Spark 2010 Investments

Spark is investing in 12 enterprises this year, they are: -

Community Insight – market research
Devon Homes 4 Let – social letting agency
Good Soil - farming
Hope Tools – garden tool recycling
Jericho Wood Recycling – wood recycling
Lydia’s House – antique restorations
Meadview – market gardening
reCYCLEd – bike recycling
ReVive – building maintenance
Wheelie Good Bike Shop - bike recycling (see Chain Reaction below)
YMCA Enterprise Hub – building maintenance

Congratulations to the Spark 2010 finalists - see map below.

This year we have a key theme of recycling with 7 enterprises involved in bikes, wood, garden tools and antique furniture.

The other enterprises are involved in local food production (2), market research (2), property maintenance (2) and social letting (1).

Please click on the map to get a bigger view in detail

About the Spark 2010 Finalists:

BCHA - Chain Reaction

Bike recycling

BCHA, a specialist housing and social care support provider, are scaling up the successful Chain Reaction pilot in Bournemouth and will be offering the following services: -

• Recycle, repair and sell donated bikes to their clients and the general public from a shop front in the town centre.
• Bike maintenance and servicing
• Online store selling bikes and accessories.
• Bike hire scheme to tourists and students, branding the bikes to promote the business.

This will provide employment, accredited training and volunteering opportunities for BCHA clients.

By increasing the use of bikes in Bournemouth they will contribute to CO2 emission reductions and promote a healthier lifestyle to their clients and the wider community.

Chain Reaction will build on BCHA’s close relationship with Bournemouth University by offering high quality affordable second hand bikes to 15,300 students.

Bournemouth attracts 5 million visitors and 70,000 foreign language students per year who spend £461M between them. Chain Reaction is developing an innovative bike hire scheme to tap into this potentially lucrative market.

B.HUG – Community Insight

Community market research delivered by service users

Community Insight trains people who are homeless or have been homeless to carry out research, training and consultancy for charitable organisations, local authorities, housing providers, and statutory agencies.

Spark invested in Community Insight in 2008 to help them to upscale their fledgling business.

Community Insight’s services are managed and delivered by homeless and disadvantaged people who have lived on the fringes of society and on the margins of their communities. They receive training and support to carry out meaningful and engaging work on entrepreneurial projects, gaining opportunities to build their skills and move towards paid employment.

Community Insight is seeking to reposition itself to take advantage of the potential opportunities afforded by the changing and developing political and economic climate.

Good Soil / Bonterre
Top Barn Trust

Using farming activities to move people from dependency to employment / independent living

Top Barn’s vision is to see people become healthy and independent adults through land-based and ‘outdoor’ activities. They have four business units working with different at-risk groups, from excluded school pupils through to substance abusers, homeless and people who have a mental illness.

Good Soil and Bonterre are linked, farm based businesses that enable homeless people and those at risk of homelessness to grow skills and confidence, and move towards independence and unprotected employment.

They are fresh produce growers who market their products commercially, supported by the larger farm organisation at which they are based.

Top Barn are a pioneer within UK Care Farming, a movement of land and animal-based, health-generating initiatives; and a founder member of the first UK regional co-ordinating body, Care Farming West Midlands, which promotes all aspects of landand animal based care.

Jericho Foundation - Jericho Wood Recycling

Production of wood products from recycled timber

The Jericho Foundation, based in Birmingham, “supports individuals to overcome barriers, and become fulfilled, skilled and employed”. It already operates 6 social enterprises providing Print and Promotion, Design and Marketing, Construction, Catering, Cleaning and Landscaping services.

Some 18 months ago the idea was born out of a meeting with British Waterways and the Ministry of Justice to explore the possibility of using old canal lock gates to provide work opportunities to disadvantaged groups. Jericho Wood Recycling has been established in response to that quest and will: -

• Trade in recycled wood in the most environmentally friendly way
• Provide supported work placements for homeless clients
• Making a range of quality products for resale including: -
  • Apiaries
  • Tables
  • Dovecotes
  • Benches
  • Bookshelves
• Providing a wood collection service for construction and education establishments
• Deliver accredited training in woodwork to clients and other organisations

They have already identified a number of related potential income streams such as pelletising waste wood for bio mass boilers.

