Open Age

What Open Age does

Open Age is a registered charity in England and Wales (No. 1160125), founded in the early 1990s, that delivers activities, learning courses, and support services to people aged 50 and over living in Greater London. The organisation runs four community centres — the Second Half Centre (North Kensington), Avenues Hub (North Kensington), New Horizons (Chelsea), and St Margaret's Hub (Pimlico/Victoria) — plus a small remote Zoom delivery channel for selected exercise classes, and serves members through a free membership model. Its programme portfolio spans physical activity (Be Active rehabilitation support, Steady & Stable falls prevention, Healthy Lungs, Osteo Blast bone health, walking football, Tai Chi, Zumba, dance), social connection (Men's Space, Link Up, the 2025 bi-borough Befriending Service), digital inclusion (DigitALL), adult community learning, creative writing (with member anthologies published on Amazon), and dedicated support for unpaid carers (Time for Me). Distribution is hybrid: in-person at centres, remote via Zoom, and through formal referral pipelines from the Community Independence Service of the Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust and a bi-borough contract from Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea councils.

The underlying technology footprint is intentionally light. There is no proprietary digital platform, no mobile application, no AI/ML capability, and no disclosed integrations; operations rest on a website, a member login/CRM at crm.openage.org.uk, Zoom for remote classes, and standard office tooling. Strategic digital work is concentrated in the DigitALL project, which builds digital skills among older residents rather than building technology for Open Age itself. The published technological surface — a website, a CRM, Zoom, and CAF-processed donations — is consistent with a centre-based service charity rather than a software-led organisation.

Open Age is a non-profit and does not have a conventional pricing model. Membership is free, removing the consumer payment friction, while income is assembled from a diversified portfolio of charitable sources: multi-year transformational grants (City Bridge Foundation, Julia Rausing Trust), recurring programme grants (Henry Smith Charity for Men's Space, D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust for Still Life and singing, Invesco Cares Foundation for dance, Royal Institute of Philosophy for philosophy sessions, Westminster Almshouses Foundation), a long-running annual donation from The Second Half Foundation, individual donations (one-off, standing order, legacy/bequest, processed via CAF with Gift Aid), small fee income from selected exercise classes, ancillary income from Amazon sales of member anthologies, and a formal commissioned contract with Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea councils for the new Befriending Service. The go-to-market is community-led, relying on centre-based engagement, word-of-mouth, NHS and local authority referrals, community events, an email bulletin, and volunteer-supported social media.

Name

Open Age

Legal name

Open Age

Website

https://openage.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Age is a London-based registered charity, founded in the early 1990s, delivering free activities, learning courses, and support services to people aged 50 and over across Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea, and parts of Greater London through four community centres and remote delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Senior Community Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Community-Based Senior Centers with Adult Day Services (HLADAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Elder Services & Aging Support (BPAGAEAF), Community & Senior Center Lifelong Learning Programs (EDAAAMAB), Senior Social Clubs & Community-Based Day Programs (Non-Clinical) (HSABANAK)

Keywords

• Older adult services
• Community centre programmes
• Falls prevention classes
• Befriending services
• Digital inclusion training

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants & Funding: Open Age operates primarily as a grant-funded charity, receiving financial support from trusts, foundations, and local government bodies. Funders include City Bridge Foundation, Julia Rausing Trust, Henry Smith Charity, Westminster Almshouses Foundation, Second Half Foundation, D'Oyly Carte Charitable Trust, Invesco Cares Foundation, Royal Institute of Philosophy, and others. Grants fund specific programmes such as Men's Space, DigitALL, dance classes, philosophy sessions, and general operating costs.
2. Individual Donations: Open Age accepts donations from individuals, processed via CAF (Charities Aid Foundation). Gift Aid is claimed where donors are eligible, adding 25p per £1 donated. One-time donations, standing orders, bank transfers, cheques, and postal orders are accepted.
3. Legacies and Bequests: Open Age encourages supporters to leave gifts in their Will (pecuniary or residuary legacies), helping ensure long-term sustainability of programmes for older Londoners.
4. Class and Activity Participation Fees: While membership is free, some activities may involve participation fees. Healthy Lungs and Osteo Blast group exercise classes are delivered both in-person and remotely via Zoom, suggesting a fee-based model for certain programme elements.
5. Sales of Members' Anthologies: Open Age publishes creative writing anthologies authored by members (e.g., 'The Open Page - An Anthology of Creative Writing', 2024 and 2025 editions). These books are sold via Amazon, with proceeds supporting the charity's mission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Open Age delivers free community-based activities, learning courses, and support services for people aged 50 and over across Greater London. Offerings span physical activity and falls-prevention classes, health-focused workshops, befriending for isolated older adults, digital-skills training, and adult community learning, delivered through local community centres and online.

