st. hilda's east

What st. hilda's east does

St. Hilda's East is a registered charity (Charity No 212208, Company No 00052880) operating community services in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets since 1889. The organisation runs two purpose-built sites: a community centre at 18 Club Row in Shoreditch and Sonali Gardens Elders Day Centre at 79 Tarling Street in Shadwell, which provides culturally appropriate services (halal meals, prayer and ablution rooms) predominantly for Bangladeshi older people. Its service portfolio is organised into six categories: advice services (free bilingual welfare advice in English and Sylheti, plus a free legal clinic staffed by City law firm volunteers); early years (Stay and Play and sensory room sessions for under-5s); youth services (Brave Girls, sports sessions, life skills); older people's services (Sonali Gardens, LinkAge Plus, Over 50s Feeling Good); adult wellbeing (Creative Space, Cooking Club, Women's Group in partnership with Mind Tower Hamlets and NHS Talking Therapies); and venue services (room hire and long-term office rental). Services are delivered free at the point of use to Tower Hamlets residents through face-to-face engagement, with no proprietary technology platform underpinning delivery.

The charity's revenue model combines individual and corporate donations, grant funding from trusts and government programmes, and commercial venue hire. It states an annual operational requirement of £635,000 to sustain the community centre and programmes. Venue hire ranges from £30-£100 per hour for rooms and £20,000-£23,000 per annum for office tenancies, with charitable discounts available to other non-profits. The organisation also runs a 135th anniversary fundraising campaign targeting £135,000 in 2024. Distribution is community-led via two physical sites plus social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, TikTok), email newsletters, word-of-mouth, and social-services referrals.

Governance is via a board of trustees (Chair Kate Simpson, Treasurer Malini McCauley) led by Director Lucy Bingham, who joined in May 2023 from Holloway Neighbourhood Group. The organisation maintains an institutional relationship with its founding institution, Cheltenham Ladies' College, via the CLC Ambassadors programme, and operates a wide partnership network including Mind, NHS Talking Therapies, Sadler's Wells, English National Ballet, Historic Royal Palaces, Age UK East London, Peabody, Toynbee Hall, and the Jack Petchey Foundation. In 2024-25 it served 190 children and young people, 478 older adults, delivered 300 one-to-one advice appointments, and mobilised 101 volunteers.

Name

st. hilda's east

Legal name

St. Hilda's East

Website

https://sthildas.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1889

Operating status

Operating

Short description

St. Hilda's East is a 135-year-old registered charity operating two community centres in Tower Hamlets, East London, delivering free bilingual welfare advice, legal clinics, early-years play, youth programmes, older people's day care, and adult wellbeing services funded through donations, grants, and venue hire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Elder Services & Aging Support (BPAGAEAF)

Keywords

• Community centre services
• Charitable advice services
• Youth programmes
• Older people support
• Venue hire

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Regular donations from individuals (Friends of St. Hilda's East), corporate donations, and fundraising campaigns including the 135th anniversary campaign targeting £135,000.
2. Venue Hire: Room hire (Middleton Hall, Community Hall, The Overlook, The Sunroom) and long-term office rental generating income to sustain community services.
3. Grant Funding: Annual grants and trust funding to support operations and specific programmes; needs to raise £635,000 annually to keep the community centre running.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

St. Hilda's East is a registered charity and community centre operating two East London sites in Shoreditch and Shadwell. It delivers free or subsidised advice services, children and youth programmes, older-people services, and adult wellbeing activities for local residents, alongside paid venue hire and office rental that generates income to support the charity's mission.

