CREATE Paisley

What CREATE Paisley does

Create Paisley is a Scottish-registered arts charity (SC043437) founded in 2020, headquartered at FYF Charity Hub, 25 St James Street, Paisley. The organisation delivers weekly arts-based programmes for young people aged 12-21 in Renfrewshire, Scotland, using creativity to address isolation, anxiety, and disadvantage. Its core programmes include the Paisley Drop-in and Create Club (after-school drop-ins), The Magnificent Blue Youth Forum, the Young Volunteers leadership programme, school lunch clubs at Johnstone High School and Castlehead High School, Games and Grub (in partnership with Active Communities), a Young Carers programme across four high schools with Renfrewshire Carers Centre, a Resettlement Family Group with Renfrewshire Council, and Family Zone sessions at Methodist Central Halls. A summer programme, GO Create Summer, extends the age range to 8-18 during school holidays.

The organisation operates from three venues across Paisley and Johnstone and runs a small staff team supported by a board of seven trustees chaired by Sarah Scott. Its service delivery is in-person and human-led by trauma-informed youth work practitioners, many of whom are also practicing artists, with no proprietary technology systems; communications and programme management rely on standard website, email, and social media tools. There is no application, API, or digital product surface.

The business model is grant-dependent. Primary revenue comes from restricted and unrestricted grants from trusts, foundations, and government bodies, including BBC Children in Need, Creative Scotland, Renfrewshire Council, The Robertson Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, National Lottery Awards for All and Young Start, The Gannochy Trust, People's Postcode Trust, and Forte Charitable Foundation. Donations from individual supporters, with suggested amounts of £20 (art materials), £50 (session space), and £120 (youth worker delivery), supplement grant income. All services to young people are provided free of charge. In 2025-26, the charity engaged 542 unique participants across 308 sessions, generating 3,411 attendances, with 45% of participants drawn from the 20% most deprived areas in Scotland and self-reported outcomes of 85% improved mental health, 88% increased community connection, and 91% creative skill development.

Name

CREATE Paisley

Legal name

Create Paisley

Website

https://createpaisley.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Create Paisley is a Scottish arts charity delivering weekly arts-based programmes for young people aged 12-21 in Renfrewshire, using creativity to support mental health, wellbeing, and community connection.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Arts Charity Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGADAJ

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGALAO

Community Arts, Culture & Creative Placemaking Enterprises

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGAHAC

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Arts, Culture & Heritage Nonprofits

SECONDARYBPAGADAK

Youth Mental Health, Counseling & Wellbeing (Education-Linked) Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

Keywords

• Youth arts programmes
• Community creative sessions
• Youth mental health support
• Charitable arts charity
• Youth engagement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Paisley

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grants and Funded Programmes: Primary revenue from grants and funded programmes provided by trusts, foundations, government bodies, and lottery-funded initiatives. Funders include BBC Children in Need, Creative Scotland, Renfrewshire Council, The Robertson Trust, Garfield Weston Foundation, National Lottery Awards for All, and numerous other charitable foundations. Revenue is restricted to specific programmes and community outreach initiatives.
2. Donations: Individual donations from supporters, both one-off and regular contributions. Donation amounts specified: £20 for art materials, £50 for session space, £120 for trained youth worker/artist delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CREATE Paisley is an arts charity that runs free, weekly arts-based sessions and creative programmes for young people aged 12-21 (and select programmes for ages 8-18) in Renfrewshire, Scotland. Core offerings include drop-in sessions, after-school clubs, school lunch clubs, a youth forum, a young volunteers programme, and family creative activities, all designed to support mental health, wellbeing, and community connection through creativity.

Product overview

CREATE Paisley offers a portfolio of arts-based youth programmes in Renfrewshire, Scotland. The core offerings include creative drop-ins (Paisley Drop-in, Create Club), Youth Forum and Young Volunteers programmes, school lunch clubs, community partnerships, and family-focused activities. These programmes work together to support young people's mental health and wellbeing through creativity, providing safe spaces for arts activities, leadership development, and community connection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Magnificent Blue: Youth Forum - weekly sessions offering a safe space for young people aged 12-21 to express their views, interests and shape how Create Paisley is run.
• Young Volunteers
• Create Club
• Paisley Drop-in
• Games and Grub
• GO Create Summer

