What Moseley Road Baths does

Moseley Road Baths is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), registered charity number 1176432, that operates and is restoring a Grade II* listed Edwardian swimming baths building in Balshall Heath, Birmingham. Founded in 1907 and on the Heritage at Risk Register, the baths have historically served as a community swimming facility used by local residents, schools, and clubs, with a long-running community programme. The freehold building is owned by Birmingham City Council; the CIO acts as the operating and fundraising entity responsible for its restoration, future programming, and stewardship of the heritage asset.

The organisation is currently executing a £32.7m capital restoration project split across two funded phases. Phase 1 (£18.5m — £15.5m from the Levelling Up Fund and £3m from Birmingham City Council) addresses core structural and building-envelope restoration; Phase 2 (~£16m led by a £9.27m National Heritage Fund grant) funds decarbonisation works, the creation of a new Health & Wellbeing Hub, a Community Gym, and an Event Space. Following the failure of main contractor ISG in 2024, Galliford Try was appointed in October 2025 to deliver the construction works. The CIO operates with a small team of 1–10 staff supplemented by trustees and volunteers, and in June 2026 announced the recruitment of its first CEO. The facility has been closed for swimming since October 2023, with reopening anticipated in late 2028.

Operationally, the CIO has historically generated revenue through swimming fees, donations, fundraising events, room hire, and grant income. With pool operations suspended during the restoration period, current income is dominated by capital grants, philanthropic donations, and a community events programme branded "Balsall Heath's Living Room." Pricing for swimming has historically followed a pay-as-you-go community model with concessionary rates for children, students, and families, plus a Friends of Moseley Road Baths membership tier. The underlying "technology" stack is limited to standard SaaS marketing and ticketing tools (Google Analytics, Mailchimp, Eventbrite, Spotify) and a WordPress CMS, with no disclosed digital product or AI components.

Name

Moseley Road Baths

Legal name

Moseley Road Baths CIO

Website

https://moseleyroadbaths.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Moseley Road Baths is a Birmingham-based Charitable Incorporated Organisation restoring and operating a Grade II* listed Edwardian swimming baths founded in 1907, serving local community swimmers, schools, and clubs with heritage swimming facilities, community programming, and planned health and wellbeing services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Swimming Session Fees: Pay-as-you-go swimming sessions providing recurring revenue from pool admissions
2. Donations and Fundraising: Charitable donations from supporters and community fundraising activities
3. Grant Funding: Major restoration funding from National Lottery Heritage Fund, government bodies, and charitable trusts for capital works

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Moseley Road Baths operates a Grade II* listed Edwardian swimming baths in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, offering pay-as-you-go swimming sessions, swimming lessons (MRB Swim School), accessible and inclusive programming for SEND, LGBTQ+, women's and disability communities, heritage tours, community events and cultural programming. The facility is currently closed for major restoration (since October 2023), with services temporarily relocated to The Old Print Works and reopening anticipated in late 2028.

