Legacy Youth Zone, Croydon

What Legacy Youth Zone, Croydon does

Legacy Youth Zone is an award-winning registered charity (No. 1173107) operating a purpose-built £6.5 million youth facility at 125 Whitehorse Road, Croydon, as part of the OnSide Youth Zones national network. Founded in 2019, it serves young people aged 8-19 (and up to 25 for those with additional needs) through age-differentiated club sessions (Juniors, Seniors, Beyond Limits SEND), a School Engagement Programme, a Young Leader Programme, and a Holiday Club, delivering over 20 activities daily across sports, creative arts, music, media, employability, and wellbeing. The facility includes an indoor climbing wall, sports hall, gym, recording studio, training kitchen, dance studio, and 3G pitch, with 3,500+ active members and 37,074 visits recorded in 2025.

The organisation operates a charitable revenue model with annual operating costs of £1.5-2 million, funded approximately 90% by voluntary donations (Founder Patrons, corporate partnerships, trust and foundation grants, individual giving, event fundraising) and roughly 10% by young-person membership fees (£5 annual membership plus 50p per visit). Distribution is direct-to-consumer through walk-in sessions and an online booking system (youthzoneapi.co.uk), with school referrals, minibus outreach, and corporate partner events extending reach. Pricing for end users is deliberately affordable to ensure accessibility, with the charity generating income primarily through B2B and B2C fundraising relationships rather than service fees. Notable commercial partnerships include multi-year commitments from Four Acre Trust, Henry Riley LLP, Amro Partners, and event sponsorship from Modern Health Group, alongside programme partnerships with NHS, Amazon UK, and UFC.

Legacy is governed by a board of trustees and led since December 2024 by CEO Myke Catterall (who progressed internally from Business and People Manager) and Chair Simon Culpeper. The charity has no proprietary technology platform, generates no product or software revenue, and relies on volunteer contributions (2,598 hours annually from 70+ volunteers) to extend operational capacity. Strategic priorities evidenced in recent activity include mental health service expansion (NHS-funded Hi Five initiative), corporate fundraising maturation (Legacy 100 Club), and deepened engagement with high-profile partners including UFC and Amazon UK.

Name

Legacy Youth Zone, Croydon

Legal name

Legacy Youth Zone

Website

https://legacyyouthzone.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Legacy Youth Zone is a Croydon-based registered charity operating a £6.5 million purpose-built facility under the OnSide network, serving 3,500+ young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 with SEND) through 20+ daily activities including sports, arts, music, and wellbeing programmes, funded primarily by voluntary donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Development Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth-to-Adult Transition & Life Skills (Independent Living, Soft Skills) (EDAAAFAN)

Keywords

• Youth development services
• Youth club programmes
• Community youth work
• After-school activities
• Youth mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Croydon

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: It costs £2 million every year to provide youth work services for thousands of young people in Croydon. Approximately 90% of this comes from voluntary donations, with the remaining ~10% coming from membership fees paid by young people.
2. Individual Membership Fees: Young people pay £5 annual membership and 50p per visit. Income from young people only amounts to around 10% of annual turnover but creates a sense of value and ownership.
3. Corporate Partnerships and Patrons: Businesses and individuals become Patrons or Gold Supporters, providing annual donations. Examples include Four Acre Trust (£25,000/year for 3 years), Henry Riley LLP (£90,000 over 3 years), and Amro Partners (3-year Gold partnership).
4. Trust and Foundation Grants: Funding from charitable trusts and foundations including Four Acre Trust, Jack Petchey Foundation, The Austin and Hope Pilkington Trust, Stone Family Foundation, and others.
5. Individual Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations through website, JustGiving pages, Amazon Smile, Legacy 100 Club (£100/month), and various fundraising activities by supporters.
6. Event Fundraising: Revenue generated through events such as the annual Golf Day, Tough Mudder participation, and community fundraising activities.
7. Space Hire: The facility offers spaces for hire, generating revenue while also serving community purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

Legacy Youth Zone operates a £6.5 million purpose-built youth facility in Croydon providing open-access youth work and over 20 daily activities for young people aged 8-19 (up to 25 for those with additional needs). Core offerings include structured youth club sessions (Juniors, Seniors, Beyond Limits SEND), sports and fitness, arts and creative programmes, music and recording, wellbeing and mental health support, school engagement, and a holiday club, accessed via a £5 annual membership plus 50p per visit.