Product overview

St. Hilda's East is a community centre charity operating across two sites in East London (Shoreditch and Shadwell) offering a portfolio of community services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include: Advice Services (Free Welfare Advice in Bengali/English and Free Legal Advice Clinics partnered with City law firms); Early Years Services (Stay and Play for under 5s and Sensory Room sessions); Youth Services (Brave Girls, Sports for Young People including badminton and football, and Life Skills Programme); Older People's Services (Sonali Gardens Day Centre for Bangladeshi elders, LinkAge Plus, and Over 50s Feeling Good Programme); Adult Wellbeing Services (Creative Space, Cooking Club, and Women's Group, partnered with Mind Tower Hamlets); and Venue Services (Room/Venue Hire and Office Rental). All services are free to the community and funded through donations and hire income.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advice services Free or subsidised welfare and advice support delivered at the Shoreditch and Shadwell community centres for local East London residents.
• Children and youth services Programmes and activities for children and young people run out of the St. Hilda's East community centres in East London.
• Older people services Activities and support programmes for older residents delivered through the St. Hilda's East community centres.
• Adult wellbeing Wellbeing programmes and activities for adults in the local East London community.
• Venue hire Hire of community-centre rooms and event spaces at the Shoreditch and Shadwell sites, generating income for the charity.
• Office rental Rental of office space at the St. Hilda's East community-centre sites, generating income for the charity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 190 children and young people worked with (2024-25)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Mind Tower Hamlets, Newham & RedbridgecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for adult wellbeing services including weekly yoga, creative space group, and monthly cooking club for Tower Hamlets residents experiencing mental health issues. Service users are asked to register with Mind when joining these programmes.
• English National BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWeekly dance class with English National Ballet as part of LinkAge Plus programme, providing creative movement and dance sessions for all abilities.
• Sadler's WellscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for dance classes including 'Get into Dance' scheme. Theatre group attends West End performances. Collaboration with Over 50s Feeling Good programme.
• Historic Royal PalacesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPuppet making workshops delivered by Historic Royal Palaces team based at Tower Bridge for Women's Group participants.
• Columbia Road ClayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative partnership for mindful pottery and wheel throwing activities at Creative Space.
• City Law Firm VolunteerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVolunteers from City law firms provide free legal advice at both Sonali Gardens and Club Row sites, covering housing, welfare benefits, consumer, contract, and employment matters.
• Jack Petchey FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting Brave Girls youth group and youth development programmes.
• London SportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting sports for young people including badminton and girls football sessions.
• St John AmbulanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with youth programmes including Brave Girls to provide training and development opportunities.
• Cheltenham Ladies' College (Guild)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding institution - St. Hilda's East was established in 1889 by the Guild of Cheltenham Ladies' College. Two CLC students from each year group volunteer as Ambassadors. Active partnership continues with students and staff.
• NHS Talking TherapiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal facilitators deliver 'Self-Care and Mental Health' sessions at Women's Group and Creative Space every 8 weeks, providing professional mental health support.
• Mary Ward CentreminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSinging performances and cultural activities partnership with LinkAge Plus programme.
• Tower Hamlets Social ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReferral pathway for Sonali Gardens Day Centre; referrals come via Tower Hamlets social services for culturally appropriate elderly care.
• Age UK East London, Neighbours in Poplar, Peabody, Toynbee HallcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFive hubs working across Tower Hamlets borough as part of LinkAge Plus network, with St. Hilda's East based at Sonali Gardens in Shadwell.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Toynbee Hall: Historic East London settlement and community charity in Tower Hamlets offering advice, learning, and wellbeing programmes. Direct LinkAge Plus partner of St. Hilda's East and the closest comparable settlement-style community organisation in the same borough.
• Holloway Neighbourhood Group: North London neighbourhood community centre charity where Director Lucy Bingham and Head of Operations Daniel Charcharos previously worked. Operates a similar multi-service community centre model (advice, youth, older people) and is structurally the closest peer organisation.
• Age UK East London: Core LinkAge Plus consortium partner with St. Hilda's East, delivering over-50s services across Tower Hamlets. Directly comparable on elder services, advice delivery, and community-based wellbeing programming for older residents.
• Neighbours in Poplar: Tower Hamlets-based community organisation delivering advice, older people's services, and family support. Co-member of the LinkAge Plus hub network alongside St. Hilda's East, serving overlapping populations in the same borough.
• Mind in Tower Hamlets, Newham and Redbridge: Local Mind affiliate delivering adult mental health and wellbeing services. Strategic partner of St. Hilda's East for the Creative Space, Women's Group, and Cooking Club programmes — directly comparable on mental health-focused community delivery.
• Island Advice Centre: Tower Hamlets-based welfare benefits, debt, and housing advice service. Directly comparable to St. Hilda's East's welfare advice service (the Advice Co-ordinator Alaya Begum previously worked there) and competes for the same funder pool.
• Oxford House: Bethnal Green settlement charity providing community activities, advice, and venue hire in a historic East London building. Closely mirrors St. Hilda's East's settlement heritage, multi-generational programme mix, and venue-hire revenue model.

Broad incumbents

• Peabody: Large London housing and community services provider and LinkAge Plus partner. Operates overlapping community programmes (older people, advice, family support) across multiple boroughs, making it a much larger incumbent peer in the same service ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Centre for Better Health: Hackney-based charity delivering community-based mental health and wellbeing services. Comparable on adult wellbeing programming and creative space delivery (similar to St. Hilda's East's Creative Space), though smaller in scale and borough-adjacent.

Others

• Tower Hamlets Council for Voluntary Service: Umbrella infrastructure body supporting Tower Hamlets voluntary and community sector organisations including St. Hilda's East. Comparable as a borough-level community sector peer rather than a direct service competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sthildaseast
• Facebookfacebook.com/sthildaseast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-hilda-s-east-community-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/sthildaseast
• TikToktiktok.com/@sthildaseast

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about st. hilda's east