Julian House - reCYCLEd

Bike recycling

Julian House is a leading provider of services to single homeless men and women in Bath and north East Somerset. They developing are developing social enterprises as a means of providing employment and training to their clients.

reCYCLEd is the first and only business collecting, refurbishing and selling second-hand bikes in Bath and its environs, as well as offering workshop services.

Since opening in June reCYCLEd has grown rapidly to meet a large demand for quality second hand bikes from the residents and students of Bath. They believe customers prefer to buy their bikes and have bikes maintained and serviced by us because: -

• Customers can try before they buy
• Bikes and maintenance are priced at affordable rates
• A wide variety of types and styles of bikes are stocked
• Focus on providing excellent customer service and quality bike maintenance
• Having the right location on the edge of the city centre near train and bus stations which creates a high footfall

Over the last few months reCYCLEd have learnt about their market and customer requirements and are to develop new services to meet those needs: -

• A mobile service that can reach outlying areas and businesses
• Sophisticated repairs, rebuilding and customising
• Training bike mechanics – from simple starter maintenance courses to high-level certificated mechanics

LCT Homelink - Meadview

Production nursery & training centre

LCT Homelink provides a wide variety of services to homeless people in Littlehampton aimed at helping them access and sustain quality rented accommodation. They also operate a horticultural social enterprise. As a result of this initiative they have taken over a unused and dilapidated former nursery and are in the process of restoring it into a production nursery and training centre – the Meadview Centre.

They will offer a range of services including: -

• Produce grown in greenhouses and on open ground
• Free range hens and Quail eggs
• Bespoke garden furniture will be made on site by clients
• Gallery area for local art work
• Charity shop.
• Training kitchen and cafe

These facilities will complement their training and development work with both LCT Homelink clients and, increasingly other disadvantaged groups.

Their emphasis on trainee grown produce will include “helping people who are helping themselves”.

Lydia’s House

Restoration and resale of antique furniture

Lydia’s House was set up in 2007 to provide training, with support, for women with complex needs, including ex-offenders, those recovering from addiction problems, self harm and abuse, in the refurbishment, production and sales of antique furniture and textiles, and associated interior design crafts.

Their motto is “restoring dignity, producing quality”

They operate from a retail outlet in central Newcastle and currently have workshops at a farm complex 10 miles north of the city. They intend to move into larger premises in Sunderland that will enable them to develop the training and production facilities.

This will significantly increase their ability to offer training and work experience across a number of skills areas including: -

• The refurbishment of antique furniture, using traditional methods and materials
• Conservation and framing of antique textiles
• Framing of prints
• Frame making service for customers own items
• Curtain making service
• Rugs
• Associated interior design service and goods

Northampton Hope Centre - Hope Tools

Refurbishment and resale of garden tools

The Hope centre was founded, in 1974, as a “soup kitchen” for homeless people in Northampton. Since 2000 it has operated as a “drop in centre” gradually developing a range of 20 different life skills workshops for around 70 clients per day. It has now reached capacity in terms of both the building and the development of their clients.

They are setting up Hope Tools, which will operate a second-hand garden tool refurbishment workshop, taking donated tools from the public, refurbishing them back to almost new condition and selling them through a variety of retail outlets.

This will facilitate the next step in the social rehabilitation of their clients by providing training, work experience and employment opportunities, which will lead to independent living.

Hope Tools intend to develop the business by diversifying into specialist and antique tools which marketed through organisations such as The Tools and Trade History Society and via the internet.

Plymouth Access to Housing (PATH) – Devon Homes 4 Let

Social letting agency

2 years ago Spark invested in Plymouth Homes 4 Let, which is now a self financing business and provides over 100 tenancies.

PATH aims to replicate and scale up their original, successful social lettings agency model to provide access to (private rented) housing more widely in Devon. Devon Homes 4 Let will operate across South Devon, specifically in the districts of Teignbridge and Torbay.

Devon Homes 4 Let provides a housing option to anybody in housing need, including: -

• Considered statutorily homeless (those the local authority have a legal duty to house, normally families)
• Sofa surfing, without a home of their own
• Moving out of unsuitable, poor quality or overcrowded accommodation
• Moving on from supported housing (including homeless hostels and temporary housing)
• Threatened with homelessness (people who can no longer remain in their homes any more and without the means to find alternative accommodation)

They do not limit their services to those considered a ‘legal priority’ by local authorities – but aim to support anybody who needs helps to access to their own accommodation.

