with results delivered before the client leaves, alongside STI testing, free six-session LGBTQ+ counselling, 1-2-1 confidential support from named community development workers, LGBT+ youth groups for ages 14-25, drug and alcohol support including chemsex, sex worker support delivered in partnership with The Lotus Project, training for professionals and schools, and navigation to NHS PrEP and PEP. Resources include free condom and lube distribution across scene venues (gay pubs, clubs, saunas, cottages, cruising areas) plus a previously available postal condom service that is currently suspended due to Royal Mail collection issues. An online booking system allows self-service appointment scheduling, and the website integrates standard analytics (Google Analytics, Matomo, Microsoft Clarity) with Cloudflare Turnstile for spam protection.

The business model is non-commercial: all services are provided free of charge to service users, with funding drawn from charitable donations and public sector grants and contracts (NHS, local authorities). The organisation holds Investors in People Gold accreditation (held since 2007), is a Living Wage Employer, Disability Confident Employer, Mindful Employer and White Ribbon signatory, and meets WCAG 2.2 Level AA accessibility standards. There is no disclosed revenue, no commercial pricing model, and no parent company, private equity or venture capital ownership indicated.

Name

Yorkshire Mesmac

Legal name

MESMAC

Website

https://mesmac.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Yorkshire MESMAC is a registered charity providing free sexual and mental health services, including HIV and STI testing, LGBTQ+ counselling, youth groups and outreach, to marginalised communities across Yorkshire from offices in Leeds, Bradford, Hull and Rotherham.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sexual and Mental Health Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (62419)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• Sexual health services
• HIV testing services
• STI screening
• LGBTQ+ counselling
• Community health outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Yorkshire MESMAC is a registered charity (Charity Number 1040407) that delivers free, confidential sexual and mental health services across Yorkshire. Its core offerings include rapid HIV testing, STI testing, LGBTQ+ counselling, 1-2-1 community development worker support, LGBT+ youth services, free condom and lube distribution, PrEP/PEP access support, drug and alcohol support including chemsex, HIV support groups, commercial sex worker support, and training for professionals. Services are delivered in-person at offices in Leeds, Bradford, Hull, and Rotherham, through community outreach, and via online booking.

Product overview

Yorkshire MESMAC is a sexual and mental health charity offering a coordinated portfolio of health services across Yorkshire. The organization provides a unified service model combining HIV and STI testing, free LGBTQ+-inclusive counselling, 1-2-1 support from Community Development Workers, youth services, training for professionals, drug and alcohol support, and support for commercial sex workers. Additional offerings include health prevention resources such as PrEP and PEP access support, free condom and lube distribution, and HIV support groups. Services are available across Leeds, Bradford, Hull, Rotherham, and South Yorkshire.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HIV Testing
• STI Testing
• 1-2-1 Support
• Counselling
• LGBT+ Youth Services
• Training
• Drug & Alcohol Support
• Commercial Sex Workers Support
• HIV Support Groups
• PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) Access Support
• PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis) Access Support
• Free Condoms and Lube Distribution
• Contraception Resources

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Lotus ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMESMAC works in partnership with The Lotus Project to offer sexual health support to commercial sex workers from all backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations in Bradford. Services include confidential STI screening, 1-2-1 support, and prevention work for sex workers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Positively UK: London-based HIV charity providing peer support, advocacy, and wellbeing services for people living with HIV. Directly comparable through HIV support groups, 1-2-1 peer support, and counselling for PLHIV.
• Brook: UK-wide sexual health and wellbeing charity for young people under 25, providing free STI testing, contraception, and counselling. Comparable as a youth-focused sexual health charity with a free service model.
• Terrence Higgins Trust: The UK's largest HIV and sexual health charity, providing HIV testing, sexual health support, counselling, and advocacy nationally. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping mission, free service model, and NHS/public funding structure.
• LGBT Foundation: Manchester-based LGBTQ+ charity delivering sexual health, mental health, counselling, and community support services across Greater Manchester. Comparable in service mix, free-to-user model, and community development worker approach.
• Stonewall Housing: London-based LGBTQ+ charity providing housing advice, support, and mental health services. Comparable as an LGBTQ+-focused charity delivering free support services including counselling.
• Switchboard LGBT+ Helpline: National LGBTQ+ helpline providing emotional support and information, including around sexual health and HIV. Comparable mission around LGBTQ+ wellbeing and signposting.
• GMFA — the gay men's health charity: London-based charity focused on gay men's sexual health, including HIV prevention, chemsex support, and mental health. Directly comparable MSM-focused sexual health mission.

Broad incumbents

• National AIDS Trust: UK-wide HIV policy and advocacy charity. Comparable through HIV focus but operates at the policy/commissioning layer rather than direct service delivery, with a broader portfolio.

Emerging players

• The Love Tank / PrEPster: Community interest company focused on HIV prevention, PrEP awareness, and sexual health education. Comparable through PrEP advocacy and HIV prevention work, though more campaign-focused than service-delivery.
• cliniQ: London-based trans-led sexual health and wellbeing clinic. Comparable niche focus on trans-inclusive sexual health services, though operating only in London with a clinic model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/mesmachealth
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_R30-lXINMh0DN4VUi-0tQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/mesmachealth
• Instagraminstagram.com/mesmachealth
• TikToktiktok.com/@mesmacsexualhealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/yorkshire-mesmac

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Yorkshire Mesmac