Product overview

Open Age operates as a single unified charity service offering a comprehensive portfolio of community-based programmes for older adults aged 50+ across London. The core offering combines physical activity programmes (Be Active, Steady & Stable, Healthy Lungs, Osteo Blast), social connection services (New Befriending Service, Link Up, Men's Space), and digital inclusion initiatives (DigitALL Project). Supporting these are educational offerings through Adult Community Learning and creative programmes including philosophy sessions, creative arts, and gardening activities. Services are delivered through multiple physical centres (Second Half Centre, New Horizons, St Margaret's Hub, Avenues Hub) and remotely, with all activities accessible through free membership. The organization serves the bi-borough area of Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Open Age Membership Free membership programme giving people aged 50+ access to Open Age's activities, classes, learning, and support services across Greater London.
• Steady & Stable (Falls Prevention) Group-based falls prevention and balance exercise programme for older adults, delivered in community centres and online, frequently accessed via NHS and social prescribing referrals.
• Be Active Programme Physical activity programme offering accessible exercise and movement sessions for members aged 50+.
• Befriending Service One-to-one and group befriending support for older adults experiencing loneliness or social isolation, delivered by trained volunteers.
• DigitALL Project Digital inclusion project teaching older adults to use smartphones, tablets, video calling, and everyday online services.
• Men's Space Men-only social and activity sessions designed to support older men who may be more isolated or less likely to engage with mixed groups.
• Time for Me Programme providing short-break activities and peer support for unpaid older carers.
• Healthy Lungs Workshop and gentle exercise programme supporting older adults with respiratory conditions such as COPD.
• Osteo Blast Targeted exercise sessions for older adults at risk of, or living with, osteoporosis.
• Link Up Information, advice, and signposting service helping members access wider community resources and support.
• Adult Community Learning Short-course learning offer covering arts, languages, history, and practical skills for members aged 50+.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 33 years of continuous operation supporting older Londoners
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• The Second Half FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2014The Second Half Foundation was created in 2011 by Jill Shaw Ruddock, inspired by her book 'The Second Half of Your Life'. Open Age partnered with the Foundation in April 2014 to take on and continue running the Second Half Centre at the St Charles Centre for Health and Wellbeing in North Kensington. The Foundation provides generous annual donations that help ensure the programme of group activities continues. This partnership has enabled Open Age to change the lives of 1,000s of older people in London.
• The Royal Institute of PhilosophyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Royal Institute of Philosophy (100-year-old UK foundation sharing philosophical thinking widely) provides Local Partner grant funding for group philosophy sessions for Londoners aged 50+ delivered at Open Age centres. This partnership enables philosophical discussion groups on topics such as mind vs. brain and the concept of privacy.
• Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea Borough CouncilscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen Age won the bi-borough contract for befriending services in Westminster and Kensington & Chelsea for people aged 50+. This formal commissioning relationship involves matching individuals with carefully selected volunteers for weekly social visits (in-person or by phone). The contract was won competitively and Open Age is currently setting up the service.
• Community Independence Service, Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThis NHS trust's Community Independence Service refers participants to Open Age's Be Active programme. Participants who have been prescribed physiotherapy are matched with Open Age volunteers for up to 9 sessions of rehabilitation exercise support. Open Age and its partners provide training, project coordinator support, and peer support throughout the programme.
• Violet Melchett Health and Wellbeing CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted a Men's Health Event in November 2025 with Open Age, providing a venue and collaborative delivery of health checks (blood pressure, AF screenings, grip-strength tests) and Tai Chi taster sessions. The event was part of Movember and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from men across the community.
• DigitALL Partnership (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Digital Inclusion Team and local NHS place-based partnerships)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed by Open Age, DigitALL is a partnership of charities that support the most digitally excluded groups. From April 2024 to March 2025, the partnership supported over 280 residents. The project combines Open Age's community reach with RBKC's Digital Inclusion Team and NHS place-based partnerships to deliver digital skills for wellbeing and connection.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Independent Age: National older-persons charity providing advice, befriending and wellbeing programmes across the UK, sharing Open Age's mix of direct service and information-based support.
• Age UK: National umbrella charity for older people in the UK, with thousands of services across advice, social activities, and befriending. Sets the strategic and brand reference point for local charities like Open Age.

Direct peers

• Re-engage: National charity dedicated to combating loneliness in older people via volunteer befriending, group activities and dementia-specific programmes. Tightly comparable to Open Age's Befriending Service and social-isolation focus.
• Royal Voluntary Service: Major UK charity running volunteer-led services including hospital-based, community, and home-from-home support, including befriending for older adults. Direct comparator on volunteer-led older-people service delivery at national scale.
• Age UK Kensington & Chelsea: Local Age UK branch serving the same borough (Kensington & Chelsea) and overlapping 50+ demographic with advice, social activities, and befriending services. Closest geographic and demographic direct peer.
• U3A (The Third Age Trust): UK network of locally-run lifelong learning and social groups specifically for people in their 'third age'. Directly comparable to Open Age's Adult Community Learning, philosophy, creative writing, and language classes.
• The Wimbledon Guild: South-west London-based charity providing practical support, activities and befriending for older residents in a defined London catchment — a useful local equivalent for service-mix benchmarking.
• Age UK Westminster: Local Age UK branch serving the same Westminster borough with similar information, advice, activities and befriending offerings for older adults in the same catchment area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/openage

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Open Age