St Mungo Community Housing Association Ltd - ReVive

Painting & decorating for St Mungo’s properties & external customers

St Mungo’s is the largest provider of services to homeless people in London. They provide 1500 bed spaces, delivery of street outreach contracts, support and treatment services, employment and training programmes and criminal justice work.

The idea came from a client who suggested that he and other clients could paint their hostel rather than bring in outside contractors. ReVive was set up in response to that suggestion. It will provide work experience and employment to clients who had completed painting and decorating training courses at St Mungo’s. In the first year they have successfully delivered 9 commercial contracts.

St Mungo’s have ring fenced a significant proportion of their painting and decorating budget for the next 4 years to provide the base from which ReVive can be built.

They are seeking to expand the business by partnering with and delivering subcontract painting and decorating for contractors such as Quinns, other housing associations e.g. London and Quadrant and to deliver additional services to St Mungo’s including void clearances and deep cleaning.

St Theresa’s Day Centre for the Homeless - Streets Bikes

Bike recycling

St Theresa’s operates a day centre for homeless people in Peterborough where it delivers material help, skills training and psychological and emotional support. It has also run a successful charity shop for the last 15 years. They are seeking to provide training, work experience and employment opportunities for their clients.

Peterborough is a city that encourages the use of bikes for both work and recreation as it is relatively flat and the traffic quite congested. With the creation of the Millennium Green Wheel network of cycle ways, cycling is becoming increasingly popular.

Streets Bikes is looking to exploit this increased awareness of cycling by offering affordable recycled bikes to the public. The initial business will provide: -

• Refurbishment and resale of second hand bikes
• Repairs and maintenance services
• Accessory and used part sales
• Bike hire
• A “community hub” for cycling enthusiasts
• Bike maintenance courses

Worthing Churches Homeless Projects - buyCYCLEagain

Bike recycling

WCHP is the only organisation working with homeless and insecurely housed adults in the Worthing area. They support an average of 450 individuals every year, encouraging them to seek training, volunteering and employment opportunities.

In order to be able to offer clients the opportunity to learn a new skill transferable into future employment, they are establishing a bicycle recycling social enterprise - buyCYCLEagain. This will help up skill clients and those who have already moved on in their journey to independent living.

Initial services offered will include the following:-

• bike sales
• bike repairs and maintenance, on site and remotely
• second hand parts
• a website would provide up to date listings of bikes available
• excellent customer service
• safety checks

Future services will be developed including bicycle repair training workshops, cycle hire, accessories and cycle training.

The recycled bikes will provide customers, especially low income families and students with the opportunity to obtain sustainable transport at an affordable price, reducing their impact on the environment and promoting a healthy lifestyle.

YMCA Enterprise Hub
YMCA Derbyshire / North Staffordshire

Property and ground maintenance services

Recent years have seen a shift in YMCA Derbyshire and North Staffs YMCA’s approach in tackling the issues of homelessness, from focusing on housing and support towards enterprise and employment. This re-focus has been based on the premise that Employment, and the journey towards reaching this employment, provides a purpose and structure to people’s lives which has proven to offer an effective way of enabling people to regain the skills, confidence and coping strategies to achieve, and sustain, independence. The Enterprise Hub therefore grew out of this belief in the power of employment as a vehicle to tackle homelessness.

Initially the Enterprise Hub will provide services to Derbyshire, North Staffordshire, Burton-On-Trent and Sutton Coldfield YMCA’s. They aim to develop their customer base by: -

• Rolling out the services across the YMCA network – potentially 135 customers
• Partnering with Derbyshire / Staffordshire RSL’s
• Private landlords
• Voluntary and community sector

YWCA England and Wales - Platform 51

Community market research delivered by service users

YWCA works with the most disadvantaged girls and women across England and Wales by delivering services on health and well being, crime and violence, education and skills and money and debt.

They have set up a pilot community market research consultancy in Doncaster – Platform 51 Community Answers and intend to roll this out across 12 YWCA centres starting with West Kent and West London.

The aim is to enable homeless / vulnerably housed women not only to gain employment but to develop a range of research and business skills which ultimately will significantly increase their employability.

They have identified a range of potential clients: -

• Public sector organisations - local regional and national
• Community and Voluntary Sector organisations, including social housing providers
• Other large research consultancies such as Mori
• Private and Commercial Sector organisations

Their market researchers will be drawn from existing clients and other similarly disadvantaged groups. They will be trained in market research techniques by Lancaster University.