Product overview

Moseley Road Baths is a heritage-led wellbeing, leisure and cultural destination operated by a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The core offering centres on the historic Gala Pool (the only pre-1914 Baths in the UK with continuous swimming since opening) and Pool 2 event space. The organisation is undergoing a major phased restoration (£32.7m total project) called the Diving In Programme, which will deliver: Gala Pool restoration with mezzanine gallery and accessible viewing; Pool 2 conversion to a flexible event space; transformation of Women's Slipper Baths into a Health & Wellbeing Hub; Men's Second Class Slipper Baths into a Community Gym; and adjacent Balsall Heath Library improvements. Community offerings include MRB Swim School (swimming lessons), Bathcasts Podcast (digital heritage content), the Young Curators Programme (early-career creative development), and Balsall Heath's Living Room (pop-up community space during closure). The restoration is expected to complete in late 2028.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gala Pool The main Edwardian swimming pool at Moseley Road Baths, a Grade II* listed facility dating to 1907, used for pay-as-you-go swimming sessions, family splash sessions, women-only swims, lane swimming, and para swimming. Currently closed for restoration with reopening anticipated late 2028.
• Pool 2 Event Space A second pool at Moseley Road Baths being converted into a flexible event space for pool parties, music events, and community gatherings. Currently hosts events including monthly music takeovers and pool disco parties.
• Health & Wellbeing Hub Transformation of the Women's Slipper Baths building into a community health and wellbeing hub as part of the Phase 2 restoration, supported by a £250,000 grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund.
• Community Gym Reimagining of the Men's Second Class Slipper Baths as a community gym, to be opened to the public for the first time outside of tours as part of Phase 2 restoration.
• MRB Swim School Swimming lessons and aquatic education programmes offered at Moseley Road Baths, operated in partnership with Diamond Swim Academy, providing structured swimming instruction for children and adults.
• Bathcasts Podcast A six-part podcast series created by Young Curators featuring comedian Rachel Baker interviewing people connected to Moseley Road Baths while they take baths in Edwardian Slipper Bath cubicles, featuring commissioned poetry, spoken word, music, and guided meditations.
• Young Curators Programme A paid development programme for early-career creatives to create digital experiences inspired by Moseley Road Baths heritage, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which produced the Bathcasts podcast.
• Balsall Heath's Living Room A pop-up community space created in the empty Gala Pool during the restoration closure, featuring creative activities, events, exhibitions, and community programming funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, including Place of Welcome, Qigong, Tai Chi, and Capoeira sessions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Full restoration of Moseley Road Baths as a community destination for swimming, health, wellbeing, culture and events
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Integration3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Galliford TrycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAppointed as main contractor in April 2025 to deliver Phase 1 building works between 2025-2027. UK-based construction company tasked with scaffolding, roof repairs, boiler replacement with air source heat pumps, and basement reinforcement.
• Donald Insall AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAJ100 architectural practice and lead designer for the restoration project, responsible for drawing up building plans. Has an impressive track record in heritage conservation.
• Mace (Mace Consult Limited)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProviding construction project management leadership. Mace has worked on major city-based projects including Birmingham City Council House and University of Birmingham's global campus.
• Max FordhammajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMechanical and electrical engineers for the restoration project.
• Mann WilliamsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerStructural engineers for the restoration project.
• ArteliamajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerQuantity surveying services for the restoration project.
• Historic EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the coalition led by National Trust working alongside Birmingham City Council to reimagine a new future for the Baths with swimming at its heart.
• World Monuments FundcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the coalition working to save Moseley Road Baths. The building was on World Monuments Watch in 2016.
• National TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLed the coalition of the willing formed in 2016 to work alongside Birmingham City Council to save Moseley Road Baths.
• Women & TheatremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity theatre company that produced 'The Saving of Moseley Road Baths' community production celebrating the saving of the baths. Sell-out run of 3 performances in March 2024.
• ChangeKitchen CICmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial enterprise catering company based in Balsall Heath providing hot food for events at Balsall Heath's Living Room. Founded by Birgit Kehrer, supports people back to work.
• Hoard-ItminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerInstalled the hoarding outside Moseley Road Baths to keep visitors safely away from construction works.
• ISG LtdmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOriginally appointed as main contractor in August 2024 to deliver Phase 1 building works. Subsequently notified of intention to appoint a receiver in September 2024. Galliford Try was subsequently appointed as replacement main contractor.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Everyone Active: Major UK community leisure operator managing more than 200 leisure centres including pools; competes with MRB for the Birmingham community swimming and wellbeing market via modern facilities.
• Fusion Lifestyle: Community-focused leisure operator running pools, gyms, and community programmes across the UK; comparable community leisure operating model and overlapping customer proposition for Birmingham-area community swimming.
• Places Leisure: Not-for-profit leisure trust operating pools and leisure facilities on behalf of local authorities; comparable community-leisure operating model at broader scale, providing direct competition for Birmingham community swimming demand.
• Parkwood Leisure: UK leisure trust operating pools and community leisure facilities in partnership with local authorities; comparable trust-based operating model and overlapping community swimming/wellbeing proposition.
• GLL (operating as Better): UK's largest charitable leisure trust operating hundreds of pools and leisure facilities on behalf of local authorities; broad incumbent in the community leisure space - operates modern pools that compete with MRB for Birmingham-area swimmers.

Direct peers

• Saltdean Lido: Art Deco heritage lido near Brighton that was community-restored and reopened; comparable heritage-led leisure restoration story with community ownership and swimming-as-wellbeing positioning.
• Bramley Baths: Edwardian community swimming baths in Leeds run as a charitable community benefit society; offers swimming lessons, wellbeing programmes, and community activities from a heritage building - same operating model as MRB (heritage building, charity governance, community swimming plus wellbeing programming).
• Govanhill Baths: Community-led Edwardian swimming baths in Glasgow undergoing heritage restoration; uses a charity/community-ownership model with volunteer engagement and wellbeing programming - directly comparable heritage baths preservation story.
• Ironmonger Row Baths: Historic Edwardian swimming baths in London; operated as part of a broader leisure estate but the heritage baths themselves offer a directly comparable heritage swimming experience in a major UK city.
• Victoria Baths: Grade II* listed Edwardian swimming baths in Manchester operated as a charitable trust; same heritage swimming baths category, similar community/heritage-led operating model and ongoing restoration/preservation focus. Closest direct peer to Moseley Road Baths in terms of building type, heritage status, and operational structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/MoseleyRdBaths
• Facebookfacebook.com/moseleyroadbaths
• Instagraminstagram.com/moseleyrdbaths
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moseley-road-baths

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Moseley Road Baths