Product overview

Legacy Youth Zone is an award-winning youth charity operating as a single-site youth facility rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organisation provides over 20 daily activities through dedicated programme areas including sports and fitness (basketball, football, climbing, boxing, martial arts, gym), creative arts (arts/crafts/fashion studio, dance studio, drama), media (film/multimedia suite, music room with recording studio), practical skills (training kitchen, health & wellbeing salon), and structured youth work (school engagement programme, young leader programme, holiday club). Core access is through a membership programme at £5 annual membership plus 50p per visit, with additional fundraising vehicles including the Legacy 100 Club for businesses, corporate partnerships, and founder patron commitments. The organisation also operates a formal complaints procedure for service users.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth Club Sessions (Juniors, Seniors, Beyond Limits SEND)

Quantifiable outcome

• 37,074 total visits to Legacy in 2025
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UFCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-year partnership establishing UFC's first youth mentoring programme in the UK through OnSide network. Former UFC light heavyweight Jimi Manuwa leads martial arts-focused mentoring at Legacy. Programme teaches boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, wrestling, judo, and jiu-jitsu to young people aged 12-16 in weekly 6-8 week sessions. Also includes youth engagement activities with Metropolitan Police South Area Command Unit.
• OnSide Youth ZonescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent charity network that funds and builds state-of-the-art Youth Zones across the UK. Established in 2008, with 14 Youth Zones developed supporting 50,000+ young people. Legacy is the third OnSide Youth Zone in London and first in South London. Network provides best practice sharing, national partnerships, and operational support.
• Reedham Children's TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership delivering the School Engagement Programme designed to remove barriers young people in Croydon may face. Bridges the gap between schools and young people's access to Legacy and enriching opportunities.
• John BoyegaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStar Wars actor visited Legacy as part of Amazon UK and OnSide initiative. Spoke with members about his youth centre experience and helped deliver Christmas gifts. Inspired young people about opportunities in acting and dance.
• Metropolitan PoliceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth Area Command Unit partners with Legacy and UFC for youth engagement activities. PC Dean Littlewood noted the programme helps direct young people away from criminality towards positive paths. Builds relationships and trust between police and community.
• Palace for Life FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Hi Five mental health collaboration bringing together 5 organisations to support over 70 primary and 23 secondary schools in Croydon. Uses football and sports engagement to reach young people.
• MentivityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Hi Five mental health collaboration providing mentoring and positive role models to young people in Croydon schools.
• Ashdon Jazz AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the Hi Five mental health collaboration bringing arts and music engagement to support young people's wellbeing in Croydon schools.
• Off The RecordminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCounselling and mental health support service identifying and referring young people to the Hi Five programme's partner organisations.
• Croydon Drop InminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCounselling and young people support service identifying and referring young people to the Hi Five programme for appropriate support.
• Boxpark CroydonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted Legacy's Got Talent 2022 event at their Beat Box room venue. Provided prizes and vouchers for winners and participants.
• HTA ArchitectsminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with Amro Partners to host workshops with Legacy members on the Croydon Park Hotel redevelopment design.
• SportedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity supporting youth organisations, listed as Legacy supporter.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/legacyyz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC_gnj7pXMJzRmfPueBJHEyA
• Facebookfacebook.com/legacyyouthzone
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/legacy-croydon-youth-zone
• Instagraminstagram.com/LegacyYouthZone

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 Legacy Youth Zone, Croydon