Products and services

• Paisley Drop-in A safe, creative and welcoming drop-in space for young people aged 12-21 in Paisley, with a wellbeing focus and arts-based activities, games, and informal chat. Delivered free of charge at FYF Charity Hub, 25 St James Street.
• Create Club A weekly after-school drop-in for young people aged 12-21 offering creative activities, refreshments, games and a space to unwind. Delivered in partnership with Active Communities.
• Youth Forum (The Magnificent Blue) Weekly sessions offering a safe space for young people aged 12-21 to express their views, shape how CREATE Paisley is run, and develop leadership skills.
• Young Volunteers Programme A leadership and empowerment programme for young people aged 16-25, involving induction, training, and regular volunteering within CREATE Paisley's outreach programme.
• School Lunch Clubs Quiet, safe, welcoming spaces during school lunch breaks offering creative activities. Currently delivered at Johnstone High School and Castlehead High School in Renfrewshire.
• Games and Grub A weekly after-school club for young people in P5-P7 providing games, craft activities and a meal, led by Active Communities with delivery support from the CREATE team.
• Resettlement Family Group Creative sessions for refugee and resettlement families in Renfrewshire, delivered in partnership with Renfrewshire Council's Resettlement Team.
• Young Carers Programme Creative sessions supporting young carers across four high schools in Renfrewshire, delivered in partnership with Renfrewshire Carers Centre.
• Family Zone A welcoming space for families to unleash their imagination, featuring creative activities, games, and family fun. Delivered in partnership with Methodist Central Halls in Paisley.
• GO Create Summer Weekly trips and workshops for young people aged 8-18 over the summer holidays, delivered free of charge and open to all in Renfrewshire.
• Create Family Club A welcoming Thursday morning group for families in Renfrewshire during the summer holidays, with arts and crafts activities, games, and snacks.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85% of participants felt better about their mental health and wellbeing
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Active CommunitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary operational partner for Games and Grub after-school club and Create Club. Active Communities leads delivery with Create team providing creative activities support.
• Finding Your FeetcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity providing venue for Paisley Drop-in sessions at FYF Charity Hub, enabling Create Paisley to deliver youth services in Paisley town centre.
• Johnstone High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool partner hosting lunch clubs and providing access to students for creative activities and youth support services.
• Castlehead High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool partner hosting weekly lunchtime arts and crafts sessions for all pupils.
• Renfrewshire Carers CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver creative sessions for young carers across 4 high schools in Renfrewshire.
• Methodist Central HallssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to deliver Family Zone sessions - a welcoming space for families to engage in creative activities together.
• The Soundsystem ProjectsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusic collaboration partner for creative sessions producing music works with young people including track 'You Know I Like You'.
• Engage RenfrewshiresecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal umbrella organisation distributing Community Mental Health & Wellbeing Fund from The Scottish Government.
• Barnardo'ssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational children's charity operating as a community partner organisation.
• Police ScotlandsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity safety partner collaborating with Create Paisley on youth engagement initiatives.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Children's Society: National UK charity supporting disadvantaged children and young people, including through creative and rights-based programmes. Similar beneficiary profile (vulnerable young people, mental health, advocacy) but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth.
• Barnardo's: UK's largest children's charity, operating across child welfare, mental health, and creative youth programmes. Already a community partner of Create Paisley; comparable vulnerable-youth focus but at national scale with very different funding model.
• The Prince's Trust: Large UK youth-development charity supporting 11-30 year-olds through education, training, and creative programmes. Comparable target population and outcomes focus, but operates at national scale with broader non-arts programming and a much larger funder base.

Direct peers

• National Youth Theatre: UK-wide charity using theatre and the performing arts to support young people's personal development and wellbeing. Most direct comparability in terms of mission (arts-based youth transformation), though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Sound Connections: UK charity using music-making to support young people's personal and social development, particularly those facing disadvantage. Comparable arts-discipline focus (music/creative) and outcomes framing around wellbeing and inclusion.
• Youth Scotland: Scotland's national umbrella for youth work organisations, supporting community-based youth groups with similar deprivation and wellbeing remits. Direct geographic and population comparability to Create Paisley's Renfrewshire operation.
• Superact: UK charity delivering arts and creative engagement programmes for health, wellbeing, and community impact. Comparable cross-sector positioning at the arts/health/community interface and similar grant-funded delivery model.
• Artswork: England-based charity championing arts and cultural engagement for children and young people, with a focus on disadvantaged communities. Highly comparable arts-plus-youth-development mission and partner-driven delivery model.

Others

• Voluntary Arts: UK-wide advocate and umbrella for voluntary participation in arts and crafts. Comparable emphasis on community-based creative participation but operates as an infrastructure/advocacy body rather than direct youth service provider.

Emerging players

• NYFA (National Youth Film Academy): UK charity providing creative arts training and pathways for young people from underserved backgrounds. Comparable arts-based youth-development mission with a more specialised media/film focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/create.paisley
• Instagraminstagram.com/createpaisley
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/createpaisley

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 CREATE Paisley